Author Topic: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?  (Read 18895 times)

ReadySetMillionaire

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I'm an attorney that has to wear dress pants and a shirt and tie every day to work. Right now my wardrobe looks like this:

-4 suits (two gray, two navy)
-12 dress shirts (6 white, 6 patterned)
-About 20-25 ties.
-1 pair of black dress shoes
-1 black belt

All of my suits, dress shirts, and ties are from the Brooks Brothers Outlet Store. The suits are especially good quality, and I've heard from almost everybody that it's better to buy four good suits rather than ten cheap ones.

Having owned both my dress shoes and white shirts for about four years now, though, I'm in need of getting more shirts and shoes soon. But it's almost impossible to keep my white shirts looking new and I might only get a couple of those and get more patterned shirts.

I'm a bit nervous about buying new shoes, though, because my current ones cost $175 (Johnston and Murphy). Mine are still in decent shape but I'd like to add brown shoes and belt to my collection.

So, any tips on the amount of clothes you should keep "in stock" and where to get great quality for good value? The Brooks Brothers semi-annual sale is great, I think, but I'm wondering if there's any alternatives.

h2ogal

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2015, 09:02:34 AM »
From your post you are a Male Mustachian I think....so this may not apply to you, but in case any females are interested I shop ONLY at major sales at large department stores or at discount outlets.

My work place dress code has changed a LOT over the years from Business Suits to Business Casual, so now I mainly buy inexpensive machine washable dresses, skirts, and blouses from TJ MAXX.   Saves on dry cleaning bill a lot!


Jack

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2015, 09:13:03 AM »
"White collar jobs" aren't what they used to be: as an engineer (design, not field) mine have all been business casual. Maybe you should specify in the thread title that you're talking about suits.

I tend to buy striped button-down shirts (i.e., not quite dress shirts) from Goodwill, khaki pants from various discount stores like JC Penney, Ross, Costco etc., and polo shirts from a combination of the above.

Last time I bought a suit (which I used for an interview -- and I turned out to be overdressed even for that!), it was a Geoffrey Beene from Burlington Coat Factory for maybe $80, plus $10 to have the trouser legs hemmed.

Fuzz

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2015, 09:13:38 AM »
I'm ready for the facepunches. Here is what I do: The brooks brothers semi annual sale (right after christmas) for shirts. The nordstroms men's sale in july for suits. I've worn a couple different $400-$500 hugo boss suits 3x-5x a week for the past 5 years. Everything lasts. Everything looks good. I have not thought about this system for years.

Jules13

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2015, 09:16:55 AM »
I don't know where you live but if there is a store called Marti & Liz (mostly in TN/KY) or something similar, you can find great deals on shoes, for men and women.  Name brands like Johnson and Murphy too.  I haven't paid over $30 for a pair of Clarks or Ecco in years.  You can probably do a google search for a discount shoe outlet in your city.

Can't really help you with clothes as my husband couldn't care less and doesn't have high brow dress requirements for work, so doesn't buy anything expensive.  Mostly shops at Kohls.  Well, I shop for him about once a year so he doesn't walk around in rags at least.  But, he did get a few pairs of nice shoes recently, all at Marti & Liz for a song. 

Good luck.

velocistar237

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2015, 09:25:10 AM »
Thrift stores, consignment stores, ebay.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/i-hate-corporate-clothes/msg643405/#msg643405

I am wearing some Allen Edmonds I bought on ebay. I usually keep them at work, so they should last a long time.

boarder42

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2015, 09:32:46 AM »
"White collar jobs" aren't what they used to be: as an engineer (design, not field) mine have all been business casual. Maybe you should specify in the thread title that you're talking about suits.

I tend to buy striped button-down shirts (i.e., not quite dress shirts) from Goodwill, khaki pants from various discount stores like JC Penney, Ross, Costco etc., and polo shirts from a combination of the above.

Last time I bought a suit (which I used for an interview -- and I turned out to be overdressed even for that!), it was a Geoffrey Beene from Burlington Coat Factory for maybe $80, plus $10 to have the trouser legs hemmed.


i wish my company was like that i'm a design engineer.  we where Ties to work from labor day to memorial day.  we go to no ties for the summer.

charis

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2015, 09:39:09 AM »
Consignment shops and ebay - I have Brooks Brothers, J Crew, Theory, Ann Taylor, Ann Klein suits, many of them, for my business dress job.  I almost bought a great vintage Chanel suit at a consignment shop, but I didn't want to fork over $200 just for the label.

couponvan

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2015, 09:46:46 AM »
DH is an attorney.  I am an accountant.

