Ever look in your closet and realize you got a whole lot of shitty clothes?

[dickman45885]

Military here so work clothes.....well I have several uniforms. Off duty....it is aloha shirts and depending on the weather either 501's or shorts. Kicks....boots for work off duty, either crocs or Chuck Taylors. Classic style and really do not care what others think/say. I dress for me and my comfort.
Around the house......birthday suit.

 

[yngjock20]

^^Crocs are the anti-christ.

My closet is fresher than a newborn. I constantly give away clothes so that I can keep open space for what's going on next season. Those things that I bought that I'm not feeling anymore? Gone.

Also, I have too many shoes to speak of and I don't get rid of those so easily. Unless I started to do manual labor in them, they stay in the closet.

 

[marleyisalegend]

^too many shoes?? that's blasphemous. no such thing as too many shoes.

and kudos to dickman for sportin the chucks. CLASSIC.

 

[Lex]

I am perfectly content with my closet.

I have dress slacks, blazers, shirts, ties, etc. I own one pair of khakis that I hardly wear.

Dress clothes are comfortable if you get them properly fitted (know your real neck size and sleeve length) and they are made of breathable fabrics. I have never understood how jeans can be more comfy that slacks when they are 4 times as thick.

I buy things that are based around black belt and shoes or brown and try to ensure that my items are interchangeable and versatile, so that I get to wear them frequently (so as to not feel wasteful) and with either slacks, khakis, or jeans.

I have my own sense of style and I do not shop for pricey things: I buy good clothes when they are reasonably priced.

In a nutshell: I like to think that I look like I spend $300 on an outfit when I may have spend $75 head to toe.

Just this weekend, I found 4 dress shirts, a tie, and a pair of black Clarks for work for $130. First shopping I have done in 9 months.

You can dress nicely without spending a fortune and crippling yourself.
You can have style without looking like everyone else.

You just have to know (a) what looks good on you, (b) how to find it, and (c) when to shop for it.

 

[yngjock20]

Too many shoes to speak of... not too many shoes, period. If I didn't go to the Church of Footlocker I'd have to disagree with you.

 

[marleyisalegend]

^amen. i personally am a member of holy timberland episcopal church of boots and christ.

 

[B_Artful Dodger]

Lol. No. I buy quite expensive, but really well fitting, stylish, fashionable and good quality clothes! So I never feel like all my wardrobe is rubbish. Occasionally I will thow aout something thats gone way out of fashion or has been ruined in whatever way, but generally my clothes are fine.

 

[marleyisalegend]

^just a suggestion, instead of throw em out, you could donate em to goodwill or something.


this message brought to you bt the holy timberland episcopal church of boots and christ

 

[Bbucko]

Wearing clothes well, in order of priority, involves:

Fit: clothes that don't fit are uncomfortable, unflattering, or both.

Fabric: stick with natural fibers, even if they require more care. They last longer, wear better and clean better.

Cut: The "style" of the garment. Trends are for the trendy (and usually, though not exclusively) for under-30s. HOWEVER: it is important that what you wear reflects contemporary style. Nothing says "old man" faster than wearing a look that was popular ten years ago.

Classics always work and are always appropriate.

Dress for comfort always and without exception. Comfort and style are not opposing concepts, especially in menswear.

Find and cherish a good tailor. Bring him/her almost everything you plan to wear.

Cheap clothes look cheap. Quality always trumps quantity. You can never spend too much on shoes or belts (as Jason said). If budget is a really big issue try resale/consignment shops or outlet stores.

Start slowly and make your decisions, if possible, with a friend who is both supportive of you and not afraid to tell you the truth. But also make sure this person is decisive, unless you want to waste the whole shopping trip.

When I left a nine-year relationship in 2004, my wardrobe was a mess. My weight and body mass had changed greatly over the years, but my clothing never reflected any changes, so nothing fit (it was all massively too big).

My clothing looked like it all belonged to someone's older, heavier husband. The jeans were all "dad jeans" (note the 15" rise), shirts all baggy and boring. Most of this is because, when we met, he felt that I dressed to provocatively and spent needlessly for things no one cared about (except me, but I didn't really count). He chose to dress me in ways he found worked more to his (sometimes jealous) advantage. It was my own fault for putting up with it.

It took three years to get a wardrobe that was current, flattering and fun to wear.

 

[ScoMo]

Ok heres the skinny. In my real life I am a personal stylist image/wardrobe consultant. I did not bother reading the post that have been made because I just needed to help you right away. You need to go through the closet and get rid of the crap (crap being a technical term meaning ill fitting, dated, worn out, sentimental keepsakes and all the other stuff you do not need or should not have). When you have it whittled down to the stuff that actually looks good on you and fits well you will more easily be able to pic out the items that you want to wear. All that clutter you then donate to a charity of your choice and get a tax write off for it (in Canada not sure about where you are at).

For a man the basics that I find are needed are a good white button down shirt, a pair of chinos in the traditional brown, white short sleeve tees, dark solid pair of jeans, a black or charcoal wool suit, a good black belt, casual dress black shoe, a denim jacket and a pull over, sweater, jumper, what ever you want to call it. Quality is key here. The best that your budget will allow. These are the basics every man should have. Having no idea where you are from I would not be able to be more precice accounting for climate both social and elemental. From this list items that you buy should be and I can not stress this enough, bought on basis of fit above price. These are classic items and you will have them for a long time to come with the exception of the thite tees. They are the building blocks of a versitile strong wardrobe. From there you will follow trends and buy stuff that you will later regret but thats the nature of the fashion beast.

