Style police: Teach us!

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

You really can't beat Lululemon for casual office wear IMO. The dress pants are crazy comfortable, are a fashionable cut, and are wrinkle free. They are my go to for travel; you can pair the dress pants with just about anything from dress shirts to golf shirts to sweaters (with nice shoes) and still have a very presentable look. I wear them all the time.

Same with the golf shirts. They come in all kinds of sizes, materials and cuts, so it's really easy to find stuff there that looks great and is REALLY low maintenance and comfortable. Plus it's affordable.

Personally I like Kit and Ace for office wear a little more than Lululemon, but the ABC pants by lulu cannot be praised enough.

Lululemon is a little more casual in terms of the business casual level stuff. Kit and Ace is a little more business in the business casual stuff. Their technical fabric stuff is pretty unique.

I have clothing from both that are work acceptable, and in both instances, I literally believe I can do yoga in the clothing without busting a seam. This type of comfort was amazing in maintaining a business styled look while I doing a major move at the office. (I was allowed to wear Friday casual stuff, but it just felt good to maintain a reasonably nice appearance for client and not have to change for meetings during that time).

In terms of the comment about "affordable", I would preface that it's a very significant jump in price from the average clothing one might consider for work (if JCrew/Banana are the standards). I think you're looking at around $100-150 buy in minimum for many pieces. However, the pieces lasts so much damn longer than typical business wear and being in comfy clothes at work is really worth the extra little bit of money. Furthermore, many of these pieces are viable options for outside of work vs being work or casual only clothes.

Long term I think you'd break even on Lulu/Kit and Ace clothes/even save money with less replacement and buying less other stuff for business or casual, but the initial acquisition cost isn't something to just ignore IMO.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by tripin_billie

I'm not sure if they still have men's clothing in Canada, but Club Monaco is also a good option if you like the general styling of JCrew but want something slightly more stylish.

I definitely believe they still have a men's shop in Chinook even though it's super small. I generally am not sure about how Club Monaco fits in terms of the rankings at times. At that price point, I feel like I'm often migrating to either Kit and Ace/Lulu, Nordstrom, Saks on 5th or Henry Singer to see what discounted options are available before I consider Club Monaco.

I do like Club Monaco, but I constantly find it's hard to justify the prices of some of the pieces there. Especially since a bunch of their stuff is very particular to the way you treat it. I'm not saying don't go with Club Monaco, but I often find my time was better spent elsewhere.

[Tron_fdc]

My industry isn't really formal (at all) so I can get away with Lulu quite easily. ABC pants and a golf shirt are almost overdressing for my crowd of hillbillies.

I cannot stress enough how comfy the ABC pant is for golf though. Looks great, moves well, and is super durable. I have been machine washing my pants and golf shirts weekly for over 2 years from work and golf and are only now seeing a bit of wear. I love them.

[peter12]

I don't even know my dress code. I work in Government Relations and Public Affairs, but more so on the Policy Research and Development side, so it's suits for meetings with Ministers (and I just go to Brooks Brothers now) and whatever I want when I'm schlubbing away with my interns on a research document.

I'm a big fan of corduroys and cotton jackets.

[getbak]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1166017573147873282

[peter12]

RW&Co is a pretty forgettable mall brand. Even the suits in that promotional shot don't fit very well.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by peter12

RW&Co is a pretty forgettable mall brand. Even the suits in that promotional shot don't fit very well.

Definitely very strange that they couldn't get better fitting clothes on those guys. The sleeve lengths aren't quite right, like they went totally off the rack without any alterations. It also took me a few glances to clue into the models being NHLers. I recognized Johnny at the back after a few glances, apparently I have no idea what Philip Danault, Morgan Reilly, and Mark Scheifele look like though.

Philip Danault is also giving Mike Ricci a run for his money, so maybe making him look not half bad speaks to the quality of their clothes:

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by peter12

RW&Co is a pretty forgettable mall brand. Even the suits in that promotional shot don't fit very well.

That's the first thing I noticed too, they look unaltered. Sleeves look off, zero waist suppression to the jackets make them look very boxy and dated.

And that's not touching on the actual style of the garments. The lapels on the jackets are so small they're almost theoretical, and it's especially glaring on Reilly's and Johnny's where you have a clear view of them. They look ridiculous. Scheifele's jacket looks better in this regard as the lapels appear to be more of a middle-of-the-road width.