For the past 8 years, we've been doing the following. 

Every Thanksgiving, we spend Black Friday shopping at Macy's in downtown Chicago for their crazy dress shirt/tie clearance sale in the Men's department.  $9.99 for ANY clearance dress shirt/tie.  There aren't many people shopping Black Friday for shirts and ties, so it actually isn't very busy. (Extra coupons do not work....but at $10 a shirt/tie, we're not complaining.)  He gets 20 new designer dress shirts and 10 new ties.  He then donates his old shirts and ties, taking a $7.50 deduction per dress shirt/tie for taxes.  (Allowable amount for thrift value since these are designer ties and shirts he is donating.)  The shirts aren't more than a year or so old, so they are still very wearable.  Net cost of his clothing is $75-$100 a year after deductions.   

DH's office is business casual, so he just wears slacks/khakis with the shirt/tie and appears extra dressy.  That is better than too casual.  He does still needs suits for mediations and conferences.  He's got two BB suits, and two other designer suits.  He gets one new suit about every other year I think, and these we rotate in on Black Friday Macy's shopping or the BB outlet clearance sale. 

Shoes -  He has both brown and black shoes for work, but he has a hard time finding these affordably.  I/we haven't found a way to reliably get him reasonably priced shoes. 
 

Jakejake

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2015, 09:59:44 AM »
Thrift shops. I've gotten things like a linen talbots dress for a dollar - new with tags still attached. One of the most "expensive" clothing items I own is the dress I wore at my daughter's wedding which listed for over $300 at nordstroms; I got it for $13 at salvation army.

lbmustache

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2015, 10:10:34 AM »
From your post you are a Male Mustachian I think....so this may not apply to you, but in case any females are interested I shop ONLY at major sales at large department stores or at discount outlets.

My work place dress code has changed a LOT over the years from Business Suits to Business Casual, so now I mainly buy inexpensive machine washable dresses, skirts, and blouses from TJ MAXX.   Saves on dry cleaning bill a lot!

Same here! A few "cheaper" tips:
  • H&M has great basics, and they have great affordable blazers that fit properly and look great. ~$50 and I've had mine for 5+ years now.
  • Express also has great basics and they always have sales (for example, their Portofino shirts).

Other than that, I mostly go to TJ MAXX. Something I've discovered as a woman is that it is way cheaper to buy dresses.

Proud Foot

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2015, 10:24:34 AM »
For suits I recently purchased a few from www.combatgent.com. IMO the quality (100% wool shell, half canvassed) is far superior to anything else you can get for the price (both of mine were $160). I have a slim build so their "slim fit" suits fit me great. I'm not sure how their "modern fit" cut suits fit. I also have some of thier dress shirts as well and really like the fit.

As far as shoes, whenever my shoes are nearing the end of their life I like to check the Johnston Murphy outlet and see if anything that is on sale/clearance matches what I need. So far this has worked out every time I have needed shoes.

Sibley

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #12 on: August 10, 2015, 10:27:58 AM »
If you're getting slightly more expensive clothes and wearing them for 3-4 years, then it's probably the same expense as if you were getting cheaper stuff and having to replace every year.

Figure out when the sales are and take advantage of them of course.

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #13 on: August 10, 2015, 02:12:23 PM »
I'm ready for the facepunches. Here is what I do: The brooks brothers semi annual sale (right after christmas) for shirts. The nordstroms men's sale in july for suits. I've worn a couple different $400-$500 hugo boss suits 3x-5x a week for the past 5 years. Everything lasts. Everything looks good. I have not thought about this system for years.
I religiously shop at the Brooks Brother's semi-annual sales. I get shirts for about $29 each and ties for $13. Although I think I'm done with ties.

Thanks for the other suggestions so far.

