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Some advice?

MaxTO

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Hey, Looking for some advice... I'm looking to expand/modify my present wardrobe. Currently, I own 2 pairs of jeans (Tommy Bahama, relaxed and classic cut) and 1 pair of black Tommy Hilfiger flat front pants. 1 light blue Hugo Boss dress shirt (for special occasions) and 1 Jones New York dress shirt (olive/green colour?). Maybe 2 casual button down shirts from Gap/BR. A few Ts and some long sleeve Ts (90% of them are either black/dark blue/dark gray). 1 pair dressy black shoes, 2 pairs casual black shoes. 1 nice belt, 1 casual belt (both plain black). Â A few casual sweaters (some are cashmere). Â Nothing fancy in the jacket department, just charcoal wool/nylon GAP coat, and 2 outdoors type jackets. I work for a manufacturing plant (90% of the time spent in the office). Â For the past 3 years I've been getting away with jeans and a T, sometimes jeans and a sweater. Â However, I think it's time for a little change. I'm in my early 20s, 5'9, ~185lbs. I jeans size is 32-33" waist, 30-32" length. Â Fairly broad shoulders (which means I usually have to buy tops a bit larger and alter them near the waist). My problem, if I wear anything outside of jeans and a T-shirt, I feel like I'm overdressed. Â Any suggestions on combinations of clothes that will be more business casual/casual than jeans/T-shirt? I wouldn't mind adding some colour to my wardrobe, but I just can't match anything. Â I can't put anything together past black pants w/ blue or white shirt
confused.gif
Any suggestions/links for further reading would be appreciated. Thanks, MaxTO
 

philosophe

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One initial strategy would be to upgrade the fabrics. How about replacing the jeans with some corduroy or wool trousers or even just some chinos? Similarly, add some nicer patterned button down shirts (BR or better if you can afford it), polos, and sweaters.

As for learning color, try two things: (1) Check out the basic advice on the Ask Andy website and (2) window shop the good stores. You can really learn a lot by looking at displays and trying on different combinations.

Hope this helps. People on this board will no doubt give you more specific advice.
 

aybojs

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I have a suggestion for an easy way to learn matching. Go to the Land's End website and click on the tab that says "My Model." You'll get to play around with a virtual mannequin and go through a huge selection of Land's End offerings to mix and match various clothing items.

A lot of sites have this feature, but Land's End is the best for this purpose because they have so many different types of clothing (polos, jeans, suits, dress shirts, etc) and a lot of color options, and it's a really helpful way to get a rough idea of what goes with what. It's actually quite addictive once you get familiar with the interface and it lets you try combinations you never would have thought of.
 

Bergdorf Goodwill

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Pardon my ineloquence, but you sound like you're dressed kind of "old," to me.

Tommy Bahama's not something I'm at all accustomed to seeing on someone in their early 20s.

You could update your look with sleeker jeans. I'd recommend losing the Jones New York button-up as well -- it sounds as though it would be rather blase.
 

MaxTO

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Tommy Bahama's not something I'm at all accustomed to seeing on someone in their early 20s.
As far as Tommy Bahama goes...I only have the jeans (for some reason they had a much better fit/feel than Levis, Tommy Hilfiger and a few others that I tried on), perhaps I should stop by a store and try on some of the higher end stuff such as Diesel? Not sure what other "sleeker" jeans to look for here in Toronto (or where for that matter).

I'd recommend losing the Jones New York button-up as well -- it sounds as though it would be rather blase.
Anything in particular to look for? Keep in mind, although I work, I'm still in school, so I can't really justify spending $150+ on a single shirt.

Thanks for the replies so far.
 

Bergdorf Goodwill

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Tommy Bahama's not something I'm at all accustomed to seeing on someone in their early 20s.
As far as Tommy Bahama goes...I only have the jeans (for some reason they had a much better fit/feel than Levis, Tommy Hilfiger and a few others that I tried on), perhaps I should stop by a store and try on some of the higher end stuff such as Diesel? Not sure what other "sleeker" jeans to look for here in Toronto (or where for that matter).
I'd recommend losing the Jones New York button-up as well -- it sounds as though it would be rather blase.
Anything in particular to look for? Keep in mind, although I work, I'm still in school, so I can't really justify spending $150+ on a single shirt. Thanks for the replies so far.
I'm in the same boat you are -- I'm at the tail end of a nine month sentence in insurance hell in order to finance my higher education. A lot of my finds are thrift store/consignment, integrated (I hope) seamlessly with select calculated retail purchases. There are guys here who know way, way, way more about denim than I do, so I'll defer to them on that. I'd say Diesel's washes are generally a bit outrageous for what you're wanting. What sort of price range are you looking at for shirts? There is a street in Toronto that I have been told is great for shopping, but I've not been so I'm uncertain of the name.
 

MaxTO

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As far as prices go, these would seem reasonable to me...
(prices in $CAD w/ tax included)

Jeans/Pants: $100-150
Casual/Dress Shirt: $75-125
T-shirts: $20-30
Long Sleeve T-shirts: $50-75
Shoes: $150-275
Sweater: $75-150

Spending anything above those prices would be considered a luxury for me and I couldn't really justify it, at least not at the present time.
 

