Beginner to intermediate wardrobing

[JohnnyGalt]

How goes it fellas,

Long time lurker, first time poster. Little background for you first: Just started working at a real corporate job at the end of the summer. I've got most of the business dress basics in "beginner brands" ie Johnston and Murphy shoes, JAB suits, etc, with some nicer stuff I got on discount. Looking for some advice on how to make the jump to things like AE shoes, suit supply suits, etc.

I work in and office in NYC. I'm required to wear a tie and coat every day, but for the majority of most days I sit at my desk with no jacket on, tie loosened with top button unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up, which seems to be the standard for the office. I also need to have access to a sportcoat/blazer everyday in case I need to meet with a client on short notice. I need to wear a suit for presentations once a week, and for the rest of the time trousers and sportcoat should be enough to do the trick. I'd like to also have one "nice" suit for special presentations or meetings with very important clients. We also have casual fridays where chinos, loafers and a button up seems to be the choice for most of the office.

I don't really know how to describe my personal style except to say that I PRL and BB (well dressed, conservative leaning but definitely some room for fashion). I was an athlete in college so I'm built pretty thick with broad shoulders, big thighs and a big butt - about 6'1, 205 lbs. I have about $1000-1200 set aside right now to make some immediate purchases, but would probably be able to spend about double that over the next 2-3 months to put together a solid rotation of pants, suits, shirts and shoes.

My goal is to be able have a solid day to day rotation that will last me a while and also have one nice outfit that I can wear on important days. I think I've provided enough information, but if you guys need to know anything else I'd be glad to answer any questions. Cheers, SF!

 

[Thanks SF (a new me)]

take a deep breath and slow down...welcome to the forum Johnny....

 

[JohnnyGalt]

Here's the current situation of my wardrobe:

2x suits (JAB sig gold navy pinstripe and mid-grey semi solid)
2x cap toe oxfords from Johnston and Murphy - black and burgundy (although the burgundy pair is about shot)
1x burgundy penny loafers
Black and burgundy belts to match the shoes
2x BB dress trouser (Khaki and Med Gray)
1x Burberry dress trouser in Black
Nice PRL blazer with gold buttons
A large assortment of dress shirts:
2x light blue spread collar dress shirts from BB
1x white spread collar dress shirts from Polo
1x pink spread collar dress shirt from Polo
4-6 white b/d collar dress shirts from Polo
I don't have a mid-weight coat, but I do have a Burberry trench with removable liner.
I also don't have a nice bag/briefcase, just a generic nylon laptop bag (Targa? I think)

Here are the purchases that I had planned on making after reading and researching, I was wondering if the all knowing SF would have any comments or corrections on my path:

1 - pair of wool flannel trousers in charcoal (thinking PRL off ebay at about $150, maybe HY)
2 - pair of brown AE wingtips (strand in bourbon? I'm able to get AE at a discount so these would be about $200. Already have med brown belt to match)
3 - switch the gold buttons on my blazer to dark horn? I wore the blazer and a repp stripe tie the other day and a coworker made a a comment along the lines of me looking like I'm in prep school
4 - Suit supply dark charcoal suit (Maybe Napoli? With alterations I think that would probably be about $550-600, maybe just go with the blue line MTM which I heard starts at $600)
5 - Sportcoat that could go with any of my trousers, to give the blazer a little rest. Not sure where to get this from ~$200-250
6 - Dress shirt makeover - replace most of the BD collars with new spread collared shirts, 2-3 blue shirts, maybe 1-2 white with patterns, turn the classic fits shirts I like into slim fit shirts at the tailor. All together spend maybe 250-300
7 - Not really sure where to go at this point. Nice bag? I kind of feel like a scrub walking around in a nice suit, shoes and jacket while carrying a piece of crap laptop bag. Maybe $3-500 on a decent leather bag? Maybe take that money and get another suit in Navy?

 

[Tailor Dan]



Here's the current situation of my wardrobe:

2x suits (JAB sig gold navy pinstripe and mid-grey semi solid)
2x cap toe oxfords from Johnston and Murphy - black and burgundy (although the burgundy pair is about shot)
1x burgundy penny loafers
Black and burgundy belts to match the shoes
2x BB dress trouser (Khaki and Med Gray)
1x Burberry dress trouser in Black
Nice PRL blazer with gold buttons
A large assortment of dress shirts:
2x light blue spread collar dress shirts from BB
1x white spread collar dress shirts from Polo
1x pink spread collar dress shirt from Polo
4-6 white b/d collar dress shirts from Polo
I don't have a mid-weight coat, but I do have a Burberry trench with removable liner.
I also don't have a nice bag/briefcase, just a generic nylon laptop bag (Targa? I think)

