Stylish Clothes for the bigger/Fat Guy Losing Weight

[healthcareexec]

Hi ,

Hey everyone , Im new and I think this forum is awesome . I have a question I hope can answer. I got divorced a year ago , and I have since lost over 45 Lbs.I'm 5'11 and I went from 278 to 240, waste of 47 to 39. I know I have at least another 50 lbs to go . I was wondering if you can give any tips to look as stylish as possible , for bigger guys , while I go through this process, of shedding my Fatness.


Thanks

 

[coop86]

Since you are going to continue dropping weight, I suggest buying cheap stuff and getting them tailored every couple months, or whenever they stop fitting you. Once you are satisfied with your weight, buy higher quality stuff and get that tailored permanently.

 

[healthcareexec]

Originally Posted by coop86

Since you are going to continue dropping weight, I suggest buying cheap stuff and getting them tailored every couple months, or whenever they stop fitting you. Once you are satisfied with your weight, buy higher quality stuff and get that tailored permanently.

That , I am doing , the question is more of what styles/colors/Brands to wear.


Thanks

 

[Digmenow]

Hey HCE.. I went through what you're doing two years ago. I wish I had known about "thrifting" as I spent a lot of money on shirts and such. Fortunately for me, SWMBO had the foresight to save my smaller waisted pants as my waist expended over the years so I was good to go there. Stop by a Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc in a better part of your town. You will find plenty of Ralph Lauren (RL) / Land's End / Hilfiger etc in your sizes that have been well cared for, sometimes even new, usually under $5 for any piece. Sometimes, the shop will raise the prices on these items to upwards of $10 but it's still a good deal.

If you hang on this forum, you'll probably want to move into better labels when you reach your goal so it won't matter that you bought what most folks consider very nice clothing for five bucks.

I'm pretty much at my goal weight and have maintained it for a year but I'm considering diving down another 10 lbs so I hold out for the Brooks Brothers /Ike Behar / Zegna shirts. Wonderful cotton dress shirts (but still low class for this place) and pick them off at the $5 price point.

I've yet to find a suit that I want to buy but I could if I wanted to settle for Joseph A. Banks and the like. I'm waiting for a Belvest to show up in my size.

Just remember there's a number of levels of RL. In ascending order...

Lauren Ralph Lauren
Green Label RL
Blue Label RL
Black Label RL
Purple Label RL.

You will find them with dry cleaner tags on them and they will quickly become your favorites until you find more. Be advised...thrifting is addictive! Here's a link to the thrift thread here on SF.

The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

Best of luck with the weight loss!

 

[tesuquegolfer]

A little bit of a gamble on eBay but there are some good deals. I bought a SC listed as mint but when it came in all of the pockets were still sewn up, so it was really new. I paid $50 and it was at least 50% Cashmere and I love it. I figured I could afford $50 for tailoring if it didn't fit and have only spent $12 for sleeve lengthening. Since you are continuing to loose weight you wouldn't be at a great loss if you get some wear out of it, and I suspect your fits are only good for a while through your transition. Another option is Thrifting, one guy I see on SF usually looks really good for ~$100 total outfit MSRP $1200+, see him on his web site at http://thriftygent.com/. He might even have some good advice for you. Good luck.

 

[healthcareexec]

Originally Posted by Digmenow

Hey HCE.. I went through what you're doing two years ago. I wish I had known about "thrifting" as I spent a lot of money on shirts and such. Fortunately for me, SWMBO had the foresight to save my smaller waisted pants as my waist expended over the years so I was good to go there. Stop by a Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc in a better part of your town. You will find plenty of Ralph Lauren (RL) / Land's End / Hilfiger etc in your sizes that have been well cared for, sometimes even new, usually under $5 for any piece. Sometimes, the shop will raise the prices on these items to upwards of $10 but it's still a good deal.

If you hang on this forum, you'll probably want to move into better labels when you reach your goal so it won't matter that you bought what most folks consider very nice clothing for five bucks.

I'm pretty much at my goal weight and have maintained it for a year but I'm considering diving down another 10 lbs so I hold out for the Brooks Brothers /Ike Behar / Zegna shirts. Wonderful cotton dress shirts (but still low class for this place) and pick them off at the $5 price point.

I've yet to find a suit that I want to buy but I could if I wanted to settle for Joseph A. Banks and the like. I'm waiting for a Belvest to show up in my size.

Just remember there's a number of levels of RL. In ascending order...

Lauren Ralph Lauren
Green Label RL
Blue Label RL
Black Label RL
Purple Label RL.

You will find them with dry cleaner tags on them and they will quickly become your favorites until you find more. Be advised...thrifting is addictive! Here's a link to the thrift thread here on SF.

The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

Best of luck with the weight loss!


Dig,

Its funny you said this , I was just thinking about hitting up the thrift store This morning... Thanks for the awesome Advise ... How much weight did you lose?

 

[DrPsycho]

Similar weight loss story. 5'10, 235--> 197lbs, and still trying to lose just a bit more. Nothing in the closet fits, including the three Reid and Taylor MTM suits I had made up when I visited India a couple of years ago. Love those suits.

My tailor thinks t'is better to buy new than even consider chopping those guys up... Fortunately, in the meantime, I've tripped on SF. That also made me realize that, despite losing weight, I was probably STILL buying jackets one size too large. No more! Just picked up a couple of Brooks suits which should tide me over for upcoming occasions (and keep me from gaining back the weight... fit = encouragement). A couple of eBay items, surfing the B&S on this site, and some thrifting to come once I have a little time off. Sounds like there are prizes to be found. Someday I'll either get back to India for replacements, adventure on more local MTM... or go bespoke. Someday. Today is not that day. The cheapies await!

