WorldTraveller
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2011
- Messages
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Hi all. Been searching high and low for a good forum to post on. This one looks like best around.
I'm a mid-level manager working in a very large, fairly conservative (not I-banking, but execs always in suits) company (Fortune 5). Recently I was told I was at a point where how I dress would be a factor with getting ahead at the company. I was surprised they were that blunt with me but I took it to heart.
On top of that, I've lived in the US for nearly all of my life but I recently I moved to China for an international assignment, and while I've been here I've discovered tailored clothes. This is a pretty big deal for me because I've never followed fashion; nothing that anyone sold fit me when growing up, and my family was poor, so I didn't really have the option of looking my "best".
Over the next 6 months I plan to purchase about 20 dress shirts, 5 dress pants, 10 suits, 1 tuxedo/DJ and some accessories and would very much like all input I can get! For now I'm only going with a single design/cut/"layout" (described below) of my clothes and modifying colors and patterns only. Will move on from there. Money is not really relevant to the issue; I'm in China so everything is 70% off US prices and I can't get brand-name labels even if I wanted to.
I've scoured the internet for information and it has become my new favorite thing to read about. Unfortunately, because we're all shapes and sizes and have different audiences that we dress for, it's difficult to get the right advice. So, below I've laid out what I'm thinking for me and my situation, and appreciate any/all input into whether it seems correct for what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks!
----
I'm 6'8" (2 meters) tall, and I have the build of a thinner football / thicker basketball player; I weight 275lbs but <10% of that is fat; I have maybe 0.5"-1" of fat on the thighs and spare tire (thighs are by far my problem area as you'll see below), but I have a well developed chest, legs, shoulders and arms from years of hitting the weight room. Overall I'd say tall + athletic with some extra weight. Waist is 38", inseam is 36", neck is 17-18" depending on mfg. Don't recall my chest/shoulders/arms. I wear tall everything. I try to get extra-tall, slim cut clothing if I buy off the rack (which is rarely available). Typical american full-cut looks absolutely abysmal on me. Apparently people with arms as long as me are twice as wide on average.
In case it helps to determine where I am on the age spectrum, I'm just about to turn 35 and have some graying at the temples. Most women at first glance think I'm still in my late 20s, but once they see the gray they guess right (sadly!).
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On to the clothes:
--------------
Dress shirts:
--------------
Medium spread collar, 3" points - Thinking 3" better for my frame than 2-2.5". Because I'm so tall, even with extra-long ties the smallest part of the tie makes the knot so I generally have skinny knots, which look bizzare with a wide spread collar. Not enough material for a full windsor (which might help the situation)
French cuff (only)
Waist to bottom of shirt straight (vs "wide-ass / bell-bottom") - so I can wear to the bar or otherwise untucked when necessary. I have some wide ones which look like a tent when untucked.
White and blue base colors with varying stripes colors and patterns (black/red/yellow/etc...)
Dress pants:
----------------------
2" cuffs - struggled with this but cuffs seem to be the more traditional/conservative choice. Went with 2" because of my height
No pleats - struggled even more with this. First, my thighs are my problem area; about 50% of my excess weight goes there and on top of that I have fairly big thigh muscles from my previous life in the gym. Pleats would actually be much more comfy. However, I have owned 2 and 3 pleat dress pants my whole life and everywhere I read, pleats are not the way to go. On the other hand I read that you have to have pleats if you have cuffs, and I work in a conservative environment. I could be convinced either way on this choice to be honest. For comparison, "Slim" jeans of any sort don't fit well at all. Also, even though I wear my jeans at my hip-bones level, I can't do low-rise; I need the extra width in the thigh that the mid- and high-rise jeans offer. The downside is saggy butt but I have no choice.
Suits:
---------
Single breasted, 3 button - I'm athletically built and I like to unbutton when I sit, so I think double-breasted is out for me. I've read 3 button is the way to go for taller men, so that's what I have chosen. Not too strongly convinced though; my existing suits are all 2 button. Tight to the hips vs "bell-bottom"
Variety of stripes and patterns, 1-2 blue, 1-2 grey, and the rest black. Vertical stripes should be OK I would guess, even with my height; haven't really ever seen a horizontal striped suit.
No shoulder pads - I'm already built like a football player
Double-vent - much classier than single IMO
Notched lapel - no real opinion on this, just seemed to be what is done
Jetted pockets - I guess flap pockets are ok too, but why not go as formal as possible?
Suit pants identical to the dress pants above
Tuxedo/DJ:
------------
Basing this on fewer sources but there doesn't seem to be too much debate on it.
Jacket - single breasted, 1 button, jet pockets, silk peaked lapel. Hole and tab for bouttinire (SP)
Waistcoat - single breasted, 4 buttons, 2 jet pockets, all silk, tab for attaching to pants. Hole for pocketwatch
Shirt - 1/4" pleats, mother of pearl studs, French cuff, turn-down collar medium spread
Bowtie - "real" bowtie, 3" width (given height), square ends (vs triangle)
Pants - cut for suspenders, no cuffs, no pleats, silk seam
I'm a mid-level manager working in a very large, fairly conservative (not I-banking, but execs always in suits) company (Fortune 5). Recently I was told I was at a point where how I dress would be a factor with getting ahead at the company. I was surprised they were that blunt with me but I took it to heart.
