How important are clothes to you? (1 Viewer)

[Luis Esp]

And most who give a damn seem to be concerned how their butt looks...."Sweetie, do these jeans make my butt look fat?"

Hey we all know that's the first thing women look at. So do men
Nobody wants jeans that are going to emphasize their junk in the trunk.
If that's the case, what's with the kids who wear their jeans so low, that the crotch is touching the ground and the waist of the jeans defies gravity by sitting below their butt. Can't wait till they see photos of themselves 10 years from now!

 

[CameronS]

Man, a few people are talking about how much they like their Diesel jeans. I knew they made some killer shoes, but now I'm going to have to check their jeans out. Right now you'd find it hard for me to like anything better than my dirty Abercrombie boot cuts.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

what are some other good ummm...pricey shoe brands?

Okay, I have some ideas here:
1. Cole Haan are well made and seem to be prized by women.
2. JP Tod's - classic driving loafers and dress shoes.
3. Some Coach shoes are good value for money.
4. Some like Church's but I have not been able to find a comfortable pair.
Casual shoes I like:
1. Nike
2. Timberland
3. Wilson Pro Classic (in terribly in and out of fashion all white - very durable and around $50 per pair)
Real pricey shoes that are worth every penny:
1. John Lobb (sold at Hermes, who owns them)
2. Berluti (only stores in London, Milan, and Paris) They make some of the best on the planet and have collected a few. Women go wild over these shoes for some reason. There is a rumor a NYC store will open in a year, but until then the look is very exclusive.
3. JM Weston - good shoes but only a store in NYC.
4. Any of the following "bespoke" (custom-made to your foots dimension): John Lobb (St. James Street London), Jason Amesbury & Co. (London), George Cleverly (London), Silvano Lattanzi (Rome). Warning: customs can range from $1,500 to $3,000 per pair because they build a last (the wooden form the shoe is constructed around) made to be an exact copy of your foot, corns and all.
5. Gravati (good specialty shops - Wilkes in San Francisco)
6. Salvator Ferragamo (Neiman and Saks carry)
7. Mephisto (ultra-pricey casual shoes made by hand, but you have be carefull what model shoe you choose - I have had good ones and bad ones)
My favorites: Berluti, Jason Amesbury (in this months GQ and personal friend actually), and Lattanzi. I have not tried Cleverly but some of my richer friends consider them the best.
Some rules I try to live by on shoes:
1. The salesperson is wrong when they tell you that shoes will break in over time and be comfortable. While shoes do conform, my 37 years' experience in shoe wearing is that poorly fitting shoes at first never become well fitted.
2. Avoid square toes at the front and over-sized toes. This was real fashionable but will label you "so 90s" according to my wife, a shoe expert like most women.
3. Avoid strange colors for the most part unless nightclubbing and even then it is tricky.
4. Spend more money than you think you should. $200 shoes can be magnitudes better than $100-150 shoes.
5. Favor Italian and British brands. There also seems to me to be a strong negative correlation between amount of advertising and overall comfort/quality. I would also argue this is true for suits (exception of Brioni-James Bond's outfitter).
6. Match socks to pants in color.
7. Don't be afraid to wear brown shoes with blue suits. They look particularly good with flannel. Do wear same colored belt.
8. Try to avoid thick rubber soles. While somewhat practical, most women prefer well-proportioned shoes with normal sized thickness in soles. One notable exception are norwegian dress up shoes where thick soles are part of the design, although this is more accepted in Europe than U.S.
9. Don't take any of this too seriously, I have no real fashion experience, I am just trying to describe what has worked for me.
10. Experiment at some point with custom shoes. While expensive, they are amazingly comfortable and literally can feel like tennis shoes if done right.
This is an embarassing amount of knowledge/opinion on shoes but I have gotten into this for two big reasons: (1) comfortable feet make life so much easier and promote good posture, and (2) I like to be considered well-dressed by the ladies.
I hope this answers the question...

 

[Ted Lee]

dang lee...
all i thought you knew about was SACD!
"Who da man? Lee da man!!!"

