Help me with a new look!

[Mbogo]

Originally Posted by jkennett

I find it to be rather difficult to figure out what someone should wear when I really don't know anything about the person. Fit is key in the clothing... That is a given. However, what gives you inspiration? You have to figure out your own personal style. For instance at your age... You could've grown up as a big Neil Young fan, or you could've been into the Sex Pistols. Rothko fan might be into Helmut Lang inspired pieces. Jackson Pollock might be more into Marc Jacobs or something... You're obviously creative, so I really just think you need to incorporate your artistic side into what you wear a bit more than you have. Channel things that inspire you and incorporate it into your look. Further examples of things that could inspire you could be the whole English country look, ranch workers, british mod scene, WWII uniforms, Peter Fonda in Easy Rider, etc. Decide on what your inspirations are and use them to create something that envelopes what you are and what you're interested in.

Don't think that I mean dress in costume... I mean that you should create your own look that is based on your own likes, not what some random person online decides is cool for you to wear. With that said, I agree that nice fitting jeans are a good start. Other pieces to look into might be a coat and some boots, as they will be the most visible pieces that you'll be wearing in the upcoming months. Deciding what look you want will help to narrow down the vast amount of choices.


Good thoughts, and they support my desire to bust out of my square business casual/ crappy jeans/ Polo look.

Two looks really appeal to me. I've always liked the Indiana Jones style. Not verbatim (I'm not going to carry around a big bull whip, for instance), but that mix of rugged, high quality canvas and leather always seemed very cool to me. The other look I like is the para-military/ urban commando/ SWAT look, but I worry it's been completely overdone. I also sort of like the Filson's bush pilot thing. Again- I'm not wanting to duplicate either of these looks necessarily, but like many of the general elements.

Hmm- you've gotten me digging into my inner psyche, or at least my childhood fantasies about becoming a white hunter, bush pilot, or soldier of fortune!

I think the key might be to keep some of these style elements in mind, and gradually incorporate them into my look.

Thanks a lot for your ideas. I welcome any further thoughts.

David

 

[Superb0bo]

^^ I think that Indiana Jones style isnt too far removed from what other people ment with "work wear".. that is, well made vintage inspired stuff.
I suggest you get some nice boots (red wing 875 or Alden Indy boots for starters), some flat front Bills Khakis and Levis Vintage Clothing 501 1937. That covers the bottom part in pretty much all occasions. Add some casual shirts like well made denim or flannel (why not from filson?) and some sort of jacket, and thats all! Seems like a really easy and suitable way to dress for an sligthly bigger and older guy in an casual but progressive setting.

 

[minimalist]

Could I talk you into posting a pic of yourself in what you usually wear? Since you are a photographer, you should be able to take an nice pic of yourself

That would come in really handy, since I think it just would not help you in any way to suggest brands, cuts, styles, colors without having the faintest idea of how you look. The outcome might be sharp but it also might work out horrible.

 

[xchen]

Originally Posted by SuperBobo

^^ I think that Indiana Jones style isnt too far removed from what other people ment with "work wear".. that is, well made vintage inspired stuff.
I suggest you get some nice boots (red wing 875 or Alden Indy boots for starters), some flat front Bills Khakis and Levis Vintage Clothing 501 1937. That covers the bottom part in pretty much all occasions. Add some casual shirts like well made denim or flannel (why not from filson?) and some sort of jacket, and thats all! Seems like a really easy and suitable way to dress for an sligthly bigger and older guy in an casual but progressive setting.

I agree with SuperBobo 100% and while I didn't mention Indiana Jones, it was basically the look I had in mind when making my post. I was looking at the Alden Indy Boots and various other items from the movie on an Indy Style website.

I was also thinking of posting one of SuperBobo's fits as he is also a tall fellow with a good sense of workwear style.

 

[Bradford]

I agree with the Indiana Jones, classic work wear suggestions, but instead of the Indy style boots, I would go with some Red Wing Pull-On Boots like these...

