Quote:
Originally Posted by CroFlames
The GMG thread inspired me to seek consultation here.
I'm an early 30s guy, but I've always looked older than I am (tall, dark, handsome, etc). This has actually worked to my advantage in the business world I think.
Now I look like I'm in my late 30s due to this condition, and a little bit of thinning at the top.
I want a new work wardrobe, so I'm looking for ideas. I work in a pretty relaxed office environment (dark jeans acceptable) but I still want to look good, and maybe more youthful if that makes sense. I bought a couple of chino pants, but I don't know what to pair them with and such. Ideally, if I could have about 10-12 work outfits I rotate, that would be fantastic. I have a few blazer jackets that are too fancy for our office environment, and I typically wear those to meetings with clients or conferences.
I guess I'm not looking to spend $1200 on shoes, but I'm also open to spending a little more than $120 on them to look good. Same for the rest of the wardrobe.
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IMO, don't jump all in for a new wardrobe if you need an overhaul. 10-12 outfits seems excessive. If it's looks you're talking about though, that's different. 2-3 shirts, 2-3 pants, 2 pairs of shoes and perhaps 2 belts is mathematically enough for like 20 combos though.
Start with 1-3 sets and keep expanding the stuff you like. I personally have around 6-7 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, two belts and like 3 pairs of shoes I usually wear for work. IMO, I'd suggest around a $500 bump up to your wardrobe. See what you like, learn from this and that and expand from there. Also, try it on in person and get some female opinions on the look.
Rather than jump straight into higher level stuff that might be harder to maintain/clean etc. I'm opting to suggest a middle ground easier mode that looks nice, is comfy and forgiving in how you maintain it. I'm suggesting something akin to a fully loaded Honda Accord daily driver here rather than the BMW+ premium stuff others will suggest.
- $140 Lululemon ABC pants (they will hem for you).
- $80-110 x2 Lulu/Kit and Ace dress shirt
- $60 belt
- $50-150 shoes
- $20-30 socks
The Lululemon ABC will look office professional, but will also be comfy as hell. Two wins. The included hemming after purchase is nice, but the real win is how easy it is to take care of it. Wash it no differently than if you were to wash jeans. Be aware, but no need to baby them. This unlike many other pants that you may have concern about shrinking or require dry cleaning vs toss in washer. No such concern with Lulu ABC.
https://shop.lululemon.com/p/men-pan...13?color=43731
The $80-110 dress shirts from Lulu/Kit and Ace should be relatively form fitting and still comfy by being nice and stretchy. They should be the youthful look you're going for casual enough for day to day, but still adequate for the more serious meetings you may attend. I believe their fabrics should be more durable than some of the other basic stuff out there and machine washable (not just cotton or wool), so again, read the care instructions and be aware, but no need to full on baby them. That being said, I usually dry clean mine because of how much I paid for them. Most of my other dress shirts are just random things I pull off a rack at Nordstrom rack or Saks on 5th etc. for less than $40.
https://shop.lululemon.com/p/men-top...08?color=24704
https://www.kitandace.com/ca/en/cour...page=1&start=8
https://www.kitandace.com/ca/en/urba...page=1&start=6
Belt. I like the thin dress belts from Brooks Brothers. They look nicer than many dress belts and are pretty durable (leather doesn't get weirdly wrinkly after a bit of use). They have a good look, feel and weight to them as well. They lean more towards being dressier, but work fine with elevating a casual look to being more professional. I occasionally see these for less than $60 on sale at Cross Iron ($50s).
https://brooksbrothers.ca/collection...her-dress-belt
Shoes... this is going to be a little of a weird one. Do you need dress shoes? Do you like dress shoes?
I wear sneakers and dress shoes with my dress shirt and dress pants. I have a pair of dress shoes at work in case I need to look proper professional. I wear Vans and converse (below the ankle) on a regular basis. It's more comfy.
https://www.footlocker.ca/product/~/...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
I have a pair of something like this I keep at work in case of a quick shoe change is required. It looks good enough and is around $100 so it won't break the bank. I usually wear sneakers for comfort, so I don't need to spend 2-4x that for a pair of comfy dress shoes and I don't have to worry about road salt wrecking my regular shoes during the winter months.
https://www.stevemadden.ca/collectio...ts/maroone-tan
I also have a pair of Ferragamo and To Boot New York for a full on proper look, but that I keep at home, those are mainly for occasions, not really required for business meetings.
Socks, do what makes you happy. People like looking at shoes though, so socks can stick out in an outfit.
Other: Accessories. Watches and activity trackers can really look out of place depending on your set up. The same for glasses, necklaces and bracelets etc. Your call if you want to consider that as part of your matching stuff.
For my suggestion, IMO the absolute worst case scenario is that you end up with some stuff that is comfy enough that you can rotate into your casual outfits. I'm probably going to be criticized for suggesting a look that isn't dapper enough though. Yes, you can do cheaper at many places and Simon's for instance is trendy, but the stuff I am suggesting I am to make it very difficult to mess up as I am assuming you aren't completely sure what you are looking for.