On January 27 2012 10:41 boesthius wrote: This thread is already off to a great start, and could be a pretty useful/good content/great thread. When I get back from work I'll put up some ground rules, with some helpful links, fashion basics, etc. However, for the time being please note that posts like this:
are completely unacceptable and won't be tolerated.
He's not entirely wrong, gay people do tend to be far more fashionable. I would much rather trust a gay person to pick out my wardrobe than any average straight bloke.
On January 27 2012 11:16 B1nary wrote: Most of the stuff people are linking in this thread are way out of my price range (poor student here). I know that in most cases, more expensive clothes look better, fit better, and last longer but $200 for a pair of jeans is just too much.
Tips on finding good looking, but more affordable stuff will be very much appreciated =D
I'm constantly impressed with Banana Republics fit and quality (their designs can be a little pedestrian but it's about what you buy, not where you shop) and their prices are pretty darn nice. As for jeans, you can't really go wrong with Levis for price. They don't keep up with the most modern styles all the time, but they have plenty of styles that continue to work. Other large design firms like Calvin Klein make decent stuff for an okay price, but I get sick of them putting their label on everything. Go to an outlet if you can and pick up some of the overstock stuff for cheap. Elaborating on what the other guy said, a well-fitted pair of pants will always look better than a poorly fitted one, no matter what the price.
+1 for banana republic. If you go through their store, they always tend to have 1-3 surprisingly nice collared shirts. I tend to like the ones in darker colors better, but that's personal taste. Also, their tagless undershirts are well cut and very comfortable imo.
This is a very basic thing, but important: know your sizes. Too many dudes see "relaxed fit" and think "Hey, I'm relaxed. Clearly these are for me." "Relaxed fit" is a euphemism for "big dude jeans;" if you're a skinny guy, they're gonna bag on you. I don't necessarily recommend skinny jeans, but you don't want your jeans to bag halfway to your knees because you don't have enough ass to fill them out, either.
As long as your clothes fit, you can wear just about anything and be going for something (casual-wise, anyway). What determines whether you're pulling it off? Having the right shoes. Seriously, ask a chick. Your shoes determine whether you're fashionable.
I would suggest this youtube channel, it helped me so much in the past months on what kind of suits I should buy and what pants in suitable for me. He has an awesome personality as well.
For example:
as soon as i saw double earing/spiky hair/fake tan,i knew great advices were about to be given. cool thread anyway,even though ive been buying my clothes in opp shop for years now,as someone mentioned you can really find bargains and actually pretty stylish clothes(cant remember the last time i bought anything other than hoodie/jeans but still >.<)
Styles seem to be different everywhere I go. Are Abercrombie, Hollister, and American popular where any of you TLer's live? I saw alot of kids from Wyoming wear these when they came down to visit my friend, we live in SoCal. These brands are not very popular here for guys, maybe except for some of the cologne, IMHO.
On January 27 2012 13:59 Peanutbutter717 wrote: Styles seem to be different everywhere I go. Are Abercrombie, Hollister, and American popular where any of you TLer's live? I saw alot of kids from Wyoming wear these when they came down to visit my friend, we live in SoCal. These brands are not very popular here for guys, maybe except for some of the cologne, IMHO.
I'm from Minnesota and those brands were very popular when I was in high school ~5 years ago. I believe they are still popular with that age group, but I'm not positive. Either way, I wouldn't recommend purchasing anything from those stores. They tend to be very over priced.
On January 27 2012 13:59 Peanutbutter717 wrote: Styles seem to be different everywhere I go. Are Abercrombie, Hollister, and American popular where any of you TLer's live? I saw alot of kids from Wyoming wear these when they came down to visit my friend, we live in SoCal. These brands are not very popular here for guys, maybe except for some of the cologne, IMHO.
Classic high school brands. Although they can make some good stuff, most of it is bad, and over priced, anything you can find there you can find in higher quality and a lower price somewhere else.
On January 27 2012 11:16 B1nary wrote: Most of the stuff people are linking in this thread are way out of my price range (poor student here). I know that in most cases, more expensive clothes look better, fit better, and last longer but $200 for a pair of jeans is just too much.