On top of that, I've lived in the US for nearly all of my life but I recently I moved to China for an international assignment, and while I've been here I've discovered tailored clothes. This is a pretty big deal for me because I've never followed fashion; nothing that anyone sold fit me when growing up, and my family was poor, so I didn't really have the option of looking my "best".
Over the next 6 months I plan to purchase about 20 dress shirts, 5 dress pants, 10 suits, 1 tuxedo/DJ and some accessories and would very much like all input I can get! For now I'm only going with a single design/cut/"layout" (described below) of my clothes and modifying colors and patterns only. Will move on from there. Money is not really relevant to the issue; I'm in China so everything is 70% off US prices and I can't get brand-name labels even if I wanted to.
I've scoured the internet for information and it has become my new favorite thing to read about. Unfortunately, because we're all shapes and sizes and have different audiences that we dress for, it's difficult to get the right advice. So, below I've laid out what I'm thinking for me and my situation, and appreciate any/all input into whether it seems correct for what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks!
----
I'm 6'8" (2 meters) tall, and I have the build of a thinner football / thicker basketball player; I weight 275lbs but <10% of that is fat; I have maybe 0.5"-1" of fat on the thighs and spare tire (thighs are by far my problem area as you'll see below), but I have a well developed chest, legs, shoulders and arms from years of hitting the weight room. Overall I'd say tall + athletic with some extra weight. Waist is 38", inseam is 36", neck is 17-18" depending on mfg. Don't recall my chest/shoulders/arms. I wear tall everything. I try to get extra-tall, slim cut clothing if I buy off the rack (which is rarely available). Typical american full-cut looks absolutely abysmal on me. Apparently people with arms as long as me are twice as wide on average.
In case it helps to determine where I am on the age spectrum, I'm just about to turn 35 and have some graying at the temples. Most women at first glance think I'm still in my late 20s, but once they see the gray they guess right (sadly!).
--------------
On to the clothes:
--------------
Dress shirts:
--------------
Medium spread collar, 3" points - Thinking 3" better for my frame than 2-2.5". Because I'm so tall, even with extra-long ties the smallest part of the tie makes the knot so I generally have skinny knots, which look bizzare with a wide spread collar. Not enough material for a full windsor (which might help the situation)
French cuff (only)
Waist to bottom of shirt straight (vs "wide-ass / bell-bottom") - so I can wear to the bar or otherwise untucked when necessary. I have some wide ones which look like a tent when untucked.
White and blue base colors with varying stripes colors and patterns (black/red/yellow/etc...)
Dress pants:
----------------------
2" cuffs - struggled with this but cuffs seem to be the more traditional/conservative choice. Went with 2" because of my height
No pleats - struggled even more with this. First, my thighs are my problem area; about 50% of my excess weight goes there and on top of that I have fairly big thigh muscles from my previous life in the gym. Pleats would actually be much more comfy. However, I have owned 2 and 3 pleat dress pants my whole life and everywhere I read, pleats are not the way to go. On the other hand I read that you have to have pleats if you have cuffs, and I work in a conservative environment. I could be convinced either way on this choice to be honest. For comparison, "Slim" jeans of any sort don't fit well at all. Also, even though I wear my jeans at my hip-bones level, I can't do low-rise; I need the extra width in the thigh that the mid- and high-rise jeans offer. The downside is saggy butt but I have no choice.
Suits:
---------
Single breasted, 3 button - I'm athletically built and I like to unbutton when I sit, so I think double-breasted is out for me. I've read 3 button is the way to go for taller men, so that's what I have chosen. Not too strongly convinced though; my existing suits are all 2 button. Tight to the hips vs "bell-bottom"
Variety of stripes and patterns, 1-2 blue, 1-2 grey, and the rest black. Vertical stripes should be OK I would guess, even with my height; haven't really ever seen a horizontal striped suit.
No shoulder pads - I'm already built like a football player
Double-vent - much classier than single IMO
Notched lapel - no real opinion on this, just seemed to be what is done
Jetted pockets - I guess flap pockets are ok too, but why not go as formal as possible?
Suit pants identical to the dress pants above
Tuxedo/DJ:
------------
Basing this on fewer sources but there doesn't seem to be too much debate on it.
Jacket - single breasted, 1 button, jet pockets, silk peaked lapel. Hole and tab for bouttinire (SP)
Waistcoat - single breasted, 4 buttons, 2 jet pockets, all silk, tab for attaching to pants. Hole for pocketwatch
Shirt - 1/4" pleats, mother of pearl studs, French cuff, turn-down collar medium spread
Bowtie - "real" bowtie, 3" width (given height), square ends (vs triangle)
Pants - cut for suspenders, no cuffs, no pleats, silk seam