Where do you buy decent clothes?

In my opinion, a quality classic look is the smartest and most cost-effective way to go. Being slave to fashion can be very expensive. Plus is you’re over 25, more often than not you end up looking like a dork.

For quality clothes at a reasonable price, check out Land’s End.
For quality suits, while not cheap, you can’t go wrong with Brooks Brothers.

Regardless what you choose, you’ll much better off with a few quality outfits then a closet full of cheap crap. Quality clothes last longer and most people, especially women can easily tell the difference.

Not a chance. I’ve shopped in the Men’s Warehouse. It carries cheaper stuff. Moreover, their suits and jackets are typically cut full, “American size” as opposed to “European size.” I simply can’t get a decent fit there.

Where do you get a decent fit, then, Motivated? My chief complaint in trying to find clothes is that they are all WAY TOO BIG for me. I care as much about a good fit as anything else, and it seems that most clothes (except for the very most expensive) are made for large people.

It depends on which “classic” look you are after. Brooks Brothers is also very American classic, and perhaps also British classic. And their suits and jackets are also cut very full. Hugo Boss and the Italian designers are also based on classic design, but of the continental kind. That’s just my preference. But I agree that a few quality outfits is the way to go. And women can tell the difference!

Here on the East coast alterations are included with purchase.

And you can definitely find designer names there.

I also have an extremely difficult time finding clothes that fit me well, though I think it’s for the very opposite reason. I’m shorter but very stocky. I have very wide shoulders and a broad chest for my height, and I am also pretty thin in the waste (relative to my chest and shoulders). Clothing manufactures are cheap bastards. They cut their clothes for the “average” build. Things that fit me in the shoulders and chest are typically too long for me. It can look really silly.

Am I right in assuming that clothes for your height are often too big on you in the shoulders, etc.? The only answer I have is search extensively. I have to say no to a lot of things that don’t fit me well before I find something that does. If I am right in my assumption, you will do better with the contemporary trend here toward “European” design, which is for a thinner build. For suits and jackets, try Hugo Boss red label, or things with a similar cut. All the “designer” labels now have trousers that are “tailored fit”—very tight in the leg, crotch, etc. Again, designer shirts and sweaters, etc., are all cut for the thinner build. The ideal of the male mode is tall and thin, as is the ideal of the female model. So this is what the designer labels base their fashion on. It’s more money, but go Kenneth Cole, Armani, DKNY, etc. Avoid the “American” stuff, which is cut for people who subsist on Big Macs.

If money is an issue, hit the sales racks at the better department stores and the outlet malls, especially when they have extra sales (like Thanksgiving weekend). Besides, soon you’ll be employed and able to afford all this stuff.

Go online and get a free Cabela’s catalog. They are the world’s biggest hunting/fishing outfitter. If you are anti-snobbery (what a quaint thought) then perhaps you should try for a more practical look. You could be the guy whose style seems to fall somewhere between Militiaman and Fur Trapper. I’m not telling you to impersonate on officer or anything (tut, tut, don’t be ridiculous). Rather, I’m saying your wardrobe should serve a purpose.

Are you the type that have seven versions of the same shirt in different colors (Like Jeff Goldblum in “The Fly”)? If my wife would let me, I would buy 50 of the exact same shirt and embroider the day of the week on the chest pockets. That way I could get dressed in the dark and it wouldn’t matter. Heck, it doesn’t matter now!

What do you do for a living? What do you do for a hobby (besides PE)? Buy clothes that work well for those purposes but do not have a lot of frilly worthlessness sewn on them. If you do not specifically want to make a fashion statement, stick with the basics: Plain-front Khaki pants, white T-shirt and a nice solid button down shirt with pockets and a collar. Get a Stainless Steel watch and wear work boots.

You sound like my brother. You aren’t my brother are you Huff?

They tailor for free here too. But I’ve been told that they can’t take too much in at the waste on a jacket.

Yes, they have designer labels. But they don’t have the better labels. Hugo Boss, et al, would not let their stuff go there. You can get good deals at the Men’s Warehouse. But you can also get better stuff for a good price if you shop intelligently. That’s my only point. But if you’re happy with where you get your clothes from, consider yourself lucky. As I say in my post above, I have to search high and low for things that fit me well.

Just last evening, I found a great Hugo Boss sport jacket that fits me very well. It was 30% off. Not massively cheap, but definitely within my range for a jacket that I’ll wear regularly for the next few years.

Edit: Hey, weren’t we just discussing the ethics of sexuality somewhere else?

>>> Am I right in assuming that clothes for your height are often too big on you in the shoulders, etc.?

Yes, but the bigger problem is that they are too loose at the waist, poofing out in an ugly manner. And shirts are almost always WAY too long. Most of what’s on the racks that is attractive and affordable seems to be designed for 6’4” overweight men.

I agree with you that “designer” labels are the best bet for finding a good fit (for my build). Glad to hear that the trend is toward that fit!! I’ll check out some of the names you mentioned, if I can afford them.

Well, there’s this GoodWill box, by the mall…

I thought you were tall and on the thinner side. Small shirts are often a great length for me, but they almost never fit me in the shoulders and chest. A medium is typically great for me width wise, but they can often be too long.

I’ve learned one trick. With some clothes (sweaters, etc.) that you are supposed to dry clean only, or wash only in cold water and line dry, you can shrink them to be a better fit by washing them in warm water and putting them in the dryer one or two or three times. Fortunately for me, clothes tend to shrink length wise more than width wise!

I’ve been down that road! In my university days, that look was all the rage. :)

koel’s.com

>>>I thought you were tall and on the thinner side.

I am average height and thin. I guess my torso is relatively short for my height. Even still, it seems to me that all shirt sizes except “small” are really cut for quite tall men. And men with very large waists (:

Where appropriate, try the shrink method. But only do this with stuff you buy on deep discount. Sometimes it doesn’t work! :)