What do you guys wear in the heat to keep cool but still look professional? The Tom Wolfe look is not an option, I'm afraid.
Summer Suits
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Lightweight material, and light colour. If you are having a suit made from scratch, you can find lots of suit fabrics made specifically for hot weather. Ideally, you look for "high twist" and "loose weave" ... which means the individual yarns are twisted tightly as threads so they are hard-wearing and longer-lasting, and they are woven into fabric loosely, so air can pass through more easily.
See if you can get your suits made without the inner lining, as well. This is harder, as the inner seams have to be neatly finished instead of hidden by the lining. But getting that lining out really helps with ventilation.
Linen suits are great, but wrinkle a bit too much for the most professional of uses.
See if you can get your suits made without the inner lining, as well. This is harder, as the inner seams have to be neatly finished instead of hidden by the lining. But getting that lining out really helps with ventilation.
Linen suits are great, but wrinkle a bit too much for the most professional of uses.
My favorite is a lightweight glen-plaid suit
Seersucker with white bucks
I have a summer weight wool suit that looks great and breaths nicely that allows me to keep comfortable. I wish I could pull off the Tom Wolfe style though.
I picked up an H&M linen suit for just over $100 in a medium grey color. I personally care more about fit over quality when it comes to suits at this stage in my life (broke college student).
+1
I love these shoes:
http://www.esquire.com/style/essential/essential-of-the-month-2009#slide-7
Yeah, there's a thin line between the Tom Wolfe look and the Good Humor Man look, but if you recognize the line and don't cross it you'll look great and stay cool and comfortable all summer. In the warmer months seersucker pants are more comfortable than cotton, jeans, or even shorts.
I actually have a pair, though IIRC they were Florsheim and about 20 years old. Still almost new since they are worn only a few times each summer.
^^^ I like you
$500 for a pair of shoes??????
Yikes.
We need a "Budget Haberdashery" sub forum.
I totally understand that the idea behind the subforum is the finer/finest things in life, but many of us have to be a bit more "grounded" in practicality. We're at a point in our lives or career where Levis and that old Van Halen concert shirt no longer cut it, but we don't have the budget for more than $50-$100 shoes and $100-$200 suits.
When I expressed interest in Fedoras, I was bombarded with links to $200-$1500 hats. Whaaaaat???? I was quite happy with (and receive daily compliments) on my $50-ish "Hats in the Belfry" felt (actually Murino) "Frankie".
Been rocking a straw Fedora that I picked up at the mall for $40, and just ordered a $90 Stetson... but I don't see myself ever spending more than that for any hat.
LOL!
Ya, in my line of work, my
The last time I wore out a button down shirt was the early 90s when I worked an office.
Recent years, found more occasions to dress nicely, and discovered the button-down collars have been replaced by stays.
I've got a mix of buttons downs and straight collars, depending on my mood.
The time to get those shoes is this fall. I think I got mine at an outlet store in the fall, at a deep discount.
Ya, I've absolutely never worn out a pair of dress shoes except when I was working retail (high mileage) and buying cheap K-Mart synthetics for $5.
They'd start showing cracks in a month, but hey, it was only 2 hours pay to replace them.
No problem with that at all. Of course, the real treat comes when you find "quality" that has the "fit" at the "broke college student" bargain price. That means keeping an eye open for sales and uber-discounts, maybe scouring the second-hand clothing stores, and so forth.
$500 for a pair of shoes??????
Yikes.
We need a "Budget Haberdashery" sub forum.
I totally understand that the idea behind the subforum is the finer/finest things in life, but many of us have to be a bit more "grounded" in practicality. We're at a point in our lives or career where Levis and that old Van Halen concert shirt no longer cut it, but we don't have the budget for more than $50-$100 shoes and $100-$200 suits.
When I expressed interest in Fedoras, I was bombarded with links to $200-$1500 hats. Whaaaaat???? I was quite happy with (and receive daily compliments) on my $50-ish "Hats in the Belfry" felt (actually Murino) "Frankie".
It's easy to get quality when you throw a lot of money at your purchases. And there are a lot of really good products out there that can be had for the money. ($500 shoes from the best English shoemakers, for example.)
But the real thrill comes when you find those over-performing products that work great, look great, and last great ... on a cheap price. It's kind of like winning the Stanley Cup/Superbowl/World Series with the lowest-paid team in the league ... the thrill the Cleveland Cavaliers get every time they beat the Miami Heat ...
Real style is about how you look, not about how much money you were able to spend to get there.
$500 for a pair of shoes??????
Yikes.
We need a "Budget Haberdashery" sub forum.
Oh man! Point taken. I didn't mean to suggest anyone should have to get $500 shoes to look good! Or that shoes look good because they cost $500. I simply meant I love those shoes. You don't have to look hard to find them or something similar for far less money. Magazines just don't write as many articles with pretty pictures about the inexpensive versions. As someone else said look for shoes like that in fall.
I will confess to spending in the $200 range for dress shoes. I only have two pair. I wear them infrequently, and expect them to last decades. In my opinion quality accessories like shoes and belts matter more than the suit itself. Good shoes make an average suit look good. Bad shoes will ruin the look of an expensive suit.
I agree 100%... Cheap accessories don't cut it, and it's not hard to kick in a few extra bucks to bring it up a level. A suggestion of $200 for dress shoes, I would not have made that comment... but when a pair of shoes costs what I spend on gasoline in 6 weeks, I'm outclassed at my salary.
My point is that it seems that a lot of the recommendations in this sub forum seem to be aimed at high end executive types and not "regular Joes" who want something nice, but not something on the level of "semi-formal".
I'm interviewing for a new position Tuesday and will be wearing my $80 JC Penny suit and $50 shoes. It worked for my first stage interview and got a LOT of compliments from the people in the engineering department when I stopped by to say "hi" on the way out.
