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if hemingway was 15, skinny, & listened to indie music...

wmmk

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Hullo all, So I'm a high school sophomore and am trying to wear better clothes. I'd love some advice from SF'ers. I'm trying to find my own style and I tend to like things that manage to blend indie flair, literary sophistication, and minimalist sensibility. Stuff that if Hemingway might wear if he was was 15, skinny, and listened to indie music. I basically need some more t-shirts, some shirts that are not t-shirts, another pair of jeans, a fall/winter coat, and some shoes. This stuff should all work well with what I already have (solid v-neck & turtleneck sweaters, concert tees, thrifted tees, dark 507's, APC NC's [getting those soon], Tibor Kalman/MOMA watch) My situation:
  • Tees: I know how much most SF'ers hate all and any graphic tees, but I like a lot of the stuff from threadless. Anything wrong with these? Also, who makes the best, cheapest solid tees (preferably available at a brick & mortar shop in Chicago)?
  • Fall/winter coat: The jacket is probably the most pragmatically necessary thing here. Just need something slim that'd look good with the APC NC's and be warm enough for Chicago winters. A peacoat could be nice, but it'd have to be on the cheap-ish end of the spectrum and be casual-looking enough to go well with tees, jeans, etc.
  • Shoes: I'm open to anything other than Nike Dunks or those fugly, chunky skateboarding shoes. Unfortunately, wear orthotics. Ergo, no shoes without a removeable footbed. I'm wearing New Balance 574's right now, which I like. I'd be fine with another pair of retro-ish sneakers, and might even check out some brogued wingtips in the future.
  • Other stuff: Finally, are there any accessories that would do a lot for this look without being too expensive? Some funky socks might be nice.
Thanks, -wmmk
 

ppllzz

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hemingway would be more terse
 

dusty

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Originally Posted by andyliu52
hemingway would be more terse

laugh.gif
 

izlat

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Hi,

Ts: the best cheapest, solid Ts generally tend to come from India these days, I think they go to T-shirt companies wholesale, though. Other than this - AA is not that good, not sure why it's endorsed here. I prefer pretty much anything to them - Gap, BR, Merona (Target), even Anvil, etc. I'm not crazy about these either, but seem a good value, esp. on sale, and hold up for several years

Coat: I'd definitely go for Sterlingwear - $150 seems like a low enough price for a coat that can last you years and years

Shoes: Right now I'm debating between Doc Martens Made in Monochrome (black) and something else. Frye, Red Wing etc - may have something of interest for you butI think aremore expensive. Clarks are a classic and are cheaper than the others, so check them out.
 

wmmk

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Mmkay, so I edited the original post. Should be better now. Izlat, thanks for the reply. I'll look into the brands you suggested for basic tees. Do you guys consider threadless tees to be bad in the way that most other graphic tees are? Not really digging the Sterlingwear. Looks like great quality, but I wouldn't mind some more progressive styling. I think I prefer shoes to boots.
 

dfagdfsh

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I dunno, I guess the best advice I have for you is to not spend too much on clothes (especially if you think you're going to grow anymore/they won't fit in 6 months), and don't buy ridiculous outfits that won't fit in with your peers. Dress how you want BUT also in the context of the environment you live in - if most people in your school wear jeans and t shirts, dont roll up in a 3 piece suit and monkstraps.
 

Nouveau Pauvre

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Threadless is pretty bad.

It's like "I don't actually have a personality, but you can check out my awesome, offbeat tee shirt!" It also keeps you from developing a real sense of style to have graphic tees be the locus of your outfit. You'd be much better off with some solid color ones and let your sense of style develop more subtly through things like proportion, cut, color matching, accessories e.t.c.

Browse the WAYWN for some inspiration. For a slightly different aesthetic superfuture and stylezeitgeist are worth checking out as well.

(Given you are 15)
 

chronoaug

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Why don't you just look around at posts here? Check out the conversations members have in certain threads, fits in the waywt page, fits on street fashion blogs, men's runway shows, lookbooks from certain brands, take note of the styling in certain photo shoots, etc... I dunno. It's really easy to look solid and safe. I do it pretty regularly, as i'm lazy. Sometimes i mix it up but whatever.
 

wmmk

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Originally Posted by Magician
Threadless is pretty bad.

It's like "I don't actually have a personality, but you can check out my awesome, offbeat tee shirt!" It also keeps you from developing a real sense of style to have graphic tees be the locus of your outfit.


Wow, I'd never thought of it that way. Despite their often having "graphics," are band/concert t-shirts ok? They seem to convey more actual personality, no?
 

Mushroom77

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wmmk, I'm pretty much in your situation, but a year or two older. Here's my advice, from what I've learned: Get some great jeans that you can wear day in and day out with pretty much everything in your wardbrobe. Anyone else here would tell you this, too. Then get some non-denim trousers or something, like Chrono rocks all the time. As for t-shirts, my advice is to just search around to find the ones that best fit you. I did, and found some for less than $10 that fit better than anything else around. Get one or two jackets, I've got a peacoat/short trench that works well and was cheap but looks alright. You can put insoles in chucks, as far as I know, so you might want to try that. Age-appropriate, too. As much as nicer shoes are, well, nicer - anything too dressy will make you look too out of place. And coming into winter (if you're in the right hemisphere), you an accesorise with cardigans/knits/scarves/whatever. The best thing I can say is to buy things slowly to make sure you'll still be happy 12 months from now, and buy things that will work with the rest of your wardrobe, for maximum options on a minimum budget. Anyone wiser, feel free to knock back my tips, but this is what I've learned.
 

Nouveau Pauvre

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Originally Posted by wmmk
Wow, I'd never thought of it that way. Despite their often having "graphics," are band/concert t-shirts ok? They seem to convey more actual personality, no?
I happen to be pretty in to music culture and never wear band tees - not quite as bad as graphic tees, but suffers from similar issues. Remember style is all about breaking rules so while avoidance of graphic tees is a good guideline - it is not holy writ. While I do find threadless awful there are certainly some good graphic tees out there - I like DRKSHDW/ Rick Owens, Yohji, Margiela on the high end and BBlessing, NDG and some S2A on the more reasonable end of the spectrum. One thing i strongly recommend is don't fall in to the same trap as me and buy a lot of cheap/mid level stuff- you are much better off with a few high end purchases.
 

chronoaug

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You're a liar. Didn't you tell me in a thread a week or two ago, you didn't like s2a graphic tees? I'm just bustin your balls but i thought it was you (could've been someone else i guess). Anyways, carry on. But if you come across any tees for a fair price, magician, yip that link my way.
 

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