Ask A Question, Get An Answer... - Post All Quick Questions Here (Classic menswear)

I am about to buy my first "real" (by this forum's definition) pair of shoes. I have for the most part decided on the the Alden Shell Cordovan Plain Toe Blucher Oxford in Dark Burgundy. If I decide I like them after wearing them for some time, I will likely get another pair in black.

1. Did I make a good choice? Or should I try again?

2. Can they be had (new) for a better price than $595?

I very much wanted a brand made in the USA and Shell Cordovan.

Your feedback is most appreciated.

Who makes a suede belt similar to Loro Piana's: I'm looking for a grey suede belt. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Gauss17

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I am about to buy my first "real" (by this forum's definition) pair of shoes. I have for the most part decided on the the Alden Shell Cordovan Plain Toe Blucher Oxford in Dark Burgundy. If I decide I like them after wearing them for some time, I will likely get another pair in black.

1. Did I make a good choice? Or should I try again?

2. Can they be had (new) for a better price than $595?

I very much wanted a brand made in the USA and Shell Cordovan.

Your feedback is most appreciated.

The plain toe blucher is on the Barrie last which looks kind of bulky based on the website picture. If you're going to get a blucher, why not get one that's visually more interesting like the medallion tip on the Aberdeen last?

There's a chance that TheShoeMart could have a pair of seconds in your size for cheaper than retail.

Hello guys, I apologize for making this my first post and not making a proper introduction thread as I feel it is unnecessary for my situation. I mean no disrespect, if I offended anyone by this. I apologize in advance.

I come here for advice, I have a problem. I just can't look good in any kind of clothes, reason being... I am fat. I am 5'10 225 pounds. I don't have the big inflated body type where its all spread out and proportionate... I've got a slim face, fingers, arms, and slightly large thighs. All my fat is straight into my gut..

I know, I know.. Lose weight, I've been doing so and so far I have lost 40 pounds from straight dieting with some gym time. My brother dresses nice but seems to fail everywhere he takes me to try on new clothes and torments me for being overweight. It usually doesn't bother me in sense that I am embarrassed/insulted. It just annoys me that I look so big and wide in my clothes in any kind of style where as all my friends just look damn good in casual clothing. As I am continuing to lose weight I have a vegas trip to go to with some friends for a birthday and I need some nice clothes..

I don't have any tailored suites and my waist size is a 36. Thats about all I know. As you can see I'm no fashion guru. My common T shirt size is XL and I can sometimes sneak into an L.

I have no problem finding nice jeans to fit into. I usually like to shop at express for jeans. However I cannot find a shirt for the life of me. I am somewhere between an XL and XXL, it actually all depends on brand and store I guess. Say for example I am trying to buy a nice shirt from express. If I wear an XL the front is just a tiny tad tight, its usually a straight flat flow with my body by my back and sides are tight and you can see pretty much my love handles.. I have yet to even see a XXL shirt at express but usually when I find an XXL its too lose or fits perfect.. When they do fit perfect and comfortable its so big It looks like I'm wearing a freaking table cloth! Ughhh this sucks. (I'm speaking about button down shirts by the way).

If I try on a dressy T shirt (the stretchy tight ones) their XL is too tight and pretty much shows a sculpture of my ugly stomach.. If I wear an XXL it fits good but again it looks huge like i'm wearing a blanket or something.


Usually I just end up finding a boring, dull dark colored shirt like a black or dark blue or dark grey. it's annoying. I can't wear and nice bold colors like a red or green or orange etc. so if I do find a shirt to wear.. Everyone has these nice colored shirts on while I'm wearing the dreaded fat mans black colored clothing.. White looks terrible on me as it looks like I'm wearing bed sheets.

If I wear an undershirt under a t shirt it doesn't show a mold of my stomach and body but I look huge and wide.. The weird thing is I'm not even that huge or fat.. Its just all concentrated on my stomach like I'm cursed genetically that way.

I am so jealous when I see a fat guy thats dressed nice and looks nice but I look at myself and look like fool.

Can you guys please help me with this dilemma? I'm so sorry for the long post :/ It just seems as the only thing I can look somewhat decent in is jeans and a common cheap-o cotton 10 dollar T shirt.

Thanks for reading

- brandon

What exactly are you asking? What kind of clothes would look good on you?

Yes, pretty much.. Other than a plain ol' cotton t shirt that you'd have thrown to you at a basketball game by the mascot.

Everything seems too tight or too baggy.

