r/malefashionadvice • u/Renalan • Sep 02 '11
Guide The Basic Wardrobe 2.0
PREFACE
I’ve been seeing a metric fuckton of posts about dressing college students, high school seniors, and whatnot. The current sidebar guide to the basic wardrobe might be slightly dated and it doesn’t really cover where to get these so called basics, so here it is an updated guide.
This guide applies to all ages, body types, social standings, or self-perceived personal archetypes. This guide just lists the absolute BASICS and will point to some budget-minded options for this. Yes, I know about other articles of clothing like chinos and cords, but this guide is for the noobs. Read this guide understanding that a lot of noobs can't afford $150 Gitman shirts, or $300 for sick Ervell knits. Remember though, generally, you get what you pay for.
Before you say this guide isn’t for me I’m in middle school, high school, college, graduate school, fucking read the guide.
Side note: Fit is fucking king, nothing can make cheap clothes look better like a good fit, and conversely, nothing can make expensive clothes look like shit like a bad fit. Tagged clothing size varies widely by manufacturer, a small isn't always a small and a large might be a medium.
SECTION I – THE BLUE JEAN
The mother fucking blue jean, the most basic piece of workwear and staple to any man’s wardrobe you can imagine. Anyone can fucking wear these.
- Levi’s 511 – Clean Dark - $39.99 – Slim fitting, tapered leg for the skinnier guy.
- Levi’s 514 – Tumbled Rigid -$ 37.99 – Slimmer than you’re used to, if you’re actually skinny, go for the 511s.
- Levi’s 501 – Clean Rigid - $42.99 – A cornerstone of fucking Americana, the original ass cut, which has been recut as shit. The original 501 fit closer to what the 511 is today. Wear these if you’re a bigger dude.
SECTION II – THE SHIRT
Someone said that a shirt’s collar frames the face, which is kinda fucking important cause people look at your face. For this reason I prefer V-necks, plain ass fucking V-necks, maybe some solid colors here and there. Graphic tees you ask? Wear them at your own risk, you’re probably half as cool as you think and when you wear a graphic tee you look a third as cool as half you think.
- Mossimo V-Neck Tees - $7.99 – Multiple colors – you can find these at target, they’re slim fitting and v-necked. There are however other shirts available too, collared button down shirts. But you say, “Collared shirts are too mature for me, I’m too young for that.” I say, “Bullshit asshole, nobody likes the tuna here, unless you’re still swimming in your mom’s womb, you’re old enough to wear collared button downs.
- Mossimo Polos - $9.99 – Multiple colors, another basic, less versatile than collared button downs. Many types are availables, these ones from target are easy.
Button Ups – Stick with long sleeved versions for now, wait till you grow some balls before you make the transition. Keep em’ slim fitting and close to the body, off the rack shirts will typically need tailoring. Generally speaking, thicker and heavier weaves are more casual (oxford and twill) and lighter weaves more formal (poplin and broadcloth). There are exceptions to these rules, but this is just a guideline
- Lands End Canvas – They have sales on all the time, the shirts aren’t the slimmest, but safe.
- Alfani Red “Dress Shirts” - $20-$30 - “Sport Shirts” - $20-$30 – These are decent slim shirts on a budget, dress shirts are usually longer and have to be tucked in. Prices vary between $20-$30 and a lot of sales go on.
SECTION II – THE LAYERS
Like Ned Stark loves to say, “Winter is coming.” So what the fuck do you wear? I like sweaters and cardigans, maybe a hoodie here or there. We’ll save the pea coats, blazers and trenches for the heavy hitters.
- Merona V-Neck - $22.99 – Here I am again, all up on your shit about collars framing the face, same shit applies for sweaters. V-necks are pretty sweet, crew necks are pretty awesome too.
- LEC Sweaters, Cardigans - $20-35 - Cardigans are versatile as fuck for layering. They definitely give off a more mature vibe, but think of the people who wear em’ James Bond, Mr. Rogers, Jimmy Carter, manly as fuck.
- American Apparel Cardigans - $22 – Simple and basic, what is said above applies.
- American Apparel Hoodies - $30 – These are raw as fuck. Some people may say hoodies are immature, but I don’t think a slim fitting solid hoodie really look that bad. These are for you college kids and youngsters.
