Man clothes: where do you buy them?

Too old and fat for Howies, not quite ready for Old Town.

the internet

The answer for Britishers is "M&S gear".

man store

Errr, Gap and H&M mostly, sometimes charity shops. I find clothes shopping a slightly daunting experience.

Barneys

I love Steve Allen and Shipley & Halmos Bogota shirts.

charity shops, or topshit if i want something specific like nice fitting jeans, or m&s for pants and socks.

95% of the clothing I've bought in the last couple of years came from H&M. It's not dumpy and bland like most men's clothing and it looks nice enough to make up for the fact that it isn't exactly top-of-the-line. And it's relatively inexpensive. Still have to buy my pants elsewhere, though (as I am not built like Bowie ca. 1972).

nice fitting jeans

Since my waist size exceeded my inside leg, these have been but distant memory.

dover street market!!! (went into temp hella credit card debt after 2 visits here)
really love Liberty too, yet, also hella ££££££

Jeans by Diesel and GStar, cords and jumpers from Gap, tshirts from American Apparel, socks by Pringle (always from TK Maxx), pants by Sloggi, jackets by Diesel, North Face, and GStar.

Oh, and Fred Perrys.

My 2 suits are M&S as well, as I cannae afford more but they are still grebt quality.

uniqlo, american apparel, ebay, some second hand but not enough considering how many good shops are around me. I basically dress like my dad going to play golf in 1987.

jeans at levi's; tshirts at american apparel and shows and thrift-stores; jackets and outerwear at thrift-stores and on ebay; socks and underwear at H&M or walgreens (tbh); shoes wherever.

for some reason american apparel's V neck t shirt always shrink after drying them. The regular one don't, but I hardly ever wear regular tees. Has anyone else had this problem? I even asked a clerk about it and she she they shouldn't shrink.

anyone buy much stuff online? got any tips and also...how do you cope with sizes etc?

my favourite american apparel t-shirt is the roundneck with the really loose neck...they are so comfortable and really nice. never had one shrink but I have had one dry out and a few tiny holes crack through the fabric.

This is my friends store in Austin. One of my favorite shops.
http://shopbowsplusarrows.com/products/tags/6-mens

muji, zara

I'd like to shop at H&M but I'm just too damn tall. Maybe if I was 5' 10" or something...

Anyway a mixture of thrifts, Banana Republic (especially the outlet shop one), Levis (always 501s) for jeans, Gap, etc.

Zara fit me (tall, skinny) to a T. Annoyingly tho my last three pairs of trousers from there all have pockets that are virtually horizontal, change all over the place whenever I sit down.

I basically wear the plainest stuff I can find from Macy's or Nordstrom rack. I like American Apparel ok, too.

liberty <3

paging phil-two

cos!!!!!!!!!!!

uniqlo & american apparel for basics and cheap flannels & jeans & sweaters or whatever

j crew sales for slightly nicer sweaters & shirts

sample sales at steven alan, opening ceremony, acne for nicer stuff

the internet for shoes

I'd like to shop at H&M but I'm just too damn tall. Maybe if I was 5' 10" or something...

really? I'm 6'5 and used to get lots of stuff to fit at H&M, when I was like 3 belt notches thinner. Now it's the usual story of 'over 34" legs? Must have a 28" waist, then'.

really? I'm 6'5 and used to get lots of stuff to fit at H&M, when I was like 3 belt notches thinner. Now it's the usual story of 'over 34" legs? Must have a 28" waist, then'.

None of the H&Ms here in LA stock things that will fit adequately. I'm not super skinny (36" legs and 34/36" waist), but I have a long torso so most of the clothes I find with the right length are tailored more for a linebacker that's double my weight.

Oddly enough, I have a better time finding clothes my size in Portland, Las Vegas, or Italy (well, no surprise on Italy there)

I kinda wish American stores would just offer one length and let you get them tailored after the purchase like in other parts of the world, but no that would be too inconvenient/make too much sense

I'm seriously considering saving up the $$$ and just doing my shopping in Italy. There was one shop I walked into in Venice and within two minutes the proprietor had picked out some dress shirts that fit me perfectly. Of course he was in his late-60s and had probably been doing that his entire life... big contrast to the supposed help here in the states.

Unlike M&S, American stores are good for PJ trousers for people taller than 6'.

