The fine line between dressing like an old man and a sharp GQ/Esquire guy.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Reevolving

I think we can wind down this discussion after this next picture.

Shirt:
A $120 MTM shirt from CEGO.


Pants:
The pants are 10" low rise slim fit, hanging off my hips.
My belly button is above that bottom button.


Jacket:
Agreed, this Canali is not flattering at all, in any way.


Shirt
If you have no problem paying $120 for a shirt, I'd recommend you go to a respected bespoke shirt maker and let HIM decide how the shirt should fit you. Apart from your neck, let him choose how tight it fits around your body.

Pants
Your bottom button should never be above your belly button. Always below. Rise is still too much.

Jacket
Take it to a respectable tailor and they can make the body and shoulders fit your body. A good tailor may charge you $100 for the work but if he's good, it's worth it.

 

[Don Carlos]

If that's really where your belly button is in relation to the rest of you, then you have a freakishly short torso and are mostly leg. I have a similar problem, though not to such a dramatic extreme. There's not much you're going to be able to do about it, and it will always make your clothes look a bit more high-waisted and "old manish" than you intend.

That said, you could still stand to do a few things:

1) Slim the trouser hips and legs, and possibly take in the inseam.
2) Replace that jacket with a version that fits halfway decently, then have it altered to fit perfectly.
3) Take in the shirt at the waist and hips.
4) Stop posing in that weird, AAAC-style shrug. I've never understood that pose, nor why it's so popular. But the only folks who use it tend to be old men, so there you go.

Looking forward to having this advice summarily rejected or ignored.

 

[HPress]

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

If that's really where your belly button is in relation to the rest of you, then you have a freakishly short torso and are mostly leg. I have a similar problem, though not to such a dramatic extreme. There's not much you're going to be able to do about it, and it will always make your clothes look a bit more high-waisted and "old manish" than you intend.

That said, you could still stand to do a few things:

1) Slim the trouser hips and legs, and possibly take in the inseam.
2) Replace that jacket with a version that fits halfway decently, then have it altered to fit perfectly.
3) Take in the shirt at the waist and hips.
4) Stop posing in that weird, AAAC-style shrug. I've never understood that pose, nor why it's so popular. But the only folks who use it tend to be old men, so there you go.

Looking forward to having this advice summarily rejected or ignored.

The OP really wants to dress like an old man, but doesn't want to look like he's dressed like one. I don't get it.

If I were aged 40-50 like the OP, I'd still wear hip clothes like dark, slim fit denim.

For the record, I have much more respect for the 50-60 year old that dresses like a hip 30-40 year old than 40-50 year old who dresses like a 60-70 year old.

 

[bellyhungry]

Originally Posted by Reevolving

..

For Christ's sake, use a wider belt.

And what's with all the extra cloth around the hips?

 

[citizenshame]

Originally Posted by Reevolving

One possible issue. This particular pair of Mabitex are VERY structured. They could almost stand up on their own. The cotton is that thick, yet, they are soft as hell at the same time.
I think that is why you're seeing more creases that would otherwise just drape normally with a pair of wool slacks.

Yes, the waist is exactly 1 inch too large, but the pants are not even close to "baggy as ****". Once more, in the pants pictured, when I SIT, there is ZERO slack in the thighs. ZERO. You could take pincers, and not be able to grab any fabric. It is 100% taut. These Mabitex are known here by some as "ball-huggers". If you think they are baggy as ****, I suspect maybe you've just seen too many fake modelling photo shoots, and have forgotten what "real clothing" looks like.

As a learning experience, I suggest you take some pictures of what you perceive to be slim fit pants in your mind (that you actually wear regularly IRL: to a job, driving a car, etc), and watch how "baggy" they actually appear from a camera angle. You might be surprised.

PS: I raise my arms b/c hanging them to the sides makes everyone look like a corpse, which makes it harder to analyze the photo.


Dude, just STFU, take the overwhelming advice, and move on.

 

[Milo]

Originally Posted by Reevolving

I think we can wind down this discussion after this next picture.

Here's a younger version of the same outfit:

 

[acecow]

Originally Posted by Milo

Here's a younger version of the same outfit:

Not really... The tassels alone scream "old man". But cuffs and tassels.... Re-evolving: that jacket is a size too big for you. Sell it and buy something smaller.

 

[Milo]

Originally Posted by acecow

Not really... The tassels alone scream "old man". But cuffs and tassels....

I agree, I'd change the shoes for suede brogues and lose the cuffs.

 

[Sartorial1]

When you are in your 60s,
this won't be a problem anymore.

 

[Reevolving]

Originally Posted by Butter

Shirt If you have no problem paying $120 for a shirt, I'd recommend you go to a respected bespoke shirt maker and let HIM decide how the shirt should fit you. Apart from your neck, let him choose how tight it fits around your body. Pants Your bottom button should never be above your belly button. Always below. Rise is still too much. Jacket Take it to a respectable tailor and they can make the body and shoulders fit your body. A good tailor may charge you $100 for the work but if he's good, it's worth it.
Shirt: Well, that's exactly why I went to Carl at Cego NYC. I told him that after a lifetime of blousey, billowing shirts, I finally wanted a trim slim fit shirt with zero excess fabric, while still being appropriate for work. Basically, what the SF-approved look was. This was the outcome, along with the white shirt (no jacket) in the original picture set. It sounds like the CEGO shirts were way off on the first attempt. In his defense, he told he to bring it back in after 3 washes, and I just haven't had the inclination. I still have to bring it back, it's just a pain to make 2 trips for a minor alteration. Pants: I don't understand this. The jacket's bottom button is not above my belly button. It's below (See the red spot I added) The pants are entirely below my belly button. Also, the rise is 10 inches. I am not aware of pants that have a lower rise. I don't really think I could have a lower rise without the outline of my balls showing. Jacket: Agreed. The jacket is nice quality. Very nice hand. But I think I'll invest the tailoring into a more fashionable design/color. Solid grey or navy. Ace, I will try a 39 or maybe even a 38 next time I'm out. My chest is a measured 40. I don't think there is any avoiding alterations, unless I go for a pure fashion line.