Pair them with either some 501 classic style jeans or Bill's Khaki's as stated previously...

Add a work shirt of some sort like this Carhartt...

Basically inspired by characters like Paul Newman in Hud (although without the belt buckle

)...

 

[Mbogo]

I'm very grateful for everyone's wise suggestions.

Xchen- I'm sorry I misunderstood your post. I was afraid you were talking about plumber attire, not vintage bush pilot style.

It seems like everyone is leaning in the Indiana Jones direction, which is a very cool look. That Indy site is the nuts. I want to be careful, though, not to try to get too vintage or "costumey" by trying to actually duplicate that Indy look, or not going far enough and just ending up looking business casual with khakis and cotton field shirts. And I don't want to end up looking like the Orvis or Cabelas Big and Tall Catalog model.

It seems there's a fine line between cool rugged khakis and boring business chinos, and I can't really tell the difference yet. (But before I started hanging out in this section of the forums a week ago, I had never heard of raw denim, either, and now I am putting it on my Christmas list! So hopefully I learn fast.)

Those Indy boots are pretty cool, as long as they fit great and have great traction. I just blew my boot budget on some high end standard leather hiking boots this week though, so I might have to wait on those for a while. (These are for hiking, not style, although I may see how they go with my soon to be added denim).

I had been trying to break myself of LL Bean because it was feeling kind of frumpy, but am gradually being nudged back with some of the Indy type recommendations.

I think I'm coming to terms with something important- I need a great tailor that will do serious work fitting virtually all my shirts, jackets, and maybe khakis to me properly. This is a project unto itself. I have a tailor now that seems to charge a lot of dough for really basic stuff, and I'm not sure I'd trust him to do major butchering on expensive stuff. Any suggestions on finding a good tailor are welcome.

I'll try to take Minimalist's suggestion and post a shot of me in my current stuff to give an idea of my shape and size and current style (not). I'm on a small shoot tomorrow, so maybe my assistant can snap a quick shot of me.

Keep the ideas coming! (Alternative ideas to the Indy thing are welcome- maybe something a little more Euro-urban-paramilitary?)

Thanks, again!

David

 

[Serg]

lumberjack? My Fyre Loggers certainly not for everyday. An more "extreme" look

Now that I think about I need to get a picture of myself with my Brawny man style plaid shirt and those... With any look it's all about the fit. The lumberjack who has well fitted clothes looks better than the trendy street kid with over sized clothing

 

[xchen]

Mbogo - while some of this stuff does seem expensive, i.e. $300 for the Indy Boots and $200 for some Red Wings Irish Setter boots, it also helps to remember that these items will last you for the rest of your life. Also, I would like to stress to you something that will probably keep your new look from being too costumy. Weight of fabric can be important. In the winter I think flannel is a good material, particularly if you have cooler winters, but in the summer, a light weight shirt would be better all around. Linen is good for this, and you can still keep the khakis for the business casual look.

As for breaking the barrier between office slacks from Dockers and rugged chinos, it unfortunately just takes some searching. As you have already learned about raw denim, clothes just look better when you have worn them and they look used. I think you have made a lot of progress in this thread as far as taking suggestions and not shooting down everyones ideas. Now that you've seen what several of us have had to offer, make it your own and it'll look good without doubt. Be sure to post pictures in the WAYWT thread, too, of course.

 

[mack11211]

If you're going to clutter up your body with pockets for equipment, let it be your upper body rather than your lower body. Nix on cargo pants, yes to safari shirts or M65/military inspired jackets with dual pockets at chest and hip. Such jackets made of cotton canvas can be good in all seasons...you just layer up or down. Keep the colors dark and simple. For footwear, get some kind of versatile boot, probably with a rubber sole.

Also, do post pix if you want us to help you more.

