The $5,000 Wardrobe

[impolyt_one]

Originally Posted by Captain Winky

Not if you want it to stay that way...

oh? is there a part I missed?

The proportion between patterning/fit/design details vs. price is a much higher one than material quality vs retail price. You pay for design work. Materials are included in the deal. Construction is a moot point.

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

oh? is there a part I missed?

The proportion between patterning/fit/design details vs. price is a much higher one than material quality vs retail price. You pay for design work. Materials are included in the deal. Construction is a moot point.

Good material will hold up better and look better in the long run. And I don't think of construction as a "moot point."

 

[wagthesam]

drew by black shoes you mean boots right? can't think of too many black non boots that would be essential as streetwear.

 

[breakz]

Originally Posted by Captain Winky

Good material will hold up better and look better in the long run. And I don't think of construction as a "moot point."

The dude makes clothes. He speaks from a very strong familiarity with them.

Besides, what are you doing to shirts so that cheap cotton shirt A holds up better than expensive cotton shirt B?

 

[impolyt_one]

You don't care about fit or design then?

Also, the idea that endurance is a trait of quality fabric is false logic. Lanvin is made of good materials, but hard wearing of that stuff would make it last a season for me.

Sewing machines are generally universal throughout the world. There are advanced techniques in sewing (which are not typically applied to men's clothes anyway) but the by and large of construction is just to keep pieces of fabric together.

Get at me.

 

[impolyt_one]

Originally Posted by wagthesam

drew by black shoes you mean boots right? can't think of too many black non boots that would be essential as streetwear.

I would buy black derbies/oxfords before boots. You can wear either or with both streetwear and formal, but I prefer a low laceup with formal.

 

[wagthesam]

I've actually been on the lookout for something like that that I could wear both in an office setting and with jeans but so far besides paul smith my search has come up empty. probably haven't been looking hard enough.

I'm also unsure of the lasts of the classic shoes (ie why AE's are considered unstylish while aldens are great etc, to me the parks avenue looks exactly the same as the C&J audleys)

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by Captain Winky

Good material will hold up better and look better in the long run. And I don't think of construction as a "moot point."

I speak from experience with suits mostly, some with shirts. On good suits, construction means everything, the difference between canvassing and fusing is night and day and when you look at good quality material vs. poor and see how it drapes over time, and how things like creases are more apt to lead to long-term marks.

I've also seen it with jeans. The high quality, well-dyed denim fades in a very different way than cheap stuff. I have jeans that are well made that I've worn the **** out of, and others where the seems start unraveling almost instantly.

However I agree 100% that well-made garments of high quality material will still look like **** if cut poorly.

 

[delirium]

Originally Posted by breakz

Yeah see I can't do that. Great list though, Fuuma.
I kind of wish I went with the Fuuma $5k wardrobe.
I have a bunch of SF type tops that I'm eh about. I usually just wear white tees, tanks, and white oxford most days. I wouldn't wear sport jackets though would rather have 1-2 leather jackets in rotation.

Originally Posted by nicelynice

2 ccp boots (pair) @ 1k a boot, total 2k
1 pair of robert geller OR nike loopwheeler sweatpants @ $200
six n. hoolywood tees @ $80 a tee
one leather jacket at @ $2k
one sns herning sweater @ $200
one pair of APCs @ $165

****, i'm already over with no coat.

you're getting CCP boots for $1k? i have my doubts.
your pants are going to be APCs and sweatpants? heh

Originally Posted by nicelynice

What vass boots do you own? I was under the impression they made only dress shoes and boots I wouldn't own

I'd like to know what the Fuuma MTO is too.

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

I own like 12 or 15 pairs of jeans too, but in reality I could get by with 2 pairs new, maybe 1 pair of the same blue but in a very worn version, ie raw denim and then a two or three year old pair of the same thing, for two different looks.

I know this is not following the rules of the game strictly, but I would take $5000 and buy some staples, and maybe afford myself $2000 to re-up on new stuff each year. I think that constitutes what many who are into styling themselves can realistically afford, though I know most of us spend more than that. I really don't want to know what sq4you spends per year on clothing, nor Socal. I probably spend a lot and don't realize it, though I don't feel like I have bought myself that much stuff, ever.

My (occasionally broken) rules for buying clothes in general, which I would adamantly stick to if I were on a budget:
- obviously, nothing at retail, if designer.
- Something must match at least 2 or 3 different aesthetics (whether these aesthetics are subtly or vastly different, up to you, but they should be different and not a swap of shoes or jacket), if not all of the aesthetics I want to do. If it doesn't, consider it a wish list item.
- Expensive cotton button up shirts are out, as they can be replaced with MTM if you're looking for something a budget. Jantzen at the low end and other Asian-made MTM for slightly more. You do need at least two white shirts (possibly of differing styles, white broadcloth) but I consider these disposable, so spend in proportion to your budget.
- Expensive knits are out. One snag or a rough night out, and you're out a knit. About as necessary as a 'nice' watch. I'd probably cap my knit budget at $150-200 for lightweight knits and $300 for one splurge, a heavyweight V or Y-neck pullover. Both non-patterned, in a neutral palette. Light marl or dark solid.
- At least one good pair of shoes, in. Black first, brown second or third (after two pairs of black, the second pair of black could be laceup boots) I don't see AE's as part of this wardrobe, they are not stylish enough.
- White sneakers, in. Common Projects tournaments or captoe court shoes
- Leather jackets are nice but are not for a budget wardrobe.
- Peacoat is good for a budget wardrobe, but find a nice one, not a Sterlingwear, surplus, etc.
- DB trenchcoat with removable liner, in.
- as above, 1 pair of indigo raw jeans (silver hardware, no huge patch, no backpocket stitch, this probably can be taken to mean APC, or Acne) and 1 pair of black overdye denim, both slim fit. The black overdye can be cheap non selvedge, indigos would preferably be selvedge. Buy these again each year or every two years depending on how hard you wear them.
- a grey and a navy suit, with trousers you can wear separately.


