If you guys are looking for great fitting super comfortable Tees... look no further.
Prices are great too

https://www.everlane.com/i/nz0dxl

You have to sign up which takes like 2 seconds.

Yeah I have one of almost every color from Everlane. They're almost perfect. Way better than American Apparel though, and $15 each is nice. I'm looking forward to their canvas Common Projects repros.

i don't think so, no, although i prefer to wear a jacket. what type of office?

don't you guys ever take your jacket off in the office while wearing a tie? like if you're sitting at your desk for an extended period?

Law firm (I'm a summer associate - glorified intern). I haven't started yet, but when I did interviews there most of them just had a dress shirt and slacks on.

yeah i think the decision kinda hinges on whether you can rock it as something that gives you flair / makes you look put together rather than just looking like you are trying too hard. depends on your personality and how people tend to perceive you.

do I seriously have to refer five people to Everlane to shop there? am I doing it wrong?

go to styleforum.net, make an account, find the official everlane thread and pm the OP. he works at everlane and will give you instant access. i was on the wait list for 2 weeks and then PM'ed him and he gave me access that same day.

/protip

To me, business casual = no tie.

ty

I only have 1 more person to sign up before i get a free tee shirt! (You need 15)
If you guys sign up through my link ill sign up for yours and we can get all of EDF a free quality tee shirt!!
https://www.everlane.com/i/nz0dxl

Enjoy your free tee.

https://www.everlane.com/i/0fwpni

Ok, so I suck at this stuff. Most of it is just not being sure of what works with what, some of it is not liking how some of my clothes fit, and some of the issue is hating to spend money on clothes. About once a year I get the urge to go shopping, step into a mall and immediately regret it.

Despite that, I do have some decent clothes. I don't mean "decent" as in "super fashionable or expensive" but I don't always look like a hobo at the beach (though that's my default look).

What's a good resource to just get more comfortable with pairing clothes? I don't really want to spend a lot of money right now buying new things when I'm pretty sure I could just get more comfortable with what I own now. I've considered actually hiring someone for two hours to look at my **** and tell me what to pair with what, and what to simply toss, but I'm not sure where to start with that and the internet, though it's not as hand-holdingly-nice, seems like a more cost efficient resource.

For instance, this morning I obsessed over what to pair these shoes with:



I tried two things. With dark jeans and a white striped shirt:



And with grey, subtly striped pants and a purple shirt:



I need a new brown belt, it appears. And probably one a little lighter than what I have now, though it doesn't seem the belt and shoes need to match exactly.

I just have these hangups that aren't based on anything real. For instance, I used to despise brown shoes. Didn't think they went with anything. Now I'm ok with brown shoes but it seems like they just go with jeans, and these feel slightly too light to me.

These are the inner-workings of a fashion-insecure guy. So what's the best thing to do here? You guys mind if I post a bunch of stuff in this thread? I'm not sure I have the energy for a separate thread (who could compete with the last one someone did?)

I'm also looking for the advice of mortals. Most of my clothes are Banana Republic or something comparable to that. I'm not spending $300 on shoes. I virtually never wear suits. I sweat like a bitch in the summer, so I go into the office in sandals and shorts 90% of the time.

And yet I'd like to be a bit more confident, so any advice is helpful.

Your shirt and jeans both appear to be too big. You don't have to wear skinny jeans but slim, tapered clothes that fit well almost always look better than an expensive off the rack outfit that doesn't fit well.

Brown shoes are fine with jeans and are a lot more versatile than you think. I am anal about my shoes and belts matching perfectly but a lot of people are the opposite and prefer different shades of the same color, so your belt and shoes not matching perfectly but both being brown isn't terrible.

I sweat a ton in the summer as well and live in high heat and humidity and all I can say is buy linen. Yes it wrinkles easily but it is super lightweight and keeps me cooler than any other fabric I've tried.

Don't have any great source for learning to match colors. It seems you dress pretty damn casual so it's not like you're having to match fabrics, patterns, pocket squares, blah blah blah. Don't over think it. In general any non-black button down with blue jeans and a brown belt and shoes is going to look just fine.