I like wide lapels to begin with, but I do have suits with medium width and even one suit where the lapels are slightly narrower than medium... nothing anywhere near as awful as this photo.

[81MC]

Johnny doesn't have a toque with a suit jacket, so it's a huge improvement.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by tripin_billie

I'm not sure if they still have men's clothing in Canada, but Club Monaco is also a good option if you like the general styling of JCrew but want something slightly more stylish.

They do still have men's clothing in Canada. Surprisingly, they are a Canadian company but with a strong presence in the US as well. I bought a few things from there a couple months ago and I do agree that they're a decent alternative to J Crew. I do find, however, that their chinos are a step below those at J Crew (I know, I swear this is the last time I talk about chinos for a while). The material is thinner and the ywrinkle much easier than my 484 chinos from J Crew.

[_Q_]

Those RW Co suits looks like they're made of material that has the words "tech" "comfort" "lite" or "flexi" and definitely has a "TM" at the end.

[tripin_billie]

Originally Posted by _Q_

They do still have men's clothing in Canada. Surprisingly, they are a Canadian company but with a strong presence in the US as well. I bought a few things from there a couple months ago and I do agree that they're a decent alternative to J Crew. I do find, however, that their chinos are a step below those at J Crew (I know, I swear this is the last time I talk about chinos for a while). The material is thinner and the ywrinkle much easier than my 484 chinos from J Crew.

Yeah, I believe they were bought by Ralph Lauren quite a while ago and have had a few identity crisis over the past decade - hence why I didn't know if they still offered men's selections in Canada. They were in DC in the 2009 - 2011 era, completely left (Philly was closest store), and now are back in smarter locations. They also seemed to suffer from some quality issues around that time.

I like the 484s (my go to as I know the size and fit so can order easily online), but sometimes I feel like the fabric is too thick (DC is way too humid for them in the summer).

[Mass_nerder]

This is probably a good thread to ask: has anyone tried Allbirds?
I've heard they're pretty comfy, and I'm looking for some pretty basic, nondescript, sportier sneakers.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by _Q_

Those RW Co suits looks like they're made of material that has the words "tech" "comfort" "lite" or "flexi" and definitely has a "TM" at the end.

Made from 100% PlastiWeave™ Wool*.

*Caution: Keep away from open flame. PlastiWeave™ is an advanced synthetic wool-like product. Extreme heat may cause the garment to melt and result in serious injury.

[tripin_billie]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

This is probably a good thread to ask: has anyone tried Allbirds?
I've heard they're pretty comfy, and I'm looking for some pretty basic, nondescript, sportier sneakers.

My wife got a pair and they look really nice. The material seemed really nice too.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by tripin_billie

Yeah, I believe they were bought by Ralph Lauren quite a while ago and have had a few identity crisis over the past decade - hence why I didn't know if they still offered men's selections in Canada. They were in DC in the 2009 - 2011 era, completely left (Philly was closest store), and now are back in smarter locations. They also seemed to suffer from some quality issues around that time.

I like the 484s (my go to as I know the size and fit so can order easily online), but sometimes I feel like the fabric is too thick (DC is way too humid for them in the summer).

DC is disgusting in the summer. I never figured out how to dress there for those 6 months. Sure, you can wear shorts all the time, but then you get the crazy rain storms that require you to wear rubber boots and a jacket. Problem is, it doesn't cool down, so you end up soaked from the rain and from sweating profusely.

Then you get a break for 3 weeks, which is followed by 5 months of high winds and bone penetrating cold. No matter how many layers you have on, your face hurts from the weather.

Anyways, I always said, you definitely don't move to DC for the weather. Beautiful city with probably the worst weather on the planet.

[tripin_billie]

Originally Posted by _Q_

DC is disgusting in the summer. I never figured out how to dress there for those 6 months. Sure, you can wear shorts all the time, but then you get the crazy rain storms that require you to wear rubber boots and a jacket. Problem is, it doesn't cool down, so you end up soaked from the rain and from sweating profusely.

Then you get a break for 3 weeks, which is followed by 5 months of high winds and bone penetrating cold. No matter how many layers you have on, your face hurts from the weather.

Anyways, I always said, you definitely don't move to DC for the weather. Beautiful city with probably the worst weather on the planet.