Seppia

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #14 on: August 10, 2015, 02:26:44 PM »
Same here: brooks brothers semi annual sale for the shirts.
I go no-iron as the savings in dry cleaners is incredible and I just plain refuse to ever iron, I'd rather set myself on fire than do that :)
Belts: I go to TJ Maxx or similar, need to buy approximately one every three-four years.
Suits: back when I was in Italy I would buy Loro Piana stuff on sale, expensive but lasts forever. I have a blazer that's 10 years old and it looks like I bought it yesterday.
Since I moved to the U.S. I have purchased two blazers through a friend of mine who works for Armani so I got 75% off the obscene retail price.
Yes I spent $1000 but likely I'm done for another ten years at least unless I gain or lose significant weight.
Shoes: I brought here the four pairs I bought in Italy ages ago, mostly expensive stuff ($100 to 250 per pair) but they lasted 5-7 years so far and are still in great shape.
Certain work clothes (mostly suits and shoes) are really an area where if in doubt I buy slightly higher quality, because they last longer and look better.

Seppia

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Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #15 on: August 10, 2015, 02:26:48 PM »
Edit: double post, tapatalk messed up

epipenguin

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #16 on: August 10, 2015, 02:47:55 PM »
Another vote for TJ Maxx. You can't really go in there expecting to stock up a whole wardrobe, though - I set myself a limit of one item of clothing per month and I generally plan what I want to get a few months ahead of time (for example, the next few months' purchases will probably be a pair of shoes, a sweater, and a dress). I'll go in and look to see if there's something that works in any of those categories, buy it, and I'm generally done.  If nothing works for me there, we have an outlet mall that I'll also go and check.

It's all last year's clothing (or even the year before), but that doesn't exactly worry me as I'm not on the cutting edge of fashion.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #17 on: August 10, 2015, 02:57:42 PM »
Marshall's and Burlington Coat Factory for dress shirts, slacks, socks, etc.

My favorite brands of shirt are Tommy Hilfiger slim fit and Michael Kors slim fit. Both are had on sale for ~$20 and are machine washable and last very long.

I wear a suit when doing onsite visits and have a nice Tommy Hilfiger suit that I had tailored to fit like a glove.

Shoes I buy high end shoes at 6070% off from DSW Shoe Warehouse.

northernlights

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #18 on: August 10, 2015, 03:55:28 PM »
Two attorney couple. My husband has to wear suits most days, I can get away without one for 3-4 days a week.

My husband gets suits at Jos. A. Bank or Men's Wearhouse when they have big sales. We buy the higher end ones at those stores and most suits last him 3-4 years with use every week or two. Dress shirts are all Lands' End no-iron, with a few Kirklands we've just acquired. The Lands' End no-irons are awesome because we don't have to take them in for cleaning or iron them ourselves. Ties we get on clearance at Lands' End or local department stores, generally not paying more than $15/tie. I think for shoes he currently has one pair of Rockports and one pair of Bostonians. These seem to last 2-3 years, but I'm considering replacing them with Allen Edmonds that will just need resoling. My husband does not give two craps about clothes, so I buy all of them without his input, minus the suits, and he's fine with that.

I am a complete clotheshorse and deserve a lot of facepunches.

YK-Phil

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #19 on: August 10, 2015, 04:09:53 PM »
Mostly from consignment stores. My wife had a nice high-end consignment store in Calgary until recently, and one of her best consignor, a professional hockey player who would replace his entire wardrobe every season, was exactly the same size as me...Before we sold the store, I stocked up on expensive suits by Paul Smith, Boss and Zegna, and a dozen Eton, Etro and Boss shirts. I also scored a couple of quasi-new Prada shoes and booties, and a few pairs of practically-new Naked & Famous raw denim jeans. All are slim fit but classic enough to stay in style for a while, so I should be good for several years as long as my waist does not expand too much...FIRE is normally scheduled for October 2016 and I won't have any need for suits, so my wife who is more mustachian that I am and now works at the HBC men's section, is always on the lookout for post-FIRE attire at deep discount.

Basenji

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #20 on: August 10, 2015, 05:18:56 PM »
Think about having two pairs of shoes and alternate them. Put shoe trees in the resting pair. Extends the shoe life more than two times. Plus you can get one pair resoled while waering the other.

Tjat

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #21 on: August 10, 2015, 06:26:08 PM »
buy shoes on Amazon. I got two Johnston and Murphy for $80 each. They are returns from Zappos so in my experience just have a 1/2 day worth of scuff to the leather sole.

Shirts, I used to buy Nordstrom wrinkle-free or Macy's. I'll try lands end, but I need slim fit so its sometimes hard to find. My biggest problem is that the hipsters seem to think dress shirts should be short and pants should be low riders. It's hard when you're 6'3

couponvan

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #22 on: August 10, 2015, 08:35:53 PM »
Two attorney couple. My husband has to wear suits most days, I can get away without one for 3-4 days a week.

