I’m sick of people telling me I don’t dress well. I’m looking for tips. A few qualifiers:
Please no “it doesn’t matter what other people think” posts–if I truly didn’t care what others thought, I’d wear pyjamas and not have a girlfriend.
I like bellbottoms. Is that so wrong?
I’d prefer “preppier” clothing, just because I’m a nerd and I wouldn’t really fit in with more extreme subcultures’ dress.
Some typical clothing: turtlenecks, short- and long-sleeved button-up shirts with patterns, the occasional sportscoat, bellbottoms, baggy jeans, dressier shoes (loafers, Dack’s), and sneakers.
I can’t match colour. I’ve been told this repeatedly. What I thought went together isn’t the case, so I need hints.
So, that’s about that. Here’s a photo of a typical outfit to give you an idea. If you’d like one or two more, I’m sure I could find them. Please excuse the stupid expression on my face.
As the photo should make obvious, I’m a pale redhead. I’m tall at 6’1" and I’m very skinny, just so you have a better idea as to what I could wear. Muscle shirts are out!
Because you are a non-fat male, I’d suggest thrifting and consignment shops. Otherwise, your clothing options get expensive or ill-fitting quickly.
Don’t worry about “matching” color so much as ensuring that colors correspond properly. I’d avoid bright red, pale yellows, stuff like that given your complexion.
I’d advise you to forget fashion in favor of style, as anyone giving you “fashionable” advice is selling you bullshit. Based on the photo you have posted, you’d do well to focus on fit issues.
In the interest of full disclosure, I make my money doing this sort of thing, so I do have a pretty sound idea of where I’m coming from. Further advice available on request.
I can’t find the images, but I recall an episode with another really tall and skinny guy, where they recommended he wear tighter fitting shirts instead of all the over-sized baggy ones he usually wore. And they proved to be right that the looser shirts made him look even skinnier, whereas the tighter ones showed more definition and actually detracted from his thinness.
I like that bit of advice in the first paragraph, and I completely agree on the bit in the second one. Interestingly, I do shop at thrift stores almost entirely–the shirt and jacket in that photo are Value Village purchases.
I don’t know if this is helpful to you, but I tend to work with colors and textures using a combination of the ideas of city (sleek, refined, black/white/grey/stark colors) vs. country (more texture and warmth, earthy colors and tweeds and so forth), seasonal appropriateness, and my own mood. For example: yesterday I was wearing a red leather blazer, a grey wool V-neck sweater (very fitted), a striped Etro shirt, brown wool pants with white chalkstripes, and oxblood Bally ankle boots. It was a “day wandering around town” sort of day and I felt like playing around with some new items. Today I am wearing a crisp white shirt, a grey cashmere Holt Renfrew tie, a black shawl lapel cardigan, a grey houndstooth Dolce & Gabbana jacket, dark jeans, and black ankle boots. It’s my girlfriend’s birthday and we’re going out for the evening, so this is a bit more of an evening/city sort of thing, though the jacket, sweater, and tie in particular have nice textures that add visual interest.
The shirt and jacket were pretty clearly thrift or hand-me-down. Another option at your disposal is developing a relationship with a local tailor. A $10 thrift store suit that is slimmed to fit your physique will work much better for you than any ready-to-wear you probably care to afford, for example.
Men’s shirting in particular tends to be very blousy at affordable price points, and creates a pretty terrible silhouette. Is there any particular look you’re going for? Occupational limitations?
My advice (and advice from a lady no less) is to focus on fit, like another poster said. A great-fitting thicker turtleneck or sweater will do wonders in a navy or forest green.
Go for boot-cut, not bell bottoms. Less likely to look dated no matter which way fashion swings.
My last thing is the shoes. Seriously, don’t neglect your feet. A great pair of shoes can polish off the outfit. You don’t have to go for something completely uncomfortable, but this in black and/or brown takes a regular outfit to something a little nicer and/or polished. Skechers has some shoes that look like sneakers in style, but have nicer materials if you want to go really casual.
I would prefer an “upper class” look to a “poor university student” one (which I am, but my clothing budget isn’t completely empty). For example, of the first three pictures that Shayna posted, the third was by far my favourite.
Out of curiosity, what gave you a clue that the jacket and shirt were second-hand?
Soles like those are bad news. I’d make a serious recommendation to avoid. Under no circumstances should you wear any sort of “compromise” shoe (be it dress sneaker or Cole Haans with the Nike Air Max sole – just say no). Based on certain indicators about the way you present yourself in that photo, I think you’d do well to get yourself an inexpensive pair of chelsea boots or chukkas in a classic style.
I do agree with the recommendation for a bootcut here, although I think you might look better in straight-legged pants for certain things (I’ve found that very thin guys have their proportions thrown off a bit by flared leg openings). That said, if you’re all for bellbottoms you’re all for bellbottoms, and the hell with anyone who isn’t handing you money that objects.
Shoe-wise, I prefer dressier leather shoes to my sneakers. I wear a pair of black loafers on a regular basis, in addition to some black wing-tip ones. I have a pair of brown leather ones that look like the ones El Perro Fumando linked to, as well.
Here’s another question: how do I know what shoes go with an outfit?