Here are the purchases that I had planned on making after reading and researching, I was wondering if the all knowing SF would have any comments or corrections on my path:

1 - pair of wool flannel trousers in charcoal (thinking PRL off ebay at about $150, maybe HY)
2 - pair of brown AE wingtips (strand in bourbon? I'm able to get AE at a discount so these would be about $200. Already have med brown belt to match)
3 - switch the gold buttons on my blazer to dark horn? I wore the blazer and a repp stripe tie the other day and a coworker made a a comment along the lines of me looking like I'm in prep school
4 - Suit supply dark charcoal suit (Maybe Napoli? With alterations I think that would probably be about $550-600, maybe just go with the blue line MTM which I heard starts at $600)
5 - Sportcoat that could go with any of my trousers, to give the blazer a little rest. Not sure where to get this from ~$200-250
6 - Dress shirt makeover - replace most of the BD collars with new spread collared shirts, 2-3 blue shirts, maybe 1-2 white with patterns, turn the classic fits shirts I like into slim fit shirts at the tailor. All together spend maybe 250-300
7 - Not really sure where to go at this point. Nice bag? I kind of feel like a scrub walking around in a nice suit, shoes and jacket while carrying a piece of crap laptop bag. Maybe $3-500 on a decent leather bag? Maybe take that money and get another suit in Navy?

First things first. Before all that, get a good navy suit. Lots of room for all. Find a good off peg or get one made for your size and shape. Look to WAYWRN thread for extra ideas as a start. Could go on all day about advice but that is the first thing I think most important. One of the least imaginative but best looking suits if bought or made right. Plain wool will do. Nothing too fancy in super numbers. Stay between super 100's and super 160's. nothing shiny!!!

 

[clarksdb]

Well seems like you have a pretty good idea of what you're doing and what you want to do. That's the key to getting a good start.

Well the AE Strand is actually a cap toe shoe and not a wingtip. So if you specifically want a wingtip you might want to look at another AE model (Mcallister, Jefferson) so you don't get disappointed in the future when you realize it's not actually a wingtip. I would say 3 nice AE shoes is a good start for a rotation: black, burgundy, and brown. I would say Park Avenue in black to get the black captoe covered, Strand in brown and Mcallister in burgundy for example. You say you already have a penny loafer, so you can just add another AE penny perhaps in the summer or so if you like.

I can tell you Howard Yount pants are really NICE and cannot be beat at that price range. Check the Howard Yount affiliate thread too if you want to get any info.

Yeah I'm personally sticking with just Howard Yount for pants (have 3 now), Allen Edmonds for shoes (have 2 with plans of adding 2 more on the next sale), and getting shirts MTM for around $70 each at this place here in Toronto.

 

[JohnnyGalt]

@Tailor Dan thanks for the tip. You think I should go navy over charcoal for a first suit? I'm probably looking at 110s for the durability.

@Clarks yeah I know the strand isn't really a true wingtip, I guess I could have said I'm looking for a shoe with some perforations and broguing. I actually like the mcallister over the strand, but I love the bourbon color and think it would be more versatile than walnut

 

[Claghorn]

My vote is charcoal over navy. But you probably can't go wrong with either of them. And with the right navy jacket, it might be possible to use it with multiple trousers (something which you definitely can't do with charcoal...I bought a charcoal odd jacket once...and everyone thought it was orphaned, both here and IRL)

 

[MyOtherLife]

Welcome to Styleforum JohnnyGalt.
Upgrading or tweaking a wardrobe is not something to be entered into lightly on a weekend spree before doing some research.
Were I you, I would put an immediate hold on all spending at this time. The reason is that you already have the essentials and it will be more prudent to take the rest of the year and develop some further skills here on SF.
What I recommend, and you may not like this, would be to provide a series of photos for us, showing what you already have.
Example, lay out all dress shirts flat on a bed and take a photo. Lay out all of your dress and intended casual shoes on the floor, sort of a shoe army, and photo those. Then do the same for ties, etc. Post the photos here. From here we can make better suggestions for you and your later purchases will be better enjoyed from the input you will gain from the forum.
These are photos I would like to see:
-Shirts (1 photos of dress shirts & 1 photo of casual shirts, including polo shirts, etc.)
-Shoes (all of them)
-Ties
-Sweaters
-Pants (dress, casual & denim)
-Socks (layed out flat)
-Jackets
-Topcoats & Raincoats
-Hats (if any)
-Belts (layed flat on a bed or table)

Another thing I would point out is to now re-discover your own city in what it offers in menswear, factory outlets, where to buy off-season, etc. all of which you can learn here. In this way you are honing some serious skills that will not only save you money, but will slow down your impulse to spend and instead develop a discipline in spending. It will also make for more rewarding purchases.
Again, you may not want to go through this effort but if we were to see what you have, we will be able to faster sopt out what you may be in need of, or what you may want to consider.
If you are up to this challenge, we are standing by.

