Looking for shopping buddies

mstq

Hi

So, I'm a 24yr old male and I've got 0 style. When I think of the way I dress the only thing in my head is this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHo0mEco65s Seriously.

There are two big problems that I have with shopping - 1. I go to a store and I got no clue what to pick and 2. I end up mixing stuff that should not be mixed [I mean... I only found out 2 days ago that the belt has to match the colour of the shoes... yeah, ikr?!]

I don't have a myriad of €€€ so personal shopper is out - if I'm to pay €100/h I might as well spent that on clothes.

So, thinking of a solution to my problem I thought I might try to find a shopping buddy. Any kind fashionable souls willing to help me out?


-A

Toto Wolfcastle

Debenhams has a free personal shopper service so that might be somewhere to start. Dundrum has one too but you pay to use it. I'm sure there are others available too.

http://www.debenhams.ie/wcsstore/DebenhamsIESite/faq/our_services/personal_shopper.html

eviltimeban

Happy to help you out, though perhaps in a virtual sense for the time being!

Firstly, let us know what kind of clothes you are looking to get - suits and formal wear? Casual clothes? What age are you? Where do you shop?

What kind of style do you like? Are there any male celebs who's dress sense you admire?

mynameis905

I'm presuming that you're not working in a environment where you need formal business clothes like suits and at 24 you're not going to be wearing sports jackets and slacks so you're probably looking at building more of a casual wardrobe. A great place to start with is Reddit Male Fashion Advice. Despite the name it's not really about 'fashion' but more about basic clothing for men in the 18-30ish bracket. The basic wardrobe is outlined in the pic below - one beige chinos, dark blue jeans, clarks desert boots, casual sneakers, one plain white oxford shirt, one plain blue oxford shirt and a light grey jumper. Add in a jacket of some sort and you're all set.

Sound Bite

Look at the shop's website before you go shopping and see how things are styled. Also look at the in store mannequins to get hints also.

baby and crumble

Hey OP, I thoroughly recommend a site called Primer Magazine- it's not just clothes but also general life and style for "post-college men". Particularly for you would be the "Getup" series- they post a full outfit for different scenarios; 1st date, casual office, meeting the parents, etc. They have links to each item to buy online. Now, they are based inthe US so they won't have some of the shops we'd be used to here but they use basics that really you can find anywhere.

Check it out here: http://www.primermagazine.com/tag/the-getup

milli milli

Mynameis905 - Are these not a little boring for a 24 year old?
I know you are probably just giving him tips but at his age clothes a bit funkier might suit him better?

OP I really don't know if you're into Pinterest but it's a great website for 'pining' looks that you might like.

I've just typed in "men clothes casual" and this is what pops up. You 'Pin' pictures you like to a 'board'.

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=men+clothes+casual&term_meta%5B%5D=men%7Cautocomplete%7C3&term_meta%5B%5D=clothes%7Cautocomplete%7C3&term_meta%5B%5D=casual%7Cautocomplete%7C3

Type in whatever you like and follow fashion/clothes boards you like and soon you'll have an idea of what kind of look you want to achieve, and it will be easier to buy.

Also +1 on looking at shop mannequins.

baby and crumble

milli milli wrote: »

Mynameis905 - Are these not a little boring for a 24 year old?
I know you are probably just giving him tips but at his age clothes a bit funkier might suit him better?

Personally I think men (and women tbh) need t start dressing a little less casual once you're into your mid-20's. You could easily be a nurse, teacher, doctor, accountant etc by 24. Obviously not ALL the time, but those recommendations are a solid start. I've found a lot of men in particular continue wearing jeans and a hoody WELL into their 30's and beyond which isn't really the best, is it? I mean, hey, you can wear what you want but if you want an employer/ possible partner to take you seriously you need to start making changes early. It's far easier to make those changes in your mid-20's.

mynameis905

milli milli wrote: »

Mynameis905 - Are these not a little boring for a 24 year old?
I know you are probably just giving him tips but at his age clothes a bit funkier might suit him better?

OP I really don't know if you're into Pinterest but it's a great website for 'pining' looks that you might like.

I've just typed in "men clothes casual" and this is what pops up. You 'Pin' pictures you like to a 'board'.

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=men+clothes+casual&term_meta%5B%5D=men%7Cautocomplete%7C3&term_meta%5B%5D=clothes%7Cautocomplete%7C3&term_meta%5B%5D=casual%7Cautocomplete%7C3

Type in whatever you like and follow fashion/clothes boards you like and soon you'll have an idea of what kind of look you want to achieve, and it will be easier to buy.

Also +1 on looking at shop mannequins.

I suppose the idea is a basic set of looks with items that are easy to find and tried and true colour combinations that work really well together.

The other aspect of it is fit - if everything fits well (tailor if necessary) these outfits can look very, very good indeed.

