Need advice on dress clothes.

I will preface this with brief body stats: 6'-2", 16 stone 6lb (hey atleast that feels better than putting the large format of it ; I blame it on my Irish ancestry... haha)


I have decided I will probably be going about changing my wardrobe around a bit since I do not have to contend with a PE period during second semester. It will probably be a shirt and tie on most days, simply for the professional look; I wore dress clothes one day and from the impressions I received, they seem to suit me. However I can never seem to get the slacks right. Any advise on the proper type; They need to be relatively sturdy to withstand the rigors of school, yet fit decently. I wore khakis one day yet I found them to be a bit "not my cup of tea" for that particular atmosphere. Any particular type you would recommend for their durability yet decent looks.

Also, while on topic for shirts, what colours do you find appropriate for the average day? I obviously want to avoid off colours like Pink, Purple, and Lime Green. However other than that I am terrible at these things. Also I do avoid black due to a bit of a dandruff problem (not to come across as gross, however it is a fact of life...) Should I avoid certain types like Sateen (not to come off as racist, but I once had someone tell me a White guy in Sateen is almost like a pink elephant....)

More so, on the subject of ties, this is something I can never quite get right; For someone of my height and weight, what kind of tie should I be looking at (size)? Furthermore, on the subject of knots for said tie, what would be the most appropriate knot for school, that is A) Easy to quickly tie in the morning, and B) Proper size for somebody of my stature.

Lastly, what is your opinion on dress clothes with sneakers (not high top, flat bottomed shoes that are never tied, but rather a decent normal pair..) Back to the school portion, I do tend to do a bit of walking, and frankly I would dread regular Oxfords all day... However, does it look stupid if sneakers are worn, assuming they aren't pink high tops... haha.


Cheers.

*Gee I have been posting quite a bit... *

tie-a-tie.net has information on what type of knot suits a particular man. As for the dress clothes, wear what is comfortable and what you feel looks good on you. Projecting that you are confident in what you are wearing is more than half the battle in making people think you look good!

I'm not sure what your budget looks like, but I am kind of in your boat, if perhaps a few stone heavier...

All of this is pretty subjective, so take with a few grains of salt.

Ties- this is the easy one- go to www.thetiebar.com and go crazy. Regular length are 15 bucks, for a bigger fella, you might want to buy the talls, which about half of them come in, and are 20 bucks. Quality is in the ballpark of what you would get at a midline department store (E.g. Macy's) for about half the cost. A hint that will probably appall some: if the tie is too short, start your knot with the short end much shorter than recommended so that the long end reaches the belt when finished. Use a small safety pin to attach the short end to the back of the tie so it isn't floating around. I have to do this with most of my shorter Ties, and the knots are still fine. Width is up to you. Narrow is popular right now, but I prefer more of an average width (especially on a bigger guy). Color and pattern are subjective. A basic rep stripe in say green and navy pairs well with almost anything. Something in red, something in blue (either with subtle or bold patterns) can be helpful too.

Dress shirts- Hard to go wrong with white. I personally don't like bold colors or black anymore (very 90s looking for both). Light pink, light blue, light checks are all great. My favorite right now is a fine purple check, which is less obnoxious than a bright solid color, but more interesting than white. I tend to like 100% cotton, either pinpoint, oxford cloth, or broadcloth. Collar style is up to you, but I find button downs to be a little more casual than straight/point collars. I recently got a dress shirt from Land's End that feels really well made. My father in law (who could afford pretty much any shirt) swears by http://www.paulfredrick.com/. Only other recommendation- French cuffs are only appropriate with a jacket. Fit is important. I am pretty sick of all the slim fit stuff that is in style right now. Apart from me not being slim, most of the models look like they are wearing stuff that they have outgrown. That said, you want something that doesn't hang off you either. It may feel comfortable, but a big pooch of fabric at the top of your pants just makes you look heavier (trust me). Sleeves should come to your natural wrist. One other tip- if it is a straight collar shirt, make sure the collar stays (the little plastic points that stiffen the collar and give it shape) are removable. Cheap shirts sometimes have sewn in ones, and these tend to look bad after being laundered a few times.

Pants- a good pair of Khakis is a staple, but there are lots of decent styles. Given that your weather is like ours, I think a couple pairs of heavier weight wool would be in order. Personally, I am not a fan of black pants, but prefer charcoal gray, dark olive, dark brown, etc. The wool pants will be expensive up front, but if you take care of them, will wear better than cotton or polyester.

I don't like the look of sneakers with dress clothes, personally, but differen't strokes for different folks. A good pair of dress shoes should be fine to walk in. Another option might be boots of some sort, maybe like the wing tip Doc Martens or something.

Also, check out www.dappered.com and www.valetmag.com for tips and such. Dappered is aimed at style on the cheap, and is pretty good about practicality. Valet is a little more hit or miss in that regard.
Good luck

Pants: consider flannel wool trousers. You can pick up a decent pair at just about any menswear shop, and they can be about the least 'dressy' of dress clothes. They need drycleaning, but tell your cleaner to "round press" them so they don't have a crease ... or else a bit of water applied to the crease will flatten it out if he doesn't pay attention ... and then they look more casual, but still keeping the dress appeal. They'll look great paired with a Tweed jacket if and when the mood suits you ... great for that "college student at the pub" look or social functions.