Jeans look fine to me. Might be a little baggier in the thigh for some but they're by no means bad looking as is. Without a straight on photo to make sure they fit as far as rise goes we can't be 100% sure but I wouldn't stress on the jeans too much yet.

Your shirts are too large. Too large in the sleeve, shoulder, pit, and abdomen. You'll need to size down. Read this guide to shirting, starting at the bottom. The site has some other great articles located on the right hand side, should be enough to get you started off on the right path. You don't have to spend a ton on shirts, just get a few basic colors/fabrics and be done with it. If you want to buy higher quality stuff without paying a bunch, check the classified section on Styleforum and spend ten minutes a week searching through shirts; if you find one that fits and you like it, get it. Often times rich dudes will buy something and wear it once, decide it's not for them and then sell it for half to a quarter of what they paid for it. There's no rush to build a wardrobe, just add a piece here and there as your budget allows. Buy good **** that fits the first time and they'll last for a few years. Banana Republic is okay, JCrew is another option in that price range that would work. Brooks Brothers on sale is around the same price and they offer a variety of different cuts.

Your trousers are a little big in the thigh too, but the worst part of them is they are too long and they stack at the ankle like old man golf pants. Take them to a tailor, get fitted and ask to see what a half break and a full break look like, then pick what you like.

Those shoes would work for driving to the grocery store to get a gallon of milk or walking the dog, but I don't think I'd wear them many other place. Companies like Aldo and Florsheim make okay shoes and they'll be fine if you don't wear them every single day, but there are some really good buys in your price range at Allen Edmonds outlet stores. AE sells a shoe called the Park Avenue which is awesome for all around use and it will go with jeans or trousers. I think retail is right around the price you don't want to spend but if you're patient and smart you can find them for a lot less. Again, no rush, buy quality the first time around and be done with it. Wait til the right deal comes along and scoop it. Whatever you do, do not buy a square toed shoe, ever.

If you're allowed to dress really casual to work, get a pair of Sperry boat shoes in a brown or some other dark color and a pair of canvas sneakers like Vans or Superga in a solid color like white, navy, or black. They're cheap, casual, comfy, and they look good as they age.

I say post all you want ITT. How old are you? Are you trying to look more mature or do you just want to feel more confident in your appearance? The latter is really easy to accomplish and it won't cost you much.

I'm 35, and mostly I just want to be a little more confident getting dressed and shopping. I think growing up I saw clothes as a situation where the best case scenario was not getting noticed and the worst was looking foolish. No upside, basically.

I'm not 16 anymore, and I can dress myself fine most days. But I'm still not confident, and I think it shows. An ex girlfriend once told me she thought it was strange I did casual so well, but couldn't step up to "business casual" or "going out" without losing confidence.

Anyway. Thanks for the advice so far from both CBorders and Scrolls. I think fit is an enormous part of what I'm trying to learn. As I've gotten older and gained some weight, I'm definitely more conscious of hiding what I don't think looks good, and so probably, like a lot of people, I tend to buy things too large.

Also: Please don't take offense if there are types of advice I simply don't take. I love that there are people really into fashion and clothes, but I'm just not into them. I'd just like to get a bit better at developing a style I feel comfortable with. But for the forseeable future my shoes will be inexpensive, my jeans will probably never cost $200, and aside from basic hemming there's not a lot I'm going to do to a piece of clothing I bought.

But I will take advice seriously and try to (slowly) incorporate it.

I'm going to post some photos of shirts, I'd love to get opinions on the fit.

Shirt #1



I posted the above shirt (or a similar one that fits the same) yesterday, and it seems like maybe it's too big? I recognize the shoulder/sleeve is off where it should be, but from a comfort level I find this works for me. I'm not saying it couldn't be much better, but in this shirt I do feel comfortable and I like the way I look.