During FROZEN BRITAIN I was v glad I'd bought some on my last visit as our wheezing boiler failed to put out much heat and bedclothes were essential.

in order of most to least stuff bought there - Uniqlo, Century 21, American Apparel, thrift stores (usually Beacon's Closet), J Crew, H&M, other

max I've never been able to find anything I could afford at Opening Ceremony so kudos. I never take the trouble to find out about sample sales and stuff

yeah id never shop there except on a sample sale. ari pays attention to all that stuff so i just tag along when its a store/label i like.

but seriously like 60% of my wardrobe is uniqlo--in fact i am (embarrassingly) wearing an entirely uniqlo outfit right now, except for my shoes and undershirt

uniqlo, the japanese gap

I'm the same way with muji - I feel embarrassed when I walk into their store cause I am like a walking product catalog (but better than feeling bare-assed I suppose)

the only time I buy labels like that is if their stuff lands at Century 21. that place is a huge pain in the ass tbh but it's near my work so not a huge hassle to duck in every so often and see if anything good's in there

xxpost - lol yeah I'm totally the same way ... none of their stuff sticks out and screams UNIQLO OUTFIT though like head to toe J Crew would. or maybe it does to other people, not really to me tho

jeans - Japanese reproductions of vintage stuff, mostly. I need to lose 15 pounds to make my Warehouse 800s fit comfortably again. :( I've ordered from blueingreensoho.com and selfedge.com before
shirts - plain t-shirts are either Lucky Brand or Jerzees from Target, I have a hard time finding shirts I like (just want solid-color button-ups that aren't quite as dressy as oxfords but aren't plain either) but pick up stuff from the Gap, J. Crew, Target, etc.. I don't live in area where I get to accessorize much (no scarves, layers, whatever) so all I need are basic shirts.

I like H&M because they have clothes that fit my skinny buns. Shopping in most other stores is just an exercise in digging through piles of larges and x-larges and finding 0 smalls.

the american S is more like a M anyway

uniqlo is so shit but I still shop there; they at least do dece guest collections (opening ceremony eg)

H&M mostly, occasionally American Apparel, ASOS, the odd plain t-shirt from Topman. Casual stuff is okay, but being small of frame and super skinny on top of it (although that belly sure is developing...), AND enjoying a slim fit anyway can make it tough for smarter dressing. Especially when I really resent, for example, paying more than £15 for a shirt.

For my work clothes, they are basically all the same brands. I wear gap or banana republic pants, and j. crew or gap shirts. I basically consider it my uniform. They're nice enough that I don't look like a schlub, and not too expensive.

Casual clothes are more of a crapshoot, since I don't wear them too often. Gap jeans, random t-shirts and sweaters.

I feel so unimaginative buying so many gap clothes, but it's so easy. They always have a ton of sizes and offer many slim fit styles. I don't know why other retailers have so much trouble with that.

i only buy new trousers when mars is in semi-sextile with saturn

and then i go to liberty

anyone buy much stuff online? got any tips and also...how do you cope with sizes etc?

i buy a lot of stuff online mostly bcuz i cant afford to shop at places i like but i only ebay v specific things that i already know abt - like i have a list of specific shoes or designers or items im interested in and then will spend a few minutes a cpl of times a week checking various listings seeing if anything i want has been listed/price comparing

but seriously like 60% of my wardrobe is uniqlo--in fact i am (embarrassingly) wearing an entirely uniqlo outfit right now, except for my shoes and undershirt

i hear you...uniqlo is pretty amazing. lots of horrible stuff there and it can be a bit plain but some great things too and quality is really good for the price.

acne and nudie jeans (on sale), h&m dress shirts & socks, aa tees and knit undershirts, br shirts and some slacks. more shirts from vintage/thrift stories. got a peacoat from topman that i like. got a great rainjacket and a great down coat from nau.

>uniqlo is pretty amazing.

Agree with all previous rep for uniqlo, and am still gutted that their early '00s UK provincial stores all shut, so I have to buy everything online unless am in or around London. Great jeans (esp the japanese denim, which is a steal), great basics and the best undies and socks anywhere, much better than 99% of designer stuff - I've ended up replacing my whole boxers and socks drawer with their stuff just because it wears and washes so well.

Thrift stores, band tshirts, and coats and hats from the local shop that sells construction gear.

http://www.stormykromer.com/

I over thought the whole sizing thing to the point of missing out on the size I needed but (UK-ers) there's some heavily discounted Vetra stuff, here:

https://www.northern-fells.com/collections/sale/products/vetra-5c-short-dungaree-wash-cotton-twill-work-jacket-jade?variant=31668891680817

Those shoulders on that shirt look kind of narrow. I find workwear to be a bit of a crap shoot regarding sizing. I have to wear shoes with steel toecaps at work and different brands can vary drastically between oversized and undersized. My current pair are by Arco and are a UK 10 because they don't do half sizes and I wear a 9 1/2 usually. But when they were delivered it turned out Arco are on the oversized end of the scale. So it's like walking around in steel toecapped clown shoes. I've got used to them now but the first couple of days I was accidentally toepunting stuff.

