Office clothes thread

[enthused]

Originally Posted by peter12

I have to keep up appearances, obviously.

But seriously, it's not that I don't approve, I don't care how anyone dresses. I do think that, in an economic sense, places like Van Heusen just don't have the quality to justify even the low prices.

Your participation in past clothing threads begs to differ.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by peter12

Troutman is a lawyer, and he shops at Van Heusen. Jeezus.

Good thing there isn't another lawyer on here who buys most of his dress shirts at Costco....

[Bean]

Originally Posted by peter12

You can easily compile a decent wardrobe by using a tailor, and buying stuff on sale at places like J.Crew, CM, and Brooks. Boxing Day sales are a great time to load up on special items.

Have been wanting to take my better shirts and having them look a little more flattering. Are you able to pass along the name of a tailor that does this sort of thing?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by red sky

Good timing to ask this question. Maxwell clothiers will be here later this month. You can get 3 tailored shirts for $150 plus GST and duty. It turns out to $62 a shirt for something custom fitted. Take a look at their site.

I've order from them in the past. Prefer Hi-Mark tailors though. Slightly more expensive but the clothes are defintiely a bettre cut and the materials seem easier to manage. All my Maxwell shirts get wrinkled very easily.

Custom is definitely the way to go for office wear. I find pre-made shirts do not fit me at all. I'm 5'7-8 and weight about 160 lbs. It's a fairly common size for most things, but for whatever reason all office style dress shirts are only made for much fatter individuals. I fit fashion dress shirts fine, but the office clothes, even the slim fits, are all way too big in the torso.

As for shoes, I'd recommend ordering from Allen Edmonds seconds outlets in the states during one of their sales. A great thread on RFD about it:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/allen...-22-a-1258048/

[worth]

Originally Posted by blankall

As for shoes, I'd recommend ordering from Allen Edmonds seconds outlets in the states during one of their sales. A great thread on RFD about it:

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/allen...-22-a-1258048/

This is good advice. I've got 3 or 4 pair from the shoebank. AE is quality footwear.

[Jbo]

I like the fit of pants from Banana Reupublic. I also am a big fan of the work shirts from Lacoste. The Bay is really good and sometimes have decent sales.

I recently had to update my entire work clothes (lost 45 pounds and everything was swimming on me) and have a mixture from Lacoste, Banana, The Bay, Moores and some Zhara.

[worth]

One other piece of advice: most people purchase clothing that is much too large for them. Look at your coworkers shirts. The seam of the yoke and sleeve should be on top of the shoulder. On most people, this seam is actually on their upper arm/bicep. This is incorrect sizing.

Finding clothes that fit is the first thing toward looking good regardless of the quality. if you spend $100 on a Brooks Brothers shirt that is too large, you will still look like a goof. On the other end of the spectrum, a $20 shirt can look just as good if it is sized properly.

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by edmontonice

I have bigger legs that rub together when I walk and have destroyed many a nice pair of pants in my day. The quality doesn't seem to matter.

Banana republic has a fit that I like (modern) but I really don't like paying 130+ for a pair of pants that will only last me a year being worn 1-2x a week.

Any similar experiences/advice?

I have the same issue - my tailor calls my legs thunder thighs. He seems to get around it by putting inserts inside the pants from the waist to the knee. I only do it in the most expensive pants and let the other cheap stuff wear out. Wearing boxer briefs only seems to excaberate the effect.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

There is usually a Brooks Brothers outlet where ever I go and they are awesome.

They have one in CrossIron now too. Stopped there the other day and got some pretty wicked deals (ie a few dress shirts for $30 each).

[calgarywinning]

I would sooner have a very nice dress shirt with a proper cut and feels great to wear than 4 cheaper shirts. I've always felt that you can do a lot with fewer pieces that are more to the quality spectrum that are also easy to wear. I don't care if people don't think I change (lol).

In terms of durability and wear, tighter knits, better fabrics (weights, clothe knitting level) due tend to last longer and are of more comfort.

It's kind of like going to Wendy's and seeing a picture of the salad or the burger. Then when you get it there's three chicken strips where the picture looked like there was 12. The burger is slopping out and slopped in mayonnaise. The taste -- mostly non existent.

You can get a real salad for just a little bit more. A real burger for just a little bit more. Also, the point of work clothing is not only to cover your body but to make an impression on your clients.

[goodyear]

Dockers pants are great...mine still look ok after two years and more than a handful of washes...If you catch a sale at The Bay, then it's pretty good bang for your buck.

Actually,compared to other stores like Banana Republic and Club Monaco, The Bay in general's got a real good selection of medium to high quality office clothes for a fair price. A few years back, I bought my collared shirts at Wal-Mart and Zellers. These were $15-20 each but barely lasted 4 tumbles in the washing machine. Perhaps Target will be better? Haven't been yet.

