i want to learn how to find affordable items, building my wardrobe in California
I am unemployed so i need to be just find reliable shopping avenues because most likely i have cash on hand from random gigs... i dont really have the means for online shopping. I can probably go to a mall that has a Nordstrom but i can never seem to find anything actually good there. I have like a few mens boutiques i can go to but they are super bougie and expensive. And i never end up wearing those pieces either i realize...its been an uphill battle for me. I usually wear black pants and grey shirts as my daily uniform
81 Replies
@jake nice pfp mate
eBay and second hand stores in person or online can get you nice stuff for about 10-50% of retail if you've got patience and time.
Do you live in an area with secondhand stores (goodwill, savers, etc.)? Plenty of people here in CA have found some incredible finds when thrifting (be it deisgner goods or else things in very good condition that were donated).
In terms of how to shop second hand this post has a number of good reads about what to look for in person vs online https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1125076626665910332/1126237247650402364
The best thing you can do is really narrow down what you want. It sounds like you have a good start in getting inspiration; you can always check #waywt or #inspiration for other examples, and read this about some of the pitfalls in trying to find what you want. https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/on-the-development-of-personal-style
On the development of personal style
—finding the self through embracing self-expression and cultivating personal style—
ebay has been driving my patience (i tried to start a discord thread)
ebay has been silently allowing my bids to go through .... but i didnt want to purchase
i just wanted to haggle and see whether i can actually bid or "watch"
they ended up just silently processing my orders and one time i got like 200 dollars worth of clothes shipped
but i was the last person to find out
yes im currently in the process of doing this.. i went to one place that was supposedly good and i didnt find a damn thing, not pants, shirt, shoe or jacket
but that was a suggested store and i felt like it soured my experience of what to expect if i continue thrifiting
imma simple dude i just dont want to fall victim to layering alot of clothes
my day to day is black running pants, grey shirt, i have 4 pairs of both pants and shirt because im simple
but now i need to climb out of that box
and build out my wardrobe around black track pants and grey shirts?
this is maybe a silly question but: why exactly is that?
wanted a tech job, i thought i looked the part maybe?
never got that tech job, so with the dream deferred... im waking up to doing other stuff like retail or labor
also its wedding season and i have only a few good pieces i like, some of which is from banana republic
but i feel like thats a different convo?
can i share the fit for tonight?
yes, but i would say the biggest thing is figuring out what exactly you want?
for the wardrobe or for wedding season?
wardrobe
the wardrobe.. i need to scream boyfriend material lol
im getting old
the what to wear for a wedding would be a subset of and separate to this
and i dont have anyone in my life
i need to have a social look, available, employed, etc
i realize when im looking at pinterest the suggestions that i like are usually coming from someplace called Poshmark?
Can you share some images of stuff you think fits that description
no wait its called MR.portman
i feel like those are confident looking pieces
yeah for sure i can try
for sure i think that a denim jacket would be nice
might be a nice staple for the wardrobe
but since my pants are mostly or lets be honest all black track pants... i need to expand my pants to include durable chinos
also this specific outfit seems to benefit from mundane looking walking shoes
so i need to find cheap shoes
Cool, let's start with the denim jacket for simplicity sake...
How much would you want to spend?
I do not know how to say this other than that it sounds like you were bidding when you would have been better served looking for auctions with “best offer” enabled and making offers on that or just messaging sellers
Either way you shouldn’t submit a bid if you aren’t willing to pay that amount of money though you can retract bids if needed
thats the thing though i thought i they were giving me the option to retract, as a final purchasing decision
but they seemed to revoke it and i stopped trusting ebay after that
i own a pair of expensive barefoot shoes now
lol never worn
I am not sure that’s accurate & I’ve been using eBay for about 15 years. When you submit a bid, you are committing to purchase the item up to that price. At the end of the auction, the highest bid is considered to have committed to purchasing the item and is charged.
The only way to retract a bid is through a support workflow or to have it cancelled by the seller.
but i dont actually bid on stuff, in the traditional sense
i usally look for the offers, that allows me to have the open conversation with sellers
omg
dude im sorry
ideally i would like to spend 30
i went to levis store recently and i think they have it for 80 or 90?
To find a $30 denim jacket you will most likely need to find it secondhand
In my opinion, I would not trust the quality control or longevity of any denim jacket retailing for $30
i totally understand this i felt like the levis store definitely has some quality items
Lol thanks man
ive had my 4 black pants, for 4 yrs now since lockdown and it probably will last another 4 years, they retail 100 each but i got them on sale
my 4 grey shirts also durable, nother 4 years
Hard agree. You can find Levi's jackets real cheap on eBay
i think i need to find a way to incorporate my black pants maybe i need dark items to add to my wardrobe?
like less contrasting pieces 🤔
i would stay on the train of 'i think a denim jacket would be nice'
right on
cohesion is important and being able to use your existing clothes is always beneficial, especially when funemployed BUT
if you actively like something you're going to be more inclined to wear it repeatedly
funny coincidence today's topic of the day is about denim jacket brands https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1249030179289043045
hold on brb guys, im gonna be on the phone and walk this dog ... i got a dogsitting gig today
read more into it, then when you get a chance, here's a search filter for ebay https://www.ebay.com/sch/57988/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%28lee%2C+levi%27s%2C+levis%2C+wrangler%2C+lees%2C+acne%2C+acne+studios%2C+lee+101%29+denim
all you need to do is filter the size and price that you want to spend, then save the search (turn off the emails otherwise your inbox will get flooded).
