NEW MEMBER INQUIRIES & QUICK QUESTIONS- CLASSIC MENSWEAR: WK OF MAR 30, 2015

[kenmond]

Thanks! @Murlsquirl

 

[Murlsquirl]



Thanks! @Murlsquirl

Anytime, man.

 

[cioa]

If I am a size 36" chest should I order a 36" or 38"? Because I've tried 36" blazers in stores, and their fit was kinda all over.

 

[Murlsquirl]

Hi, I'll be traveling to France this September for my wedding photo shoot and I need advice on packing as few pieces as possible while being able to create many styles.
One style that I absolutely want is a tuxedo worn with cravat, but I'm not sure how else can a tuxedo transform into another style. My skin tone is about 4/10 with 1 being the fairest and I stand at 5' 6", black hair. Is black the best colour or can I opt for a dark/charcoal grey instead? I heard black shoes only go with black suit but brown shoes go with many colours so if I use a grey suit I will only need one pair of shoes (brown).
Specifically, I need 4 styles (2 day styles, 2 evening styles) ranging from formal groom to sexy casual.
Your advice is much appreciated! Thanks!

Welcome to the forum, TZ. I'm kind of at a lost for advice because I'm not really sure what you are asking. Here's some advice for the clear questions....you can't really transform a tux into another outfit. Black shoes go with grey suits and navy suits. Brown does work with grey and many other suit colors. Whatever else you need, just ask here. Best of luck.

 

[Murlsquirl]

If I am a size 36" chest should I order a 36" or 38"? Because I've tried 36" blazers in stores, and their fit was kinda all over.

If possible, go by the chest measurement of the jacket. Some makers size 36 may have a 36" chest while others may be 2-3" less or more. If your actual chest measurement is 36", try to find a jacket with a 38-39" chest measurement.

 

[Tee Zackem]

Hi Murlsquirl! Thanks for the reply.

As of now, I've decided to take only black shoes with me because my fiancee insists that I wear a black tux. So I googled and found this little guide on matching black shoes with the right dress colors and thought that it's not bad at all as I still have 5 colors to play around with.




Back to my question and to the point, I'm trying to find out what are the few pieces of tops and bottoms that are versatile enough for me to have many styles but still being able to travel light. I'll be traveling for a month and the photo shoot takes only two days in that period (2 styles a day).

So here is my initial plan:

BOTTOMS
a pair of black shoes (has to be able to match black tux as well as all the other pants, oxford or dress boots?)
a pair of black dress pants
a pair of dark blue jeans
a pair of charcoal dress pants
a pair of grey cotton pants
(not opting for white denim, but what do you think? is it attractive?)

TOPS
black tux
black suit jacket
grey suit jacket
white oxford shirt with french cuffs
grey cashmere sweater
charcoal vest/waistcoat (is there really a difference?)
(I'M STUCK HERE)

Planned looks:
Look 1) Tux (black tie or white tie for photo shoot??)
Look 2) grey/black suit jacket? (is buttoning a must when standing??)
Look 3) without a jacket, but with a vest/waistcoat
Look 4) sweater + shirt inside (one of the 4 photo shoots is picnic-themed, viable?)

The 4 styles are the ones that I'm concerned the most, but I appreciate additional suggestions for my non-shooting day styles (because I'm traveling and no doubt will be taking a lot of photos of my own too).

Thanks!!

 

[Ale Golem]

I inherited 100+ neckties from a coworker yesterday who hasn't worn them in years. I'd love to throw the 30 or so I kept right into my rotation but due to where, in an attic, and how, crammed into a cardboard box, they were stored they'll almost all need some repair work and/or a good dry cleaning and pressing. There's some great brands in here, Christian Dior/Dolce and Gabbana/Bullock & Jones, along with your standard Macys and JC Penney stuff so I'd rather use a well known and reputable dry cleaner. Whoever I bring them to will also have to do some minor repair work on a few; there's a couple that I'm not sure can be saved.
I'm looking for recommendations in the Albany-Glens Falls area of upstate NY.

 

[Murlsquirl]

I inherited 100+ neckties from a coworker yesterday who hasn't worn them in years. I'd love to throw the 30 or so I kept right into my rotation but due to where, in an attic, and how, crammed into a cardboard box, they were stored they'll almost all need some repair work and/or a good dry cleaning and pressing. There's some great brands in here, Christian Dior/Dolce and Gabbana/Bullock & Jones, along with your standard Macys and JC Penney stuff so I'd rather use a well known and reputable dry cleaner. Whoever I bring them to will also have to do some minor repair work on a few; there's a couple that I'm not sure can be saved.
I'm looking for recommendations in the Albany-Glens Falls area of upstate NY.

Welcome to the forum, AG. I've heard good things about Tie Crafters. They are in NYC, but you can ship them your stuff. Best of luck.

