Making over my new wardrobe
 

Hello EDF,

I am in need of a new wardrobe. My knowledge of what defines good clothing does not extend beyond The Gap and Express, and in general I am a slob with fashion. I am about to turn 21 and I need to upgrade from my current array of random tee-shirts, polos and my one pair of trusty jeans.

- Here is me at my best just so we all know what to work with, with my standard pair of jeans and sandal combination. And hey, my new car!

the above photo is like the best I can possibly get myself to look (never mind the fact that a new haircut and actually working out couldnt hurt, I am working on that, we're focusing on wardrobe for now). Usually I am wearing those jeans with a random tee shirt i picked up from a sports store or a wal mart, and when not wearing that I'll stick to athletic shorts and a random tee. I have worn sandals pretty exclusively for the last year regardless of weather, and I think that needs to stop as well.

- i think i was trying to be retarded in front of the camera

So, I guess in a way this is sort of a continuation from my car thread where I am trying to vastly improve a single aspect of my life where the knowledge required to do it is something I'm incredibly lacking in (and I wont go in the direction of listening to what a magazine tells me nor will I shell out money for a personal stylist unless people really recommend it). Simply put, my sense of style kinda sucks and I need a complete overhaul and I'm pretty much willing to do whatever EDF tells me.

We are talking complete wardrobe. This extends down to every single piece of clothing or article (belt, shoes) that a 20 yo should want to look good. The goal in this is so I can have the knowledge in clothing to better my own self image and self esteem, and others like me to draw from it and better their own lives, because I think 2p2 has a lot of style f*ck-ups like me.

For a start, I bought the shirt I'm wearing in the first photo, plus i bought a few shirts like this from express in different colors which I'll wear at nice places like WPT Niagara. However the rest of my clothing I am completely ready and willing to donate to charity, so let's have it EDF. Please help me with a new wardrobe.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Nordstrom has some nice stuff.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Specifically I like a lot of their long sleeve tees.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

1) Stop shopping at Express and Gap.

2) What is your budget

3) How tall are you

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

what sort of style do you personally like or dislike? i'm getting the impression that sot of messy blended with preppy might be OK?

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

I wish I could help you Clayton, but more than half my wardrobe is from Old Navy.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

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1) Stop shopping at Express and Gap.

2) What is your budget

3) How tall are you

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1) ok

2) infinite, but reasonable. i dont know what is normal to spend, but i'm willing to plunk down a couple thousand. should i spend less/more?

3) 5'9

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

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what sort of style do you personally like or dislike? i'm getting the impression that sot of messy blended with preppy might be OK?

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yeah, thats what i'm going for, but throwing in stuff that looks good from a professional sense (like the shirt picture i posted in the OP).

i feel like my current wardrobe projects the wrong image, and I want to get a little more sophisticated without sacrificing the fact that I'm still 20 years old.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Do people think Express is really that bad?

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

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Do people think Express is really that bad?

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Express isn't bad. Especially on sale. The problem with it is that if you only shop there, you look like every other college guy who got dressed up to go to a bar.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

I started writing an incredibly long reply but I don't think it's really needed - I think all you need to remember is to keep it simple. You don't need a stylist - you just need to get more involved in clothes. It's like anything - the more you get into it the easier it is to create/define your style. The more you start to refine your own feeling towards things like cardigans, man-purses and wife-beaters then the easier you will find it all.

The photo where you say you were looking retarded looks fine. You seem to value comfort so stick to jeans, polos, short-sleeved shirts and then when you need to dress it up it's pretty easy. Plainer, fitted clothes look more professional - logos, baggy, stripes etc. look younger.

The accessories are much more important than you'd think though - nice watch and good shoes can often do more than changing to a 'non Gap' brand for more visible things.

Take some time over it and don't just bin everything immediately and buy a whole new image. Think about what brands portray and what you want to be associated with. Seriously.

Go out there and try stuff on. Go into every shop at first. Over time you will find things/places you do/don't like. From your initial post I think this will benefit you more than a bunch of links to products other people like. Although I'm more than happy to do that...

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

take a girl with you shopping. not as a date but be like 'hey, my clothes suck, come to the mall on saturday with me help me pick out some good stuff'. ull get a new wardrobe and get to spend the afternoon gettin to know a cute chick. easy game.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
take a girl with you shopping. not as a date but be like 'hey, my clothes suck, come to the mall on saturday with me help me pick out some good stuff'. ull get a new wardrobe and get to spend the afternoon gettin to know a cute chick. easy game.

[/ QUOTE ]

thats placing an awful lot of faith in one girl, no? We are talking an entire wardrobe and I get the impression I shouldnt be looking for clothes in a mall (?).

but i like your thinking either way.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

these are just clothes you need for college/hanging out/going out, right?

get some nice pairs of jeans. Paper Denim, 7, something like that. dark is good (dark blue), and they shouldn't be baggy, but they don't need to be tight.

t shirts are fine as long as they are interesting/cool and not athletics. try oddica.com, they have some great t shirts and hoodies.

for shoes, check out my thread a few down. some people made some great suggestions for shoes to wear with jeans.

and to dress up a little bit, get a blazer or 2. if you have a Zara or H&M near you should be able to pick up something that looks nice and is cheap. banana republic is another option for this.

for dressier shirts, I would also try zara or maybe Penguin. they make cool stuff that won't make you look to stuffy.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
take a girl with you shopping. not as a date but be like 'hey, my clothes suck, come to the mall on saturday with me help me pick out some good stuff'. ull get a new wardrobe and get to spend the afternoon gettin to know a cute chick. easy game.

