The $5,000 Wardrobe

LVC '55 and a Japanese repro - $550
White's Semi-Dress w/ options - $550
some kind of sneakers - $60
assorted button up shirts - $500?
Temple of Jawnz cafe racer or Wild One jacket - $500?
assorted underwear/socks/t-shirts - let's go wild, $250
week in Manhattan at a good hotel - $2k

straight boring by SF standards, I'm sure, but I'd be comfortable and look more put together than 90% of my peers

142 pairs of Levis 501 STF

Originally Posted by Kill_switch

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all i wear is jeans, i own one pair.
To each his own. I just like to vary it a little, especially since I see the same clients/co-workers/buyers day in and day out. Plus I like different styles and different jeans. Those four pairs are what I'd buy given the $5k constraints, but in reality I own like a dozen or so jeans.

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.

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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Vass black boots (fuuma mto) $800


Ok, done

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

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)

I just want to thank some of the posters who have posted their ideas of wardrobes in this thread. As a style newb on a college budget, it is very helpful.

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.

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

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A good looking garment is like 80% pattern and 20% material.

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

Originally Posted by oneeightyseven

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I can make a waaayyy better list using SF B&S..just sayin'

I can make an even better list using 20 years and thrift stores. just sayin'

Originally Posted by Kill_switch

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all i wear is jeans, i own one pair.
How do you do that? I wear jeans often being a college student, but I own over 16 pairs of designer jeans and 25 regular jeans (Levis and such). The title of the article should be the $5000 outfit.

^ you must be kidding. you think 41 pairs of jeans is normal?

the recurring theme in this thread is that its better to be stylish with a few outstanding items than the sf uniform which is average. clean and fitting, but average nontheless.

great thread.

Originally Posted by darkdream

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How do you do that?

Is that not self-explanatory? Wouldn't a much more difficult-to-explain routine be that of wearing 41 pairs of jeans?

Originally Posted by Magician

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My watch band alone costs more than $5k.

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