Shirt #2





I don't think this shirt fits. I think it's slightly too small, but I also wonder if people will disagree. Because it feels slightly constricting, I almost never wear it.

Shirt #3





I really like this shirt, but again, it feels a bit small. Another ex of mine loved the brand (we were in some sneaker shop in Philly) and convinced me to buy it. I've never felt comfortable with the fit, unfortunately.

Grey Denim "Jeans?"





I picked these up at Kenneth Cole a couple of weeks ago. I like that they are slightly more narrow through the legs, but I suspect someone will thnk they're too big? It's a 36-inch waist, which is probably an inch or two too big.

I like the way these fit, however. They're comfortable and seem to at least "stack" (if I'm using that word correctly) at least closer to how they probably should.

Seriously, maybe I need to just invest in one pair of good jeans and be done with any other pants.

Oh, and the shoe:



The jeans are nowhere close to this color (weird lighting) but I like these sneakers. They're a bit darker, but this is a close photo. They're comfortable and fit well. In the grey denim pants, I like the way the shoe's shape is apparent. I think I need narrower pants in general, but hate the way they feel.

IMO shirt #3 fits best. The other two are fairly billowy in the body and look wide in the shoulder too. I know you said you've gained some weight and you want to conceal it but you can definitely trim some material from your shirts and they'll look good. Ultimately you should only be wearing what you're comfortable in, but I think once you get all the pieces together and see how much sharper you look in good fitting clothes you'll be sold. Those grey wash jeans are a little long in the inseam and quite generous in the thigh and below the knee, something that is slimmer around the leg opening would fit. The sneakers work, but I think white, black, grey, and navy blue are the best colors for sneakers because they go with just about everything.

If you want to get into better denim and don't want to spend a bunch you can buy Levi's 501 Shrink To Fit jeans for like $40. Go true to size in the waist and 2 or 3 inches longer in the inseam. When you get them home, clean your bath tub and then soak the jeans for ~30 minutes in really hot water. Grab a couple of towels (preferably dark because the indigo may bleed a little at first), wrap the jean in them and compress them to squeeze out the water. Hand the jeans until they are almost dry, just a little damp, and put them on. Do a few squats to set the jeans around your legs, then continue wearing them til dry. They may be tight in the waist at first, but they'll stretch to your size in a few days. At first they may bleed indigo on your shoes (you can get it out with vinegar or just leave it cuz its cool) but if you put a little tape on the inside of the leg opening you won't have to worry. Wear the hell out of them and go as long as you can without washing. When you do wash, use a really mild detergent and either hand wash or wash on a delicate cycle and hang to dry.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it's not too bad once you get them started. At first they'll be a cool looking dark, raw color and with time they'll fade naturally and you end up with truly unique jeans. If you don't care about all that crap buy some Levi's 514's in a darker indigo wash, and maybe a pair of a true grey wash if you like that color. No maintenance, just wash and wear. The 514 cut is slim/straight, but it's not skinny or anything so don't worry.

I'm curious what you guys think of Jos A. Banks dress shirts--in particular, their tailor fit shirts. They're having a 50% off sale. With five or more, they're 60% off. That's $35 per shirt. I'm thinking of picking up 5. Seems like they would almost have to be a good value unless they're just horrible.

I really liked the material of the few I had a few years ago. The fit was horrendous however. I felt like a sail boat.

Jos A Bank is literally always running a huge sale. Buy 1 get 2 free, 70% off, etc.

Please don't get 5.

You can get Brooks Brothers shirts for something like $40 every day of the week and if you want Egyptian cotton they're $80 and this is with no minimum purchase requirement.

Wrinkle-free, slim or extra slim and you are going to be happier.

what are you getting for $40 from Brooks bros? Their cotton dress shirts run 3 for $219 sometimes....

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatS...ion_size=16+33 $44

Free shopping for a few days on stuff over $200.

I don't recommend the Egyptian cotton shirts, only because you'll quickly hate the rest of your BB shirts.

If that is the case, I will take everything over $200

What you guys wearing for the summer?