Redoing Wardrobe - List of items - Opinions/Advice?

[Bob01]

Greetings All,

What first was just a thought of getting a suit or two made, has somehow grown to be almost an entire wardrobe redo plan....the other day while doing a second fitting for a suit I recently ordered, I was almost floored on how good it feels to wear pants that actually fit well (they were finished). The more I read this forum, the more I realized alot of my clothes need to be better fitted - I think Im going to take to the tailor near me, my few good remaining dress shirts to be brought in, the shirts I wear as non-tucked to get the tails removed, see if they can do something about the overly- bagginess of some casual pants, etc.

Alot of my clothing is pretty worn out or was a bad choice from the beginning (mostly my work/business clothing), but alot of my casual wear; worn-in jeans, my favorite graphic/word tees ("Bacon is Meat Candy" is one of my favs ;-)), a few polos (after I also get them to be better fitted), etc will stay.

Luckily, right now Im in China (not too far away from Shanghai), so getting things fitted and getting things tailored is at a fairly good price...

Post about this

Me: Short Guy (5'6", around 167cm), around 143lbs, tan complexion/black hair (asian), oval-ish face, turning 28. Industry: I.T., aspirations to move more towards higher level management...


Anyway below is my list of items Im thinking of getting made in the very near future - since I may only be here for another 4-6 weeks..(get the tailors to start working on Monday on some of the items - Any Advice or Suggestions would be appreciated...Im pretty much stumped when it comes to patterns, colors, etc for Suits and Shirts....


-----------

Suits (thinking up to 8 ordered):
2 Button, 2 Vent, Functional Sleeve Buttons, Besom Pockets, 100-150S Wool ||Pants (ordering 2 pair for each suit), no pleats, no cuffs
-Navy Shadow Stripe (narrow stripes about 1/16th inch) - ordered
-Dark Navy Pinstripe (narrow stripes about 1/16th inch) - ordered
-Dark Navy Solid - ?
-Navy Solid - ?
-Charcoal Solid - ?
-Dark Grey Solid - ?
-Glen Plaid (maybe not though...) - ?
-Thinking maybe a black/dark navy (should be solid?) blazer for more informal things/social outings maybe club (goes with jeans?) - ?
-Any other suggestions?

Dress Shirts
Business:
Cotton, Point Collar, No back pleats, one pocket, tailed
-Standard Barrel Cuff (thinking 7 or so of these)
- two ordered thus far - Shadow Striped, one blue, the other white
-Turnback Cuff (thinking 5 or so of these)
-French Cuff - was thinking solids & holding on the pocket - patterns would be a no-no? (thinking maybe 2-4 of these)

Cotton, Italian Collar, No back pleats, one pocket, tailed
-\tStandard Barrel Cuff (thinking 7 or so of these)
-\tTurnback Cuff (thinking 5 or so of these)


Casual - Italian Collar, No back pleats, non-tailed, not sure on the pocket...
Cotton
-\tStandard Barrel Cuff (5 or so of these)
-\tTurnback Cuff (5 or so of these)
-\tShort sleeve (4 of these)
Linen (aimed at Summer wear in Hot and Humid places)
-\tStandard Barrel Cuff - thinking maybe Cream, Beige, light blue colors (4 or more of these)
o\tThinking Seersucker for some/most (I get everything wrinkly ;-))
-\tPants? - (2 pairs?) - seersucker? - something that won't look too weird with Sandals ☺
-\tShorts? - Not sure on this one, Cargo Style?

Pants
Between normal rise and low rise (...I wear my pants weird, above low rise, but below
normal rise)
Chinos/Khakis
\t - Thinking 2-4 pairs made in olive, light and medium khaki color
Jeans
-\tOne Medium, One Dark in Color
-\tThis is more of an experiment, not sure this will turn out good...

Jackets
Overcoat (wear over a suit) - may not order this...not sure how often I will be in conditions where I will need this
- Black or Dark Navy?
- ¾ length
Duffle Coat - thinking about getting this one in (Black, Dark Navy, or maybe dark grey?) Cashmere with a removable liner - http://www.schottnyc.com/wool-clothi...uffle-coat.htm
Leather Jacket - Still trying to decide between leather types and cuts...
-\tMotorcycle style - http://www.schottnyc.com/motorcycle-...cle-jacket.htm - maybe dark brown would look good?
-\tCasual style? - http://www.schottnyc.com/leather-jac...de-leather.htm
-\tBlazer Style - ¾ maybe?....



The Turnback Cuffs I was thinking about (From the Shirt Pr0n thread):

Italian Style Collar I saw from a posting:

Again I will say Im clueless on when it comes to colors & patterns - going to be scratching my head while choosing fabrics for suits/shirts as well as when looking at the vast sea of ties. If you have any advice/words or wisdom, it would be greatly appreciated! I know Im getting alot of clothes in a fairly short amount of time, however at the price I can get tailored good for less than Target - its probably a good idea I stock up (of course making sure everything fits before taking home)

Thanks in Advance!,

Bob

 

[JayJay]

Seems like a very comprehensive list.