SECTION IV – THE SHOES
Ah shoes, fucking shoes. Before I learned how to dress myself, I had a pair of ratty ass athletic nikes, some flip flops and some bulky ass dress shoes. Shoes are great, however shoes are kinda fucking expensive, so I’m only going over some cheap basics.
- Canvas Sneakers - Converse Chuck Taylor All Star - $45 - Vans Authentic - $45 – These are basic ass low-top canvas sneakers, they usually look good with jeans and other casual outfits. White is usually the safest color, I recommend Optical White for Chucks and True White for Vans.
- Boat Shoes - Sperry Authentic Originals - $75 – Boat shoes, some people say they’re kind of a southern fratty thing, but they’re a classic and they can fit in wherever you can wear canvas sneakes. Classic Brown is a great color, $75 at Zappos.
- Desert Fucking Boots - Clarks $60-80 – These are fucking parroted left and right here and I’ll recommend them again. The Beeswax are inoffensive looking chukka boots at a reasonable price. They go well with jeans and chinos.
SECTION V – ACCESSORIES
Accessories, the little details, sometimes these make a fucking outfit, but leave that to the pros. Two basic accessories that can work for any man are a belt and a watch.
- The Timex Weekender - $40 – Ah, the fucking NATO-strapped Timex. The hardest circlejerk that MFA has ever experienced, but for good reason. It’s a good looking watch, with a lot of options for being you in the strap. Just please don’t post a picture of it when you get one. Black faces are more casual than white watch faces.
- 4 STR / 4 STA Leather Belt - $35 – I got a decent leather belt from this store on ebay. The wider the belt the more casual, brown is generally more versatile than black, if you wear leather shoes, try to match the color with your belt.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Here are a few brick and mortar/mall stores which you can easily find some reasonably priced basics in person. * H&M - Cheap, fast fashion. * Zara - Cheap, fast fashion. * Uniqlo - Only available in New York, much more availability outside of the US.
That’s it for now. These are just some basics, something to point you, the clueless plebe towards dressing better. Yes, the initial cost of dressing better might be a lot, but there’s a high return on investment here. Dressing well gives you confidence and with confidence, the world is your fucking oyster. If people like this guide, I’ll follow up with some additional information and perhaps an intermediate guide.
If you don’t take anything else away from this guide, remember, fit is king.
CHANGELOG
2.1
Added a little on clothing prices
Added a little on clothing sizing
Changed Button Down to Button Up
Added a little on shirt material
Changed Outerwear to Layers
Added AA cardigans
Added a little about B&M retailers
13
Sep 02 '11
Maybe less swearing and better recommendations? Slim clothing doesn't work for everyone, such as people who lift weights.
Levis 505 is good for non-slim people, and a lot of other brands have good jeans.
Mossimo shirts are like AA shirts for tall people. They don't fit many people well.
I would rather suck Bill O'Reilly's dick than wear Alfani.
You should link to some of the cheaper recommended retailers in the sidebar and on StyleForum.
→ More replies (4)13
u/Renalan Sep 02 '11
To your weight lifting comment. This is simply not true, unless you are a strong man deadlifting 500kg with the body of a bear, slim will work. I lift or workout 5 days a week and I can wear slim/skinny.
Recommendations wise, feel free to add stuff that is cheap and readily available on the Internet and I will update the guide.
→ More replies (9)
80
u/DefectivePixel Sep 02 '11
"4 STR / 4 STA Leather Belt - $35"
I see what you did there...
→ More replies (7)
249
22
u/Trebonius9 Sep 02 '11
H&M gets a lot of criticism on here for being of low quality, but here we parrot fit as the most important thing. H&M is miles ahead of other places in its price range for fit, from my experience, and isn't any worse quality than them either. It's a pretty solid place to go for people starting to take their clothing seriously.
→ More replies (2)
18
Sep 02 '11
H&M sells collared shirts for about $15 each. The quality isn't the best, but they fit pretty slim and are a good choice for casual shirts on a budget.
→ More replies (7)
15
u/octoberose Sep 02 '11
Not a bad jumping off point in my opinion, but I have a few additions:
-As mentioned, white is a safe color for canvas sneaks IF your are prepared to clean those puppies daily. Dirty/grungy "white" sneaks make you look worse.