Tips on finding good looking, but more affordable stuff will be very much appreciated =D
fit is much much more important than the brand; you can pick up a random blazer for under 100$, but if you spend 10-15$ getting it tailored to your body, it'll look better than a 400$ Theory blazer.
Also thrift stores can be a good option for quality clothes, if you are willing, just takes more time. Sometime you will walk out with nothing other times you will get some nice clothes for cheap they inventory changes so much at those stores, go once a week for awhile and you are sure to find some good items.
Thrift stores are the best. My GF found a Versace suit that had never been worn ($400+ USD) for like 5 bucks, and she bought me a Life After Denim flannel (90$) for like $10.
I agree with this. Except some people have problems with 2nd hand clothes. I personally don't like thrift stores, but if you don't mind, you can pick up great bargains.
A bit out of the blue, but an awesome new fashion artist I "discovered" and met at the "Who's Next" Paris fashion show last weekend, with a current focus on shoe's; MISTER CHENG
Fun fact; he used to be a passionate Starcraft/Broodwar player!
Not sure his work is already available, but definitely worth following!
+1 for peacoats, got a charcoal one only last week. Looks great. I'm also going through a huge cardigan and jumper faze...over the last couple of months I've got like 3 shawl cardigans (my favourite is the blue http://www.riverisland.com/Online/men/jumpers--cardigans/cardigans/blue-waffle-stitch-slalom-cardigan--259284), a couple of chunky knit button up jumpers that my girlfriend picked out that are great to just throw on over anything and look pretty nice, oh and a couple of patterned ones that look a bit like the kind of thing your nan would knit for christmas, but fuck it I like em.
I'm like 6'4 and slimly built ans I wear a lot of slim fit jeans, with shoes and fitted dark shirts if I wanna look fancy and striped t shirts and cardigans with plimsoll trainers otherwise. Also I have about 5 nice coats, coats are important 0_0
Also imo it's all wasted unless you've got a passable haircut. Currently rocking a pretty simple short back and sides with a long fringe look, it suits me pretty well and I'll probably have some variation of it for a few years.
As for people in this thread who say they don't care...I just don't understand. If you look good you'll feel good about yourself and, like it or not, other people care. Not just strangers, people you know as well. And girls definitely notice. I know more than one guy who's nothing but pleasant, funny, kind, smart, but because they wear god awful maroon shirts three sizes too big and nasty 5 quid trainers and have goatees I can't convince any girl to go near them. Say what you like about shallowness or what have you but when it comes down to it it's a fact; your appearance is important to other people.
On January 27 2012 13:59 Peanutbutter717 wrote: Styles seem to be different everywhere I go. Are Abercrombie, Hollister, and American popular where any of you TLer's live? I saw alot of kids from Wyoming wear these when they came down to visit my friend, we live in SoCal. These brands are not very popular here for guys, maybe except for some of the cologne, IMHO.
Yeah I'd try to avoid those brands unless I were going to dress up as a douchebag for halloween. They just have a bad rep for being wannabe preppy. Just go with the shops and brands mentioned in this thread and you'll be fine. If you really want that look you can just try to find similar items of other brands. Luckily those brands are not very common in europe.
Alright, its about to be hitting spring time in SoCal and I'm stocking up on my v-necks again.
I typically just wear H&M and American Apparel V-Necks (Various Colors) with some 511 Levis and Asics. Since it starts to rain a bit, I always have a hoodie available or chilly nights, I typically have a cardigan with me (H&M, AA, or something from Buffalo Exchange).
Now, I really own one pair of shoes (I have some Nike SBs although they make my feet look clownish in the tight pants), but I'm trying to expand my collection just a tad bit. So any recommendations of comfortable shoes? Also, any other options during the hot summer days that will come sooner than I realize? I'm not a fan of tank tops or sleeveless.
I wish could help more, but I'm not seeing many questions in this thread yet. All I can say, is that you need to have a good understanding of quality to dress well. A lot of very stylish clothes are very cheaply made (usually in China). At some point, you need to decide whether you are willing to sacrifice the money to dress well or sacrifice the quality of the clothes to look very fashionable. The is an in between. J-Crew, Banana Republic, and a few other places generally have higher tiered lines that are decently good quality at a good price. Read magazines or google men's fashion. You will find a lot of good advice in forums.