Quote:
Originally Posted by V
I'm interested in dressing a little nicer, but my question for the hoity toity crowd is just how much you spend annually on your clothes / shoes / accessories budget. Seems to me you must be in the $10k range, buying $200 shirts, $400 shoes and $2,000 suits.
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For me (I am a bit more economical I guess)...
$30-100 belts should last something like 4-8 years I'm guessing. Used nearly every working day. I have a 2 belt rotation. Just a "basic" dress belt from Brooks Brothers and one I got from Winners.
$80-200 for shoes (1 or 2 pairs sometimes depending on style) and I'd say I wear them 3-5 years before they're embarrassingly scuffed up. Used nearly every working day. I rotate a pair of Steve Maddens I grabbed for $60 and a pair of $120 Pegabo from the Bay. Wear what is comfortable to you. Buy those $400 shoes that will last 15 years if that's what you want.
$500 suit + $200 in tailoring = $700 Hugo Boss suit. I assume I'd be able to use this suit at least around 5 years or more assuming no huge change in body shape. Used about 5 times a year for special occasions, work events and celebrations etc. US outlets
I also own a suit which cost me $450 in Asia with extra pants and includes cost of tailoring. I still use it for minor things, but seams may need minor repair (easy fix) and I don't button the top in pictures as it looks tight (but feels ok). Not bad for being nearly 5-6 years old. I'm also in the process of giving my old Calvin Klein suit new life. It's nearly a decade old, but it will work just fine. For less than $100 including the replacement of the pants which are too short and tight, I am sure I can get a usable "casual suit" for various business events.
$50-200 a year in dress shirts. I have about 5-8 I rotate for work and they usually last about 1-3 years before it's time to replace them due to fading etc. I also have a nice white dress shirt from Tristan which I keep for the whole suit ensemble if the inside needs to be white.
$50 a tie. They last pretty much forever. $30 on a tie clip + cuff links. Again, last pretty much forever. You buy a new one for style mainly.
$20-30 should get you a multi pack of Calvin Klein of socks. Should last a good two years. Pay more if you want, but if you pay less, I find they are the panty hose of the mens world. You'll put a finger through them easily if you aren't careful.
If you were to completely start a suit ensemble from scratch, sure, $1000-2000 sounds about right, but since replacement "parts" can be staggered, it's only a few hundred a year to maintain/increase your wardrobe for options purposes. (Unless you wear a suit nearly daily, then it's more).
But in the end it's what you want. My set up makes me feel good. If you need something "great", my numbers won't fly for you at all. If you just need something "meh", my numbers may be too high as well.
Some of us wear components of our suit on a regular basis for workl (ie: Shoes and shirts etc.) so we justify the cost on higher end/quality/style items. You may not need to do that or may have start up costs we won't really have which will balance out over the life of owning your wardrobe.
Some may say that going to the US isn't worth it, but even at 1.30, there are some deals to be had. Not as great as if our dollar was at least 1.10, but still reasonable deals.