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Here are some links that make for interesting reading:
Link Removed
(the one above has some excellent material on what goes into custom shoes)
http://www.gjcleverley.com/
http://www.colehaan.com/
http://www.johnlobb.com/
By the way, there is an excellent book with all sorts of great advice (and a global guide to the best shops) by Alan Flusser titled "Style and the Man"

 

[Lee Scoggins]

all i thought you knew about was SACD!

Shoes are another area I get a little extravagant about.
Don't tell my friends!

 

[Lee Scoggins]

For some reason, the Rudi Bakhtiar thread is more popular.
Go figure!

 

[Max Knight]

Hey Mark,

What type of shoes are you looking for? Dress shoes or casual?

One thing to keep in mind if you look at Italian shoes like Prada and Gucci is that their sizes are different than US sizes (make sure to check and see if the site has done the conversion for you or if they are just listing the size that the shoe says). For instance, I take a size 8, but in Prada terms that's a size 7!

Some great shoe makers are:
Ferragamo
Camper (less expensive, but well made from what I've seen)
Kenneth Cole (I would call these mid-range, but they are built very well, and often to "interpretations" of more expensive brands)

 

[Mark Schermerhorn]

Max, casual as well as something "in between" for going out. I rarely dress formally.

 

[Max Knight]

I'd get a nice pair of loafers for your "in between" style. Italian designers make great loafers, as does Todds as Lee pointed out. For a casual but wonderful shoe, my vote goes for Prada sport shoes. One of the staples of my wardrobe is a great pair of Vibram soled Pradas that I have had for two years now.

 

[Anthony_J]

All men need to own a couple of footwear staples: 1 pair of black high quality dress shoes, 1 pair of a medium quality black and/or brown business casual (boots, loafers, etc. - in black if you only own one pair), and one pair of sneakers. Figure an average of $125 a pair, and it won't kill most people to make sure they have the basics covered. Although the $300+ dress shoes are awesome, a $150 pair can be just as nice if you take care of them. Just make sure you match the belt with the shoes. That's one of my pet peeves.

I'm in the camp of wear what looks good on you or what makes you feel comfortable, but to a certain extent, clothes do make the man. For me, it's a matter of pride to make sure that the clothes I'm wearing look appropriate to their intent (i.e., dress pants neatly fitting and pressed, dress shoes well polished, well coordinated suits, shirts, and ties, shirts that fit and aren't 5 times too big, etc.)

I often find that the relatively expensive stuff is usually much more comfortable than a lower priced (and thus, lower quality) alternative (because the higher priced one usually fits better or is made from better material).

I think most people ignore fashion on men unless it's to the extreme (i.e., something really looks good or something really looks bad). Stay out of the "looks really bad" category and no ill effects should come out of your wardrobe choice. It never hurts to shoot for the former category, though. Don't ask me why, but a well chosen outfit or wardrobe can often make all the difference, both in the business and dating world.

Dress to the situation and make sure you'll be overdressed if in doubt. I'd rather have to dress down a suit than try to dress up a pair of chinos and an oxford (unless you're under 17, then that's perfectly acceptable formal wear).

I do like it when a woman can dress well, though. Not too fancy or anything, but just enough that it shows they care enough about their appearance to make an effort. I wouldn't date a woman who didn't shower or do her hair and I won't date a woman who wears stained, wrinkled, or dirty clothes. Again, it's a matter of pride (on her behalf, not mine)

My choice in clothing tends to be Banana Republic (for pants, sweaters, and other wear) or Ralph Lauren (for shirts only). All of the BR stuff matches my style and seems to fit my frame really well. Yes, both brands are a bit more expensive than stuff you can buy at other "mall" stores, but the quality is great and they do prove to be worth the bucks after time.

Clothes and shoes tend to be the one area where you really "get what you pay for". My ultra frugal texile engineer mother actually recommended paying a slight premium for suits, dressier clothes and the like. I've had $100+ dress shirts that have lasted over 4 years and 40 dollar oxfords shirts that lasted 1 (and both were used in similar situations). You do the math.