The new position will be office based, but even my potential boss doesn't wear a tie. I might, because I'm comfortable with it, even though I haven't worn a tie daily since 1992.
So I look to this area of the forum to get ideas on how to look and carry myself in a more professional manner... but when all of the suggestions are high-end, it tends to be discouraging.
Used clothing stores? Nothing in my area other than thrift stores. I might be able to find something in Los Angeles, but now we're looking at a time and distance investment that may or may not pay off... and at 6'3", 200lbs, it's hard enough to find properly fitting off-the-rack clothing, much less 2nd hand.
Even finding Levis 501s is a challenge. Everyone stocks "square" or "oversquare" sizes... waist equal to or larger than the length. 34x36 are difficult to find, and when I'm trimmed down to 190/195, 32x36 are impossible to find.
My feet are another problem entirely. By the book, I'm a 12-AA, bordering on a AAA. I can usually get away with 11.5 in the narrowest style on the rack, and maybe stack an insole. Even ordering online is a challenge because the narrow sizes are just not available.
Anyways, it's late and I'm rambling as usual
Absolutely, which is why I continue to hang around this section of the forum, but it gets discouraging when all suggestions outclass me.
I need suggestions somewhere between Donald Trump and Cletus dressing up for his cousin's graduation
While I'm ranting
Where are a lot of these items sourced?
Used to be every town had a Florsheim dealer, and a Brooks Bro's dealer, etc...
The Targets and Wal Marts have pretty much put an end to the single-product business, all we have for shoe stores now is RedWing, and the Payless-level stores that are like the shoe department at Target.
Department stores seem to have higher quality products, but selection, size, and of course, customer service is horrible (with size being my main issue).
Are you gents buying online and praying that it fits?
Obviously not a problem with ties, belts, and many other accessories, and jackets and slacks can be tailored, but shoes either fit or they don't.
Living in a suburban cultural wasteland stinks.
Most people in Los Angeles seem to think "dressing up" means wearing socks.
Where are a lot of these items sourced?
Used to be every town had a Florsheim dealer, and a Brooks Bro's dealer, etc...
The Targets and Wal Marts have pretty much put an end to the single-product business, all we have for shoe stores now is RedWing, and the Payless-level stores that are like the shoe department at Target.
Department stores seem to have higher quality products, but selection, size, and of course, customer service is horrible (with size being my main issue).
Are you gents buying online and praying that it fits?
Obviously not a problem with ties, belts, and many other accessories, and jackets and slacks can be tailored, but shoes either fit or they don't.
Living in a suburban cultural wasteland stinks.
Most people in Los Angeles seem to think "dressing up" means wearing socks.
Usually, yes.
Of course, once you find something that does fit, you can buy more (the same or variations on a theme). I've bought just about everything online ... even shoes ... except hats. (I have a hat that fits me well, bought in-store, and I'd buy another in a different colour online, but that's about it.)
(And FWIW, the hat was well under $100 ... Bailey's of Hollywood "litefelt".)
One place to look online is Sierra Trading Post ... extra discount coupons and sales are frequent if you sign up for their e-mails ... and they have a good return policy.
Actually, a lot of places have good return policies, making it easier to buy hard-to-fit stuff online. (It's not so easy for me due to the cross-border customs thing ... major PITA as well as courier delivery fees ... but a CONUS shopper has great options.)
Online is a big problem that I've had with shoes.
I've followed links to many recommendations here and none of them are available in narrow widths.
That's an issue across the board, not just dress shoes. A few years ago I was looking for some nice "desert boots"... light colored, cool for summer wear, and found a few.
After spending $100+ placing the order, after a week or so I'd get a notice from the seller that my size/style was backordered with no expected delivery, and would I like something else from the catalog.
This happened 4 times with 4 different vendors on 4 different boot brands. In all cases, it was a 2 week fight to get my refund back into my PayPal account (they kept pushing for me to buy something else), and in one case I ended up eating PayPal fees on BOTH transactions... they wouldn't refund the fees that they paid, and PP charged me fees on the refund.
That REALLY turned me off to buying boots online.
I've made a couple of online shoe purchases that have gone okay... a pair of Crocs... ya, one-size-doesn't-fit-anyone, and a pair of Topsiders, which are rarely but occasionally to be found in "N"... which is a "B" and still too wide for me, but wearable.
But for dress shoes, if I go too wide, they move, and when they move I get hot spots and blisters.
I've followed links to many recommendations here and none of them are available in narrow widths.
That's an issue across the board, not just dress shoes. A few years ago I was looking for some nice "desert boots"... light colored, cool for summer wear, and found a few.
After spending $100+ placing the order, after a week or so I'd get a notice from the seller that my size/style was backordered with no expected delivery, and would I like something else from the catalog.
This happened 4 times with 4 different vendors on 4 different boot brands. In all cases, it was a 2 week fight to get my refund back into my PayPal account (they kept pushing for me to buy something else), and in one case I ended up eating PayPal fees on BOTH transactions... they wouldn't refund the fees that they paid, and PP charged me fees on the refund.
That REALLY turned me off to buying boots online.
I've made a couple of online shoe purchases that have gone okay... a pair of Crocs... ya, one-size-doesn't-fit-anyone, and a pair of Topsiders, which are rarely but occasionally to be found in "N"... which is a "B" and still too wide for me, but wearable.
But for dress shoes, if I go too wide, they move, and when they move I get hot spots and blisters.
Having 'normal-width' feet, I'm not familiar at all with what (if any) online vendors do well with narrow shoes. (I suppose I could tell you to "go bespoke" ... but ... um ... I HAVE been reading your posts, you know.)
