Men's business clothing

[bdc]

I work in a business/business casual environment.  My wardrobe needs to be professional but not particularly stylish.  Thrift stores (e.g. Goodwill) don't seem like a good option: it's time consuming and frequently too out of fashion to be practical.  Ideas for stores or websites to get moderate quality at low cost? 

[JeffC]

Do you consider TJ Maxx and Marshall's to be thrift stores?  They are my go-to for workwear (I'm a professor) and I can usually find a shirt or two there for 10-20 bucks that is a season or two old.  As I don't care which season things are from, I can get some good deals on some respectable looking stuff.  The key is to just pop in and scan quick, regularly.  If you go in with the idea that you can't leave without a shirt, etc. It could become frustrating.  It's on my way home from work so I pop in 4x per year or so and usually end up getting something decent for not much money.   Also, H&M is a retailer of dirt-cheap ($15-30) office-appropriate gear.   

[C. K.]

If you're buying off the rack, be sure to fit the widest part of your body first, then have the rest tailored. (You can find a tailor or seamstress at your local cleaners.)  Having clothes that fit your shape makes you appear a bit more professional, not to mention they are far more comfortable.

[CabinetGuy]

Any mens consignment shops around you?  We have some in my area, and some deals are to be found.

Jon

[ADV_CJ]

I'm in a similar situation.  I have to dress business casual (dress slacks, dress shoes, but i'm allowed to wear polos).  I used to frequent stores such as Men's Warehouse, etc and come out with what seemed like a good deal.  They always push 50% off!  Until you discover for yourself that $700 for three outfits is downright stupid considering that a pair of slacks only last me roughly three months before I end up ripping either crotch or rear end out.

I've resorted to Target and online shopping through Groupon Goods.  I get all my pants and socks through Target.  I went from paying $75 for a pair of slacks to $30 ($25 when on sale).  I started purchasing a lot of my shirts through Groupon Goods as well.  I recently got three Addidas polos (golf shirts, thin, breathable material) that had price tags of $80 - $95 ea for $25 a pop.  I know this probably isn't mustachian enough, but it's def a huge stepping stone compared to where I was just a couple of months ago. 

[LonerMatt]

www.grailed.com - largest, most fanatical collection of used menswear.

A lot of it can be had <$100, but is top notch quality and well looked after.

A massive variety of sizes and people post on their hourly.

[CptCool]

I'd highly recommend JCpenney. That's where I get 80% of my business wardrobe - it oftentimes is much cheaper than thrift stores.

Only buy with a 25% off coupon (or $10 off $25 or $10 off $10). Always buy a season behind. Now that it is fall I'd pick up some "summer" clothes such as linen shirts, lighter cotton dress pants, etc. Oftentimes you can buy shirts for $5 BEFORE coupon ($4 or less after coupons). Pants can be found for $5-$10. You want the clearanced stuff.

After fall/winter you can pick up the clearanced 100% wool or 100% cotton sweaters for ~$10-$15. Also wool slacks for $10-$15 as well.

You can also get blazers for ~$30 and full suits for ~$90.

All prices mentioned are before coupon. You can also get a gift card using giftcardgranny to get an additional 20% off everything.

[YK-Phil]

+1 to consignment stores. My wife owns one in Calgary, and I find the best deals for high end suits and business apparel, suits like Prada and Paul Smith for a few hundred dollars, Etro, Pink, and Boss shirts for the price of a shirt at JC Penny, much more stylish and of better quality compared to whatever you can find in department stores.

[jbcivics]

I've found Dappered.com to be a pretty good resource for all kinds of deals on men's clothing. And it will help you to be professional AND stylish. They have weekly posts about various online sales, and have some pretty good advice on things that are a good VALUE - meaning a high quality to price ratio. Buying professional clothing that is too cheap had two downsides - it LOOKS cheap (and therefore makes you look bad) and doesn't last very long.

[Gone Fishing]

Get on Jos A Banks mailing list.  Their prices are terrible (one of those everything is always on sale deals), and their quality is about the same as any other mid-range retailer, but they do send out a good coupon from time to time. You just have to line the stars up properly and you can get a good deal. 

[Elderwood17]

I wear suits every day and JC penny's is my main go to place (keep an eye out for their discount coupons and the clearance racks).  I also pick up things when Joseph A Banks does their buy one get three free sale on shirts -- they are great shirts and when you can get four for $90 it works out well.  Also, Dillard's at times can have some good things on the clearance rack.

[GoldenStache]

+1 on Jos A Bank.

Spend the extra money to get the traveler collection (usually 3 for $100 when they are on sale every other week).
As long as you take them out of the dryer as soon as they are done you will never have to iron and they last for years.

[NeighborGuy]

Stand back, y'all. I got this one. :)

Shirts
I used to hound the thrift stores for dress shirts, because I would actually get some good stuff for a couple of bucks every 1 trip out of 5 or so. These days I just hit up Ross because (through trial and error) I found that I can find a shirt there that fits me almost perfectly for $12. Poke around the brands there and you can probably find something that suits you.

Shoes
If you can get over the "used shoe" thing, eBay is a fantastic resource for dress shoes. I got my favorite pair of loafers there for <$30. Just make sure you know for a fact that a particular brand/size will fit you. Don't count on returning them.

Suits
eBay is the best resource here, too. Take your measurements for chest, sleeve, and shoulder (at a minimum), then set aside an hour or so every couple of weeks and start hunting. Sadly, eBay doesn't provide for listing or searching by detailed measurements, so you'll need to narrow by the closest 2 or 3 off-the-rack sizes and then read the individual descriptions for anything that looks good from the thumbnail. You can get good all-season wool suits this way for $100 or less. Sometimes much less. (Yes, you could maybe get a polyester Club Room suit or some other such crap for around the same, but...don't. You'll look like a rube, and that defeats the purpose of wearing a suit.)
If you feel yourself considering dropping $200 to $300 for a Jos. A Bank or something, consider that you could have a suit custom-made for you at that price on any number of online tailors such as Modern Tailor or Studio Suits. Honestly, there really is no reason to pay that much for an OTR suit these days.

Hope that helps!

[falcondisruptor]

We've splurged a lot on men's business stuff in the last year.  We had been buying some cheaper stuff and replacing it every year because it just didn't hold up well.  So we started buying his shirts from Banana Republic.  There was a guy in the store with his kid the first time we went, he said he bought some shirts three years earlier and they still looked brand new. 

They're not cheap at about $100, but you can get them 50% pretty frequently in store or online.  They're also no iron, fit without billowing and still look good a year later.  We got some gift cards for Christmas so we didn't end up spending too much out of pocket.  I'm not as big of a fan of their non-iron pants though...

He looks much better, doesn't have to iron and doesn't need to keep replacing his shirts that die.

Try the cheaper stuff out first, if you're willing to spend a little more, I'd recommend Banana Republic.

[GardenFun]

JCP and Kohl's for DH.  He likes long-sleeve shirts so I start hitting the clearances in February - along with the 30% off coupon.  Goal is shirts for less than $10 each. 

Only wash when dirty, line dry, and they last many years.   

[hodedofome]

I wait for sales at Dilliards and Jos a Banks and then I act like Warren Buffett and buy with both hands. Last month I bought 8 shirts at Dilliards for $100 with tax. I don't ask my wife for permission anymore, when I see great stuff for 70%+ off I dive in.