As far as Prada or the other "ultra" high priced brands out there, I don't think they're really worth the 10X premium over "mall" clothes, but I'm not morally opposed to buying the stuff if I like it. But I'll only do that in the extreme case they have something I really want but can't find somewhere else or substitute for easily.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

I've had $100+ dress shirts that have lasted over 4 years

This is very true as well and if you iron them yourself, they last for something like 50+ washings, according to textile articles I have read. Expensive clothes tend to pay back the extra premium over time I have always found.
I like Camper shoes also and Kenneth Cole seems to be good quality for the money.

 

[Malcolm R]

I've had $100+ dress shirts that have lasted over 4 years and 40 dollar oxfords shirts that lasted 1

I have $20 Kmart shirts I've worn/washed nearly weekly for probably 5 years (at least) and counting.

 

[Michael Silla]

Few of my favorites places to shop.....
Bannana Republic - You'll usually find me there in the fall picking up some of there sweaters and shirts. Bought a nice black non-traditional overcoat from them last week ($175 - not too shabby).
J. Crew - What can I say. I like alot of their stuff. I just purchased a couple of long sleeved shirts from then not too long ago either ($48 bucks apiece - still not too bad).
For shoes I like to buy Ecco's. They are sooooo very comfortable. When on, they feel like a pair of comfortable slippers. Even though $160 isn't exactly chump change. you'd be pleasantly surprised at how long these puppies last. Highly Reccomended
Michael.

 

[Mark Romero]

Allen Edmonds (they rule) and Johnston Murphy dress shoes for me along with Nike athletic shoes. Levis, Dockers pants and Nautica, Hilfiger, Polo shirts. Not real expensive but great quality. I also agree that you get what you pay for. I also like name brand beer.

 

[JoshF]

Man, a few people are talking about how much they like their Diesel jeans. I knew they made some killer shoes, but now I'm going to have to check their jeans out.

They're really great jeans. Not cheap, at all, but they have so many cuts, materials, and dyes that you will find a pair that fits you perfectly. You'll want to sleep in them (or someone will want to sleep with you in them, ifyouknowwhatimsayin).

Regarding shoes, I too have a pair of Pradas. I don't wear them terribly often because I was stupid and chose a garrish color that works with about 5% of everything I own.

For nice shoes, try d'essai, Gucci, or even Kenneth Cole. They're all pretty comfortable, although I've found that some of the thinner Guccis can be a problem if you have relatively wide feet.

As far as shirts, I have grown so used to fitted, tailored shirts that I cannot stand the way shirts from Bannana Republic or J. Crew are so wide at the waist that they balloon out in the back over my belt. Ugh. Even some DKNY shirts do this, and it's pretty annoying.

Don't get me wrong, though - I've been known to wear a pair of cargo shorts and an old black concert t-shirt with Adidas.

 

[Max Knight]

Josh brings up a very important point. The most expensive piece of clothing you own is the one you never wear.

If you spend a lot on something, but get a lot of wear out of it, it's cheap. My favorite Prada shoes cost about $330, but I've worn them more than any other shoe over the last two years (probably at least 300 times). I also have a wonderful Gucci belt that I bought in Italy for about $120. I've worn that belt for 5 years, probably at least six hundred times! That's pennies each time.

 

[Holadem]

And most who give a damn seem to be concerned how their butt looks...."Sweetie, do these jeans make my butt look fat?"

"No, it's your fat ass that makes you look fat..."
--
Holadem

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

I HATE clothes. No, this doesn't mean I'm a nudist, or a slob. I just can't find anything that is comfortable, fashionable, and not over-priced. It never fails: if I like it, it's either not in my size, or it's expensive. Or if it's affordable, it's uncomfortable. And what I really hate is when I find something I like, then I wash it once and it SHRINKS!

 

[Anthony_J]

J. Crew - What can I say. I like alot of their stuff. I just purchased a couple of long sleeved shirts from then not too long ago either ($48 bucks apiece - still not too bad).

J. Crew was actually the target of my mom's rampage. While their sweaters usually hold up OK, most of their other stuff falls apart (fraying threads, fading dyes, etc.). Try a comparison, find a Polo oxford on sale (the pink ones go on sale fairly quickly), and a J.Crew oxford on sale. Wash them the same amount of times and see how long it takes the J.Crew one to start breaking down. You'll be amazed at the quality difference.

Definitely worth the extra $30 for the higher quality shirt. Same applies to J.Crew chinos, too.