My husband gets suits at Jos. A. Bank or Men's Wearhouse when they have big sales. We buy the higher end ones at those stores and most suits last him 3-4 years with use every week or two. Dress shirts are all Lands' End no-iron, with a few Kirklands we've just acquired. The Lands' End no-irons are awesome because we don't have to take them in for cleaning or iron them ourselves. Ties we get on clearance at Lands' End or local department stores, generally not paying more than $15/tie. I think for shoes he currently has one pair of Rockports and one pair of Bostonians. These seem to last 2-3 years, but I'm considering replacing them with Allen Edmonds that will just need resoling. My husband does not give two craps about clothes, so I buy all of them without his input, minus the suits, and he's fine with that.

I am a complete clotheshorse and deserve a lot of facepunches.
Do you have to do anything at all to the Lands' End no-irons? You say don't have to take them in for cleaning or iron.  Do you dry for a period and then hang?  That could actually save us a bundle because we do pay $1.25/day to have his shirts laundered and pressed. (Salarywise, this is something we consider worth outsourcing.)  However he is picky about how shirts look and thinks the pressed shirt looks more authoritative.

stlbrah

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #23 on: August 10, 2015, 09:29:31 PM »
Books brothers dress clothes are worth the money. Its like they are bulletproof and they last forever.

Not to mention so comfortable.

Johnston and Murphy or Florsheim Imperial for cheaper shoes. Allen Edmonds - there was some guy on styleforum.com or a similar site selling them for 40% off.

Perry Ellis has some great belts for the price.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2015, 09:31:22 PM by stlbrah »

Seppia

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #24 on: August 11, 2015, 05:27:19 AM »

I think the Brooks Brothers ones hold up really well. Can't speak to Land's End. You hang them up straight out of the dryer and they're perfect. They even have the little crease down the sleeve.

I also strongly recommend Brooks Brothers no iron shirts.
They look fantastic.
For some reason, the fabric in patterned shirts (striped, squares etc) is softer than the plain colors (blue, pink, white), so I tend to buy striped ones.

northernlights

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #25 on: August 11, 2015, 08:51:38 AM »
Do you have to do anything at all to the Lands' End no-irons? You say don't have to take them in for cleaning or iron.  Do you dry for a period and then hang?  That could actually save us a bundle because we do pay $1.25/day to have his shirts laundered and pressed. (Salarywise, this is something we consider worth outsourcing.)  However he is picky about how shirts look and thinks the pressed shirt looks more authoritative.

We do not! Our routine is to wash them in warm water, throw them in the dryer on "optimum dry" with our dryer balls, and then hang them the second the dryer finishes. Every once in a while we'll miss a flipped collar and steam them back into place with a garment steamer, but most days he takes them off the hanger and puts them right on. I did invest in a set of better collar stays because the ones in the shirt go missing after a while, but now he has a sterling silver set that should last him for life. My husband is in court every day and doesn't ever take his jacket off unless he's alone in the office, so he's happy with them and I am too. I'd absolutely outsource shirts if I was you, but maybe order a LE one to try? That's what we did at first to replace the ones we were ironing, figuring if he didn't like it for work it would still work for dates or church.

Jouer

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #26 on: August 11, 2015, 09:24:30 AM »
You are on the right track with Brooks Brothers outlet store. And good thinking on adding brown shoes/belt, especially with the navy suits.

For dress shoes, I usually wear Cole Haan purchased from their outlet store. Typically spend about $100 (cost of a shitty pair from Aldo) which is about 40-50% off regular price in the regular CH stores. Extremely comfortable and durable.

As for the white shirt vs. patterned shirt: I suggest keeping a couple of white shirts for when you need to rock the white shirt + power tie combo but most other times a patterned shirt will work.

Kitsune

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #27 on: August 11, 2015, 09:40:33 AM »
I'm a lady Mustachian, and my body just doesn't fit well in standard shift-type dresses (too hourglass-y, the fabric always looks bunched up over my hips). I'm in a semi-corporate environment where a blazer over a dress is absolutely adequate.

My solution: find 2-3 blazers that fit perfectly, and get dresses at eshakti (NOTE: if anyone wants 40$ off their first order, PM me and I can send you a code that would get us both 40$ off - win/win.)

