Some basic beginners questions. We've all had them.....

[Max727]

Ok pictures are up now. Thank you Mods!

 

[Sander]

Hm. In my mind, the two styles you mention don't go well together. But if you like it...

I think you just have to learn a lot. The links in the thirf (or so) post are extremely helpful imho. Read those, then try things out. More we cannot do for you.

 

[Quadcammer]

this is just my opinion obviously, but the people wearing sneakers in those pics look terrible. I don't understand the "SW&D" look, I admit, but it just look sloppy.

If you want to wear that some times and RL models other times, fine. You do your own thing. But don't be surprised if people are confused.

 

[Fortysomething]



this is just my opinion obviously, but the people wearing sneakers in those pics look terrible. I don't understand the "SW&D" look, I admit, but it just look sloppy.

If you want to wear that some times and RL models other times, fine. You do your own thing. But don't be surprised if people are confused.

Hmmm....yeah, I would have to agree that combining the two types of styles mentioned above can be kind of tricky and is not without its pitfalls. The easiest way to do that is not try to wear the types of styles together too much but rather have some of both styles but by and large wear them as part of that particular style, there are exceptions of course, but trying to wear sneakers with a suit looks about as goofy as sweatpants with wingtips. One wants to avoid the "I went to my closet with a blindfold and grabbed the first shoes, pants and shirt I could find."

 

[bubba04]



I'll just post some pictures of outfits I like and would wear.

You're all over the map with a hodge-podge of looks, many of which are flat-out gaudy at best.

 

[msulinski]

Based on almost all of those photos, you would be better served in the Streetwear and Denim forum than in this forum (Classic Menswear).

 

[LA Guy]

Casual looks are considerably more difficult than classic looks, mainly because it's really about proportions and silhouettes, something that is impossibly to capture in a GQ article. Doing it well requires a great deal of exposure to fashion, either really good intuition or a decent body of knowledge, and confidence. Good editorial stylists can do it well, but the GQ fashion department is either entirely untalented, or, and much more likely, they have to work with a lot of constraints. Classic menswear and simple casual looks, where the silhouette is more or less set, is a much easier arena in which to work. Even within a fairly limited range, there is a lot to learn.

I would caution against the casualwear section in the classic menswear secdtion though. If you are looking for casualwear advice, go to the streetwear and denim section. The classic menswear posters who understand more contemporary looks are usually crossposters, and the general level of knowledge about casualwear is better on that side of the forum.

 

[Max727]

So you are saying that the preppy style is more in the streetwear section?

 

[aravenel]

No, based on the pictures that you posted, SW&D may be better for you. The Classic Menswear half of the forum is focused around tailored clothing, not the types of stuff you have posted. Certainly there is some crossover, but by and large, you may get a better response over there.

 

[Max727]

Well this is a buzzkill...

What is a man to do if he likes 2 different styles but is not willing to give one up? I mainly dress preppy, but sometimes if I am out in the city at night at a club or running errands and relaxing on the weekend, I like to wear a t shirt (sometimes a hoodie too), jeans (or moto jeans) and some sneakers. I am a sneaker addict. But for the most part, I like to dress preppy/classic menswear. Which is why I asked my question here.

 

[Quadcammer]



So you are saying that the preppy style is more in the streetwear section?

to be clear, only the following images are preppy. The rest are firmly (very firmly) in SW&D.

 

[Max727]

Thank you for clarifying this for me. I mainly like to dress like those outfits that you posted. But at the same time I also like to wear streetwear sometimes. Is preppy style and classic menswear pretty much similar? Or is it different. Also, are jeans off limits when trying to dress preppy/classic?

Does anyone here see a way for me to be able to dress both ways or at least be able to where my jeans and jordans sometimes? Maybe prep/classic by day and streetwear by night (sometimes)? lol

 

[Quadcammer]



Thank you for clarifying this for me. I mainly like to dress like those outfits that you posted. But at the same time I also like to wear streetwear sometimes. Is preppy style and classic menswear pretty much similar? Or is it different. Also, are jeans off limits when trying to dress preppy/classic? Does anyone here see a way for me to be able to dress both ways or at least be able to where my jeans and jordans sometimes? Maybe prep/classic by day and streetwear by night (sometimes)? lol

the way i see it is this: preppy clothes like those pictured above are what classic menswear folks wear when they are not in the office or on more casual days in the office (or more casual work places, ie chinos and a sportcoat/blazer). So, i would say that yes, the preppy look is more classic menswear. You can absolutely wear jeans and be preppy. Dark slim fit denim, no socks, boat shoes/loafers/wingtips with a sport shirt and some super prep belt and you're pretty much there. swap out the sport shirt for a polo and continue. swap out the shirts for a sweater and continue the theme. Jeans and jordans are not congruent with the above. Typically there is very little overlap. In olden days, the preppy kids wore what they saw their waspy parents wear, what their school required, and what was acceptable at country club functions and the like. You don't often see someone dressed like kayne (or the year appropriate equivalent) in these situations, hence there was little bleed over. Obviously times are changing, and like i said, wear what YOU want, but on swd days, the preppy among your colleagues will go "wtf" and on prep days, the swd contingent will say "wtf"

 

[Max727]

Thank you for the reply! You have been very helpful. I think I will start dressing strictly more prep/classic. But I am also gonna continue dressing streetwear sometimes.