Matt

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ill give him a plug as he is a really great trader... Lance (discostu) is offloading a lot of gear, and im sure you can find plenty there to beef up the wardrobe, and have change based on the numbers you quote. www.virtualclotheshorse.com look in his clearance section
 

Bergdorf Goodwill

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As far as prices go, these would seem reasonable to me...
(prices in $CAD w/ tax included)

Jeans/Pants: $100-150
Casual/Dress Shirt: $75-125
T-shirts: $20-30
Long Sleeve T-shirts: $50-75
Shoes: $150-275
Sweater: $75-150

Spending anything above those prices would be considered a luxury for me and I couldn't really justify it, at least not at the present time.
I like Seven jeans, which can be had at that price and often for less. A lot of people don't.

Their washes tend to be fairly straightforward, so there's not really much worry about their appropriateness in a more casual office.
 

trogdor

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As far as prices go, these would seem reasonable to me...
(prices in $CAD w/ tax included)

Jeans/Pants: $100-150
Casual/Dress Shirt: $75-125
T-shirts: $20-30
Long Sleeve T-shirts: $50-75
Shoes: $150-275
Sweater: $75-150

Spending anything above those prices would be considered a luxury for me and I couldn't really justify it, at least not at the present time.
In Toronto, if you want to go top-end for jeans, try a store called Over The Rainbow in at 101 Yorkville avenue. You could end up spending a lot, but it might be a good place just to go and try on a bunch of different jeans to get a feel for what you like.

As for both dress and sport shirts, I seriously reccommend the branch of Winners at College & Yonge. I've picked up some fantastic shirts there for under $100 CDN (by some big names, if you care, such as Ferre and Tateossian), and they always have a lot of Hilfiger, CK and Ralph Lauren stuff. Occasionally they get in some more pricey shirts/ties in the Armani/Gucci range (My best buy was a gold Prada tie for $25 CDN -- I kid you not).

They also have sweaters, T's and dress pants and now men's shoes too (I got some Donald J PLiner chelsea boots for $99 CDN) -- all within your price range. If you've got the patience, it would be a great place to re-build a wardrobe from scratch.
 

j

(stands for Jerk)
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Before you go buying a bunch of clothes, let me submit what I think is the #1 most important thing about the issue: fit. If you buy clothes you think fit you, and they are really nice, but they don't actually fit, you will look bad, no matter what (IMO). If you buy cheap clothes that fit exactly right, you will look 20x better than expensive-poor-fitting-clothes guy. I say this because when I started getting into clothes I went on an Ebay binge and some retail/discount buying, and ended up with a bunch of really nice shirts that are a size I thought I was (16.5/34). I used to play trumpet in high school, and that's the size I remember getting because I wore dress shirts for concerts, and needed a big neck size. My neck is closer to 15.5 or 16" but the main thing in wearing 'dress' shirts casually is the size of the shoulders and body, and the size of the sleeves, etc. Similarly with pants and suits, make sure you are buying things that fit right, or once you notice they don't you will stop wearing them, and the money/time will be mostly wasted. Of course you could sell them back off or whatever, but you get my point. Figure out your actual size in different garments by trying them on. For example I am a M in shirts usually, but I need a small size sweater because they are usually cut really big. Other than that, what everyone else is saying should get you started. Good luck.
 

Keith T

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Okay, I'm going off-topic here just to say that I would have never figured J to be a high school trumpeter. I guess you learn something new every day. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Miles Davis guy (and Chet Baker, and Wynton, and Chris Botti, and, and, and...)

Plus I want to be the first to welcome Trogdor to SF.

The Burninator rules.
 

Ed13

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I would second the suggestion of cords or chinos in place of jeans. Both can be dressed up or down and always look more professional than jeans in the workplace. I believe shirts with some type of collar will look better than t's.

For colour I would keep it simple and start with brown shoes and buy earth tones and slowly expand from their.

Places to look for decent quality at good prices;
Harry Rosen Outlet - Mississauga
Holt Renfrew Outlet - Steeles/Yonge
Any Winners Store

My favourite is the Harry Rosen Outlet. Good selection, very good sales at times and the sales reps are as good as those in the regular stores.
 

j

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Okay, I'm going off-topic here just to say that I would have never figured J to be a high school trumpeter.  I guess you learn something new every day.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Miles Davis guy (and Chet Baker, and Wynton, and Chris Botti, and, and, and...)
Hmm. Yeah, I was 1st trumpet in the concert and jazz bands. I actually did a little informal session work, too. Not much of a jazz guy anymore though.
 

fkl118

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I'd definitely go take a look at the Harry Rosen outlet. There'll be plenty of good quality clothes in your price range. It's worth the drive. The Holt Renfrew outlet is less reliable in that the men's selection is pretty small, and are mostly more fashion-forward items from past seasons. Good selection of Boss if you're into that. Might be worthwhile to look if you happen to be in the area. Word of advice: don't go during rush hour traffic; the left hand turn out of there will take half an hour.
sad.gif
I love Winners. I've found great stuff including Zegna and Brioni there.
 

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