I hope this has been of help to you and as a courtesy to you my lpsg friend feel free to PM me with any question or clarification you may need.

Scott

 

[B_Think_Kink]

I don't have any gay friends that are into fashion. Hard to believe huh?

I have some lesbian friends but they're worse dressers than I am.

Doesn't matter if they are into fashion, just take them shopping... if it looks good buy it.

 

[lucky8]

Dude i have a shit ton of clothes i don't wear...i mean SHIT TON, and i only wear a few things, it's kind of funny. They aren't ugly or anything, they just aren't my style anymore...and they just sit there...hanging...in the dark...in my closet...always...have you thought about cleanin out the closet and selling or donating them? I think that's gonna be my solution

 

[Rubenesque]

I look in my wardrobe every day and sob inside.... it's tragic!!

 

[lucky8]

someone should start a "post a pic of your closet" thread

 

[D_Relentless Original]

I give all my clothes to charity shops when i am having a clear out,its a worthy cause and i feel better for doing it.

 

[Rubenesque]

I give all my clothes to charity shops when i am having a clear out,its a worthy cause and i feel better for doing it.

I did that too.... and ever since they give me evil looks whenever I pass the shop!

 

[B_becominghorse]

I've catalogued all my clothes and where they are stored and/or hung on a Word document. This is a good way of knowing exactly what you do have and I found that I made decisions on what to do with a lot of things, in terms of throwing them out by really knowing where everything was. I've done this with all my books and papers too, though, and the best thing is that you have a much harder time losing anything even if you didn't reorganize well--because at least it's written down what general shelf, pile of closet it's in. As for T-shirts, I wear them till they're tearing apart, as long as they're clean. A few months back, somebody left 10 new T-shirts downstairs, so I just washed them and now have about 30, which is enough, and means I never have to buy new T-shirts. I don't dress way, way up that often, but even so, I've got about 20 fine Italian ties, and would never throw those out even if I tend to want to wear 2 of them a lot more than the others.

Most of my wardrobe these days is based on black and blue jeans that make my bulge look good.

 

[Mr. Bungle]

I go thru my clothes regularly, and those that I don't wear a whole lot, I just donate. Somewhere, there's a 6'4" dude who's a LOT less fortunate than I am who needs clothes that fit him. Yeah, some of those clothes have been pretty horrible, like, what the hell was I thinking when I bought them, but there are people out there who even bother to don't consider that... and I'm glad I can help them out.

 

[chuckman2]

Classic, nice fitting, comfortable. nice flannel shirt, white (or any other color) t-shirt, black belt with a nice buckle, khaki ll bean slacks, black hi-tops and a nice black baseball cap worn any way you like. how could you go wrong?

 

[2322]

Calvin Klein and DKNY and Ralph Lauren do make clothes other than the waif-stuff you see on runways. You might, no will, be surprised by what you can find, particularly at the outlet stores. Pick a few pieces that look good on you. I'm not suggesting going to buy whole wardrobes. With those few pieces, you can dress-up your more casual items.

REI makes good stuff but it is more casual than what Land's End and Eddie Bauer carry. Both of those stores carry larger sizes as well. As you said you're looking to make your wardrobe nicer and more mature, these stores would be good choices.

Trousers: Always buy trousers that actually fit around your waist, not below the waist where you might fool yourself into thinking you're sizes smaller than you actually are. Correct-fitting trousers will actually make you look less heavy than you are. Favor plain fronts over pleated. Go to Brooks Brothers and get a pair of white ducks and a few khakis. Get them tailored with cuffs because cuffs make trousers drape better and will make you look good. Avoid navy trousers. They make you look like you're wearing uniform. As for jeans: 501s. Buy the REAL 501s, not the preshrunk kind! Buy them 1" larger in the waist and 2" longer in the inseam. Then shrink them properly. Men look fantastic in 501s. That's why they've lasted so long.

Shirts are easier. Favor solids and verticle stripes. Full-cut shirts will be comfortable and, properly tucked-in, make you look thinner. Cariocas can be dressed-up or down and are very comfortable. Polos are comfortable too. I second the bit about wearing undershirts. A good heavy T-shirt helps your shirts drape properly and will actually help keep you cooler in summer. They should be more form-fitting than your outer shirts. T-shirts you might wear as outer shirts should have a second T-shirt underneath.

Shoes and other accessories aren't easy. Alden makes great shoes. They're not cheap but they're not needlessly marked-up because of some designer name. Brooks Brothers also has good quality shoes and belts to go with them. They're conservatively styled. Coach makes nice items as well. Italian leather goods are also excellent.

If you like wearing all those flannel shirts as outerwear, consider swapping them for (as mentioned) a good jean jacket or, better still, a nice leather jacket. I'm very certain you can find good leather jackets in your area. Brown leather would look best on you.

If you truly want to do this and are serious about it, then get a style consultant for a day. Have them take you shopping and show you what looks good on you. Even if you don't buy much, you will learn what best suits you for future reference.

And for the love of all that is holy, don't leave the house wearing sweats unless you are running or going to and from the gym or going to play sports! Old people do that to go mall walking or visit grandkids, thinking they look cute in their pink sweats with white bunnies on the front. All you need is a matching visor.

I'm not so sure about throwing everything away. I have a friend, many years younger than I, and he was going on and on about how cool New Wave was. I showed him some of my early 80s shirts and he flipped. So I gave them to him. If you can store stuff until it's cool then do so. Then either give it away or sell it on eBay.