Fat Man With No Style

Originally Posted by ZON_JR

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He's a novice. He'll think anyplace selling anything other than cargo pants is expensive. If he has the desire to improve his wardrobe he must have some means. Now he has to adjust his expectations; be willing to spend less on carbs & fat (no snark intended) and more on cloth.

Nice that you know what his budget is and what is or isn't expensive for him. you have to be well off to want to look presentable

Would like to hear what your suggestions are for a decent new clothing wardrobe priced between Wal Mart's $189 suits and mens wearhouse's $299 suits

keep at it, you can do it. and hit below 300 like edmorel said, we'll be waiting for you then with advice... and non-advice from the jerks here too.

go to places like Ross, target, marshalls, and the like, and with just under a hundred dollars you can walk out with 2 outfits (minus shoes: pants and top, belt perhaps) easily if you just look around. those places have a plethora of larger sizes (i dont know how large you are, perhaps still within the realm of the large sizes of 38-42 waist sizes and XXL to XXXL; if more than that, then sorry, you will have to go to a big and tall specialization store).
those places i can myself go to with a handful of cash and walk out with two very sharp looking outfits that will look better than my cohorts or friends. and still look stylish.

if you are larger and can only go to a big and tall store, i advise you to stick it out a bit more, lose some more weight to a manageable size like under 250 or so and then build your wardrobe. so for the time being just be patient and wear your current wears for the next few weeks until weight accomplished.

There's some great advice in this thread, and I applaud anyone who is looking to up their style factor. I would say get down to your fighting weight before you seriously build your wardrobe just for health reasons, as others have said. However, at your current weight you still just as many options as the wide shoulder/narrow waist dudes all over the board. Well fitted clothes can do wonders for even the biggest dude. For a rather good suit on the cheap, go to a place like Syms and bring a style concious friend, as the salespeople are not the best at telling you what looks good. For shirts, Marshalls and Ross are typically flush with large sizes of good clothes. I mean, check this out, William Howard Taft was a big dude, and look how sharp he looks! Its all in the fit, my friend.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Nice that you know what his budget is and what is or isn't expensive for him. you have to be well off to want to look presentable

Would like to hear what your suggestions are for a decent new clothing wardrobe priced between Wal Mart's $189 suits and mens wearhouse's $299 suits

The guy has decided to dress nicer--he looked into it and got sticker shock. He'll adjust. Obviously he's not starving to death, there's some disposable income.

This and other forums are full of guys who know a lot more than he does, who are reselling great bargains from ebay and b&s because they didn't fit. If he's going to make mistakes it is better to make them at the outlet/year-end sale where he can get some help and at least minimize his losses.

OP:

congratulations on your decision to lose weight... more than anything you just did yourself your greatest favor. as regards to clothing, since you're planning to lose more weight, if I were you I wouldn't go out and spend on clothes that will be 2 sized too big in the next few months... I'd probably stick with Gap or BR on sale just to get by... thing is you have to remember to buy clothes that fit you well at the present, and don't buy clothes that are 1 or 2 sizes too big to hide your girth- it doesn't work. keep us updated.

good luck to you. stick around, and you will learn alot.

in the short term, lands end does some pretty good, affordable chinos and shirts, that would be my recomendation - you will have the opposite problem that you have grown up with, now you will start being too small for your clothes. try getting 2 pair of pants and 3-5 shirts, when they are too big for you, get another set and so on. when you hit your target, or get close to it, we can help you put together a wardrobe that will last you.

Originally Posted by rcairns84

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P.S. - I actually do have a personal trainer, a licensed one. I've got a membership at a gym and have been going strong for 2 months now. Trust me, I've changed my eating habits. A LOT.

Keep it up for the next year, then you can worry about what to wear. No point in spending money on clothing that (hopefully) won't fit you in a month.

So I went through all my clothes today and started separating them into piles. Started actually holding shirts to different types of pants and whatnot.

Come to find out, I had a suit hidden away at the back of my closet. I only wore it once (for a funeral) and have never had the need to wear it again.

The dress shoes I have for it are Nunn Bush. They're black and I slipped them on, they're quite comfortable. I need to get some socks for them though, 'cause even I know that white socks don't go with dress shoes. Does the color of the socks need to match the shoes?

Also, I need to invest in some shoe care equipment. I've seen a lot of people use the Kiwi Shoe Polish. So just that and a piece of cloth? Does it just polish them or does it actually help get the wrinkles out of the shoes?

Originally Posted by rcairns84

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Does the color of the socks need to match the shoes?

If you stay here long enough, you will learn that you can go wild with your socks. However, for now, and specially for your body type, use socks that match the color of the pants (they make your legs look longer).

