high quality clothing?

[alan lx]

Yes. I will try the men's warehouse. Thanks. I forget about that place.

[Jarrett]

You can make a cheap suit look like a great suit if you have it fitted. Look on Yelp for your area and find someone who can take the sides in and make the suit conform to your body without tightening it in the chest.

And since we're talking about suits and pants, if you have pleated fronts then it's okay to go with a cuffed bottom. If you have flat fronts you do a straight hem on the legs. Some people choose to do it differently but it's not what is typically done in nicer suits.

Also, depending on your body, you may have to buy the jacket and pants as separates. The industry standard in suits is a -6 which means that the pants paired with a particular jacket are 6 numerical sizes lower than the jacket's chest size. In my case, I'm a 42R, but I have a size 32 waist. If I bought suits instead of separates then I'd be stuck with a size 36 waist. In some cases, since dress pants fit differently than jeans, it's best to buy a size or two larger and have the waist taken in to your shape. Just make sure the legs aren't too baggy if you go larger.

There's a classic way to wear a suit and then there's a bunch of wrong ways.

[deevergote]

The good thing is, most people don't know the difference
Then again, those people will look at someone who does know, and they'll wonder why that person manages to look so good.

I actually didn't know all that, Jarrett. Good info!

Now I wanna take my suits to the cleaners. Both are in need of cleaning.

[Ralphie]

You can make a cheap suit look like a great suit if you have it fitted. Look on Yelp for your area and find someone who can take the sides in and make the suit conform to your body without tightening it in the chest.

And since we're talking about suits and pants, if you have pleated fronts then it's okay to go with a cuffed bottom. If you have flat fronts you do a straight hem on the legs. Some people choose to do it differently but it's not what is typically done in nicer suits.

Also, depending on your body, you may have to buy the jacket and pants as separates. The industry standard in suits is a -6 which means that the pants paired with a particular jacket are 6 numerical sizes lower than the jacket's chest size. In my case, I'm a 42R, but I have a size 32 waist. If I bought suits instead of separates then I'd be stuck with a size 36 waist. In some cases, since dress pants fit differently than jeans, it's best to buy a size or two larger and have the waist taken in to your shape. Just make sure the legs aren't too baggy if you go larger.

There's a classic way to wear a suit and then there's a bunch of wrong ways.

This guy.

He knows his shit.

[alan lx]

^^^ All Very true. I know a couple guys and their background. I know they dont spend a fortune on their suits and they actually look well.

And then i know a few guys that's obvious they have spent a lot on a nice suit but they look like Bozo the Clown!

[deevergote]

Some super expensive designer suits look absolutely horrid. Dolce & Gabbana has crazy expensive stuff, and I think everything they have looks like ass.

Classic styles are best. Even a slightly dated classic style is acceptable, whereas a slightly dated "high fashion" style will be laughable in a year.

[Jarrett]

This seems to be well-received so I'll toss out a few more suggestions when shopping for suits.

Avoid places like Marshall's, Stein Mart and K&G Fashions like the plague. I'm sure there are tons more that I'm just not thinking of or are just regional to you. They lure you in by offering suits from supposedly decent brands like Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein at cheap prices. If you don't know any better then you think it's a great deal. They're all polyester. A good suit will always be wool or a wool blend with other natural fibers. Those places are offering you suits that cost $10-15 to make for roughly $150-200. If you've shopped for suits at a men's clothing store or a department store you know how much cheaper that is than a typical suit. It's not worth it. Outside of safety vests and the exterior lining of thick winter coats polyester is a horrible material.

Don't be so brand conscious. The best suits at men's clothing stores most people haven't even heard of. Don't think that because something has a Giorgio Armani label on it that it's the best thing on the planet. So many companies out there benefit from the general naievity of consumerism. Clothing is one of the main culprits here. However, this doesn't mean that a good suit will be cheap. Just know that it will be an investment. A good charcoal suit will be great for weddings, funerals, interviews and formal nights. It also comes off much better than casually dressing for occasions that you shouldn't.

A 2-button suit works on nearly everyone. A 3-button looks out of place on most people under 6'-2", and even then only looks good if it has closer button spacing than a typical 2-button. If they raise the lapels to fit another button then it starts to look like a straight jacket instead of a suit. When wearing a suit you should always consider the bottom button as decoration and not functional. It should never be buttoned. That's an immediate giveaway that you don't know how to wear a suit. You don't want to cast this impression to an employer.

I think there was something else I wanted to add but I can't remember now.

[deevergote]

Good info, Jarrett. Perhaps we should take all this and transfer it to a new thread on suits!

Also, just to add... a classic company that always makes relatively affordable, well made suits is Brooks Brothers. Never flashy, but always sensible.

[alan lx]

^^^ Agreed. Good info Jarrett. Keep it coming if you have more. Shoot, like Deev said, lets just start a new thread about suits and formal wear. You guys may think I am crazy, but one of favorite pair of pants is the dark blue Cintas uniform pants. They go with most shirts and are comfortable and i have two pair that i have had for a long time.
Also, for jeans, i have two pair of CC Schmidt, i got at TSC that seem to be durable. One pair is brown like Carhart. They seem to be made from good material.

[Jarrett]

+1 for Brooks Brothers. I really like a lot of their dress/sport shirts. Their patterns are bright and colorful but subdued at the same time so that it's not too loud underneath a great suit.

[SanJoCaF22DrAcc]

I picked up some Carhartt Ripstops a while back and couldn't of been more pleased. They are perfect for working. However I ended up using them to go out and stuff.

[faqncb7]

I rock carhartts all the time for work and other stuff I like um but there expensive.

[deevergote]

Quality rarely comes cheap.

[steelbluesleepR]

i love that brooks brothers and carhartt are being spoken about in the same thread in subsequent posts lol

[deevergote]

Hey, they're affordable high quality clothing... suited to different situations!
TypeG didn't specify what sort of clothing he's looking for.