Wardrobe Analysis
Over the last month I returned to taking pictures of my outfits, sharing them online and in that process, evaluating my wardrobe. I tried to create at least a decent outfit featuring every item I own, and wanted to use that to determine what I should get rid of, what is working, and what I still need.
A little personal context, I teach Junior High English and I need to be presentable, but never need to be formal. I’m also a parent to two young kids and don’t bring in a huge salary so these are largely thrifted or non prestige brand items. I’ve always liked prep leaning fashion and have been on MFA since Jdbee was god. I’m heavily inspired by lots of you here and on MFA, but I usually tend towards the basic side of things.
Some observations…This was a good exercise and I’m glad I did it before making any further purchases. Also, I could’ve steamed some of these items and the fit pics are a work in progress but it is what it is! There are also a number of pieces, that I’ve had for a long time, that are a different cut or fit (particularly two of the three pairs of light wash denim and the black and camel topcoats) than I would buy if I were replacing them today, but I’m mostly trying to work with it. l don’t wear those two long coats very much for this reason, and I’m not sure if I should just move on. There are also a number of items that I would like to upgrade or replace, and that’s a work in progress.
I clearly like navy blue, olive and brown, light coloured sweaters, suede shoes, white sneakers and chore coats (nothing ground breaking). I like how versatile everything is, but I think I need to add some more colour and personality. I got the burgundy beanie at Christmas and wore it a ton in this exercise. I just got a Life Acquatic red one and a green one and that’s a step!
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My current want list is long, but my top items are a blazer (tweed or plaid) that can be dressed down, some light jeans to raw hem, some canvas shoes for summer (probably cream Vans authentics because I’ve seen them styled by people here so well), a better grey hoodie, some kind of western button down (yeehaw), fun sweaters, a more interesting baseball cap or two, hiking boots, and of course, Paraboots.
I’m kind of excited to be done wearing everything though and now I can just wear what I feel like!
What I’m looking for,
-What works well?
-What isn’t working?
-What do you think I need?
-What would you move on from?
-Best and/or worst fits
Really appreciate this community, thanks!
What I’m looking for, -What works well? -What isn’t working? -What do you think I need? -What would you move on from? -Best and/or worst fitsDo you have your own answers to these questions? Sounds like you have some ideas for items you want to try out. People can just spout their opinions but if you want to wear what you like you should do this work yourself. Take a look at some of the other “fit doctor” threads that folks have posted. Gather some inspo for stuff you want to try. This is your journey so you should be leading it, not us. All of your fits look good imo. I have some thoughts on things you could try but I think you should try to answer those questions yourself first
Recommended reading https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1130222370179793076
As per the appropriate suggestion I should officially answer my own questions! I did to some extent in the text but it was long and maybe a it nebulous!
What works well
-I think most of what I shared works, items I identified to donate or stop wearing for certain I didn’t share in this exercise. This is my comfort zone and I’m pretty happy with that, so what I think I want to try is pushing beyond that a little bit. I do think the chore coat, sweater or ocbd, denim or chinos type outfit works for me and most all occasions.
What isn’t working
-Needs more color/flavor
-Some clothes are dated in style, cut
What do I need?
-I have an identified want list, but mostly looking to keep most of these categories of items and upgrade fit and quality
-A little more colour and flavour
What should I move on from?
-Probably the camel topcoat
-Maybe the slim light denim I’m wearing with the cardigan
Best and worst fits
-I really like the corduroy chore jacket so all of those are among my favourites
- Cricket style and sweater vest are a bit more interesting so I like that
-The blue chore, denim bd, fatigues, 990s fit works for me I think
Worst fits
-The one with the critter pants and olive Barbour style jacket is pretty iffy
- Hoodie denim jacket is boring but I hadn’t featured those yet
-Olive heavy jacket and blunds isn’t much of a fit but wanted to include them in the exercise
Fair enough! I thought that was in the text to some extent but probably not enough! Have I unlocked your feedback? I always like your fits!
Thanks for sharing that, I’ll try to add some more detail, I’m always inspired by you, so I’d be interested in your thoughts!
I’m probably most inspired by posters on here, Drakes styling for more formal stuff and ALD FW 2022. I like new J Crew and a like new and old MFA core. I’m a basic and cheap boy at heart. I have a huge inspo folder on my own and it’s like half @chuckflowers @soartisticnow on Instagram!
honestly just wanna say very based of you to take all these fit pics this is how you dress better fr
Thanks, I got back into taking pics this year and it definitely helps!
