Wardrobe reform advice needed

[Arnblas]

Good morning,

I've been lurking here for a few weeks, and I've been learning a lot, but I hope I can get some more focused advice in my own thread.

Background: I am 25 years old, and the kind of guy who has never owned more than one suit at a time. I have never owned an odd jacket, nor any odd dress trousers. My few pairs of "dress shoes" are garbage, and so is my only watch. I work in the high-tech industry, so the suit only comes out for job interviews, weddings, and funerals. Most of my shirts were sized and purchased without regard to the possibility of fastening the top button. I have a small quantity of silk ties.

My specific problem: I will be attending a conference/convention/seminar-type event at the end of September. Including the flight in and out, it will encompass eight calendar days. This event is not high-tech themed; most of the other attendees will be much older than me, and dressed properly in business and/or upper business casual attire. I would like to be able to fit in, and I wouldn't mind taking this opportunity to develop my wardrobe in general. Budget-wise, I am willing to spend whatever it takes to achieve my goal and look respectable, but I am not interested in getting into the luxury level.

What do I need to do? Specific and detailed advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AlanC]

Originally Posted by Arnblas

Budget-wise, I am willing to spend whatever it takes to achieve my goal and look respectable, but I am not interested in getting into the luxury level.

What do you consider 'luxury level'?

 

[Arnblas]

Originally Posted by AlanC

What do you consider 'luxury level'?
I realize there's a smooth continuum from "garbage" to "fit for a king", and I'm aiming for a point at which the clothing is correct, doesn't look cheap, and doesn't fall apart, but at the same time is reasonably priced.

For example, in my reading on this forum and others, I have learned that proper dress shoes ought to have leather soles and non-square toes, that an entry-level brand of acceptable shoes would be, for example, Allen Edmonds, and that anything less than that would be considered quite bad. Does that sound correct?

Essentially, I would consider "luxury level" to be anything more expensive than what would be needed to minimally achieve the desired effect, on both a short-term and a long-term basis.

(I hope that makes sense. If it doesn't, I will clearly need to re-evaluate my goals.)

 

[AlanC]

Yes, for shoes look at Allen Edmonds then, probably some Park Avenues. You might find the Niles at discount, though, as it's being discontinued, I believe. You'll need a couple of pairs of AEs.

For suits you should probably aim for Brooks Brothers or Hickey Freeman, although I don't suppose you have easy access in Ontario. Perhaps Samuelsohn at Harry Rosen, then.

Are you inclined to discount shop or do you prefer for it to be quick and easy, ie, retail?

 

[Arnblas]

Thanks for the info thus far; it's much appreciated.

Originally Posted by AlanC

Yes, for shoes look at Allen Edmonds then, probably some Park Avenues. You might find the Niles at discount, though, as it's being discontinued, I believe. You'll need a couple of pairs of AEs.
Should I get one black pair and one brown pair? Should they both be cap toe balmorals like the models mentioned, or should one be something else?

Originally Posted by AlanC

For suits you should probably aim for Brooks Brothers or Hickey Freeman, although I don't suppose you have easy access in Ontario. Perhaps Samuelsohn at Harry Rosen, then.
How many suits/odd jackets/odd trousers would I need for my eight-day trip, assuming I wanted to equally mix business and business casual dress, and what sort of colours/patterns/styles would be best? I currently own an inexpensive three-button single-breasted charcoal suit with what I think would be considered subtle pinstripes.

Originally Posted by AlanC

Are you inclined to discount shop or do you prefer for it to be quick and easy, ie, retail?
I'm willing to spend some time looking for discounts, though I do need to ensure that everything will be ready in time for my trip.

 

[Edward Appleby]

Do you know your size?

 

[Arnblas]

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

Do you know your size?
I have a vague idea. My waist size is around 38 or 40, my shirt collar size is 18, I think my jacket size is around 42 or 44, and my shoe size is around 11 E. I plan to get these measured more carefully before buying anything, of course.

 

[Edward Appleby]

Originally Posted by Arnblas

I have a vague idea. My waist size is around 38 or 40, my shirt collar size is 18, I think my jacket size is around 42 or 44, and my shoe size is around 11 E. I plan to get these measured more carefully before buying anything, of course.

Figure out your proper size then check virtualclotheshorse.com (through the affiliate link at the top of this page.) You should be able to get a Borrelli or similar quality level for about (or less than) the retail price of Hickey-Freeman.

 

[WN2]

Originally Posted by AlanC

You'll need a couple of pairs of AEs.

Does he, really? Of course it is certainly desirable to have even a minimum amount of rotation, but I'd say that one decent pair would be enough for this specific occasion if the OP does want to look presentable for this conference. How many of the other attendees are going to bring multiple pairs of dress shoes along? I'd say very few. Not that they shouldn't, of course..

 

[Dmax]

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

Figure out your proper size then check virtualclotheshorse.com (through the affiliate link at the top of this page.) You should be able to get a Borrelli or similar quality level for about (or less than) the retail price of Hickey-Freeman.

I am going to respectfully disagree with Edward here. Borrelli and most other italian brands would not be a good fit for someone with less than a six inch size difference between waist and chest.