 

[breakaway01]

As of now, I've decided to take only black shoes with me because my fiancee insists that I wear a black tux. So I googled and found this little guide on matching black shoes with the right dress colors and thought that it's not bad at all as I still have 5 colors to play around with.

Back to my question and to the point, I'm trying to find out what are the few pieces of tops and bottoms that are versatile enough for me to have many styles but still being able to travel light. I'll be traveling for a month and the photo shoot takes only two days in that period (2 styles a day).

So here is my initial plan:

BOTTOMS
a pair of black shoes (has to be able to match black tux as well as all the other pants, oxford or dress boots?)
a pair of black dress pants
a pair of dark blue jeans
a pair of charcoal dress pants
a pair of grey cotton pants
(not opting for white denim, but what do you think? is it attractive?)

TOPS
black tux
black suit jacket
grey suit jacket
white oxford shirt with french cuffs
grey cashmere sweater
charcoal vest/waistcoat (is there really a difference?)
(I'M STUCK HERE)

Planned looks:
Look 1) Tux (black tie or white tie for photo shoot??)
Look 2) grey/black suit jacket? (is buttoning a must when standing??)
Look 3) without a jacket, but with a vest/waistcoat
Look 4) sweater + shirt inside (one of the 4 photo shoots is picnic-themed, viable?)

The 4 styles are the ones that I'm concerned the most, but I appreciate additional suggestions for my non-shooting day styles (because I'm traveling and no doubt will be taking a lot of photos of my own too).

Thanks!!

Do you have to take all of the clothing with you for your month-long trip? For example, can you take care of the photo shoot at the beginning of your trip and then either ship the things you don't need home or have them stored (if you'll be returning through the same city) while you are traveling? I am quite sure that you can figure out a way of having more clothes/shoes options for your photo shoot. Assuming that you can do this, then I'll suggest the following:

Outfit 1: If you are doing a tux, do it right. Don't do it halfway or it'll look worse than a nice suit. Do you have the matching pants for your tuxedo jacket? Wear a proper tuxedo shirt, not a white oxford shirt with French cuffs.

Outfit 2: no to a grey or black suit jacket and mismatched pants. It'll look like you're wearing a mismatched suit. Go classic here: grey suit (personally I'd suggest mid grey or light grey; charcoal seems too somber for a summer wedding photo shoot) or navy suit (or French blue since it'll be summer). White shirt is going to get washed out too easily in your photos on a summer day, so I'd go with a pale blue shirt.

Outfit 3: summer nice casual: Lots of options here. For example, a blue linen jacket, light blue or pink shirt, cream or light grey trousers. Don't just do charcoal/black/blue--no fun. You could try with and without a summery tie.

Outfit 4: picnic-themed sounds great. Again, you have lots of choices here.

Have fun, sounds like a great trip. And congratulations!

 

[datrat]

Weird question I know...but if you're buying a belt to shorten it, do you get the size closest to the "true" size or just any big/oversized size, the bigger the better?


Obviously, it would be ideal to buy a belt in a size that fit.

But I can't find a similarly styled belt to this one in a size that fits.
(https://www.jcrew.com/mens_category...&isFromSearch=true&isNewSearch=true&hash=row1)

If I were to get this belt and planned to have it shortened to a 29 waist, would I be better off getting the size 30 or 32? (or 34 or 36...?)


(I suppose larger would be better, leaving more room for error/material to work with...? But perhaps on larger sizes the space between the loosest of the holes and the very tip of the belt varies from that of smaller sizes, thus affecting the fit?)


[Edit-I had tried the size 30 in person, which was too loose, though it probably only needed to be shortened ~4"]

 

[Murlsquirl]

I would think the 32" would work, but I just taking a shot in the dark.

 

[Arnobuyens]



Weird question I know...but if you're buying a belt to shorten it, do you get the size closest to the "true" size or just any big/oversized size, the bigger the better?


Obviously, it would be ideal to buy a belt in a size that fit.

But I can't find a similarly styled belt to this one in a size that fits.
(https://www.jcrew.com/mens_category...&isFromSearch=true&isNewSearch=true&hash=row1)

If I were to get this belt and planned to have it shortened to a 29 waist, would I be better off getting the size 30 or 32? (or 34 or 36...?)


(I suppose larger would be better, leaving more room for error/material to work with...? But perhaps on larger sizes the space between the loosest of the holes and the very tip of the belt varies from that of smaller sizes, thus affecting the fit?)


[Edit-I had tried the size 30 in person, which was too loose, though it probably only needed to be shortened ~4"]

From my experience, if it's a belt that isn't meant to be shortened, you should make sure it is long enough so that you won't see the stitching anymore where the buckle is attached to the belt. If you just take a half size or one size up you will always see small holes where the stitching used to be.

 

[daynes]

Hi, please can someone advise me as to which brand belongs to this logo?

Thanks in advance

 

[9mileshigh]

@daynes Looks like Allsaints

 

[Murlsquirl]

Welcome to the forum, daynes and 9 mile.