A lot of their dresses are 80$+, BUT, trick: they continually run 50% off sales. If you shop on a mobile device (phone or tablet), they give an additional 20% off. And then you add 40$ off coupons (from referrals) on every order. For 7.50$, you can get anything on the site made-to-measure to your specific measurements, and also change a lot of elements about their clothing. For example. I got a black, fitted (fits like a GLOVE and makes me look like I wriggled out of Mad Men), knee-length sheath. I alterned the neckline, the length, the sleeves (sleeveless bunches up less under blazers). It's made incredibly well (french seams and all), fits perfectly, and cost 40$, made-to-measure and with alterations.

A lot of their dresses are a bit too casual for most workplaces, but most of them can be altered to be a bit more conservative while still being really flattering and comfortable.

jackiechiles2

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #28 on: August 11, 2015, 10:14:10 AM »
Surprised nobody's mentioned E-bay. I've found some pretty great deals on name brand clothing that's almost new on E-bay. 

Using this tool, you'll find some pretty good namebrand clothing on E-bay:

http://www.haberdashboard.com/


Villanelle

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #29 on: August 11, 2015, 10:51:17 AM »
If there is one near you, check out Nordstrom's Rack for the shoes, and possibly belts and shirts as well. 

Kitsune

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #30 on: August 11, 2015, 11:01:14 AM »

My solution: find 2-3 blazers that fit perfectly, and get dresses at eshakti


I might try them again; I had bad luck last time.


Fair. I've ordered a few things from them that didn't work for me - a shirt and a dress that had horrible fit (and were promptly refunded, thank you customer service...) and two dresses that I had ordered as 'knee length' and that arrived at 'matronly mid-calf length'. Since the shape of the dresses worked, I hemmed them by an extra 4 inches and then they worked fine (possibly I'm more indulgent because I'd gotten those dresses on sale for 20$ - if I'd paid the full price of 60ish, I'd have been more peeved at needing to hem them!)

Hamster

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #31 on: August 11, 2015, 11:09:11 AM »
One more vote for the Brooks Brothers outlet non-iron shirts. They look great out of the dryer and hung right away, with nice sharp permanent creases in the sleeves.

They still cost a bit on the higher side at ~$30 from the outlet with semi-annual sale. But I think there is some savings in only shopping once a year and knowing exactly what I need going buying, leaving, and not spending time and gas shopping around. I could probably get cheaper at TJ Maxx if I had the patience. There is almost no men's consignment around here - all women's and kids.

I tend to tear a hole in the elbows after a year and a half of wearing once a week. But that happens to me with all shirts. I tried ironing a reinforcing patch inside the elbows once to prevent this, but it looked goofy. Anyone have any other tips for preventing this?

Cycling Stache

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #32 on: August 11, 2015, 11:20:07 AM »
I'm an attorney that has to wear dress pants and a shirt and tie every day to work. Right now my wardrobe looks like this:

-4 suits (two gray, two navy)
-12 dress shirts (6 white, 6 patterned)
-About 20-25 ties.
-1 pair of black dress shoes
-1 black belt

All of my suits, dress shirts, and ties are from the Brooks Brothers Outlet Store. The suits are especially good quality, and I've heard from almost everybody that it's better to buy four good suits rather than ten cheap ones.

Having owned both my dress shoes and white shirts for about four years now, though, I'm in need of getting more shirts and shoes soon. But it's almost impossible to keep my white shirts looking new and I might only get a couple of those and get more patterned shirts.

I'm a bit nervous about buying new shoes, though, because my current ones cost $175 (Johnston and Murphy). Mine are still in decent shape but I'd like to add brown shoes and belt to my collection.

So, any tips on the amount of clothes you should keep "in stock" and where to get great quality for good value? The Brooks Brothers semi-annual sale is great, I think, but I'm wondering if there's any alternatives.

This sounds like plenty, and the Brooks Brothers quality is good.  One trick that helps is to wear regular clothes to the office, then change into the slacks/dress shirt when you get to work, and back.  You don't get dirty or sweaty sitting in the office, and then you can dry clean the clothes much less often, which cuts a lot of expense.

Also, as a side note, most people do not care or notice what guys wear.  I rotate 1-2 suits, 5 ties, and a couple shirts during trial, and nobody ever cares.  Indeed, I often use the point in closing when there's a question whether a witness remembered something unimportant and I ask how many people remember what color tie I wore for opening. 