I really like the idea here but I’d probably swap the denim? shirt for an ocbd to lean more into the sloppy ivy ALD thing
just my opinion, looking at them everything looks fine to me , except for baggy pants like in 2nd and 3rd pics, its ok if its your style, just sharing my opinion I'd replace them
Here’s a few recent fits I really liked!
Disagree
and here i was gonna suggest wider pants
Yeah lmao
Agree with Art, the double knees in pic 2 especially look great
Totally fair, to be honest those are some of my newer pants and more the direction I’m trying to go, but I appreciate it!
That’s more where I’m at right now for reference!
That makes sense to me, I did think that was fun but I sort of felt it fell apart when the coat and scarf came off. What do you think about that jacket? Too short/slim or it can still work?
It’s more the color of the jacket than the cut that’s throwing it for me. I’d try it with this guy
Fwiw on that sweatpants fit i feel like the elastic bands on the bottom are killing the silhouette
you mention "fun sweaters" as something to explore but how do you define fun? imo your looks that have pattern are less successful than the ones that play on different textures.
Also really like the term from @artvandelayimporting sloppy ivy, or J Crew ALD
Agreed!
oh totally get it, and i love this exercise. i think wider fits would help diversify & get you to the point you're looking to go to🙏
I agree, need more vintage style cut of sweats.
I think sweaters that are a touch looser might add some slouch as well
in general
Red, orange, yellow, green, patterned or picture, fair isle, etc!
If you are looking for new sweaters have you considered a graphic RL sweater? It would hit your vibes perfectly and theres a million on the used market,
Polo Bear, Flag, Dog, etc
Overall my read is your style is super close to what you want, and I think its just playing with the exact proportions and drape left.
Yeah significant growth from back on the subreddit
Mostly what other folks have said. One direction you could experiment with with wider/different silhouettes. I feel like you have about the same shape to most of your fits so some wider and slouchier items and cuts would be a nice way to mix it up. I think that's the biggest difference between your fits and the ones you linked that you like
Well I’m glad to hear that, thanks!!
No American flag because I’m Canadian lol but this is top of my wish list. I have probably 100 fits saved with a graphic RL sweater!
That’s fair I don’t disagree!
I’m not too tall and a bit stout, and have to fight with length vs width in a sweater unless it’s cropped often. I’ve started doing the tuck under with sweaters to get the fit better too. I’ve had some changes in my body since I bought some of these too!
I have the same issue so I get it, one of my biggest pain points with sweaters myself
100 percent!
That means a lot, thanks!
Makes perfect sense, I need to embrace the wider and a little looser. I struggle with some body dysmorphia and that’s also a bit of a factor with my internal resistance at times ! Appreciate the feedback!
what cut are the lightwash jeans you have?
Problem is that they’re all 3 plus y/o but I have three pairs, so I haven’t got anything more current yet. I’m order of the pictures here they are Levi’s 513 (501 or 505 would be better), Gap slim (I know…), and Gap straight crop (a little too cropped).
ah yeah
501 would be my rec but I'm sure you already know about them
For sure, appreciate you!
Additional q; is this coat done in your opinion?
an obvious swap would be a polo coat if you still want a camel coat. The length of that one and it being SB makes it v safe. A polo coat would be more dramatic but they're kinda peaking rn and so are $$$
I'm with Art I think a 501 or something even wider and more relaxed would be fun to play with. I have a pair of 505s which are a solid vintage fit and a pair of polo jeans that are much looser
Here’s the same fit with 510s and 501s as a fun little visual aid
bruh the 510s
imo it's cut way shorter than I'd want it to be compared to something like this
or this
510s to fit battle final four in under a year lmao
Totally, I even went to the thrift yesterday to look, but didn’t find anything good!
Totally, I don’t love it so it might be time to move on…it’s 5 plus y/o
ebay is a solid place to look
just chiming in to say your style is pretty good as is but agree it could be fun to see you play with silhouette a bit more, esp with your pants
Appreciate that, thanks!
I think trying out a couple of tonal fits would be easy and could be cool. Maybe a good shade of brown top would fit in well with a few of these.