Suggestions on how to dress neatly?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Yeah I agree with what you said. I just think ideally people look better with a more casual and less athletic sneaker. So a nice sneaker you wear around town which isn’t the sneakers you wear working out. Although I certainly wouldn’t begrudge anybody if they didn’t want to own a bunch of sneakers for practical purposes.

Personally I always have a pair of running shoes and a pair of tennis shoes and I wouldn’t think to wear them around town. I also have a pair of sneakers or two I wouldn’t wear to the gym or running or on the court. I don`t know if that’s unusual but I think it’s ideal.

22

Also don’t be a fashion victim if the colours aren’t right for you. My brother actually went for a consultation with a stylist. Apparently he’s “muted cool” - it works even if the fit isn’t the best, the colours are complimentary to his complexion.

23

Crowbar,

You could get size 32 pants and check/ask if the waist can be increased by 1 inch. It seems that this way, the pants would fit in the leg area yet not be too tight at the waist. A waist alteration costs 5-10$ in Canada.

Perhaps linen, khaki or wool/wool mix pants would be good? Ever since I’ve switched, I don’t know why people wear jeans aside from those who really do need durability. If you’re in a warm climate, you might appreciate something lighter than jeans.
If it’s not too personal, what are you height and weight? Do you live in an area dominated by an ethnic group that’s usually larger than yours?

24

That makes sense. Tying it back to the OP, your t-shirt should fit properly and be clean and tidy looking, too. Again, save the holey, dirty shirts for gardening. Or changing the oil in your car. Or as rags for working on your car. :slight_smile:

25

Also try different brands. Each brand tends to cut their clothes differently.

26

Like other people said, you pretty much just have to try on lots of things. If you can, take someone who knows what looks good to check. Most people do have at least a couple of odd measurements. It’s even more of a pain in the ass if you’re obese, athletic, or really skinny; most clothes are made for “average” people, who are moderately overweight and don’t have much muscle.

Jeans come in lots of styles. I have the opposite problem from you. I can’t wear regular straight leg Levi 501s or similar because my thighs and butt are too big. A nominal 30 waist usually fits properly, with the right amount of slack, but I can barely squeeze into the legs. If I go to a 32, the waist is huge and the legs are almost comfortable. The last pair of jeans I got that fit just right—not too tight, but not loose—were 505s. They fit me like 501s do on most other people.

Try different fits, different manufacturers. I can’t wear Dickies at all because none of the proportions in anything approaching a proper waist size fits me, in any of the styles they make. Jeans themselves vary even when the nominal size is the same, so try on every pair of them to make sure they actually fit.

Shirts are easier if you’re looking for dress shirts. You can actually measure your neck, shoulder yoke, torso length, chest, and arm length to get a proper fit. Most dress shirts state neck and arm length, some have a more detailed fit. The standard large, medium, and small sizes don’t work as well because they vary a lot more.

My problem with shirt fit is that I’ve got long arms and I’m in decent shape. Something that fits in the arms and chest is usually baggy around the waist. If it fits just right in the torso, the arms are usually too short, too tight, or both. I’ve had some success with some brands of “fitted” or “tailored” fit shirts. You’ll have to try several kinds on to see what works for you.

If you’re anything like me, you hate shopping because it’s hard to find things that fit without trying on what feels like half the crap in the store. Even having a few trusted brands doesn’t save you from having to try things on to confirm, but it does help to narrow things down a bit.

27

I am 171m high (63 inches?) and weigh 152 pounds. Well where I am from Asians predominates, so I have no idea why they are selling shirts of such large cuttings. I am not even thin and found myself asking the salesperson for extra-smaller size (which they run out of).

The country I am from is even smaller than larger cities in the US, so I am sure they are selling the same type everywhere.

The problem is I have something of belly (not really protruding, sort of like a hill with gentle slope…, and yes I’m working on it!), and it’s either I end up looking bloated or with clothes too large that they hang off me.

TBH, I have never paid attention to the type of ‘fit’ and ‘cutting’. I don’t talk much to salesperson because I don’t what to ask for. Appreciate all the advice so far!

28

Another tidbit: clothes are mostly hit or miss. Sometimes you just get lucky and a particular shirt will last for years for you, but in general, bits start falling off or come undone, and the odd stain here or there starts to add up.