So 25 ties probably has you covered forever, and the suits and shirts should last a long time.

jackiechiles2

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #33 on: August 11, 2015, 11:48:39 AM »
I've debated trying this site:

https://www.combatgent.com/suits

for a $160 suit.  Reviews seems to indicate the quality is akin to a slightly better Jos A. Banks suit. 

keyser

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #34 on: August 11, 2015, 12:16:41 PM »


Costco Kirkland brand slacks are $40-$50 and wear like $75-$100 pants. Their slim fit dress shirts are good too, especially if wearing with a jacket and tie.

Nordstrom rack or similar for jackets and sport coats.

Otherwise Brooks Bros. sales for shirts and suits. I have had bad luck with Macy's in terms of price-quality. Lord & Taylor used to be good but has gone downhill.

On shoes, I made the jump to Allen Edmonds and have been very impressed. Wish I had done so earlier, but make sure you understand shoe maintenance before making the investment. (I use rockports for my commute.)

Has anyone tried buying nice brands off eBay? I was thinking of giving it a shot.

Scandium

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #35 on: August 11, 2015, 12:30:57 PM »
I don't know if it's my weirdly shaped european body, but I've never had luck in the places mentioned here. Men's wearhouse, Brooks bros, goodwill (lol, so bad). Everything is huge, baggy and grandpa looking! Shirts are like tents, and the pants design seems to assume my ankles are the same width as my thighs (they're not actually). Often with Macy's brands etc,  "fitted" is often still pretty baggy. I'm not super-skinny either. Maybe I'm just not into the american style where there is no such things as too much fabric..?

Unfortunately this means JCrew and banana republic are the places where I can find shirts don't look ridiculous. Not cheap. Usually I find a sale and some coupons though, and pick up some shirts for ~$40-60 each. I wear them for years so don't consider that too bad. As I'm an engineer I can get away with polos too and Target has some well-fitting ones just north of $15.
JCrew factory has good sales on shirts. Bonobos also has sales, but still a bit to pricey for me to try them.

And yeah, shoes are expensive. IMO the strongest connection between price and quality (to a point). If they're cheap they're usually crap and will fall apart. 

edit; perused JCrew factory now, and lots of $35 dress shirts on sale. I considered that ok for decent quality shirts. Maybe to casual for lawyer-wear though?
« Last Edit: August 11, 2015, 12:43:51 PM by Scandium »

Scandium

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #36 on: August 11, 2015, 12:34:00 PM »
I've debated trying this site:

https://www.combatgent.com/suits

for a $160 suit.  Reviews seems to indicate the quality is akin to a slightly better Jos A. Banks suit.

wow, looks good, for cheap. I need a new suit. Let me know how it is if you try it:D

jackiechiles2

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #37 on: August 11, 2015, 12:40:13 PM »
I don't know if it's my weirdly shaped european body, but I've never had luck in the places mentioned here. Men's wearhouse, Brooks bros, goodwill (lol, so bad). Everything is huge, baggy and grandpa looking! Shirts are like tents, and the pants design seems to assume my ankles are the same width as my thighs (they're not actually). Often with Macy's brands etc,  "fitted" is often still pretty baggy. I'm not super-skinny either. Maybe I'm just not into the american style where there is no such things as too much fabric..?

Unfortunately this means JCrew and banana republic are the places where I can find shirts don't look ridiculous. Not cheap. Usually I find a sale and some coupons though, and pick up some shirts for ~$40-60 each. I wear them for years so don't consider that too bad. As I'm an engineer I can get away with polos too and Target has some well-fitting ones just north of $15.
JCrew factory has good sales on shirts. Bonobos also has sales, but still a bit to pricey for me to try them.

And yeah, shoes are expensive. IMO the strongest connection between price and quality (to a point). If they're cheap they're usually crap and will fall apart.

I have a long skinny torso, so I have the problem of buying a shirt that's long enough, but then it's too baggy.  I just take anything I get that doesn't fit correctly to a tailor to get it taken in so it looks normal.  This includes casual shorts, polo shirts, etc. 

Hamster

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #38 on: August 11, 2015, 05:31:29 PM »
I don't know if it's my weirdly shaped european body, but I've never had luck in the places mentioned here. Men's wearhouse, Brooks bros, goodwill (lol, so bad). Everything is huge, baggy and grandpa looking! Shirts are like tents, and the pants design seems to assume my ankles are the same width as my thighs (they're not actually). Often with Macy's brands etc,  "fitted" is often still pretty baggy. I'm not super-skinny either. Maybe I'm just not into the american style where there is no such things as too much fabric..?