Shirts ... white is a classic. Other than that, go with

• light solid colours (blue is classic and safe, pink is better and daring but a bit too 'out there' for some guys, lavender is almost as good as pink, but without the 'pink' connotations.)
• vertical stripes on a white or light-solid shirt ... the thicker the stripes and the brighter/louder the colour, the more 'casual' the shirt.
• gingham check ... a bit more casual-dress, but still good with a tie. Navy blue on white is the classic, but just about any shade of blue is great ... go with other colours if you 'feel it'.
• other checks ... the more check-patterns you go with (gingham or otherwise) the more solid-colour-ish your tie needs to be.

Ties ... generally, for a student (rather than for a middle-aged banker or insurance salesman) I'd say go with a narrower tie ... but for you that could easily turn into 'too narrow' ... so maybe something 3.5" (8cm) wide.

Shoes ... there is a certain 'trainer chic' for wearing old-school running shoes with a suit &c ... but not modern-looking athletic footwear. I think you would be much better served by looking at Doc Martens ... http://www.dmusastore.com/c-111-refined-mens.aspx ... something like the "Bennett" or "Drury" ... to get you through all that walking. Skip the Air Jordans and Reboks.

As a bigger guy, a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier, I will give my take. I realized about the same time that I looked better and I felt better in slacks then jeans. Is there a reason why the khaki's weren't your cuppa? I have found that now they make flat front Khakis that are comfortable for us "bigger guys". I wear a lot of pleats, because I am cheap. Wool slacks are great. Pink isn't that bad especially if you have some stripes in it. As a tall guy, I did get some "long" ties back in the day. I didn't really like them. Maybe there are more colors now, but when I did it, there wasn't much of a selection. I find that I can get a decent length, and not too short of a small end. I always do a double Windsor, and it's sill not too short.

Taller guys can also pull of cuffed pants which I like as well.

Good luck.

Don't fear the pink or purple shirts. Avoid neons, but a subtle shade or pattern of most colors is perfectly fine. I personaly do not wear dark colored dress shirts b/c to me a black dress shirt looks like your headed to a Jersey Shore prom or funeral. I especially hate black shirts with a silver tie.

I agree that tiebar.com is worth a visit.

On the topic of shoes, I know that I can't comfortably pull off sneakers. That being said, I believe that a pair of oxfords that would accept an insole would be just as comfortable as a pair of chucks.

Could you possibly edit your original post a bit, I'm finding it hard to understand your questions.
You're currently at school - where? what level? Are there uniforms or are you chosing to wear shirt and tie? what is the 'particular atmosphere' you refer to? what exactly are the 'rigors' of your school day that are messing up your clothes?

GWYM(And no I am not refering to a doctor!): I am sorry it was difficult for you to understand; Admittedly I wrote this a bit hurried!

Where: New England
Level: Year 11
Uniforms: None- My choice
Atmosphere: 50/50 spit between the drug addicts and those of us hoping to pursue an Ivy League school...
Rigors: Physical Education which will be terminating, however occasionally we are called upon to take a seat on the ground.

Crowdog: I think the major issue was they were a tad tight in the legs, however they might have been pleatless... however I personally am just a fan of the darker colours; they don't show stains as much thus you are less worried about bumping into something, not to mention they don't show as much when you wipe your wet hands on your pants(and for some of the older men..ehh... dribble... lol..)

More power to you for dressing like that w/out being forced to. As a fellow new englander, I do not recall anyone who made that choice when I was in highschool.

I'm not a fan of high school kids who try to wear slacks and ties, it usually comes off either extremely nerdy or slightly forced (unless you have access to $$$ and a stylist to make you super fashionable.)

The fact that you'd even ask about sateen scares me - I'm picturing you buying a whole wardrobe of nothing but crazy outree stuff. First, you need to stock up a basic wardrobe of essential building blocks - chinos/khakis in several colors, a few nice pairs of jeans, a dozen or so plain muted shirts. Once you have a nice foundation you can mix and match from, only THEN start adding 'personal touches'. Look at guys who come across as classy - always a basically plain, boring outfit with ONE interesting touch thrown in. The danger is when EVERYTHING you own is unique and interesting, the overall effect gets overwhelming.

^No, I did not intend to turn out like:

Gunney said:

Crowdog: I think the major issue was they were a tad tight in the legs, however they might have been pleatless... however I personally am just a fan of the darker colours; they don't show stains as much thus you are less worried about bumping into something, not to mention they don't show as much when you wipe your wet hands on your pants(and for some of the older men..ehh... dribble... lol..)

Click to expand...

Fit is really important, and there is much more to it than just waist and inseam. I am kind of in your boat, actually. I am a big guy, but I have really solid thighs. Not fat, just solid (I've been doing an intensive gym thing, and when they did my measurements after 10 weeks, I added 2 inches to my thighs). Unfortunately, right now there is a real focus on slim fit, which doesn't work with every body type (e.g. mine). All is not lost though. Dockers has 4 fits of khakis, and D3 and D4 (classic and relaxed) are going to be roomier in the thighs). The Lands End Traditional Fit Chino also has more thigh room, at least enough for me. Personally, I don't like pleats, and both of these are still flat front. In general, look for things that are "classic" "traditional" or "relaxed" fit and stay away from "trim" "tailored" "slim" fits.