Originally Posted by wolfcreek101

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Yes, pretty much.. Other than a plain ol' cotton t shirt that you'd have thrown to you at a basketball game by the mascot. Everything seems too tight or too baggy.
For your current situation, I would say go to thrift stores. You are losing weight and the clothes won't fit the same in a month or so. Also, you get a lot more variety to choose from than a retail store and you can buy 5-10 shirts for the price of one. Who knows what you will find. When your weight stabilizes, you can start to be more selective and spend more money on shirts, pants, etc. Heck, you might even try a little self tailoring to get the clothes you find to fit better. I just worked on two pair of pants tonight. Hemmed one that was too long and narrowed the legs of another. Next, bringing in the waist of one of my favorite thrift store finds. Believe me, I have lost 130 pounds since last June and this is exactly what I did. I dress better than most doctors at my work and I'm a nurse (we don't wear scrubs). I have moved more clothes in the last 6 months than a retail clerk. So, go out there and give it a try. You will learn fast what looks good on you simply by going with your gut opinion as soon as you try it on. Its fun too.

kellgy, I appreciate the advice and I am truly happy for you and your success . However I am not to fond of shopping/buying clothes from thrift stores. Unless you consider a store like TJmaxx/Ross/marshalls to be a thrift store. I am kind of looking for some clothes for now at my current state for the Vegas trip I have coming up

Originally Posted by wolfcreek101

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kellgy, I appreciate the advice and I am truly happy for you and your success

. However I am not to fond of shopping/buying clothes from thrift stores. Unless you consider a store like TJmaxx/Ross/marshalls to be a thrift store.

I am kind of looking for some clothes for now at my current state for the Vegas trip I have coming up
I wasn't either originally. It is amazing what you can find. I recently picked up a new sport coat for 12 dollars that would have cost me nearly 1000 retail. It is probably good that most people aren't fond of doing so.

Is an (outside) breast pocket on a jacket with an opening of 3.25" abnormally small? A normal pocket square, folded to fit, seems a bit bulky.

Originally Posted by ewc

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Is an (outside) breast pocket on a jacket with an opening of 3.25" abnormally small? A normal pocket square, folded to fit, seems a bit bulky.

Closer to 4" would certainly be more usual.

Hi,
I'm venturing step by step into better shoes and I'm feeling insecure about what I know about clothes (very little), so I'll ask here.
I work in an office with no dress code. People there dress casual but not t-shirts and old jeans and the boss wears a sport coat sometimes (me too ).
I usually wear some kind of cotton pants (blue, khaki, brown) or dark jeans in blue though I've bought grey flannels for next winter and beige linen trousers for this summer.
Would Loake Hiltons be too much for this attire ?
It's a brown blucher but looks so "refined" to me that I'm not sure (I haven't had a shoe with a medallion before). Mine would be mid brown.

Originally Posted by Scotty

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I usually wear some kind of cotton pants (blue, khaki, brown) or dark jeans in blue though I've bought grey flannels for next winter and beige linen trousers for this summer.
Would Loake Hiltons be too much for this attire ?

They look like they'll be fine.

Originally Posted by wolfcreek101

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Can you guys please help me with this dilemma? I'm so sorry for the long post :/ It just seems as the only thing I can look somewhat decent in is jeans and a common cheap-o cotton 10 dollar T shirt.

- brandon

First, stop shopping at Express. The cut is generally for slimmer people and the quality is terrible. For less money, you can get slightly better quality and a fit that is more generous at places like Lands End and LL Bean. Also, ditch the t-shirts. For summer, try some linen and oxford cloth button up shirts. Linen will get nice and wrinkled and hide lots of flaws and oxford cloth is thicker and will create a nicer silhouette. (You can even wear a colorful t-shirt underneath for a pop of color, although most people on this forum will not like the look.) Go for blue, white, muted stripes and build from there. Go for brighter colors when you are more confident in how you want to look. There is no such thing as a "dressy t-shirt."

Examples: These will look good with jeans and chinos, tucked or untucked. Roll the sleeves up when it gets hot.
Lands End (25% off right now): Oxford button down, linen

LL Bean: bad-ass gingham, striped

Want colorful and cool for the summer? Madras fabric.

So:
1) Forget Express
2) Get long sleeved, button-up shirts
3) Start with the basics and build

More like this:


Less like this:


Also, this forum is more for tailored clothing (e.g. suits). The streetwear and denim section of this website is more friendly towards casual dressing.

Originally Posted by Scotty

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Hi,
I'm venturing step by step into better shoes and I'm feeling insecure about what I know about clothes (very little), so I'll ask here.
I work in an office with no dress code. People there dress casual but not t-shirts and old jeans and the boss wears a sport coat sometimes (me too

).
I usually wear some kind of cotton pants (blue, khaki, brown) or dark jeans in blue though I've bought grey flannels for next winter and beige linen trousers for this summer.
Would Loake Hiltons be too much for this attire ?
It's a brown blucher but looks so "refined" to me that I'm not sure (I haven't had a shoe with a medallion before). Mine would be mid brown.

I would say they are ok for lighter colored trousers, however I think that a darker brown would work better for colors such as charcoal, or navy.