[/ QUOTE ]

thats placing an awful lot of faith in one girl, no? We are talking an entire wardrobe and I get the impression I shouldnt be looking for clothes in a mall (?).

but i like your thinking either way.

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By all means take a girl shopping with you, but for God sakes don't listen to a word she says. Women have the worst taste in men's clothing.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

ty KB4Z and Manque this is setting the thread in the right direction

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
ty KB4Z and Manque this is setting the thread in the right direction

[/ QUOTE ]

ok just order ur clothes online.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Clayton,

Don't buy clothes online that you haven't tried on.

Here's what I'd suggest:

1) pick up a few staples at banana republic (or j crew, or american apparel, or all of them). colored tshirts, khakis or linen pants, maybe some other form of pant.

2) head to nordstrom. even if you don't decide to buy anything (or much) there, just walk around and get some ideas. I picked up a few Penguin polos there, and was happy with those. They have enough youth to them that I don't feel like a douche, but enough class that I feel I can wear them to work. (in general, I'm a pretty big fan of polo short sleeves, but that's just me.)

At Nordstrom you'll also see a huge selection of button up shirts. Pick a few you like and just buy them.

If you don't have great jeans already, buy yourself 2 or 3 pair, somewhere. Ask the advice/help of the store people selling jeans, and remember they should be tight when you buy them. Your first few pairs of jeans, don't buy anything that you would only wear "when you go to a club" or whatever.

3) Pick up a suit, or a sportcoat, or both, if you don't have ones you like already. The Nordstrom half yearly men's sale is good for this.

Go through you closet and really honestly look at everything you've got right now and evaluate it. If you've got stuff that just sits in the closet and you never ever wear it, get rid of it. If you've got stuff that you wear sometimes, but don't like the fit, get rid of it. Etc.

I wear a pretty similar look, I think. A few good pairs of jeans, a few shirts you like, and some non jeans pants are a great way to start. But don't skimp on the basics. Gap t shirts are t shirts, but the fit is terrible on almost anyone (especially anyone close to skinny). Pay a little more elsewhere and get something that fits.

Hope some of that helps.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ty KB4Z and Manque this is setting the thread in the right direction

[/ QUOTE ]

ok just order ur clothes online.

[/ QUOTE ]

whoa im sry i didnt mean to hate on ur post, poor wording. wasnt thinking @ the time i guess pokering, that came off rly dickish. my b.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Think of your wardrobe as a more progressive thing. Don't go buying all your clothes for the year at one time. That being said I would start buying better basic stuff and working my way from there.

With regard to jeans, judging from your pics you should probably stick w/ a bootcut. If you don't know exactly what you're doing definitely don't buy jeans online, as a lot of times it's difficult to judge the rise, the way they keep their shape, etc...In terms of brands I think 7s are probably what you're looking for.

For t-shirts I tend stay away from stuff that looks really trendy like Affliction and stuff w/ rhinestones and studs on it. You can probably be a decent judge of what looks good and what doesn't for t-shirts. I'm not sure how much geography plays into this but I have a ton of hoodies. Well made or stylish ones can be pretty expensive, but that's one of the things I don't mind paying extra for. Hope that helps.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Oh and whatever you do don't buy skinny jeans. They look [censored] ridiculous.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
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take a girl with you shopping. not as a date but be like 'hey, my clothes suck, come to the mall on saturday with me help me pick out some good stuff'. ull get a new wardrobe and get to spend the afternoon gettin to know a cute chick. easy game.

[/ QUOTE ]

thats placing an awful lot of faith in one girl, no? We are talking an entire wardrobe and I get the impression I shouldnt be looking for clothes in a mall (?).

but i like your thinking either way.

[/ QUOTE ]

By all means take a girl shopping with you, but for God sakes don't listen to a word she says. Women have the worst taste in men's clothing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on who you are trying to please. If you are concerned with if you will like them then you should shop for yourself. If you want the girl to like what you are wearing then I would certainly take her advice. I agree men and women completely different taste. I suspect you already have a wardrobe that you like for yourself, so maybe taking the suggestion of a girl at this stage would be a GOOD idea.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

man, this is rly easy. get stuff that looks good on you, i look really good in thermal shirts, so i have like five and wear tham all the time in the winter, i look good in aero polos, so i wear them in the summer. combine that with hoodies for casual (usually sports teams, bt that's preference) and a leather jacket in winter, with real simple jeans nothing real gay or anything, and you've got yourself a wardrobe.

honestly, i'm terrible at this, but everyone seems to think i'm a genius or something- i somehow get compliments despite this being a huge weakpoint for me. also buy some decent shoes like docs but they rly don't have to be anything special.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Go to the Tangers outlet mall, get some nice collared shirts and some decent pants for like 1/2 what they would cost you at a regular place.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
take a girl with you shopping. not as a date but be like 'hey, my clothes suck, come to the mall on saturday with me help me pick out some good stuff'. ull get a new wardrobe and get to spend the afternoon gettin to know a cute chick. easy game.

