Advice/help on getting a summer wardrobe together for a big/tall friend for a Friday cruise.
Hey guys, I have a friend who is on the "tall and large" side of things who doesn't really know how to shop. His brothers gf essentially buys for him.
I have my own wardrobe that I can figure out, but I can't even begin to figure out how to shop for him. He has a cruise this Friday, and needs a bunch of wardrobe options for summer.
Would anyone be willing to help in here? I have a fabric measuring tape at the ready, and can get whatever photos. Or, if anyone could point me in the right direction too that would be super helpful as well.
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Are you going in person shopping with him? Or are you buying online for him? Bit unclear.
We've tried shopping at JCrew in person, they had no sizes that would fit him. Way too small, everything was tight. We're limited in our "in person" shopping experiences since we're in the middle of nowhere Vermont, so most shopping would probably be done online unfortunatley.
This is a dated guide which has some starting points - https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/comments/14zxzc/guide_to_tall_mens_fashion/
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Style wise I'd probably go with versatile boring stuff in case he doesn't like it in the medium to short term
Fast fashion J.Crew at sale, GAP, etc.
Both do tall sizes online
I'd also skip #fashion-guides if you haven't already
I should probably rephrase my question then. Every time I try to search to try and find a stylist type service to help him with his wardrobe, I find nothing but people on /r/malefashionadvice telling OPs never to use these services, they're awful, and that they should start reading guides on how to build their wardrobe.
I'm not so certain I have the time to dedicate into learning someone elses wardrobe that took me seemingly ages to learn about for myself.
Not to mention I have no idea how the fuck sizes even work for simple stuff like pants/shorts? I thought I knew, but now I've no idea. I've always purchased size 34 shorts, and I assumed that meant "34 inch waist", but after measuring and getting like a 40" waist, I have no idea. So trying to find sizes online makes 0 sense to me, even after reading those stupid "measuring tips".
I'm still not clear what your actual question/request is here? What are you looking for?
Presumably your friend has some clothes that fit him? Can you measure those and him? That would help figure out ballpark sizing.
The end result is, my friend needs a summer wardrobe, and I don't know how to properly help him. I've searched many, many different /r/malefashionadvice posts about people asking for stylist suggestions, and all of the comments essentially boil down to "build your own". I don't know enough about brands or styles that would fit his body type, and was hoping someone would be able to point me in the correct direction of a service that actually would be able to help build his wardrobe.
Just pay a stylist
And budget a lot or whatever
You're asking hobbyists who are willing to spend time to develop what to do
Ofc they'll say do it yourself
If you can't be arsed then pay a stylist
I don't know how else to ask this, I guess.
I'm looking for that, and I don't know where to look for that. I've never used one. I was hoping someone would be able to tell me where to look. I have searched up stylists, but each one I've found appears to be for women.
You've given yourself a double whammy of angst because you obviously don't know much stuff. And you're trying to help some else.
Would it be better to have him come here to ask the same question? Lol.
Yes
Okie doke lmao.
But not until he gets his measurements
What exactly counts as "measurements" before we pull out the measuring tape.
Waist and inseam for sure
Brett
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Measuring the Man: How to Measure Yourself for Clothing (Plus a Bon...
Learn how to measure yourself for clothing and download the free measuring card, so you always know your sizes.
Should I follow something like this for all the measurements?
Do this to a shirt he already owns
Goodness sizing is so confusing to me.
Waist 43"
Inseam is 27" I believe
Then the shirt, I believe was
16-17" width
30" length
There is no way someone has a 43" waist and fits in a shirt that narrow.
Unless they are actually a triangle.
Is the width around or across?
26-27" width maybe?
Hold on
Across, go from seam to seam at the armpit.
While he wears it or taken off
Armpit to armpit while the shirt is laid out flat
Like in the image
26 then it seems.
More to the point tho get your boy in here because this game of telephone is probably not gonna yield any results
Hi hello 👋 sorry for making any confusion I have something coming up this friday and Im just worried I wont get anything in time not great with fashion stuff..Ive always just worn polos and kakis
This is my fanciest outfit 😅
Ive tried jeans at gap old navy kohls and all of them are extremely tight in the thighs but now Im trying to get shorts for summer and the places weve been dont have much that fit right
When I try to wear button downs all the shirts seem to feel to tight or to billowy I get a lot of tightness in chest when I reach my arms up or forward
What specifically and at what price point are we looking for here
Tbh I dont know what would look good on me I just know that summer clothes and shorts are what I want most importantly with warm weather here
I buy most of my clothes at walmart so theres a bunch of wranglers in my closet
I would like not to spend more than 200 on clothes right now but I dont know how far that would take me
You need some idea of what you're looking for really. Most styles can look good on most people if well executed, so it's more about what you like and want to pursue.
How do I find a style? I dont know anything about fashion..
That's the hard work - Pinterest, tiktok, and insta are decent places to start, algorithms can help narrow your search down.
Best thing you can do is collect images of fits you like from wherever, or specific pieces you are inspired by, and put in the time to look for similar pieces online or in person. There are a few good threads in here for big guys, but as a big guy myself the best thing you can do is learn your measurements and purchase based on size chartss - never assume that every pair of size 40 pants or 2XL shirt will fit the same.
Look at pictures of people in clothes and make notes about what you like. Try #may2024-top-waywt #waywt #inspiration for instance.
There's a ton of decent inspiration albums here too: https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/s/1XH1vF8xzM
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Im full familiar that not all sizes are the same 😔 makes it so hard
It looks like everything always looks good on the twink models they use to show the clothes off on websites.. finding something that looks good on bigger bodies looks way harder
I mean, respectfully, you're not in a unique situation. most people can't just buy the same exact size across items or brands - even people much smaller than you or I have that issue. That's what happens when clothes are made to fit "the average." Learn how to measure your clothes, and learn how to read size charts, these are basic life skills that will alleviate the confusion and stress of shopping online, and every retailer worth shopping thru has them.
Plenty of bigger people here
Carrion is right as usual
When finding inspiration on particular styles, I find it helpful to focus on the clothes rather than the bodies themselves.
What types of clothes are they wearing, what materials, what colors or patterns, what shoes do they wear - having this foundation will make it easier to find things that you like that will also fit you.
There was a navy linen shirt at Old Navy I think that looked and felt great but it was very tight
I like a lot of pastel colors that models wear to but on me they really highlight how things dont seem to fit..
Ill go by old navy tomorrow again and see if theres anything that looks good but it always boils down to fits not fitting haha 😅
old navy is a solid option, they carry up to a 4xl in tops, but their bottoms tend to be slimmer cuts which can cause fit issues the larger you size.
Depending on your budget I think big bud has inclusive sizing
So I grabbed some shorts at a jcrew factory near us but only got this shirt because I dont think it fits well and plan on returning it but I think the shorts work?
The problem I have with all these shirts are they seem to go too long and make my torso look way too long and my legs too short or the shirts are too short and it exposes skin when I reach my arms above my head