Also add to that "is it going to be too big or too small" category: boilersuits/overalls and hi-vis vets in XL that are too small to fit over a L sized lightweight rain jacket.

hi-vis vests

hi-vis vets sounds like James Herriott joined the Blue Man Group.

i bought two pairs of speedos for the beach.

I think I mentioned this on another thread but I had good luck recently with Marine Layer short sleeve button shirts (one hemp and one sort of lineny cotton). They are targeted to my demographic (exurban dads who don't want to completely let go of pathetic attempts to be "cool" but also get that it's a bit pathetic and don't want to try too hard), they fit well, they're well made.

dads of instagram

A sixteen year old has asked for "a cool t-shirt" for Xmas. I know it's subjective and what they think of as cool is going to change the answer but ... any hints?

they're kind of dumb, but I like these:

https://i.pinimg.com/474x/1c/18/2c/1c182c80c8b51fedbd46f706dde02b66.jpg

I got an ad for some goodlooking band and music tshirts on FB, but I haven't seen what teh actual shirts look like or if tehy are actually more real than images on a web[age. But god, they have some nice ones if they are legit.
https://www.cuptees.com/collections/3d-full-print-msd-collection/products/msd-bitches-brew-all-over-shirt
https://www.cuptees.com/collections/3d-full-print-trc-collection/products/trc-mr-fantasy-all-over-shirt
https://www.cuptees.com/collections/3d-full-print-rch-collection/products/rch-hallellujah-i-love-her-so-all-over-shirt
https://www.cuptees.com/collections/3d-full-print-tas-collection/products/tas-animalism-all-over-shirt
https://www.cuptees.com/collections/3d-full-print-xds-collection/products/xds-the-slider-all-over-shirt
https://www.cuptees.com/collections/3d-full-print-jea-collection/products/jea-after-bathing-at-baxter-s-all-over-shirt
are a few of them, each band represented there has possibly another 5 or 10 designs on the site. & if they're not real would be a good idea to duplicate what the image suggests as a real shirt.

https://image.uniqlo.com/UQ/ST3/us/imagesgoods/428166/item/usgoods_00_428166.jpg

Where would you buy a suit that wasn't for a wedding/christening/funeral? (UK)

Also, strangely panicked that Old Town is closing.

Isn't a suit that you'd wear to a wedding/christening/funeral just the same as any other suit?

Funny, I just saw some recommendations somewhere else. Something called Suitsupply, something called Indochino, something called Nicholas Joseph, and something called Balani. Dunno what the prices are, or where these places are located. I saw other people suggest (dunno how seriously) that if you want a nice suit, it could weirdly be cheaper to fly to Vietnam or Thailand and get something custom there.

You don't need to do that. There are tailors based in Singapore and Hong Kong who travel around the West for business. You meet them, they show you their samples & take your measurements. They go home, make you your suit and mail it to you. You get a made-to-measure suit for the price of an off-the-peg one.

Where do you find these
Nomadic tailors

There's lots of them, search Hong Kong trunk shows.

Also, strangely panicked that Old Town is closing.

so it looks like they’re closing their shop and just taking orders from existing customers? (and reducing their range).

There's currently a waiting list to *place an order*, distinct from the wait for the clothes to be made.

My understanding was that they're retiring at the end of the year though that may have changed?

no, i think you’re right on further googling :(

They have been saying for a while that they've struggled to find staff locally.

Oh, I'd missed that bit. I'd had a weird hope that someone might be able to throw some money that way to keep *local staff* employed still. Well, when I say someone, I was thinking Celebrity Old Town Wearer Monty Don.

Reframed question: where would be your second favourite place for buying a suit in the UK be after Old Town?

Drakes, if I could afford it.

That's a good shout.

Caveat - I am out of the game - it's 8 years since I thought hard about suits and casual investigation lately has made me feel like prices at off-row tailors like Chris Kerr have got a bit too much for my cost-of-living and deterred me from digging deeper.

That said

At Drake's prices for coat and trousers I'd think about a travelling tailor as mentioned earlier, one of the MTM tweed companies that cut overseas like tweed addict or stepping up to sort-of-bespoke at Cad and the Dandy or made to measure at Gieves or another row tailor. Choosing your cloth does make the suit feel yours.

Off the peg, something like Paul Smith & take it to an alteration tailor.