 

[binge]

Originally Posted by Bob01

Again I will say Im clueless on when it comes to colors & patterns - going to be scratching my head while choosing fabrics for suits/shirts as well as when looking at the vast sea of ties. If you have any advice/words or wisdom, it would be greatly appreciated! I know Im getting alot of clothes in a fairly short amount of time, however at the price I can get tailored good for less than Target - its probably a good idea I stock up (of course making sure everything fits before taking home)

I was going to suggest taking your time building the wardrobe, but with a limited time to get your tailored garments inexpensively, I can understand the desire to maximize it.

Taking your time building the wardrobe can be good because your own tastes will likely change as you build it -- speaking from personal experience. You might really dig those turnback cuffs now, but after a few months grow tired of them. Or, you might get that perfect casual blazer only to realize later that you really want patch pockets instead of besom, etc. IMO, a good bit of the enjoyment is the learning experience and developing your own style. If you go out and buy everything at once, your entire wardrobe will be what your sense of style was at that particular time and won't reflect what you develop over time, finding what does and doesn't work for you.

As for specific advice on colors, patterns, etc -- I don't have any really. I would suggest spending an afternoon paging through the What Are You Wearing Right Now thread and saving pictures of outfits you particularly like, then go back through those later and make notes or print out copies so you can refer to them when browsing at the tailor/store.

Is it possible that your tailors in China would be able to handle orders for you after you leave? If so, then you could focus your time on getting one item of each type of garment: suit, shirt, trousers, etc. and make sure it really fits just right, then you could later place orders based on those measurements. Start with the most conservative color/pattern of each -- like a charcoal suit -- then branch out to more adventurous colors/patterns as your personal sense of style develops.

 

[Bob01]

Originally Posted by binge

I was going to suggest taking your time building the wardrobe, but with a limited time to get your tailored garments inexpensively, I can understand the desire to maximize it. Taking your time building the wardrobe can be good because your own tastes will likely change as you build it -- speaking from personal experience. You might really dig those turnback cuffs now, but after a few months grow tired of them. Or, you might get that perfect casual blazer only to realize later that you really want patch pockets instead of besom, etc. IMO, a good bit of the enjoyment is the learning experience and developing your own style. If you go out and buy everything at once, your entire wardrobe will be what your sense of style was at that particular time and won't reflect what you develop over time, finding what does and doesn't work for you. As for specific advice on colors, patterns, etc -- I don't have any really. I would suggest spending an afternoon paging through the What Are You Wearing Right Now thread and saving pictures of outfits you particularly like, then go back through those later and make notes or print out copies so you can refer to them when browsing at the tailor/store. Is it possible that your tailors in China would be able to handle orders for you after you leave? If so, then you could focus your time on getting one item of each type of garment: suit, shirt, trousers, etc. and make sure it really fits just right, then you could later place orders based on those measurements. Start with the most conservative color/pattern of each -- like a charcoal suit -- then branch out to more adventurous colors/patterns as your personal sense of style develops.
Thanks Binge!, Yeah, I kinda learned my lesson last time I did a massive buy of clothes...After a little while purchasing them, I realized they all looked the same I'll still be keeping around half of my casual clothes and get my remaining still wearable dress shirts brought in - so its not a total start over.... Yep...thinking more about those turnback cuffs, I think I want to get half of those in a non-contrasting fabric ;-).... The tailors I have in mind are pretty low cost...they'll deliver within the city, but for what the items cost, the shipping would probably be more expensive to ship overseas .. that and Im still trying to figure out the good ones from the not so good ones (hopefully be able to narrow my list of 18 down to around 10, then give them either a suit or 2 shirts to make, and gauge them from there) Going to flip through the "What Are You Wearing Right Now" thread now - Thanks!

 

[GuidoWongolini]

My only advice is regarding the collar -go Italian spread as there are times you need the button.

For example, when traveling - pack light & useful. No need to pack different shirts when a collared shirts (with button for tie) ca also be worn with-out tie.

 

[Bob01]

Originally Posted by el Guapo WOngO!

My only advice is regarding the collar -go Italian spread as there are times you need the button. For example, when traveling - pack light & useful. No need to pack different shirts when a collared shirts (with button for tie) ca also be worn with-out tie.
Yep, Traveling clothes are another matter - Some people have told me I should get blended cotton & synthetic fibers vs just cotton (for traveling clothes) to help lower ironing tasks when I get to my destination - does it really make that much of a difference?

 

[binge]

...and how could I forget: be sure to post lots of pictures!

 

[Bob01]

Originally Posted by binge

...and how could I forget: be sure to post lots of pictures!