[/ QUOTE ]

thats placing an awful lot of faith in one girl, no?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. No easy answer. Girls who are friends are kind of hard to come by. You want some opinions, but you don't know if you can trust them or not. How do you know they don't just have strange taste?

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Go in your closet and toss any shoes that arent:

Black
Brown
for a specific athletic purpose.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Seriously Express is that bad

I'm assuming your not into Prada and other high end labels right?

Go to revolveclothing.com

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2410/trjeansqn3.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2995/monarchrw8.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3756/pumanx7.jpg


Is this what you are looking for? More dressed up? More dressed down?

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

A big problem is that I have only lived in major metropolitan areas (NYC, LA, and now SF). I have no idea what is acceptable where Clayton lives.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
take a girl with you shopping. not as a date but be like 'hey, my clothes suck, come to the mall on saturday with me help me pick out some good stuff'. ull get a new wardrobe and get to spend the afternoon gettin to know a cute chick. easy game.

[/ QUOTE ]

thats placing an awful lot of faith in one girl, no? We are talking an entire wardrobe and I get the impression I shouldnt be looking for clothes in a mall (?).

but i like your thinking either way.

[/ QUOTE ]

Find a girl with some style of her own. You don't have to pick everything she says, but its generally better to pick stuff that girls think look good. Or you could just get the gay guy at the gap to help you. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

penguin penguin penguin

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
penguin penguin penguin

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Nice rec, but I don't think he has the body type to wear Penguin polos; they tend to be tight and you generally need to be in good shape to pull it off

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
take a girl with you shopping. not as a date but be like 'hey, my clothes suck, come to the mall on saturday with me help me pick out some good stuff'. ull get a new wardrobe and get to spend the afternoon gettin to know a cute chick. easy game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Clayton, Raptor is on the money here. I do this all the time. The girls pick a bunch of clothes and I try them all on. There then has to be an agreement amongst both of us that the outfit works. If you're concerned about the tastes of one girl, go shopping at two different times with two different girls to get a variety.

Your clothes in the first pic (leaning on the car) aren't too bad. I strongly suggest ditching the sandals (no matter how comfortable they are), and getting a hip pair of flip flops or some cool shoes (be they trainers, leather dress shoes, whatever). Although having said that I'm from Australia and not completely up to date on American fashion.

Stop hitting Wal-mart for T-shirts. Yes magazines advertise a lot of "fake" stuff or whatever. But here's the thing, in a lot of it you actually look good and feel better. And girls want to shag you more often. It's worth the stupid mark up for the same piece of material. Just my opinion. I'm not familiar with the best fashion stores to hit in the States.

Good luck.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

I just picked up these Tods last week. They are pretty sweet.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7339/todsps9.jpg

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

i 2nd tod's -- they're my favorite shoe brand. really really nice, low key shoes

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
Seriously Express is that bad

I'm assuming your not into Prada and other high end labels right?

Go to revolveclothing.com

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2410/trjeansqn3.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/2995/monarchrw8.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3756/pumanx7.jpg


Is this what you are looking for? More dressed up? More dressed down?

[/ QUOTE ]

I like those pants. Just make sure they are not the triangle button pockets. I think those would look really bad on Clayton.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

[ QUOTE ]
i 2nd tod's -- they're my favorite shoe brand. really really nice, low key shoes

[/ QUOTE ]

I really like tod's just dont get them wet.

I bought these for the spring/summer http://www.neimanmarcus.com/products/mn/NMN9099_mn.jpg

Some people said I look like an old man in them. I think they sweet.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Zara stuff is really sick, i like everything ive ever gotten from there

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

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Zara stuff is really sick, i like everything ive ever gotten from there

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zara is decent but once you can spend some cash there are nicer things. Zara is a decent place to start though.

Honestly you can just go down to the mall or wherever and look around for awhile. Visit every store, even ones you've never been into before. After a few trips you'll start picking up on what is fashionable. Look at what other guys you go to school with are wearing. If you think something looks cool point it out to a girl friend of yours and ask her what she thinks. Eventually you'll start developing a taste for good fashion and then you start building a wardrobe in your style.

Or just fly Flawless_victory in.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

Whoever said penguin, can you please point me to what you like because im checking out their website and dont see much I fancy.

Re: Making over my new wardrobe
 

If you want dress shirts id recommend getting some two tone shirts or as this site calls them contrast collar. I picked up on this trend last spring but its still going on and definitely isnt overplayed yet where I live. When I see people selling this [censored] at urban outfitters ill know the fad is done. Very eighties baller. Just make sure that it isnt only the collar that is white but the cuffs as well.

http://men.style.com/theupgrader/sty.../Nom-de-Guerre