The leather quality, the fit, the buttons, the collar (probably the biggest indicator), the coloration. It wasn’t a slight, if you’re wondering. Definitely has the feel of an incidental find, rather than a planned one, if you follow. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, I’ve got heaps of weird shit I’ve latched onto that I certainly didn’t set out for.
Speaking as a readhead, if you want to play up your redheadedness, wear contrasting colors. Reds and oranges make your hair look less red so stick to blues and greens. I really like red hair against blacks and greys but that may just be because those are my default clothing preferences anyway.
As far as fasion advice, bellbottoms are definitely out and boot cuts are also on the way out. A nice straight leg is what you want. Darker jean washes are back in and extreme whiskering and faded spots are starting to look passe. And, yeah, fitted shirts and sweaters will look more current and stylish that big blousy shirts.
It’s hard to give specific fashion advice since fashion is so individual and to be “fashionable”, you usually need the inclination to follow the trends. Check out the J.Crew catalog for examples of classic, preppy clothes for men.
If you really don’t care that much and just want to look presentable, make sure your clothes are in good repair. Make friends with the iron. Keep your shoes polished. Good basic grooming will go a long way towards making you seem more presentable.
For shoes, a bit of polish/cream/wax will make a huge difference if you can find nice second-hand shoes. My personal preference is for extremely low-profile shoes with an elegant last and a chiseled toebox. Things to consider in loafers, in particular, are the vamp of the shoe (this is how “high up” your foot the shoe goes, to define it poorly – I have a preference for a higher vamp, as it looks more elegant to my eye), the sole, and the toebox. Please do not wear shoes with arbitrary tread or squared off Kenneth Cole-esque toeboxes. You will look like a rube.
As far as what shoes go with an outfit, I tend to work with colors that correspond, be sure that the belt matches or corresponds. Brown shoes of decent quality will always look “richer” than black, so if you must cheap out on shoes do it in black. Poor quality brown shoes are hard to disguise.
I actually own a baggier turtleneck in that green, Caridwen. The problem I find around here with wearing straight-legged/narrower jeans is their strong association with farmers. I want to find pants that won’t look like they taper to my ankles, which pretty much anything but bellbottoms and baggy pants seem to do. I don’t get why, sadly.
I agree with the earth tones. I’ll take a couple more photos tonight or tomorrow to give a wider range of what I like to wear. Thanks everyone, so far. This is kind of fun!
Look for boot cut, which are wider and longer than “skinny” jeans that taper to the ankle, yet narrower at the foot than bell-bottoms.
Yes, darker earth tones, like brown and burgundy, as well as cool colors, such as blues (either light or dark), grays (also either light or dark), deep purples and dark greens would go nicely with your complexion. Stay away from warmer, brighter colors, such as yellows and oranges and true reds.
I may be able to find some. Another problem I have is that most of my pants are too short, and that problem gets worse as they get tighter. When I sit down, they come above my ankle.
Ohh, for what it’s worth, I love the boots in Caridwen’s latest link.
The thing I’ve noticed with jeans is you gotta spend some dough on them. I have a male friend who is about 6’ and skinny as hell. He can’t go out just anywhere and buy jeans that fit nicely. He usually has to go to Gap or ExpressMen to find nice jeans that fit right in good washes. Dark is usually better - and when they fade they often look cool. If you buy a pair of dark ones and you don’t want them to fade, washing them inside out in cold water helps slow fade down. It’s harder to get lucky in a thrift store finding jeans that fit AND had a good color/cut to them. Straight leg looks good on taller, skinnier guys, IMO.
I’d say get a couple of nice blazers - new or used - maybe in black and brown, and maybe a grey or a pinstriped one. They are an easy way to dress up an outfit. If you do it right, you can throw a blazer over a tshirt, polo, oxford or sweater and dress it up.
For shoes - I personally like square-toed dress shoes. I noticed someone else in the thread said to stay away from them, but I think it’s personal preference. Just looking through black dress shoes at Zappos, a lot of them are square toed like this pair. But it’s all up to you. And I would also recommend some cool sneakers. You’re still young and can get away with it - some Chucks, Pumas, Vans, etc look neat when paired up with some semi-dressy clothes.
I’d say also just start going into stores you wouldn’t normally go into - you never know what you will find. No wardrobe should all come from the same 2 stores. You might look at a store and think “Oh this place sucks I’ll never find anything here” but you go in and look and find an awesome shirt or something. For instance, I hate American Eagle but a friend took me in there a few years ago and I found a really cool argyle sweater. You never know.
This is all fascinating advice. I think another problem I have is not being willing to try out a style I don’t think will look good, like narrower-cut pants. My girlfriend has indicated interest in taking me shopping, which I think could be fun, since I so rarely go on any extended clothes-hunting trips.
Here, let me sum up some tidbits I’ve picked up here.
Don’t wear bright red, orange or pastels in general.
Stick to nice rich colours: burgundy, navy blue, deep green, darker brown, black.
Try out more form-fitting clothing, including pants.
Pay attention to shoes as part of the outfit, in a number of contradictory ways (;)).
Buy blazers.
Perhaps try out a pair of leather boots, rather than shoes. If in brown, be willing to pay well for them.
Those are the bits of advice that stood out. Anything to add?