I'm glad it's not just me that feels like it is insanely cold here in the winter. Temperature wise, it's nothing compared to Calgary, but whenever I'm back in Calgary during winter, I feel like at -15 it still feels warmer than DC at +1 to about +5. I think it would be better if it would just get below freezing and snow, but instead it hovers right above and rains. Brutal!

I feel like Calgary has unique style needs in that whenever I'm there in the winter, I notice people keep their homes freaking hot! So you have to have clothes that are ok for super cold weather and also work for being in a house that's like 26!

Getting back to the original question of this thread and shorts. Even in DC where it is disgustingly humid and hot for about 5-6 months of the year, you very rarely, I mean exceedingly rarely, ever see men wear shorts to work. But then again, the city is pretty conservative in it's fashion choices too.

I guess a lot of the advice in this thread needs to be taken for what city you live in and industry you work in. Advice for San Francisco (I was shocked at how informal people dressed for downtown work there) probably won't work in Calgary.

I mean, shorts in a workplace seems to be something I'd love, but alas, definitely a career limiter where I work.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by tripin_billie

I feel like Calgary has unique style needs in that whenever I'm there in the winter, I notice people keep their homes freaking hot! So you have to have clothes that are ok for super cold weather and also work for being in a house that's like 26!

I don't keep my place anywhere near that warm, but it's true that because it's dry you can basically wear anything you want covered only by a technical puffy. My Patagonia Hyper Puff weighs nothing yet is so warm that as long as it's dry out, you could wear it with a t shirt in -30 and be perfectly comfortable (well, on your arms and torso at least). And for most days you don't even need that. A lighter synthetic down jacket does the trick. Then you just take it off when you go indoors. So layering isn't strictly necessary here like it is in more humid places.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by tripin_billie

I'm glad it's not just me that feels like it is insanely cold here in the winter. Temperature wise, it's nothing compared to Calgary, but whenever I'm back in Calgary during winter, I feel like at -15 it still feels warmer than DC at +1 to about +5. I think it would be better if it would just get below freezing and snow, but instead it hovers right above and rains. Brutal!

I feel like Calgary has unique style needs in that whenever I'm there in the winter, I notice people keep their homes freaking hot! So you have to have clothes that are ok for super cold weather and also work for being in a house that's like 26!

Getting back to the original question of this thread and shorts. Even in DC where it is disgustingly humid and hot for about 5-6 months of the year, you very rarely, I mean exceedingly rarely, ever see men wear shorts to work. But then again, the city is pretty conservative in it's fashion choices too.

I guess a lot of the advice in this thread needs to be taken for what city you live in and industry you work in. Advice for San Francisco (I was shocked at how informal people dressed for downtown work there) probably won't work in Calgary.

I mean, shorts in a workplace seems to be something I'd love, but alas, definitely a career limiter where I work.

This times 100!

When I tried to explain this to my coworkers in DC, they'd be confused, or would tell me "you guys are probably just used to the cold weather more up on Canada."

But back to style. You're right in that style varies widely depending where you live. In DC, casual work wear means chinos or dress pants, a dress shirt and Oxford, derby or loafer shoes. Some of my coworkers would also wear ties. When it's really hot out, you can get away with wearing a polo shirt with your dress pants. Even on the weekend, people would generally "dress up" just for going out for a stroll in Georgetown or the waterfront. I found that I stopped purchasing jeans when I was out there and only had one pair of sneakers.

I moved back to Calgary in November and quickly realized that I need to go a bit more casual with my wardrobe, especially for after work. So I'm back to buying jeans and t shirts the last few months.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by _Q_

This times 100!

When I tried to explain this to my coworkers in DC, they'd be confused, or would tell me "you guys are probably just used to the cold weather more up on Canada."

But back to style. You're right in that style varies widely depending where you live. In DC, casual work wear means chinos or dress pants, a dress shirt and Oxford, derby or loafer shoes. Some of my coworkers would also wear ties. When it's really hot out, you can get away with wearing a polo shirt with your dress pants. Even on the weekend, people would generally "dress up" just for going out for a stroll in Georgetown or the waterfront. I found that I stopped purchasing jeans when I was out there and only had one pair of sneakers.

I moved back to Calgary in November and quickly realized that I need to go a bit more casual with my wardrobe, especially for after work. So I'm back to buying jeans and t shirts the last few months.

I hope none of your coworkers are wearing a dress shirt and tie with no jacket though.