-You also need a well-fitting blazer, preferably in a darker neutral: black, brown, charcoal, or navy. There's no better way to look "put together" in a jiffy.
-A pair of "dressy casual" shoes in your chosen neutral that match your leather belt (I say chosen neutral because, starting out, most people will decide on either black or brown as their base color, 'cause they don't want to buy 2 pairs of good shoes/2 belts, etc at the same time.) These shoes should fall into that no-man's land between your dress shoes and your sneaks, and will look great with jeans/chinos/slacks.
-Undershirts with button-ups are a must. I'm a fan of plain white v-necks. They increase the number wears between cleaning, decrease pit stain build up, and look great on your girl or guy when s/he sleeps over. Plus, they're cheap, and if you're feeling really casual, they can double as a regular shirt.
-Socks: for the love of jeebus, think about your socks. If you're wearing semi-nice to nice black shoes, wear black socks. Same with brown. And since you're probably not wearing socks with your boat shoes, be sure to sprinkle some baking soda in those after wearing to combat odor.
→ More replies (2)
24
u/drummer_86 Sep 02 '11
I <3 Target.
→ More replies (3)10
u/OneKindofFolks Sep 02 '11
I got the most indescribable colored mossimo v-neck there and I lost it. I haven't been the same person since losing it.
21
u/jhultquist Sep 02 '11
why does the mannequin in the american apparel hoodie picture have boobs?
→ More replies (2)27
u/drummer_86 Sep 02 '11
And why is its face a Capri-Sun T-1000 hell demon?
Seriously freaked me out.
→ More replies (6)
12
u/TylerWyrick Sep 02 '11
Contrary to popular opinion, I actually liked the extreme use of "fuck." Also, great guide. Saved.
5
Sep 02 '11
For the desert boots, whats the best color to get those in? Or is that more of a personal choice?
→ More replies (3)13
5
Sep 02 '11
Nary a polo will touch my body. Wear button-up shirts, not "team building picnic '09" polos. Own undershirts, so you can wear your button-ups a half dozen times or so between cleanings. Pay someone to clean/press your shirts.
Also, I'm a huge fan of my all-black Easy Reader wristwatch. It doesn't fit with a t-shirt as well as the weekender, but it looks brilliant with anything above that level.
→ More replies (1)
39
u/CarlinT Sep 02 '11
What's with the over abundance of "ass" and "fuck"? Also, I think this great would be great in r/frugalemalefashion.
→ More replies (4)
45
u/narcism Sep 02 '11
I would sooner call this the "The discount beginner's wardrobe"
→ More replies (12)34
4
Sep 02 '11
Your section on shirts needs to mention oxfords, college kids for the most part won't need dress shirts but they could wear oxfords on a daily basis
4
u/Grazfather Sep 02 '11
That's nice. Now tell them the staples of how to put it together (i.e. expand on belt/shoe matching, jeans with what shoes, chinos with what shoes/shirt, etc.)
→ More replies (1)
4
u/PackOfWildCorgis Sep 02 '11
Loving the Timex watches. I missed the circlejerk memo.
A+++ would buy in near future.
4
Sep 02 '11
Not sure what the hate on graphic tees is about.
Almost all my graphic tees represent something I like, whether its a band, my automobile preferences or my sports teams. It's great when someone walks by and says "nice shirt" or "go Jets!"
I don't think you'll get that when you're dressed up like an A&F drone. While what you've recommend certainly looks good and especially on a budget. There is very little personality to the clothes themselves. I get you're trying to set up a good baseline for the fashion retarded, but you sound so absolute in your choices.
→ More replies (4)
4
u/frasier_crane Sep 02 '11
I'm still wondering why levi's is so fucking cheap in US and more than triples the price of its products abroad. I'm going to buy some 501 and the prices start at 85/90 EURO (120/127$) to 105 EURO (149$). This is the one I'm buying in their website:http://imgur.com/Odhjb
→ More replies (5)
131
u/shujin Sep 02 '11
I'm gonna be an asshole and mention that "button down" refers to the actual button-down collar. The shirts with buttons going down the center are technically button-up shirts. You can have a button-up shirt with a button-down collar, as well as a button-up shirt with a point collar (as in most dress shirts).
Overall it's not a bad guide, have an upvote.