 

[Klobber]

Good on you for losing weight - let that weight plummet to steady state, then worry about brands. If you end up lean and mean, world is your oyster. I envy your determination to lose while I am building a beer belly and too lazy to run more than a mile a day.

The only thing you can be consistent with now is shoes - losing weight does not change your feet. Buy some nice ties. Worry about the brands regarding suits, sport coats, shirts, belts, pants, etc later.

 

[coop86]

Originally Posted by healthcareexec

That , I am doing , the question is more of what styles/colors/Brands to wear.

If you're 5'11" and 240, you should not worry about buying particularly form fitting clothes yet. Dark colors are always slimming, although harder to pull off in the summer, and stripes should make you look taller and therefore thinner.

Try navy/black/dark green/maroon/dark grey polos for casual wear or vertical striped sport shirts, nothing excessively tight.

For suits/sport coats buy charcoal and navy solid or stripe in whatever size fits your shoulders and then take the sides in if necessary.

For pants pleats might help instead of flat front for trousers/chinos. For jeans probably buy dark colored with a "relaxed fit" cut instead of "straight leg" or "boot cut" for a more casual option.


Polo Ralph Lauren "Classic Fit" and Brooks Brothers "Traditional Fit" and "Regular Fit" are the cuts you should be buying for shirts. Worst case, Polo has a "Big and Tall" section that might be worth checking out.

 

[koolhistorian]

Good for you - I am in the same process, even if i'm 6 2! The most important slimming factor is fit, not color or stripes - yes, it helps, but the quality of the tailoring is very important. If a garment is well tailored, it will shed another 10-15 pounds for you. Second thing is that you will not stabilize at the lowest weight that you will achieve, but a little bit higher (I have a friend that had lost a lot of weight after a break up, bought some nice Kiton & Co clothes, got married, got back his "comfort weight", good bye nice clothes)!
Shoes are a good investment - you will not have a huge variation - I, personally, am not a big fan of goodwill stores, so if you do not have a good tailor (one of the few advantages here in Romania), find a good alterations tailor, buy some survival suits - a dark gray and a navy blue solids, plus one navy blazer, each with two pairs of pants, in a 3 seasons weight (8-12 ounces per sq. meter) - it will keep you alive for one year or more, half a dozen of dress shirts and manage your transition.
Most important thing is to manage your weight psychology - how much do you start to eat when you are back into the comfort zone - that is when you will get back into the relationship game, not into the dating game. Use that time to forge yourself a style, and please, do not try to look underage!

 

[healthcareexec]

Hey , Guys thanks for all of your suggestions... Some of your responses overlap so Ill reply in Bullets:

1. I bought one nice black suit, on sale that looks Great with a Black Thinner(not skinny ) tie . to hold me over , I had about 12 suits , but I had to keep tailoring them , and it got a little ridiculous. so I Donated them... lol. If I do Ned another suit ,(I wear slacks and dress shirts to work as well as seminars),Ill Get a summer-ry color.

2.Wearing dark colors in the summer is going to kill me ... So is My absence at the beach BTW .

3. I just Hired a new Maintenance guy , who was a tailor in Guyana for 20+ Years , He offered to Tailor My shirts for free , Bu t I told him I give him 5 bucks a pop. #winning , lol

4.I Also realized that All of my Jackets were too big, so now what ever they tell me I buy one size smaller, and I don't button /zip ect

5.I have a huge issue with Polo/T shirts, I'm Still an XL (I can do some L) But they make me look Like I have Man-Boobs . Shorts too, Any Ideas ?

6. Define Dating Game Vs. Relationship Game.

7.Define Under- Age... See Attached Pic Of How I usually dress when I go out , well Fitting Guess Leather Jacket , Polo Dress Shirt , Perry Ellis Jeans (Boot Cut I think , I cant stand how Baggie Relaxed fit look around my crotch), and a nice pair of Shoes. Your Critique is appreciated .

8. What am I looking for on Ebay ?

Thanks Guys

PS Best Part? My Ex. She HATES , HATES , HATES , that I'm losing weight . Especially since she saw a 22 Year Old ,Buy me a drink last week. LML

ttys

 

[mensimageconsultant]

The jacket looks mediocre (and probably of lousy quality). The jeans look too long (and the brand does not impress, might as well upgrade to Levi's). The shoes might be okay. The entire look seems age-appropriate, though.

Losing 50 pounds can affect foot size. Edit: if shoe size hasn't changed during adulthood, it's unlikely that weight gain changed anything and therefore weight loss shouldn't undo anything. But trust feel over numerical size.

As you have noticed, tee shirts and polo shirts tend not to work well on guys who aren't in good shape. Patterns can disguise some of that (as can dark colors), but patterned tees are rare (not counting youthful stuff) and patterned polos are hit or miss. By the way, in addition to vertical stripes, checks in tasteful colors make useful shirt patterns.

Please return the black suit. It's the wrong color. Charcoal gray or navy would be better.

Don't buy on eBay. It's too risky for style beginners who can afford better.

 

[alexanduh]

good on ya for losing weight. i would suggest straying from buying anything too expensive till your weight is steady. lurk around the forum more and youll see a style you like.

 

[ThinkDerm]

incotex / mabitex in your size is a good option for summer non-black pants. these are slimming and of high quality. PM me for more info =)

 

[alexanduh]

Originally Posted by ThinkDerm

incotex / mabitex in your size is a good option for summer non-black pants. these are slimming and of high quality. PM me for more info =)

shameless self promotion haha.