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

mynameis905

Another cool blog worth a look is http://casuallysmart.com/

His style is definitely on the preppy side but with a slightly more youthful twist.

eviltimeban

I think if the OP feels he has "no style", then a more muted collection is best, made up of things he can use to create a capsule wardrobe (things you can mix and match).

So the suggestions above are pretty good.

Once you've got the basics, you can add in some flourished like more colourful trainers, different types of coats and jackets, or bolder prints.

mynameis905

baby and crumble wrote: »

Personally I think men (and women tbh) need t start dressing a little less casual once you're into your mid-20's. You could easily be a nurse, teacher, doctor, accountant etc by 24. Obviously not ALL the time, but those recommendations are a solid start. I've found a lot of men in particular continue wearing jeans and a hoody WELL into their 30's and beyond which isn't really the best, is it? I mean, hey, you can wear what you want but if you want an employer/ possible partner to take you seriously you need to start making changes early. It's far easier to make those changes in your mid-20's.

+1

I bought my first hoodie a few months ago. Very comfortable and warm but I wouldn't dream of wearing it outside the front door. When I see men wearing them to restaurants and pubs with a pair of tatty runners I die a little on the inside. Seems to be either that or the sadly ubiquitous bootcut jeans/brown duck billed pleather shoes/ben sherman shirt uniform.

eviltimeban

Nothing wrong with wearing jeans into your 30s (and 40s), once they are nice jeans. And not bootcut. I never wore hoodies even when I was younger so that doesn't effect me.

Look at David Beckham. There's a guy who is 40 and dresses very well obviously, but also has a nice casual style, very simple and comfortable looking.

I don't believe just because someone is a particular age they should stop / start dressing a certain way. Obviously the guy who wears bootcuts with shoes has no interest in fashion to start with, but if you are comfortable and happy in pair of stylish jeans, expensive trainers or boots, plain sweaters or t shirts, and an on-trend jacket or coat, you can wear that for the rest of your life as far as I'm concerned.

Personally I would never wear shoes with jeans, but that's just the way I am. I like to be exceptionally well dressed going to work (in suits) and then more casual / trendy at the weekends. I'm 40 btw.

mstq

In terms of what I want to achieve - ever been to clement & pekoe? Yeah, lets go with that stuff... whatever it is that they're wearing xD

@mynameis - The stuff you posted looks like a 30yr old in it services. If i go formal i get a suit (those are easy ones to pick. and yes, they lay on me well). If I go casual I want to look fancier than that :P

@baby and crudle - good page, but my problem is that even if i pick something from a magazine like esquire (been checking those for the last few months) I'm still unable to find the stuff in the stores and later on match them nicely. But thx for the page. I'll definitely check it.

Regarding my knowledge of style & fashion:
Only some two weeks ago I've read that you have to match a belt to the colour of the shoes. No big problem since I've been consistently wearing brown leathers shoes and belt. I've found out that the belt has to match the shoes when I bought a pair of blue suedes and I was trying to find out what to wear with them.

Regarding bootcuts:
Being curious as why bootcuts are wrong I started googling. My whole life I believed the word "boot" stands for "booty", as in "booty cut"... as in they have differently cut of "lower back" area. I don't think there's a single thing in my life I have been so wrong about ;]

mdudy

I've never been to Clement & Pekoe but from creeping their Facebook etc. the clothes look pretty casual/smart casual.

I would look at Asos, they've a great sale on right now, and you can kinda get an idea of what goes with what, if, as you say, you're clueless.

You really don't need a lot of clothes to have a nice wardrobe. At this time of year, a rotation of jumpers, shirts and 2/3 pairs of jeans along with boots and trainers should do you. Add in a decent winter coat, and a lighter weight jacket and you're sorted.

Casual brands that I would go for, and recommend, are Scotch & Soda, Diesel (the proper Italian one, not the cheap rip-off Irish one), Replay, Selected Homme, Ralph Lauren, G-Star, Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein. Massimo Dutti is also good for inspiration (and clothes), as is Zara.

Buy decent quality, lasting pieces that you can wear year in, year out. Avoid too many logos, as that's kind of tacky. Go for solid colours as they're not going to go out of style. You're best to add in detail outfits with your accessories and shoes not the clothes. Go for a nice watch, different shoes, etc. for some personality.

And RE: belts and shoe issue, that's really only standard with formal attire. Casually I wouldn't think twice if I wore a black belt and brown shoes. Also, where are you gonna get a blue suede belt?

mynameis905

I think the belt rule is more along the lines of

Brown shoes - brown belt
Black shoes - black belt

With an outlandish colour like blue suede shoes you have a bit more lee-way. Honestly, a blue suede belt with blue suede shoes is going to look slightly ridiculous. Your best bet is something like a ribbon belt that compliments, rather than matches the shoes. This is a very preppy look though, for better or worse.



Out of curiosity - what kind of blue suede shoes did you get?

baby and crumble

Yeah the belt thing is more so for business and less casual outfits. A handy option is to get a black and brown reversible belt. And you're done!