Will do...You can see the first suit & shirts here:

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=66707

Just ordered:
Tux
Grey Suit (made from questionable materials...probably 10% synthetic fibers - from another shop)
Duffle Jacket
Shirts (different collar & cuff styles)

Going have to drop linen items, as that particular shop I was planning on visiting, just specialized in women's clothing...

Hopefully picking all of it up next week, but thinking, with the tux, being made by the same folks from the suit in the link above...I may have to inform them what to fix...

I'll post pictures as soon as I get them

 

[Bob01]

Thinking more about the blazer...
For the situations I think I would wear a blazer/sport coat, I think it would be to some parties or night clubs - however thinking more about it, could I get away with wearing a suit jacket instead (ie dark navy or maybe cream/light beige) worn with jeans?

Patch pockets and brass buttons on Dark Navy, just doesnt seem that appealing to me...unless I was attending a yacht club/country club gathering? ...I neither own a yacht nor good at golf ;-)

It appears the board is split on this...(ok ok, may 70-30..in favor of not doing this) however for the situations where I'll be doing this (non-office, casual, most likely evening/night...parties, clubs, etc...though I guess maybe times during the day) would it be ok? If this is "acceptable", would black be an alternative (don't want to wear out the Dark Navy Suit ;-)), what other colors would be good?


I was also thinking about ordering a (solid) medium cream or light beige linen (would wool work?) suit to wear with untucked (flat hemmed) pastel shirts for Mojitos on the beach or tucked in with a nicer pair of shoes & a tie to the "yacht club"? Also it seems acceptable to interchange pants with this jacket - from reading the forums, everything from light jeans to grey wool trousers being acceptable?

 

[academe]

I say get a sportcoat rather than trying to wear a suit jacket, especially if you're in China and have found a decent tailor to make-up garments for you. You'll appreciate having the flexibility and variety later. Sportcoats and blazers tend to be made of slightly different materials from suits, with different detailing (e.g., patch pockets, etc.) and you run the risk of looking like you're wearing an orphaned suit jacket... Don't have a blazer made-up if that's not your style (I'm strictly referring to a blazer as a dark blue garment with brass buttons here). I don't own any myself, because I just can't quite see myself wearing bright brass buttons. However, there's much more variety in sportcoats. You could get a patterned material (window pane, Glen Plaid, Prince of Wales) or a material with some interesting texture (herringbone/self-stripes, nailhead, etc.)...If you want to get something more smart looking to wear out at dinners or to clubs, you might consider having something made a solid midnight blue material... +1 linen suit for the summer months/warmer climates. Just get a slightly heavier grade of linen so it won't be super-crinkly (I like some crinkles but a very very lightweight linen might get very very crinkly...)

Originally Posted by Bob01

Thinking more about the blazer... For the situations I think I would wear a blazer/sport coat, I think it would be to some parties or night clubs - however thinking more about it, could I get away with wearing a suit jacket instead (ie dark navy or maybe cream/light beige) worn with jeans? Patch pockets and brass buttons on Dark Navy, just doesnt seem that appealing to me...unless I was attending a yacht club/country club gathering? ...I neither own a yacht nor good at golf ;-) It appears the board is split on this...(ok ok, may 70-30..in favor of not doing this) however for the situations where I'll be doing this (non-office, casual, most likely evening/night...parties, clubs, etc...though I guess maybe times during the day) would it be ok? If this is "acceptable", would black be an alternative (don't want to wear out the Dark Navy Suit ;-)), what other colors would be good? I was also thinking about ordering a (solid) medium cream or light beige linen (would wool work?) suit to wear with untucked (flat hemmed) pastel shirts for Mojitos on the beach or tucked in with a nicer pair of shoes & a tie to the "yacht club"? Also it seems acceptable to interchange pants with this jacket - from reading the forums, everything from light jeans to grey wool trousers being acceptable?

 

[Bob01]

Picked up the Duffle Coat (replicate of a Schott design in cashmere) today, its nice to
have a coat with sleeves that aren't too long for my arms ;-)..Yet it seems fairly off -
especially the neck line? Looks Fine open?, but when close up, I should be wearing
something with a collar or a scarf? Seems like the collar of the coat should ride
higher? (sorry image might take a while to load...slow server)

The images are taken with the removable liner in place - so may seem a bit bulky..


The Dinner Jacket/Black Tie outfit I ordered, I think you all might have a field day
with...its back at the tailors, but I dont think they'll be able to save it (looks like a
suit)...the horror that it is, will be posted next week...

On a side note, Can I get your opinions on this jacket/sport coat?
Thinking maybe in a cream color it would be ok? - Strictly a casual/going out wear -
Linen would be a better choice for this jacket?

In addition to this I was thinking about getting a cream suit, but started to think
perhaps a sports coat would be more versatile? Linen would be than cotton for this
instance (sport coat or suit)?