Men's Fashion Sources - on a budget?

[Jberto]

I'm looking for good sources of affordable men's fashion - either in print, on the web, or whatever. My wife says I have good taste but I personally hate shopping and the hit-and-miss nature of going to the store. I'm looking for solid, already available advice that says "buy this, do this, you'll look like a million dollars."

Oh, and I don't have a million dollars to spend. I make a decent, middle class living but have a wife, kid, mortgage, car payment, etc. I usually balk at GQ because they'll picture really nice shirts for (choke!) $250. I can't afford to spend $1500 on a single outfit.

I'm in my early 30's but I look like I'm in my mid-late 20's, so I can wear younger styles. I'm not interested in the suit-and-tie look. I want something that looks professional but stands out as different in a normal corporate environment.

So, any good sources for this type of information? Do I just need to modify what I find in GQ and look for it at the local Kohl's? Do I need to get a fashion consultant? Or do I just have to bite the bullet and start shopping upscale?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

[mecaenas]

askmen.com might be a good place to start.

[Harmonix]

If you live in L.a Or hollywood you can find stores that sell clothes from movie wardrobes after the movies are done filming. Theres one in burbank called... out of the closet(I think!). I've never been there, but my female friend swears it's a great place to get clothes for women AND men. I'm going to check it out myself when I get back to L.a for spring break.

[medstar]

I tried to answer this earlier but the hamsters destroyed my message . . .

Anyhow, go to Macy's or Nordstrom's and ask for a consultation with a personal shopper. This individual will pull clothing together (at no cost to the customer) that suits the customer. The personal shopper can suggest lower cost items and notify the customer when new shipments come in and give give advance notice of sales. This might help.

[manhattan]

This is really more an IMHO kind of thing, so I'll shoot it over there.

It might help you get answers if you give your location other than Funkytown -- often the best budget suits are available at local or small-chain establishments.

[Jberto]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. In the spirit of mahanttan's suggestion, I live in Omaha, Nebraska. We do have some upscale stores here (Von Maur, Dillard's, One Pacific Place), but they have always been very expensive, and for whatever reason sales on men's clothes tend to be only on whatever is going out of style (I suppose that's just the way it is).

A friend suggested watching for clearance sales at these and other stores, but unfortunately those sales mostly occur right after the Christmas season.

I like the personal shopper idea. I'll see if any of our local outlets have such an option.

[Kalhoun]

My son found a beautiful designer suit at the resale shop for about $40. You can do the same with more casual stuff.

Another thing I like to do is go to one of the finer shops and look at the mannequins. Make a mental note of each element of the outfit and then go to a cheaper store and find look-alikes for those items. You get the pulled-together look for much less. It works for me!!

[Atrael]

Originally posted by Jberto
We do have some upscale stores here (Von Maur, Dillard's, One Pacific Place), but they have always been very expensive, and for whatever reason sales on men's clothes tend to be only on whatever is going out of style (I suppose that's just the way it is).

A friend suggested watching for clearance sales at these and other stores, but unfortunately those sales mostly occur right after the Christmas season.

I rarely have luck with any sort of "all in one" shopping spree. I tend to keep in mind what I have in my closet, and pick up pieces that I see that will go with what I have, especially if they're on sale. And sale's don't just happen after Christmas. They usually happen right before the season's change. Right now for example, a lot of stores are clearing out their winter stock, to make room for summer outfits. I just picked up 3 sweaters, and a pair of Dockers from Dillard's for $52. Regular price for the sweaters? $50 each. I would never pay that much because I don't often wear sweaters...but when they're marked down to like $7, then it's worth it to pick a couple up.

So what I'm advising is to not look at shopping as a one time affair, but rather as an ongoing process of building a complete wardrobe.

Good Luck.