For that agricultural old town feeling… I dunno, it feels like putting together matching separates - could you do that with Vetra or someone?

tho can you say a bit more - what's it for, what kind of cloth/cut are you picturing & what's your budget?

Mix and match at carrier company?

They do suits

https://www.carriercompany.co.uk/products/boiler-suit

This might be obvious but I also would not fuck around with things that look great online, not with a suit.

Well, I've only worn Old Town trousers for about half a decade, maybe longer.

Quite often wear one of their jackets, too.

I'd always meant to save up and get a suit from there in something other than Stout Twill but the moment has gone (I've put weight on and would need to go in to the shop rather than buying the same as).

Not exactly sure what I'm after which doesn't help. Possibly something for sitting drinking red wine and listening to Tindersticks.

Did try trousers from Yarmourth Oilskins but they didn't feel right. Carrier Company might be a decent shout.

I got some North Coast black jeans very cheap/new-with-label off e-bay, had never heard of the brand before and found out they are a Marks & Spencer own brand. The fabric is so comfortable and a hard wearing kind of stretchy relaxed fit which is ideal for a lanky fat bastard like myself for both lounging about in and walking through mud.

M&S always used to have an unusually good rep for suits - like best high street option, know what they're doing - & these things change but I'd look round at least. Probably a bit work tho.

Cos's current cuts and fabrics might work.

Tindersticks being fitted at Timothy Everest's on the 2nd album cover. God, if only.

My wedding/funeral suit is actually from the "Timothy Everest at Marks & Spencer's" collection!

i am still fond of Slaters which is probably because i'm the basicest

At Drake's prices for coat and trousers I'd think about a travelling tailor as mentioned earlier, one of the MTM tweed companies that cut overseas like tweed addict or stepping up to sort-of-bespoke at Cad and the Dandy or made to measure at Gieves or another row tailor. Choosing your cloth does make the suit feel yours.

tbh agree on Drake's - despite thinking various things look great and haunting sales I've never actually bought anything except a tie (for my wedding so an important tie tbf)

Cannot help on the other points so useless paras coming up

For alterations used to like London Fashion Workrooms in Holborn, but they've closed apparently. I'm just googling too but if I throw styleforum or askandy into the search then maybe K.S. Tailoring Services, Hidalgo Brothers or Pinnas and Needles look legit (but potentially steep prices). Someone is saying 'fake reviews' about alterations boutique, so idk investigate.

Trousers, always an issue.

Now in the same boat as the rest of ILX UK menswear - Old Town had lured me into thinking this was at base a solved problem, that I had a default, but no, I have to start thinking.

I haven't really needed new work/nice trousers since the pandemic - I've mostly been in workwear because I'm still fully WFH and walking a dog 2+ hours a day, so I'm in Stan Ray 80s painter pants or Saucezhan fatigues or Carhartt twill most of the time.

I always have my Old Towns to fall back on, but I don't know what I'd do for something in that bracket now. My other good trousers are a mess of random buys picked up on sale - Ede and Ravenscroft baggy tweed, Mr P. grey flannel - so finding something right just feels like it's with the gods.

I do recommend the Stan Rays as a trouser that's decently made and more versatile than it looks - depends on the material but the khaki duck is excellent ime.

'a trouser' lol look who's writing for Vogue.

thx for tailoring info. on tweed i went into stewart christie in edinburgh over christmas and it was a delight. beautiful pieces all being made for v wealthy people in texas who only get to wear them when they come over to scotland for their “gathering of the clan” etc. also a gorgeous woman’s riding coat being made for someone in california.

it wasn’t outrageously expensive tho for anyone who a) fancies a visit to edinburgh and b) would like a well made tweed garment.

useful on alterations boutique. something about it smelled off to me. partly why i was asking.

“something” = intensely dodgy “high end vibes in a web UI” lol.

Ordered two different trousers and a three button jacket from Carrier Company and they just don't work for me. Shame.

went to pinnas and needles for my alterations. long waitlist but the experience of going to an anonymous door in soho, ringing the buzzer, going up the classic soho interior stairs to the clutter of the studio is great. as was whichever brother it was that i met. they were more expensive than some other services but not overly much. queuing for my trousers on the stairs and chatting with a bunch of other people with various clothing concerns and considerations.

plus and most importantly:

https://imgur.com/a/eJMgn6V

ugh the ios imgur shortcut no longer works and i can’t remember how to link images from imgur so they embed here. please. it’s v important.

https://i.imgur.com/kHAH4vU.jpg

get in.

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2024/dec/19/goodbye-to-old-town-beloved-utility-inspired-norfolk-clothing-company