Well the pants are kind of shiny and deep black but functionally brilliant and slimming?
What I hate about jeans is how boxy or fat I feel
My mom's an asshole she tells me I'm fat
But I'm not even I'm like chubby for real
gonna stop you right there champ
there are plenty of people of varying shapes and sizes that are wearing jeans (check #waywt and #waywt-highlights); if the fit is the problem then it's the jeans' fault, which can be remedied by finding a different pair of jeans
(if you dislike jeans for other reasons, that's fair, but this train of thinking can be self-limiting)
No I think it's just long time since I wear jeans and also I'm not someone to wear proper fitting clothes
That's why my track pants are my favorite
that is fair
Just all the room and comfort
I feel alien with jeans on
as someone who at one point was hovering around 250 at the start of covid a lot of this tracks with my own personal experience
And then of course they feel limiting in so many respects
best thing you can do is try stuff on. go to a macys or nordstrom, find some levis, and try stuff on
I tried on 5 different jeans at levis
All the numbers
And I'm 36 width because there is no 35
But they all look and feel weird
Like I'm a Roblox character
Yep
there's a period of breaking in with any new jeans
the benefit of going secondhand is that someone already did that for you
I would like you to go back and see what there xx chinos are like
aside from feel, was there anything that fit well in your opinion
not too long, not tight
But they don't look as durable as their commuter pants they used to sell
Yeah I might have to try them on again for the feel.... Specifically I went to see if I had different sizing between the models
But I'm 36 for all of them
before you go back and do that
if there were no issues related to fit or comfort, would you want to own a pair of blue jeans?
I mean I think so because of the whole jean jacket thing
I felt a little confident with it
Like I think it's a male thing to feel like a lieutenant or something... There's something manly about it
Like wearing a blazer
"i felt a little confident with it" this is a good thing to explore
"i think it's a male thing to feel like a lieutenant or something...there's something manly about it" i would challenge the implication that confidence is or should be inherently tied to masculinity
mainly because there are plenty of reasons why men, women or those not on the gender binary would wear and enjoy jean jackets
i'd look into jeans + jean jacket to start since it sounds like you're into that; they'll go with the blacks and greys you currently own in any event
if you're willing, try on the jeans again in person (maybe a jean jacket too...) and start another thread asking about fit here
My track pants are very athliesure though
if you feel good about what you see, start searching ebay
I can't mix it with the jean jacket I don't think
they may or may not work, the only way to find out is to actually try it though
the most impactful thing you can do is find out what you like and what you don't like
Like it's not structured enough
you may or may not be right; the only way to know for sure is to try it though
there are plenty of things that sounded crazy in my head but worked in practice
im not from a first-world country but I can echo thrifting
a lot of things that were worn very few times
should be even better in the us
the store was very stingy when I tried to pawn my stuff, they really just tried to accept things that looked new
thrifting can be hit or miss in the US but one bad experience isn't indicative of how valuable it can be
There are a lot of second hand/vintage/thrift stores in the LA area. And places like Nordstrom Rack have new designer brand clothes at really low prices, if you find something you like there
no i totally get it, i think just the track pants i own are on the floofy side
im such an idiot, my moms a hoarder and this influence on me to throw out perfectly good clothes i could have given to thrift stores or homeless shelters
some i never even wore
im guilty
havent thrown a single piece of outfit out in my life that wasnt underwear/socks
either gets re-sold, given to a homeless shelter or turned into a wipe for the floor
At some point you may want to investigate this part of your relationship with clothing, but I would consider the fact that you're aware of this now and can take steps towards actnig differently as overall postive.
(this is also perhaps beyond the scope of this)
tl;dr - read this at some point, I think it'll helphttps://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/on-the-development-of-personal-style
On the development of personal style
—finding the self through embracing self-expression and cultivating personal style—
If you can, try on some jeans and maybe jean jackets. take pictures make a new thread in #questions-and-advice if you want actual feedback. Wear your black pants, because if you get a jean jacket that will be how they look together.
If you feel good start searching ebay - use these filters, add your size and price, save the searches, and just start looking https://www.ebay.com/sch/57988/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%28lee%2C+levi%27s%2C+levis%2C+wrangler%2C+lees%2C+acne%2C+acne+studios%2C+lee+101%29+denim https://www.ebay.com/sch/11483/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%28lee%2C+levi%27s%2C+levis%2C+wrangler%2C+lees%2C+acne%2C+acne+studios%2C+lee+101%29+denim
damn... i have those photos you asked for
Keep asking questons, keep checking #waywt, keep being inspired. It can be a long process, but the goal should be to spend time rather than money.
and its a wake up call to my male grooming
i had shaved my head and beard at the same time, i look like a fucking jellybean
it happens and hair grows
also my face looks so much chubbier than what the mirror tells me
there's subthreads in #fashion-discussion for each aspect of grooming (hair, skin, etc)
i feel like i look so much skinnier and have a jaw in the mirror
but again: it happens, and hair grows back
I guess another big reason I don't like layering clothes or changing from my athleisure clothes too much is that I don't drive a car, so I'm always sweating from biking and walking all day... My track pants and grey tech shirts holdup over time... I don't think most other stuff will