 

[jkennett]

Mbogo- What city/region do you live in? Someone could help you find a tailor knowing this information. I'm not very good at searching for images online, so I imagine you could probably do a better job at it yourself for finding the paramilitary look. Checking out the WAWT (what are you wearing today) thread in streetwear might pull up some looks.

 

[Mbogo]

OK- Here are pictures. Man, is this embarrassing. What a sloppy looking mess. This is going to be a bigger project than I thought. Time to cut way back on those portion sizes, not to mention beer.

I'm working in Manhattan today and tomorrow, so I'm going to check out BIG, Uniqlo, maybe J Crew, maybe APC. Wasn't there supposed to be a Denim Bar opening in NYC? Any other places to recommend apropos the direction I'm looking in?

As far as finding a tailor, I live in Upstate New York, but work in NYC regularly.

Keep the suggestions coming! They are appreciated.

David

 

[blackgrass]

I would suggest going with a plain front pant....NO PLEATS. I was a heavier guy for a few years and always remember that pleats just don't look good on a big guy. Also...maybe a darker shade of khaki for the pants.

The shirt isn't bad....put on a black t-shirt underneath. Open the collar a bit and roll up the sleeves. A nice bridle belt would look good...Filson makes a nice one that should be readily available.

I think softening your look would help you out a bit...by this I mean. Roll up the sleeves a couple of turns. Add a t-shirt and open you collar a bit. It kind of seems the clothes are wearing you and not you wearing the clothes.

Check out Filson....a little higher end than L.L. Bean and more of the classic work wear look.

 

[Mbogo]

Sounds like good advice on the khakis.

I went to Uniqlo, APC, BIG, and JCrew tonight. Interesting excursion.

Uniqlo had nice jeans, some sort of special sale 25% off their basic $50 jeans, I found a pair that fit, they rang up as $14.99 for some reason, so I got a second pair. Very comfortable, much nicer cut than my LLBean roomy fit. Nothing else in the entire store was even close to a size that would fit me.

APC: Nothing in my size.

BIG: Really nice place, real helpful girl, tried on about 8 different pairs. Here are some impressions on a few:

Samurais- real nice, thick and stiff as hell, couldn't even hang on the hook in the dressing room because they were like a sheet of plywood. Seemed like more of a comittment than I was willing to invest in breaking them in. Warehouse- the most comfortable, fit was just a little to loose in the thigh, and they were real plain, which I didn't think I'd care about until I tried on... Takumi- real nice slim fit in the thigh, nice design, cool patch. A shorter rise than what I'm used to. Wasn't sure I was crazy about wearing them that low, but sales girls said they fit the best of the ones I tried on, plus she was cute, so I figured she knew what she was talking about. Spending that kind of money on them gave me mild hives, but what the heck. They look really cool, as soon as I lose a few pounds they hopefully won't squeeze my huevos as much. I am dreading doing a search for comments on the brand here for fear of learning that they are universally despised and mocked. I'm suffering enough buyer's remorse already.

JCrew was cool. I don't know why I never shopped it all these years. I think I thought it was for little preppy guys. It's nice stuff, and might be a good source for khakis, etc. Didn't try any on because they didn't have anything in my size but said the catalog would.

So anyway, I'm on a groove for my new look. Next I have to get shirts tailored, and expand my shoe selection. And then, a cool outdoor jacket and blazer.

Thanks for everyone's help, and keep more ideas coming.

David

 

[tagutcow]

Originally Posted by Mbogo

Wasn't sure I was crazy about wearing them that low, but sales girls said they fit the best of the ones I tried on, plus she was cute, so I figured she knew what she was talking about.

 I always thought the halo effect was a myth!

 

[xchen]

Stick with a classic look and you'll be set. I looked at those Takumis on the BiG website and they look fine to me. Wear them every day! Are the Uniqlo jeans raw as well? If so, I'd honestly stick with the Takumis for daily wear and wear the Uniqlos for cutting the grass, doing yard work, or anything like that and see what kind of wear they are capable of.