However, if you want to save money, invest in a good pair of shoes. I used to buy 2 pairs of $60 Florsheims every year. However, one year I said screw it, and bought a $300 pair of leather shoes with chiropractic inserts from the Walking Company. I’ve been wearing them for a good 4 years now, so overall I’ve saved $180 so far.

29

The t-shirt and jeans combination can very often look sloppy or unflattering. You could throw on a sharp blazer to dress it up a bit. It would also make the belly less obvious. I agree that if you can’t find brands that fit you, you should bring your clothes to a tailor. And avoid flip flops unless you are going to the beach or living in the tropics (oh wait…) or something; it ruins what could otherwise be a nice look

30

You’re just a little shorter and lighter than I am and I don’t have any problems finding clothes. Unless our local shops stock quite different clothes, it doesn’t seem to be a size issue.

Also, your BMI is average, I don’t understand why you’d have a belly. Does your lower back hurt? If so, your belly could be due to bad posture.

31

Here in the U.S., the better quality clothing stores usually have salespeople who know about fit and know their product. A good salesman can be very helpful in finding the items that look best on you. The clothes will cost more than at some other stores, but can be well worth the extra cost when they fit properly and make you look good (they also tend to last longer).

Perhaps you can find a store in your area that has a good salesman like this. It could save you a lot of shopping time.

32

I highly recommend this. Lots of people say they wouldn’t dream of doing this but I have 3 of the exact same shirt in different colors (one blue, one pink, one white with tiny purple polka dots) and each time I wear one I get complimented. Very few people notice that it is the same shirt, they just notice that I look awesome. I have at least 2 of pretty much everything in my wardrobe and if I get out and about and find that an item looks really great and fits really well I will go back and buy more of them as soon as I possibly can.

33

I have the inverse problem - I have huge, muscular thighs, and if I find jeans that fit my thighs, 90% of the time they’ll be massive on my waist. This is, of course, with shopping mall jeans; J.Crew actually goes by the waist, so those work best.

OP, are you shopping exclusively at a big-box store? It would be worthwhile to check out a Gap, J.Crew, Pac Sun, and any outlet stores (if you have any). Malls are all too often worthless if you want to look crisp and put together.

Also, for guys, simply becoming more muscular and trim overall will make inexpensive clothes look good. One of my good friends - before he graduated college and got a real job - literally wore Hanes heavyweight tshirts and plain jeans and plain white Reeboks to school every day. He never looked like a slob - like most people would - because he was fit. He could pull it off because he was muscular and the clothes simply “hung” on him well. If you find finding clothes frustrating, just know that working out harder will make you able to wear what you have without frustration.

34

Assuming he means 171cm, so about 5’7" and change, he’s also just a tiny bit shorter than me, and about the same weight. I have a bunch of muscle taking up those pounds, but I also definitely still have a small spare tire, and if I was 152 with the muscle mass that I had 5 years ago, it’d be… um… a full size spare. It’s not overweight so much as the higher end of average.

As for what I wear that fits well, for casual stuff it’s usually smalls or mediums in slim fit, depending on brand. For jeans and work pants it’s just trial and error to find something that will fit my enormous thighs at my weird size (31x31) while still making my butt look good. It can be hard but they’re out there. The hardest part is definitely dress shirts; nothing fits quite right around neck, shoulders, and midsection unless I get it tailored, unfortunately.

35

consider putting a short sleeved shirt that buttons over the t-shirt - its a good look for the tropics - needs to fit in the shoulders, but can cover up a little tummy, gets worn untucked so you don’t need to worry (as much) about the waist and the cut of your pants at the waist.

36

That’s cheating! :smiley:

If I had elephant balls, I would look good in anything too.

37

I believe I did notice a Gap somewhere. Most of the clothes are imported from other countries. Some more recognizable brands around here are Bossini (which I believe is HK-based), Samuel and Kelvin, Bum, Gap, Hang Ten, Giordano etc.

Now for a dumb question. I notice that at times when I try on polo shirts or shirts that fit, the shape of my nipples become rather distinct (male here, if anyone missed me saying so). Is this normal?

38

That bumps and stuff appear when you wear clothes: yes, it is normal.

That a dude would be bothered by their nipples showing: no, it’s not.

39

Ha, thanks.

40

Wait, a size S shirt from Giordano is too big for you? I’ve gotten stuff from there and they weren’t cut as abysmally large as, say, Gap. Or does their stuff vary from country to country?