Menswear

[Kortanios]

Nice!

As for the cosplay, my suggestion would be getting the US/UK size equivalent of a European size in the 20s (i.e. same length as you would normally have but cut for broader shoulders and a wider chest).

[Metcarfre]

Aw yeah just scored a Barbour jacket for $70. Gogo UK eBay.

[The Jester]

I have decided that I want to start dressing better. I feel that instead of a tee, a hoodie and a pair of jeans I'd rather be in a three piece suit and tie and maybe a hat. And I'm too lazy to go through the 75 pages of this thread to look for the rules.

I don't know how many of you guys know what I look like. I think I may, years ago now, have posted a picture or two in the Post a Picture of Yourself thread, but this is what I look like now. More or less.

[Bebop Man]

You look exactly like your avatar, clotheswise.

[The Jester]

Yes, that was intentional.

[Bebop Man]

D'oh!

[The Jester]

Here's what I could get my hands on without needing to spend any money. I know the linen suit's jacket is too big, and sadly I don't have any ties or pocket squares, but what thoughts do our more sartorially minded members have re; my change in wardrobe direction?


Gold brocaded waistcoat! I'm quite fond of it, but I'm not sure what I can really pair it with and pull off as an outfit.








Sport jacket and brown corduroy trousers. The jacket was my grandfathers and has a fairly small check sort of patter. I'm not sure if it's really my colour. I don't think the fit's bad though, it just needs a clean and an ironing.
The cords were my fathers. The button down and belt are mine.










This is a cream linen suit I bought nine or ten years ago when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I know the jacket's too big and that it desperately needs an ironing too, but what sort of tie would I wear with it?










And no, I'm not in a bad mood... my face just looks like that.

[Kortanios]

Quick question, can I wear dark brown shoes (very formal looking) with a grey suit for a not-so-formal formal occasion?

[The Jester]

I think it depends on the shade of the suit. The lighter the suit, the lighter the shade of brown, and the darker the suit, the better off it would look with black shoes. Make your own judgement, or if you've some time take a couple of pictures and post them.

[TheRocket]

NO PAISLEY.

[King Kool]

Dammit Jester, are we going to have to fight for ponytail superiority?!

(I never have anything to say in this thread, so those chances I get, I takes 'em.)

[Kortanios]

I think it depends on the shade of the suit. The lighter the suit, the lighter the shade of brown, and the darker the suit, the better off it would look with black shoes. Make your own judgement, or if you've some time take a couple of pictures and post them.

It's charcoal, the shoes are a dark cigar brown. I will try to take a couple of pics this evening.

[Lord Chrusher]

From Put This On

[Metcarfre]

Charcoal definitely should have black, or at least oxblood/burgundy/cordovan.

[The Jester]

NO PAISLEY.

NO CAPES!

I'm not sure I agree 100% with you. I think it might be possible to get Paisley to work in an outfit, and I'm going to at least try, because that waistcoat was my father's.

[Metcarfre]

Generally speaking, paisley is best used in a subdued manner as an accent, such as a tie or pocket square. However, were you to wear the waistcoat as an odd vest under say a mid-gray suit, and tone down the other elements, it could work.

[Metcarfre]

Did a month-long WAYWT challenge in MFA and here was my contribution.

[The Jester]

I wore smart, dressed up kinda clothes to college today for the first time, and I wanted to open on a strong note.

I did the best I could to get a mid-grey outfit together and wore the waistcoat, so thank you for that advice. I'm still going to work to get a better ensemble, and certainly some slightly more formal pants, but here is the result.







The scarf and tie were my grandfathers, and the jacket I bought in Cardiff a few weeks ago. The hat is new.

I got a lot of compliments, and a few people asking if I were coming from or going to a function of some kind, to whom I said no, I just want to start dressing up more. Positive opinions across the board, though. So that was nice.

Larger pictures viewable here.

[The Jester]

Today's outfit.

[Metcarfre]

I'm going to give you some more "rules based" advice.

- That jacket is still to large. It's too wide in the shoulders, too long in the body, and too long in the sleeves. Likely too wide in the midsection as well.

Length-wise, the jacket body should, in general, cover your butt but be able to be cupped by your fingers when arms are hanging at your side. It's close but could be an inch or two shorter.

Shoulders - the edge of the jacket should be on the edge of your shoulder. Here's a couple images of well-fitting jackets;







I'll even include one of my own, although the sleeves need to be let out and it's a touch short;



- Shirt looks like it's blousing a bit much. Easily solved by being slimmed by a tailor.

- The end of your tie should roughly reach the middle of your belt. This is more important than front and back blades being equal length, so if you have to tie it such that the back blade is shorter, this is acceptable. However, ties are made in different lengths, so ideally you should select one for your height - I require 61"+ ties (standard is 57").

- Be careful with the expressiveness of your pocket square. It's a bit much.

Again; why are you electing to wear coat-and-tie? Unless it's required for business, in many cases it's overblown for normal wear. Dressing well does not equal dressing up.

[Lord Chrusher]

This thread has been rather quite. I assume people on the forum are still wearing clothes.

I am going to my cousin's wedding in Japan in a couple months. I want to wear a suit and the suit I currently own is an ugly brown thing that doesn't fit me well so I am debating buying a new suit. I am think of getting a navy blue, single breasted suit.

Does anyone know where I would find decent places in Melbourne to get a suit off the rack that would not bankrupt a grad student?

[Dutch guy]

Sigh, why are slim fit dress shirts a thing?

Background, I "have to" man the stand of my company at a trade show tomorrow, they provided us with dress shirts. It's my size, the collar fits decently, the sleeves are JUST a little bit on the short side but not too bad. Only it's a slim fit shirt. And I'm not exactly a slim fit myself so to speak. It closes without pulling too much, but still...

And on top of that it's completely impossible to iron properly. The sleeves just wont lay flat with a seam that constantly gets in the way, the yoke won't fit around the head of my ironing board and it's made of a very thin cloth that wrinkles remarkably easy. Also, I'm pretty sure its not 100% cotton even though it says so on the label.

Maybe this should have gone in the venting thread

[Metcarfre]

Dutch, though I appreciate your situation, from my experience it's actually significantly harder for a slim or athletically-built man to find a correctly-fitting shirt, at least in NA.

I'll include my latest, greatest suit fit;

[Lord Chrusher]

Nice suit Met but your link is broken.

[Metcarfre]

Whoops, sorry. I dug through MFA/ Australian MFA and dug up a few links is all.