Unfortunately this means JCrew and banana republic are the places where I can find shirts don't look ridiculous. Not cheap. Usually I find a sale and some coupons though, and pick up some shirts for ~$40-60 each. I wear them for years so don't consider that too bad. As I'm an engineer I can get away with polos too and Target has some well-fitting ones just north of $15.
JCrew factory has good sales on shirts. Bonobos also has sales, but still a bit to pricey for me to try them.

And yeah, shoes are expensive. IMO the strongest connection between price and quality (to a point). If they're cheap they're usually crap and will fall apart. 

edit; perused JCrew factory now, and lots of $35 dress shirts on sale. I considered that ok for decent quality shirts. Maybe to casual for lawyer-wear though?
For Brooks Brothers, try the slim fit. I find the Slim Fit non-iron shirts run our very quickly at the semi-annual outlet sales. I agree that the standard cut is extremely baggy, despite me not being terribly skinny.

Trudie

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #39 on: August 11, 2015, 07:45:24 PM »


Costco Kirkland brand slacks are $40-$50 and wear like $75-$100 pants. Their slim fit dress shirts are good too, especially if wearing with a jacket and tie.

Nordstrom rack or similar for jackets and sport coats.

Otherwise Brooks Bros. sales for shirts and suits. I have had bad luck with Macy's in terms of price-quality. Lord & Taylor used to be good but has gone downhill.

On shoes, I made the jump to Allen Edmonds and have been very impressed. Wish I had done so earlier, but make sure you understand shoe maintenance before making the investment. (I use rockports for my commute.)

Has anyone tried buying nice brands off eBay? I was thinking of giving it a shot.

Ditto to Costco for dress slacks and shirts.  My husband wears them daily and swears by them.

Proud Foot

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #40 on: August 12, 2015, 09:26:17 AM »
I've debated trying this site:

https://www.combatgent.com/suits

for a $160 suit.  Reviews seems to indicate the quality is akin to a slightly better Jos A. Banks suit.

wow, looks good, for cheap. I need a new suit. Let me know how it is if you try it:D

I have purchased two suits, multiple shirts, and several pants and they all are very good quality. If you sign up for their emails you will know when they have their sales.  I got my suits through the sale for $120 each, the shirts for $20-25, and the pants for $30.  I also got free ties when I purchased the suits and shirts, not particularly impressed by the quality of the ties though.

Scandium

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #41 on: August 12, 2015, 09:57:39 AM »
I've debated trying this site:

https://www.combatgent.com/suits

for a $160 suit.  Reviews seems to indicate the quality is akin to a slightly better Jos A. Banks suit.

wow, looks good, for cheap. I need a new suit. Let me know how it is if you try it:D

I have purchased two suits, multiple shirts, and several pants and they all are very good quality. If you sign up for their emails you will know when they have their sales.  I got my suits through the sale for $120 each, the shirts for $20-25, and the pants for $30.  I also got free ties when I purchased the suits and shirts, not particularly impressed by the quality of the ties though.

Cool, thanks. $35-40 regular price isn't even that bad. If there are sales even better.

Did you get the slim fit? How "slim" are they? That's my only concern as some brands slim is still a bit baggy.. I probably just have to order one from them to test out first. The tip above to get shirts tailored is also a good one, I have done that for some and it's not that expensive for getting a proper fit

Proud Foot

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #42 on: August 12, 2015, 11:13:06 AM »
Scandium,

I don't know my exact measurements off the top of my head and don't have access to anything to measure so I may edit this once I get home and can measure.  For reference though I am 6'1 and weigh 180. For my shirts I got the size 16 and they are not baggy on me.  I would say the shirt fits me very similar to their model in the picture. https://www.combatgent.com/shirts/light-blue-poplin-endurance-shirt

Scandium

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #43 on: August 12, 2015, 11:45:49 AM »
Scandium,

I don't know my exact measurements off the top of my head and don't have access to anything to measure so I may edit this once I get home and can measure.  For reference though I am 6'1 and weigh 180. For my shirts I got the size 16 and they are not baggy on me.  I would say the shirt fits me very similar to their model in the picture. https://www.combatgent.com/shirts/light-blue-poplin-endurance-shirt

Ok thanks. Don't worry about measuring. You're about my size, plus 2" and 10lb but that shouldn't make a difference. That fit looks good for a slim shirt. I'll definitely order a test shirt from them at some point.

index

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #44 on: August 12, 2015, 08:43:08 PM »
Charles Trwhitt for shirts:
http://www.ctshirts.com/default.aspx?q=|||||||||||||||

Brooks brothers quality. Sign up for emails and they have a couple 3 for $100 sales each year.