Who knows, maybe I'll be the rebel that starts a movement and lives outside the "norm"...

 

[PiCcolocV]

I would encourage you to be more thoughtful about this before choosing your style, and don't do what the majority of people who first come to this site do, which is blow a ton of money re-outfitting their wardrobe with new items based on images they see here or in magazines, then realize a year later "oh god, why?"

From a general approach to your dress, I get the sense you are not giving this the methodology it deserves (yes, I know you are 18, but that is no excuse to be dumb about getting into clothing - listen up and read all of this). While I don't agree with his style necessary, I do believe with this approach, and this is a great framework for you to start deciding which direction to go: http://www.kinowear.com/blog/science-of-style-stage-1

In particular this part of the first section:

"Stage 1 is a very important foundation to building your unique sense of style. Skipping this first stage is the root cause of many common image mistakes such as being incongruent with your personality, looking try-hard, or merely following trends that come and go."

I wanted to highlight that last part, because that is exactly what you are going to look like based upon everything you have said so far, and the pictures you have shown and magazines you like to draw inspiration from. People linked to some seriously content and information-heavy threads around this forum earlier in this thread, did you actually go through and read all the comments and then cross-check the comments back against the original outfit? You will find yourself seeing a fit, saying "wow, I LOVE that - perfect!", then later someone points out problems like collar gaps, too skinny lapels, etc., and when you go back you wonder how you ever liked it in the first place.

Do you have a binder of cut-outs/print-outs of outfits you like (no, browsing images on the internet casually does not count)? Before you go out and spend all this money, have you actually taken the time to be familiar with many of the terms you will need to know to make smart decisions? Frankly, your approach is what commission-driven sales people in department stores drool over - some young kid comes in fresh off reading GQ, and wants a tailored but yet SW&D approach and suddenly you are buying a suit, pair of sneakers, and "who needs socks, in GQ they don't wear them!"

Speaking of spending money, let's talk logistics. Regardless of what direction you go in, clothing needs to fit you. This requires knowing your basic measurements, which brands fit you better than others, actually trying on tons of stuff before committing to buying, etc. Your case is tougher though, as having enough components to rock both the "prep" AND the SW&D look means you basically need twice the amount of clothing. I will tell you from experience, I have a decent job and spend a lot on clothes, and it is hard for me to even begin to complete my basic casual wear looks. God help you if you live in a place with 4 seasons, and need prep and streetwear for all of those variations as well. What exactly is your budget at 18 to wear well fitting clothes in 2 incongruent styles depending on what day it is or whether you are going out? More importantly, what are you going to do in 3-4 years when you suddenly need clothes for stuff like office work, and all of your "trendy in 2012/2013" is now being called out-dated and "yesterday" by GQ and they are instead pushing people to buy god knows whatever way the fashion pendulum swings next?

Were you planning on making a prioritized list of what items you would buy and in what order, starting with the highest priority? And more importantly, sticking to that list no matter how great a deal you happen upon at the mall? (pro-tip, malls never have good deals for the most part - compared to what this forum considers a "deal" anyways). Don't waste your money, you found this place and you asked questions - that is a good start. Spend another 6 months feeling everything out and getting up to speed on knowledge, you have plenty of time to buy and wear clothes at your age. Based on what you have posted so far, my guess is the conclusion you will come to is your top needs are a basic pair of well fitting, dark jeans like this:



along with a button down shirt, some polo shirts, decent pair of brown shoes, and maybe even your first legitimate blazer, etc. Fill in the gaps in order of the things you will get the most utility out of. For me, it is far and away my jeans which when seeking them out I intentionally sought ones that ended up fitting like the above. Keep in mind how versatile something like that is, compared to ultra-skinny jeans or baggier, raw denim with rolled cuffs - stuff like that can pull double duty of blazer and or polo shirt, or even something more streetwear.

Let's be real though, sure it is not impossible to wear sneakers with a suit and no socks and look good, I have on occassion seen it done on the SWD thread here. But these are people with MUCH more knowledge, and frankly probably a much, much larger clothing budget, than you possess.

You, being 18 and with what I imagine is a limited budget and prioritizing "looks" over "fits" - you will look like an absolute try-hard tool, that no one thinks dresses well, broke having spent all their money on **** that will be falling apart and out of style in 4 years.

Thank you for the reply! You have been very helpful. I think I will start dressing strictly more prep/classic. But I am also gonna continue dressing streetwear sometimes. Who knows, maybe I'll be the rebel that starts a movement and lives outside the "norm"...