How can I dress better without necessarily dressing up?
I started a new job last month and I want to try to dress better while still having a pretty “easy” wardrobe. I don’t have a dress code at work per se, but I’m bored with how I dress. In the morning the last thing on my mind is clothing, so I usually grab a t-shirt, jeans, and I’m off. It’s basic, inoffensive, and comfortable. When I was younger I was a lurking MFA a lot and used to dress up more, but as I got older it started to get exhausting.
I’m pretty comfortable with my wardrobe for fall and winter, but I really want to change things up for the rest of summer/next spring. I have been looking at polos as a start, but I really don’t like the feeling of typical polo fabric. I definitely want to keep things casual, but also look like I give a shit. Where can I look to find clothes that give me that “t-shirt and jeans” comfort and ease, but also look a little better?
39 Replies
Send your outfits
This is tough to answer because every style has casual basics. What don't you like about the t-shirt and jeans? Is it the cut, material, color, graphics or lack thereof?
Impossible to answer without pics. You could stick to jeans and t shirts and still dress “better”, more up a little to casual button ups or camp collars.
i think part of this is going to come from dressing with more intention. are there any sorts of outfits or styles that you've seen that you really like (ignoring how much effort it would take to pull them off)
if need be check #waywt or #inspiration for pics
My own, or inspo?
I think I agree with what you're saying about dressing with intention, right now I don't have much intention. I checked out waywt and inspiration, but didn't see anything that really jumped out at me.
I'll take another look again on my break when there's more pictures.
I think along with not having much intention behind my outfits, I also want to change because it's plain. I've been looking at graphic tees, but I haven't found anything that I like. I want something minimalist, but not necessarily generic.
Yours yes
along with graphic it might be worth thinking about things like fit/ proportion and material choice, which can make outfits more interesting without adding more pieces
these are all minimal fits in terms of pieces but more interesting because of a higher rise in pant (on Blo), an oversized shirt/pant pair (on Shrimp), a tucked in boot (on Nico) or the texture of the shirt and sandals (on Shrimp My Ride)
I like that last outfit with the brown button up. I'm not a fan of baggy clothes, I like a more fitted/slim (but not skinny) look.
High rise and baggy is outside my comfort zone for sure, and I don't think I have an interest in trying them out.
I can't send pics until after work, but the usual outfit for me is light wash or black jeans, a solid color T-shirt (black, navy, burgundy, olive, it gray normally), and black and white sneakers.
you're going to have to decide to what extent you want to go outside your comfort zone because saying you want to dress "better" by definition implies you want to change how you dress in some form
if you're looking into low stakes changes, things like wearing accessories or wearing more interesting colors or prints or making different styling choices
this (the first part for sure, maybe the second part too) is a worthwhile read imo https://malefashionadvice.substack.com/p/making-it-work
Making it work.
sewing and styling your way to "new" clothes.
but like others have said, definitely post pics because it's easier to think of clothes visually rather than through words (be it yours or others when getting inspiration)
I think that's what I'm after for now, low stakes.
I'll get pics up tonight after work. Sorry for the delay.
This was today's outfit, and it's basically this everyday but with a different color t shirt. I guess I'm bored of the same stuff, but I also don't know where to look for anything that's different. As mentioned above I think I want to start with patterns and interesting colors, and branch out from there.
Excuse the mess, it's my wife's stuff 😝
The jeans are easy to wear for me because they're the most comfortable pair I own, and it's still pretty warm so I'm avoiding darker jeans. I also own a black and navy pair that I break out as it gets cooler.
Check #waywt and see if there’s anything you like
I think the easiest ‘elevation’ here would be to swap the tshirts for ocbds and swap the black sneakers for something like a reebok club c
Or a cream chuck 70
I wanted to mention that I'm not necessarily a fan of the fits (baggy and skinny fits), but I like just about everything else about these. Colors, patterns, etc.
Ideally all my clothes are fitted/slim fit as I mentioned earlier.
It’s more important to identify specific garments you like than colors at this stage
Pic 1: I like the shoes and cardigan
Pic 2: I like the striped shirt
Pic 3: I like the graphic tee, jacket(?), and jeans
Pic 4: I can't quite pinpoint anything specific, but I like the all black
Pic 5: tan jacket and brown sweater
Pic 6: jacket, shirt, and cargo pants
Pic 7: shirt/flannel
Pic 8: pants
Pic 9: pants and overshirt/jacket
To add to everything, I like the camo jacket/overshirt in this one too.
Thank you all for your help and patience so far.
#waywt-highlights or #jul2024-top-waywt might also be worth checking as well, especially within the context of warmer weather fits
I'll take a look through there and post some more shortly.
Pic 1: I like the shirt (though colors like that don't go well with my complexion)
Pic 2: graphic tee
Pic 3: shirt
Pic 4: shirt
Pic 5: shirt and pants
Pic 6: jacket
Pic 7: pants
Pic 8: shirt and jeans
Pic 9: pants
A lot of shirt jackets / collar shirts
jacket in #6 is a vintage members only moto jacket which you can get for pretty cheap on ebay (<$40)
Any suggestions on where to find good ones? I haven't been able to find anything I like in my usual store/websites.
The majority of my wardrobe is GAP, which is fine for basics but I haven't seen much else I like beyond that. I'm trying to discover new shops, but I don't even know where to start. Ideally in that GAP price point, but I can stretch a little.
Oh boy
Lemme tell you about a little company called
:uniqlo:
I shopped there a lot about 10 years ago when I was still heavy into MFA/how I dressed. But I started to dislike the quality, it felt like it was starting to go downhill. Is it any better? Was it ever really getting bad to begin with?
Idk I think as far as brands at that price point go they're fine
it depends on the shirt and your ability to launder it properly
i have six year old uniqlo shirts that aren't in danger of falling apart, if that's any indicator
That could be a factor... I just throw everything in on medium temp wash, and medium heat dry.
shirt 4 is a vintage button down from colours by alexander julian. ebay/etsy have plenty of shirts like this around $35-40 each
i would follow the care directions on your clothes but in general drying with heat will cause your clothes to deteriorate faster
abercrombie imo
uniqlo is good too
What about some places priced a little higher than GAP?
I haven't seen anything from Abercrombie since about 2010. I'm surprised at how much they changed, some of the short sleeve button ups are pretty nice looking.
how much higher? I think Corridor is still on the slimmer side
At a glance that's a little high. Maybe something else in the under $100 range.