 

[Claghorn]

slow down your impulse to spend and instead develop a discipline in spending.

I doubt there is a man on the forum from whom these words should be more heeded.

 

[Gauss17]



Welcome to Styleforum JohnnyGalt.
Upgrading or tweaking a wardrobe is not something to be entered into lightly on a weekend spree before doing some research.
Were I you, I would put an immediate hold on all spending at this time. The reason is that you already have the essentials and it will be more prudent to take the rest of the year and develop some further skills here on SF.

I'll agree with and add to this. When you do start buying new items, especially shoes, wear it/them around for awhile and make sure you like them before moving on to a new pair/item/category. I have made this mistake several times in the past and ended up with unwearable things.

 

[Tailor Dan]

Good points below. Heed well. If i had been more patient when building my wardrobe i woud have better more thoughtful pieces than the first 4 being a bit unfitting and msding areas completly. Te most mportant being ties fir me.

Welcome to Styleforum JohnnyGalt.
Upgrading or tweaking a wardrobe is not something to be entered into lightly on a weekend spree before doing some research.
Were I you, I would put an immediate hold on all spending at this time. The reason is that you already have the essentials and it will be more prudent to take the rest of the year and develop some further skills here on SF.
What I recommend, and you may not like this, would be to provide a series of photos for us, showing what you already have.
Example, lay out all dress shirts flat on a bed and take a photo. Lay out all of your dress and intended casual shoes on the floor, sort of a shoe army, and photo those. Then do the same for ties, etc. Post the photos here. From here we can make better suggestions for you and your later purchases will be better enjoyed from the input you will gain from the forum.
These are photos I would like to see:
-Shirts (1 photos of dress shirts & 1 photo of casual shirts, including polo shirts, etc.)
-Shoes (all of them)
-Ties
-Sweaters
-Pants (dress, casual & denim)
-Socks (layed out flat)
-Jackets
-Topcoats & Raincoats
-Hats (if any)
-Belts (layed flat on a bed or table)
Another thing I would point out is to now re-discover your own city in what it offers in menswear, factory outlets, where to buy off-season, etc. all of which you can learn here. In this way you are honing some serious skills that will not only save you money, but will slow down your impulse to spend and instead develop a discipline in spending. It will also make for more rewarding purchases.
Again, you may not want to go through this effort but if we were to see what you have, we will be able to faster sopt out what you may be in need of, or what you may want to consider.
If you are up to this challenge, we are standing by.

 

[Tailor Dan]



My vote is charcoal over navy. But you probably can't go wrong with either of them. And with the right navy jacket, it might be possible to use it with multiple trousers (something which you definitely can't do with charcoal...I bought a charcoal odd jacket once...and everyone thought it was orphaned, both here and IRL)

Agree with navy jacket point. Stand by navy as first choice by that argument. And few good pairs of trousers.

 

[JohnnyGalt]

Thanks for all the advice guys. First I just wanted to say that I'm not going on any sort of spending spree, I'm doing my research now and have formulated a loose plan above for how I think I should go forward. I wanted to run it past more knowledgeable members of the forum first to make sure that I don't end up regretting any purchases that I may make. Second, I'm not completely green to menswear and style. I worked for ~6 months full time selling menswear in a luxury department store that had me learn the very basics of properly fitting clothing and style as well as what I like and what I don't. I would say I know more than the average man on the street, but am a rookie compared to the knowledge on these forums. Also, I'm completely comfortable with my casual/weekend wardrobe (typically chinos/jeans with untucked sportshirt/flannel and boat shoes, chukkas or sneakers depending on the occasion. This time of year I throw a fleece on top if it's chilly).

I noticed a couple people have mentioned navy suit so I can wear the jacket with other trousers. Should I switch the buttons on my blazer to a dark horn to accomplish this same task?

@Man of Lint - great post, thanks. If you guys would be willing to go through the time to help nitpick my wardrobe, I'd be more than happy to take the time to provide you with the appropriate info/photos.

 

[KObalto]



I noticed a couple people have mentioned navy suit so I can wear the jacket with other trousers. Should I switch the buttons on my blazer to a dark horn to accomplish this same task?

.

Don't try to make a suit out of a navy blazer and navy trousers, but dark brown horn buttons are fine on a navy blazer.