And for this, with $5000 as a one-time buy in and $2000 afforded as a replenishing budget, I'd say:
-black, navy, white, grey, almost strictly
-stay away from deconstruction unless you know what you are doing (and in this case you probably wouldn't need to stay with a budget like this)

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

Also, if I were on a clothing budget, I'd probably buy a $1.50 tape measure and make it a habit to have it with me whenever I go shopping, so that I could try different shirts and jackets on, and figure out whether I could make something similar via MTM. You can take a nice $200-300 shirt to a dressing room at the store, measure the collar height, collarband width, neck, s2s, p2p, back shoulder, and sleeve and body widths, and get something decent. Likewise for tailored jackets and such, if you have a good tailor and are good at measuring. Measuring off the body doesn't work for a lot of people, IMO, because tailors cut too closely, and don't cut stylishly. A good looking garment is like 80% pattern and 20% material.

I like these tips, but it's a little too formal for what I'd do.

 

[Nouveau Pauvre]

Originally Posted by NorCal

Has there always been a Muppet driving the car in your avatar?

Do you mean "has the muppet in my avatar always been driving a car?"

 

[impolyt_one]

Originally Posted by Captain Winky

I speak from experience with suits mostly, some with shirts. On good suits, construction means everything, the difference between canvassing and fusing is night and day and when you look at good quality material vs. poor and see how it drapes over time, and how things like creases are more apt to lead to long-term marks.

I've also seen it with jeans. The high quality, well-dyed denim fades in a very different way than cheap stuff. I have jeans that are well made that I've worn the **** out of, and others where the seems start unraveling almost instantly.

However I agree 100% that well-made garments of high quality material will still look like **** if cut poorly.

you're right about suits, but for a $5000 wardrobe, if you don't know what you're doing, is not going to include even one really well made suit, unless you forfeit a lot of other stuff. As this is SW+D, most people don't need that kind of suit. I don't need that kind of suit in my lifestyle.

Jeans; you can get cheap jeans, you can get expensive jeans, but fabric is not a direct function of price. There are 5000Y selvedge jeans on rakuten and Uniqlo selvedge that fade better than non selvedge Dior Hommes, I know which ones I'd rather have though.

Again, I think high quality material is independent of both good design/fit and brand. They are all separate factors that feature in different combinations, brand to brand, garment to garment.

 

[delirium]

My take on it

white oxford $50 (jcrew)
white tees + tanks $50
other assorted tees $50
white dress shirt $100 (cheap MTM)

leather $600 (TOJ)
winter jacket $500 (peacoat maybe?)
spring-fall jacket $500

grey pants / jeans $100
black pants $100
low-mid range raw jeans $100 (uniqlo)

mid-range charcoal suit $500

white sneakers $50
grey boots $500
black lace up boots $500
winter boots $200
black dress shoes $300

$4200

 

[impolyt_one]

Originally Posted by delirium

I kind of wish I went with the Fuuma $5k wardrobe.
I have a bunch of SF type tops that I'm eh about. I usually just wear white tees, tanks, and white oxford most days. I wouldn't wear sport jackets though would rather have 1-2 leather jackets in rotation.



you're getting CCP boots for $1k? i have my doubts.
your pants are going to be APCs and sweatpants? heh



I'd like to know what the Fuuma MTO is too.





I like these tips, but it's a little too formal for what I'd do.


I have two basic shirts: a white v-neck tee shirt (I actually probably own 40 of these, but they're a dollar a piece, so hey) and a white button up shirt (I probably own 20 of these, but you only need two or so). Didn't include tees on the list because you can buy the 6 pack of Hanes with the change from your $5000 shopping spree.
Socks should all be the black Uniqlo 4 for $10 kind if you are on a budget. Underwear is your own business, or ask your mom to buy it for you.

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

you're right about suits, but for a $5000 wardrobe, if you don't know what you're doing, is not going to include even one really well made suit, unless you forfeit a lot of other stuff. As this is SW+D, most people don't need that kind of suit. I don't need that kind of suit in my lifestyle.

Jeans; you can get cheap jeans, you can get expensive jeans, but fabric is not a direct function of price. There are 5000Y selvedge jeans on rakuten and Uniqlo selvedge that fade better than non selvedge Dior Hommes, I know which ones I'd rather have though.

Again, I think high quality material is independent of both good design/fit and brand. They are all separate factors that feature in different combinations, brand to brand, garment to garment.

Ok, on the same page with you here. My real point was that I thought material accounted for more than 20% of a good overall garment. And, of course, I'm thinking of how I'd spend $5k, not how the average dude would.

 

[delirium]

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

I have two basic shirts: a white v-neck tee shirt (I actually probably own 40 of these, but they're a dollar a piece, so hey) and a white button up shirt (I probably own 20 of these, but you only need two or so). Didn't include tees on the list because you can buy the 6 pack of Hanes with the change from your $5000 shopping spree.
Socks should all be the black Uniqlo 4 for $10 kind if you are on a budget. Underwear is your own business, or ask your mom to buy it for you.

Yeah I pretty much got all of your list.

I added the tees in since I didn't know what else to put in. $5k is a lot of $ if you aren't dropping dough on suits and shopping on a budget.

Where to cop tees for a $1 a piece? **** is more expensive at target and walmart.

What diff white button ups do you suggest? I pretty much just wear my one jcrew oxford all the time heh. It desperately needs to be altered but whatever.