I've also experimented with "wrinkle-free" shirts...I think this is a hoax...because, to this day and after a few different shirts, I still get creases and sometimes, that is exactly what I don't need.

[Jonrox]

In Kelowna, it can be tougher to find good clothing, but there are options.

Depending on budget and the style you're looking for, you can try MacD's Lakeside and Landmark Clothiers is also having a buy 1 item get the 2nd at half price from May 13 to 18 (the store is on the 1st floor of Landmark #2). Most of their stuff is quite expensive, but with the sale it makes it a whole lot more reasonable. X10sion 207 has some of the trendier brands, but again is on the expensive side (it's more for denim, t-shirts, and casual stuff).

[calgarywinning]

Originally Posted by Jonrox

In Kelowna, it can be tougher to find good clothing, but there are options.

Depending on budget and the style you're looking for, you can try MacD's Lakeside and Landmark Clothiers is also having a buy 1 item get the 2nd at half price from May 13 to 18 (the store is on the 1st floor of Landmark #2). Most of their stuff is quite expensive, but with the sale it makes it a whole lot more reasonable. X10sion 207 has some of the trendier brands, but again is on the expensive side (it's more for denim, t-shirts, and casual stuff).

Drive up to the Penticton store grant king's, I believe, main street penticton.

[Swift]

Originally Posted by blankall

Custom is definitely the way to go for office wear. I find pre-made shirts do not fit me at all. I'm 5'7-8 and weight about 160 lbs. It's a fairly common size for most things, but for whatever reason all office style dress shirts are only made for much fatter individuals. I fit fashion dress shirts fine, but the office clothes, even the slim fits, are all way too big in the torso.

I don't think that's necessarily true. I'm of a similar size to you (an inch or two taller) and while I have had the same issues with a lot of shirts being too baggy, I've found that the Slim-Fit at Mexx are a perfect fit for me. Express is decent too.

For trousers, I just recently discovered that the size 31 at RW fits me spectacularly. Always have to get them hemmed, but that's no biggie. In fact, I find RW to be really good too for t-shirts and sweaters. Haven't bought a shirt from there yet though.

[1stLand]

If you are looking for ties and pocket squares and tie bars go to www.thetiebar.com

$15 ties.

Also a good custom clothier is www.indochino.com

I like dress shirts from express. You can get two shirts for $100

[spetch]

Originally Posted by goodyear

I've also experimented with "wrinkle-free" shirts...I think this is a hoax...because, to this day and after a few different shirts, I still get creases and sometimes, that is exactly what I don't need.

Wrinkle free doesn't mean that they won't wrinkle. What it actually means is when u dry on a warm setting that if u pull it out of the dryer after the cycle, you will not have little to no ironing.

No Iron requires the shirt to be dried on a "hot" setting and pulled out, however most No-Iron shirts don't work. The only two brands 100% cotton, no-Iron woven shirts that I have found to work are; Leo Chevalier and I Miller (they label them under Enro). The trick to them is actually putting them on a hot setting which most people are afraid to do on a 100% cotton shirt.

[TSXCman]

A well planned Bay trip landed me 5 pairs of varied dress pants at $15 each, and a ton of Chaps polo shirts at $10 each. Then Banana Republic no-iron, thin cut, dress shirts on sale are amazing.

~For business casual

[-TC-]

I like Harry Rosen for most of my suits..I like slim fitting clothes because they fit my frame better

If I'm travelling I hit Saks off 5th, Polo and Hugo Boss

I found a new tailor from Hong Kong who will build me shirts for a reasonable price...

Casual clothes are mostly Polo due to the quality of the fabric and the consistent fit, plus they are a classic style, I don't do trendy.

[FanIn80]

You know... You guys like to give peter12 a lot of flack for his clothing opinions, but I would hire him as a clothing consultant. The guy obviously cares enough about how he dresses to develop the kind of knowledge he has (with regards to locations, what to look for, materials, etc). Not to mention he speaks my language with the whole "quality vs cost" thing, and I don't think I've ever seen him suggest a man should wear a scarf unless it's -40.

I'm not in a position to go out and spend $100,000 on a new wardrobe, but I find the stuff he posts to be pretty helpful, even with the budget I do have available.

Edit: For the record, I'm not suggesting the guy needs to work as a clothing consultant (nor that he even would). Essentially, I'm just saying I trust his opinion on this stuff.

[Vox]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

Good thing there isn't another lawyer on here who buys most of his dress shirts at Costco....

Well now I'm feeling bad that you kept my prices so low for so many years.

(But those were always darn sharp shirts)