Express for pants. Numerous 50% off sales make them $35.

Shoes: get two pairs of eccos (brown black) for $150 each. They will last you 5 or 6 years.

Sport coats: Kohl's and Macy's on sale.

Ties: tiebar.com - $19 each

Belts: amazon fossil and nautica belts for ~#30. Last about 5 years

index

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #45 on: August 12, 2015, 08:57:40 PM »
I have two suits from black lapel. $450 each but they are custom made bespoke suits. Had them about two years and they still look great. I only wear a full suit 5 times a month though.

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #46 on: August 13, 2015, 05:56:57 AM »
I have tried buying cheaper brands but in the long run I think its better to buy quality, timeless pieces that last. Anne Taylor, Nordstroms, Kate Spade, Brooks brothers etc.

AlwaysLearningToSave

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #47 on: August 13, 2015, 07:23:58 AM »
Thanks for starting this post.  I've been wanting to figure out a good business wardrobe strategy for some time.  Mostly just posting to follow this.  I'm interested in hearing from more people who have tried clothing from combatant gentlemen. 

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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #48 on: November 07, 2015, 06:53:13 PM »
I'm an attorney that has to wear dress pants and a shirt and tie every day to work. Right now my wardrobe looks like this:

-4 suits (two gray, two navy)
-12 dress shirts (6 white, 6 patterned)
-About 20-25 ties.
-1 pair of black dress shoes
-1 black belt

All of my suits, dress shirts, and ties are from the Brooks Brothers Outlet Store. The suits are especially good quality, and I've heard from almost everybody that it's better to buy four good suits rather than ten cheap ones.

Having owned both my dress shoes and white shirts for about four years now, though, I'm in need of getting more shirts and shoes soon. But it's almost impossible to keep my white shirts looking new and I might only get a couple of those and get more patterned shirts.

I'm a bit nervous about buying new shoes, though, because my current ones cost $175 (Johnston and Murphy). Mine are still in decent shape but I'd like to add brown shoes and belt to my collection.

So, any tips on the amount of clothes you should keep "in stock" and where to get great quality for good value? The Brooks Brothers semi-annual sale is great, I think, but I'm wondering if there's any alternatives.
  I used to buy Brooks Brothers only.  I have branched out.  Now I buy sales (clearance items) at Joseph A Bank.  My last suit I bought over their web site on clearance.  $107.  It is charcoal grey, wool and cashmere.  I took it in to their store to be tailored by the little old lady, and, wow, does she know her stuff.  I am 220 pounds and lean, so really hard to fit, but she did a great job, for less than fifty bucks. 

This $150 suit (cost WITH tailoring) is by far the best looking suit I have ever owned.  I get compliments on it all the time.

Check them out.

I like my Johnston and Murphy shoes, too (and I bought my last pair at Joseph A Bank, too).  Cheap shoes are not worth it.


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Re: Mustachian White Collar Workers--Where Do You Buy Your Clothes?
« Reply #49 on: November 07, 2015, 08:11:22 PM »
I have almost no ability to choose flattering clothing, so I go to places with really outstanding customer service. My primaries are Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers, and Jos A. Bank's. 

The key is to always find a bright young thing to assist me in choosing fit, colour, and pattern. In the end, I buy one item so the sales clerk can get the commission. Then I ask the clerk to print the specs on the stuff I liked, but didn't buy. They have always been very accommodating. Once armed with the brands and sizes that work for me, I buy the rest of the wardrobe on ebay. Once everything is delivered, I take the pile to the tailor.

For an alternate perspective - I prefer the way pressed shirts look on me, so I steer away from no-iron. I just wash, hang wet, and iron just before I want to wear them. Doesn't take very long, and I look damn good.

Shoes are a whole different nightmare, though. I have size 5 feet. I can tell you that buying boy's shoes are much cheaper, but the cost is made up for in humiliation.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!