So just that and a piece of cloth? Does it just polish them or does it actually help get the wrinkles out of the shoes?

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You also need a soft brush to make the shoes look shiny. To reduce wrinkles use "shoe trees"

This hits home, as my father is obese, and, every time I look at him - his personal grooming, his dress - I become sad.

First, get nice shoes. Do not wear sneakers because they are comfortable.

Second, wear pants that fit. They don't have to be expensive to fit. Because you are most likely wide, try to get pants that taper well to the ankle; if you can't find them, then take those parachute pants to a proper tailor.

Third, embrace a good-fitting sportcoat. My father looks his best with this, and he only wears this for formal gatherings - a serious downfall.

Fourth, make sure plumbers crack is eliminated. Buy longer shirts, so they can be tucked in and stay tucked. Have a tailor add waist "grabbers" (a rubber lining that "grabs" shirt fabric to keep it from riding up). This may be the most important.

Fifth, do not wear your hair long. This makes you look even more fat, or sloppy. A tightly trimmed mane adds sleekness.

Sixth, keep your style simple at first. Check this site for good looks. Check out pictures of famous fat guys who looked great (I believe I just saw pictures of president Taft that proved he was a well-dressed fat guy; Jackie Gleason did it up well, as well - and there are certainly more).

Seventh, do not make too many self-deprecating jokes.

Good luck.

I stopped reading all the other responses about halfway down... here's my 2 cents

1. Ignore the criticisms and jokes and you should applaud yourself for caring enough to make an effort and asking for help when you need it (not meaning to be patronizing here at all)

2. For a start, I'd say spend a bit of time around here looking at various people's daily posts for fits, colors, textures, etc especially look up a few members taht are maybe on the larger side (Yachtie for example, but there are many others) and check their post history for What Are You Wearing pictures

3. Go out to everyone from Walmart to Neiman Marcus and just start fitting things on. Tell the sales associates that you're just looking and trying to find the right fits. Fit everything on and take a look to get a sense for what's working, what isn't, the quality to price ratio of various brands, etc and ask a lot of questions. Don't try to look overly spiffy, just make everything plain, clean fits.

4. Don't buy everything in sight. I'd say get a few good basics like dark blue denim, 1-2 khakis, 1-2 nice pairs of shoes, and a few plain sweaters. Pick up a few shirts, and most importantly, find a good tailor who can tell YOU what looks good or how things should fit.

hope taht's a start...

As someone who has lost 140+ pounds recently I can tell you that I know your predicament all too well. I spent way too much money at the big & tall stores for clothes that were overpriced and looked horrible. I think the best advice in this thread is to just keep things simple since you plan on losing more weight. The last thing you want is to find a great blazer only to have it not fit in 3 months. The only thing I would invest in now would be some decent shoes. Forget the sneakers and burn any square-toes you might own. Since you're 25, you're in that "in-between" phase of not-quite-college-kid but not-quite-30-something yet. The key is to stay focused on timeless pieces that don't go out of style. If you are going to buy some new clothes, please take my advice and size it down at least one size. Jackets can cover up a lot until you drop more weight and they start to fit a little better. Plus, denim will stretch a little so take that into consideration. If you need something decent just to wear out to a comedy club with other 25-year old buddies, get a nice pair of dark blue jeans, a white dress shirt and a brown corduroy sports coat. Pair that with a nice pair of tan/brown loafers and a tan belt and you're set. Don't forget to tuck that shirt in and button the top button of that jacket. The suggestion of checking out discount stores like Ross or Marshalls is great. You might also look into Nordstrom Rack, they have a big selection of sizes available and have great prices on good shoes. My parting advice to you would be to be confident in your new sartorial treadings and be proud of the weight you've lost and will continue to lose. Nothing makes a person look better than having confidence in themselves (without being arrogant, of course!).

can't find the article in their website, and I know we covered it here in SF back then but there was a piece they made on this topic with Horatio Sanz as their model. You could clue in here

Rcairns -

First of all, a big congratulations to you on your steps toward both losing weight and dressing better. Good for you! The weight will come off, keep up your good eating and workouts! You will hit some plateaus, but keep at it, your weight will continue to come down.

As for dress, as stated before - for now, read all you can on the forum, there is a lot of information. Go out and try all sorts of things on, from cheap to expensive - you don't have to buy.
Try to find styles that are simple and have "clean" lines. Simplicity is often the best.

As for your shoes, yes polish them up. Check out youtube for how to shine, just do a search. A simple cloth and the polish will work, a brush is good too. It won't take out all the "wrinkles" you mentioned, but it will make the shoes look much better.

Again, congratulations on taking steps to improve your health and your appearance. Don't be discouraged by any snide comments on here, keep it up!

EZ