spending rule?

[gaseousclay]

there is no spending rule. buy what you can afford but avoid skimping whenever possible. I can't afford to go out and buy $1000+ dress shoes or suits, so I tend to hover around the $500-600 mark for these items, so long as they fit and look good. accessories such as dress shirts, ties, socks, belts, etc., don't hold as much value for me so I avoid spending a lot on these items. I guess I do skimp in this regard but I seriously doubt anyone will notice whether or not my tie or belt cost $50 or $150. it's about how well you present yourself imo, not necessarily how much money you've spent. a man in a poorly fitted $1500 suit still looks like a slob, versus a man in a nicely fitted $400 suit who looks like a million bucks.

 

[Holdfast]

Is there some rule that dictates how much to spend on each item in relation to another?

I could certainly make one up, and it would both sound plausible and be vaguely practical in terms of getting you a wardrobe that looks OK, but it still would be a totally arbitrary rule.

Bottom line, get things that look nice to you & work together, while bearing in mind how much you're comfortable spending on clothes/etc overall. You'll naturally gravitate to buying items from within a certain range of shops that more or less automatically price align. The only things to avoid are one-off, bank-breaking items that prevent you spending on anything else.

30% (probably even 50-100%) more or less on one item than you'd normally spend won't make the blindest bit of difference to the overall effect of your wardrobe IMO. Just don't end up spending multiples more than you're normally comfortable spending, because it will likely mean you'll starve another part of your clothes budget.

Besides, the biggest impact on your overall appearance tends to be the choice of overall style image/archetype you go for and how well you understand it. Some naturally tend to cost more than others to achieve (again, thinking overall budget here). A traditionally/conservatively styled & very well-tailored wardrobe capable of transitioning from work to play is one of the more expensive, I think. There are other looks that are far cheaper to do well. There are one or two that are even pricier. Think about it like that, rather than the relative cost of individual items, I'd suggest.

 

[CentralParkMan]

Seriously I don't think you need to follow any spending rules. Worry more about the fit and quality of each item rather than trying to find pieces which cost a certain amount. When it comes to styling a suit the overall look matters much more than having a shirt that costs x amount of dollars and a watch which costs x amount of dollars.

 

[Mr Engineer]

What about suits? I guess no more than 1.5k (based on those given).

No more than 1k on a suit

 

[dreamspace]

These days it's always proportional to my disposable income. If there's some items that I REALLY want, I can stretch a bit, and save in on other areas. If it's something that I consider disposable (work shirts, ties, underwear, etc.) I always keep costs within my set bounds.

But I have to say, there are some sartorial items that I'll always have an extra thing for, and will easily start stretching my own rules...Navy suits and brown oxfords being some of them.

 

[APHK]

I like applying a cost-per-wear criteria for my purchases. The cost-per-wear ranges from USD1 for shirts and USD2 for suits.

Hence, I would be comfortable spending up to the following limits:

1. Suit ~ USD500
2. Shirt ~ USD50
3. Shoes ~ USD650
4. Watch ~ USD6500.

 

[connor09]

As for me I would put a premium on tailored suits and shirts, accessories can last for a long time but suits and shirts tend to wear and tear

 

[Caustic Man]

I would be comfortable spending up to the following limits:

1. Suit ~ USD500
2. Shirt ~ USD50
3. Shoes ~ USD650
4. Watch ~ USD6500.

I'd think you must have a lot of awesome watches and shoes and a bunch of crappy suits and shirts.

 

[RDiaz]

I feel uncomfortable spending more than €100 on a watch. Call me weirdo...

 

[dddrees]

Their are no rules. There are good guidlines, but in the end of course we do what we feel comfortable with.

 

[APHK]



I'd think you must have a lot of awesome watches and shoes and a bunch of crappy suits and shirts. 

My suits and shirts are mostly from Marks and Spencer, so yes they can be considered crappy but they suffice for my purposes as long as they fit well.

 

[azumi]

I'd think you must have a lot of awesome watches and shoes and a bunch of crappy suits and shirts.

Well, I think for $500, you can buy Benjamin or SS suit (discounted suits are not mentioned) which are obviously not crappy suits IMO (those suit are getting many compliments on this forum). And with $50, for sure we cannot buy luxury shirt like Canali, E.Zegna or Gucci but we still can buy a decent quality house brand shirt, like some selling on Nordstrom or something like that.

 

[Caustic Man]

My suits and shirts are mostly from Marks and Spencer, so yes they can be considered crappy but they suffice for my purposes as long as they fit well.

I know the suits you are talking about. 100% polyester for the most part. =o\ Although I will say this, M&S sometimes has decent jackets for cheap.

 

[Caustic Man]

Well, I think for $500, you can buy Benjamin or SS suit (discounted suits are not mentioned) which are obviously not crappy suits IMO (those suit are getting many compliments on this forum). And with $50, for sure we cannot buy luxury shirt like Canali, E.Zegna or Gucci but we still can buy a decent quality house brand shirt, like some selling on Nordstrom or something like that.

Yeah, you are right. I wasn't considering discount stores. But still, it seems disproportionate to spend that much on watches and that little on clothes. I mean, if you're gonna.

 

[E TF]

I think Will of ASW had a quote from George Hamilton a while ago (can't find it now), that went something like "When I see a man wearing cheap shoes and an expensive watch, I know I've got him nailed." That's really something worth considering.