Taking a friend shopping

[progressiveminded]

I've got a bit of a dilemma, guys. I've promised to take a rather fashion-unaware friend shopping to find some stuff for college so that he can look respectable on campus. Let me put an image in your mind of what he looks like right now. Plain white t-shirt, some sort of fleece jacket and relaxed fit stonewashed jeans. Yeah...

With that image in your mind, I'd like to get all of your guys' input on how we should go about revamping his wardrobe. I know how to dress myself well - but that's because I have some sense of style and know what looks decent. What are some good, basic items to get that can be used to layer with each other and so forth? Hell, where should I even start in revamping his wardrobe?

I enjoy reading these forums and I hope you guys will be able to help me out.

 

[minya]

maybe he doesn't care?

 

[PG2G]

If he's a tshirt and jeans guy, let him be one. Just point him towards some decent jeans and help him out with fit and he should be all right, IMO.

 

[progressiveminded]

Sorry for not making this clearer, but the reason he is asking me to do this with him is so that he -can- change. He just doesn't know how and asked my help with it.

 

[minya]

ah, I see.

I'd take him to American Apparel for basics, I guess. Then just go shopping and tell him to find out what he likes. Do lots of windowshopping, try lots of **** on. He needs to find out what his style is.

 

[j]

You might find one of the "essential streetwear items" or "if you had $1k, 2k, whatever to spend" threads on here. Maybe someone can link you one. Both of those had good ideas for starting points on wardrobes.

What I would do is outline the situations he will need to dress for:

-Class
-Lounging around home
-Gym
-Dates
-Clubs/Bars
-Respectable activites/interviews/church/etc.

See which ones he is most lacking in, and decide what kinds of things he will need for those situations. Obviously, best would be to buy versatile pieces that will work in many situations.

 

[beefcake]

I'd sit down at home to begin with and look in magazines or somewhere online for styles that he likes and try to find out how he'd like to look, narrow it down to a few outfits or pairs of jeans and then go out and try it on.
In my experience, taking someone not very interested in style/shopping to a mall or such, ends up with them buying the second thing they try on or nothing at all because there's too much stuff everywhere.

Also, watch out for crab people.

 

[tweedlesinpink]

don't be afraid to get him to try stuff on. go shopping (window or otherwise!) with him because it's very daunting to go shopping alone sometimes if you're looking for something different. look at photos (thesartorialist, What Are You Wearing Today on this board and the other SF), magazines, beautiful people on the street--and then get some little ideas. little steps at a time. he has to feel comfortable in them ultimately.

Also remember: "5EP, meaning 5 easy pieces- is based on the concept that there are five easy pieces in every person's wardrobe: a chino, a jean, a jacket, a tee shirt and a woven shirt." which basically means BUY 5EP JEANS, but let's not go there

 

[Antler4641]

Here's my biggest question: how does the clothes he wears now fit? Do they look flattering, or are they baggy and a size or two too big? I think a lot of men wear baggy clothes--not because they think it's cool or attractive--but because they don't know what size they actually wear. I wore size mediums until a few months ago when I tried on a size small, and since I've realized that I look better in a size small everything.

So when you do go shopping with him, have him find something he likes, and then have him try it on on several sizes. If he usually buys large, don't let him try it on in that size, like it or not, and then move on. Make him try it on in medium too. And if he thinks that's an improvement, maybe even try the small too, just so he can see how his body looks different with different sizes. I think that's more important than anything else. Like a few others have said, if you can get him a pair of jeans, a few blank tees, and a fleece that all fit okay, he'll be looking good at almost any college.

If he really wants to dress up, you can help him find some nice shirts and pants, maybe even a suit, and help him get these items tailored and everything. But I think he'd be amazed by how much better he can look by just buying regular clothes that fit right.

PS. As a college student, here's my clothes for next year:

11 AA blank tees in a couple of colors
1 patagonia synchilla micro fleece jacket
1 pair of ironheart jeans
1 pair of mason's khakis
1 pair of shorts from 3rd grade basketball camp for when it's hot
+junky old clothes for going running

I don't think I'll need more than that. Heck, I could probably get by with four tees and still only do the wash once every few weeks. I'm giving away a lot of my old clothes this summer and want to minimize my wardrobe as much as possible.

 

[Metal Circus]

Nothing against AA, but DON'T buy from their stores.
ESPECIALLY when buying in bulk! Ebay prices for a tshirt are around $7 if you're buying more than 6, but in a store, it's $15 a shirt.

 

[progressiveminded]

Originally Posted by jiomitori

Here's my biggest question: how does the clothes he wears now fit? Do they look flattering, or are they baggy and a size or two too big? I think a lot of men wear baggy clothes--not because they think it's cool or attractive--but because they don't know what size they actually wear. I wore size mediums until a few months ago when I tried on a size small, and since I've realized that I look better in a size small everything.

So when you do go shopping with him, have him find something he likes, and then have him try it on on several sizes. If he usually buys large, don't let him try it on in that size, like it or not, and then move on. Make him try it on in medium too. And if he thinks that's an improvement, maybe even try the small too, just so he can see how his body looks different with different sizes. I think that's more important than anything else. Like a few others have said, if you can get him a pair of jeans, a few blank tees, and a fleece that all fit okay, he'll be looking good at almost any college.

If he really wants to dress up, you can help him find some nice shirts and pants, maybe even a suit, and help him get these items tailored and everything. But I think he'd be amazed by how much better he can look by just buying regular clothes that fit right.

PS. As a college student, here's my clothes for next year:

11 AA blank tees in a couple of colors
1 patagonia synchilla micro fleece jacket
1 pair of ironheart jeans
1 pair of mason's khakis
1 pair of shorts from 3rd grade basketball camp for when it's hot
+junky old clothes for going running

I don't think I'll need more than that. Heck, I could probably get by with four tees and still only do the wash once every few weeks. I'm giving away a lot of my old clothes this summer and want to minimize my wardrobe as much as possible.

No, fit is something that we're going to focus on more than anything. Anyways, thanks for the help guys - I have some sort of an idea how to go about this.

 

[cmrocks]

To start:

One pair of designer jeans that fit well and are flattering
One pair of classic sneakers
One cool jacket. I recommend Nice Collective.
One full zip sweater.
One fitted plain color full zip hoodie.
A few unique screen print tshirts
A few long sleeve thermal shirts to layer with (I use american apparel)

That should be a good start and everything should be fairly cheap and easy to find.

 

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by DucatiCole

One cool jacket. I recommend Nice Collective.
Whoa, baby steps, baby steps there... I would second J and beefcake's advice, you need to understand where and how he wears his clothes. From there you can decide what kind of pieces to pursue. Going blindly to the mall is not going to yield any desirable results. A. edit>terrible grammar

 

[turbozed]

Originally Posted by progressiveminded

No, fit is something that we're going to focus on more than anything. Anyways, thanks for the help guys - I have some sort of an idea how to go about this.

IMO, fit is the biggest change when it comes to fashion. You can spend thousands of bucks on a new wardrobe but if it don't fit right, it's not going to be flattering. If he's anything like what I was in high school, he's probably buying clothes a size too large. This will lead to a sloppy appearance generally (unless it's intended to be baggy). one or two good fitting pairs of jeans, some plain t-shirts are a good place to start.