Originally Posted by essej

Then do something about those shoes.
You're kidding, right? AE Shell Cordovan in choco. brown. I love these shoes.

Originally Posted by Milo

Here's a younger version of the same outfit:]
I think that outfit looks horrendous, frankly. Outdated thick striped shirt (square toed shoes with that?), no socks, cuffed pants, tacky suede loafers, tacky tassles, etc. Trousers are a terrible fit as well, certainly worse than my low-rise, slim fits. Also, this whole short jacket thing has totally thrown me. For 9 months, all I saw was short jackets being torn to shreds on SF. Literally overnight, that is now all that is being recommended on SF. A mindblowing lesson in fashion vs. timeless style. I'm not dropping $1000 on a jacket if it's again a "terrible chick jacket" tomorrow. I'm not going for faddish fashion, but timeless elegant style. This is why my core foundation is "boring". That is intentional.

Originally Posted by bellyhungry

For Christ's sake, use a wider belt.
What width would you recommend? This was a 1" Trafalgar in Burgundy.

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

1) Slim the trouser hips and legs, and possibly take in the inseam. 2) Replace that jacket with a version that fits halfway decently, then have it altered to fit perfectly. 3) Take in the shirt at the waist and hips. 4) Stop posing in that weird, AAAC-style shrug. I've never understood that pose, nor why it's so popular. But the only folks who use it tend to be old men, so there you go. .
1) I am happy with the trousers, as I've stated several times. They are already very tight. Pictures lie, and I'm going to work, not a **** club (with no chairs) 2) Agreed on a new jacket. 3) Agreed on taking in the MTM Cego shirts for further alterations. 4) I already addressed this. Arms at sides in a picture looks like a corpse. Have you noticed almost every "fit" thread looks like an "Angry Frankenstein"? Very stiff and very distracting. Arms elsewhere is a more natural pose.

 

[jhcam8]

Reevolving - you're taking some heavy **** here and holding up pretty well. good on ya, mate!

I suppose this is out?

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Reevolving

For 9 months, all I saw was short jackets being torn to shreds on SF.
Literally overnight, that is now all that is being recommended on SF.

They're still not SF-approved, but they're what's currently in fashion, so if you want to look fashionable you need a slightly shorter jacket. This does not mean it needs to be Thom Browne short, just an inch or so shorter than the SF average, which can still fall within the SF-approved range, just further towards the shorter end of the range than the longer end.

Also, the jacket in the pic Milo posted is not even that short. The model must have long arms or short legs, because although the bottom of the jacket is short enough to be almost in-line with his wrist, it still lies roughly halfway between his neck and his ankles, which is about the ideal point.

Originally Posted by Reevolving

Outdated thick striped shirt (square toed shoes with that?), no socks, cuffed pants, tacky suede loafers, tacky tassles, etc.

How the hell are suede loafers and/or tassles 'tacky'? Tassles can look dangerously 'old man', so you should certainly avoid them, but they aren't 'tacky'. And suede loafers certainly aren't either. And the 'no socks' thing seems to be fashionable at the moment; I probably wouldn't do it myself but I've seen it done well.

 

[BB1]

Originally Posted by 83glt

Dude, why don't you STFU already? It was a lousy outfit, and you've put too much credence into what your idiot friend said of it. Have you that little confidence in yourself that you would go on to create this now 20 page thread (Jesus) in an endless and hopeless search for validation? Your outfit was ****, and your friend's a stupid know-nothing loser. That's the only reason this is still happening. Let's just stop now. Please.
If this thread is so awful, why do you keep returning to post your insults and why do so many others continue to keep it alive? Is it a guilty guilty pleasure, similar to how my mother likes to watch those disease-of-the-week melodramatic made for TV movies? But despite being able to admit the movies are bad, she can never seem to change the channel! Regarding the OP, I agree that his clothing choices make him look old mannish. He would not be repeatedly asking the same questions if he didn't deep down realize that his female friend is at least partially correct in her assessment. This is a far more sane assessment of oneself than the guy whom wears the old man clothing and ignorantly believes he looks hip and cool. Personally if someone criticizes what I'm wearing and I'm actually disturbed by the comment, then it's usually good sign an outfit is not being perceived as I intended. This does not necessarily represent a lack of confidence, but an attempt to be honest with oneself and friends are useful in this regard. I believe he wants to change his style, but doesn't quite know how yet. So cut him some slack rather than acting like an obnoxious gnat who keeps repeating the same insulting comments. I will say your are likely right about the guy looking for some validation though.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by Hehlol

It's rich watching a bunch of people who try so hard to be 'classy adults' on the Internet act exactly the way children would when criticized. A new poster said something about the community being tasteless and now the community's actions have basically proven him correct. It's amazing how you guys do it and still believe yourselves so refined.

Styleforum is a great place to come to learn about brands and quality and options, but it isn't a place to come about actual style. Use the forum for what you can, for some people it's posting in threads about all the new stuff they bought on credit, for others, it's reading about what others bought, learning about these items and investigating based on their own taste.


- B

 

[pebblegrain]

Originally Posted by Reevolving

I think we can wind down this discussion after this next picture.


You look old-man as f*ck