IMHO, Brooks Brothers especially and Hickey Freeman design their clothing to fit a body shapesimilar to Mr. Arnblas'.

Since you have a grey pinstripe suit you may wish to consider a plain or pinstriped navy suit next. Plain or subtle pattern like nailhead grey suit is also a good option in a business environment.

For odd jackets you should probably start with a navy blazer. For odd pants I would start with a pair in medium grey and a pair in dark grey/charcoal, followed by navy and maybe brown or olive green if you like.

Allen Edmonds is an excellent choice based on your criteria. Black Park Avenues are an excellent staple. You can follow up with some brown and some burgundy models in your choice of styles.

You can look at what Alan wears at WAYWN thread on top to get some excellent ideas.

 

[Edward Appleby]

Originally Posted by Dmax

I am going to respectfully disagree with Edward here. Borrelli and most other italian brands would not be a good fit for someone with less than a six inch size difference between waist and chest.

No, you're completely right- the Neapolitans are not the best option for a lot of people. I wasn't really suggesting Borrelli so much as using it as a quality-point reference. Lance has Oxxford and such as well, but Borrelli was the first thing I saw on VCH when I was looking in the ~$1500 pricepoint.

 

[AlanC]

Originally Posted by WN2

Does he, really? Of course it is certainly desirable to have even a minimum amount of rotation, but I'd say that one decent pair would be enough for this specific occasion if the OP does want to look presentable for this conference. How many of the other attendees are going to bring multiple pairs of dress shoes along? I'd say very few. Not that they shouldn't, of course..

Well, no I suppose he could get by with one suit, a couple of dress shirts and one pair of shoes, but to me two pairs of dress shoes for an 8-day conference seems reasonable. I would think black Park Avenues and maybe burgundy punch caps (whatever the AE model for that is at the moment) or possibly burgundy semi-brogues would be the most versatile. You can add brown later on.

For the conference if you had two suits (navy and grey/grey pinstripe) and a navy blazer with two pairs of odd trousers (medium grey and tan or olive) you could go a long way. Mix and match shirts and ties.

 

[kitonbrioni]

You might try H&M, Banana Republic, Filene's Basement, outlet malls, etc. Since most every store is having sales now, this is a great time to try Saks, NM, Barney, Ralph Lauren, etc.

 

[Arnblas]

So to summarize, let's see if I have this correct.

I need two pairs of Allen Edmonds dress shoes: a pair of Park Avenues in black and another pair of balmorals in burgundy. For each pair I need a pair of shoe trees and a colour-matched leather belt. What kinds of other shoe care products/equipment would I need for these?

I need one new suit, in addition to the one I already have, and it should be navy, either with or without pinstripes. A suitable brand available in my area would be Samuelsohn. I note in my searches on this site and on AAAC that Samuelsohn makes suits at a number of different price/quality points, from fused suits available at the Bay, to fully-canvassed RTW suits available at menswear stores, to MTM suits. Which of these price/quality points should I be aiming at?

I need a navy blazer and two pairs of odd trousers, one in medium grey and the other in a colour such as charcoal, tan, or olive. Should these articles be from the same maker as the suit? What kind of price differences should there be among suits, odd jackets, and odd trousers of the same quality level?

In terms of shirts, would four be enough for an eight-day trip? Or should I aim for more? Right now I have a white shirt and a lime green shirt that fit; the rest of my shirts are too small to allow me to fasten the top button. What sorts of colours/patterns/styles should I be aiming for? Should one or more of my shirts have button-down collars? What level of quality and price would be appropriate?

It hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread, but I assume I will need to buy a new watch as well. My current watch is a Timex digital that probably cost about $30 new, and is all scratched up. What kind of watch would correspond properly with my new wardrobe? Will I need more than one? Does the colour/metal have to match with anything?

Most of my ties are 100% silk, but I see now that a few are synthetic. I have attached photos showing all eleven of my ties. Would any of them be poor choices to wear with attire like this? Should I bring eight of them along and wear a different one each day, or would some other kind of rotation be more advisable?

And lastly, is there anything important I'm missing?

Thanks again for all the helpful advice in this thread.

 

[josepidal]

Originally Posted by Arnblas

Budget-wise, I am willing to spend whatever it takes to achieve my goal and look respectable, but I am not interested in getting into the luxury level.
You do realize this description of your budget is not helpful on this particular forum.

Seriously, though, you couldn't go wrong with the staples discussed here like Allen Edmonds shoes, etc. Two for an eight-day conference would make a lot of sense and is certianly not overkill. (You might check SierraTradingPost.com for A-E belts, and you won't need more than a bottle of leather conditioner and a tin of black Kiwi Parade Gloss which will work on the burgundy shoes as well.)

Same with two suits, and you might throw in a good traditional blazer while you're at it. Go past the fused suits since you sound like you can afford to and want something you can use for the rest of your career.

You really should invest in a new watch but it doesn't need to match anything. If you're a stickler about it, it should match your belt buckles, shoe buckles should you purchase monkstrap shoes later on, and any ring you wear.

There are old threads with proposed lists for wardrobe makeovers.