Asking the old-money/casual-elegant/business-casual fans here: Need help for some stylish basics.
Hey guys! I am new here, so I hope i am doing this right:
I am currently looking forward to improve my closet. Currently its very basic with some pants/normal trousers, some T-shirts, Shirts, very few pullovers, and currently ONLY one pair of business shoes.
For starters: I have started to go a little more stylisch this summer. so i bought some wider shirts, and most importantly (to me) a wider, highwaist trousers, for which i got some nice compliments.
My questions are now:
What are some elegant basics, that are also very stylish and not usual (classic business clothing i see as usual)?
Are highwaist trousers for men also good to wear in winter?
What types of shirts/jerseys/upper-body clothing should i generally look out for?
What types of shoes go well with this style in winter?
Grateful for your answers in advance
15 Replies
i feel that you are looking for a shopping list but generally the best answers will be ones you discover for yourself (esoteric sounding but true)
For example- you say "basics that are stylish and not usual". Why not catalogue items that YOU think are usual and avoid those. There is no objective answer to this. Likewise, the best answer for many of your questions is to search out examples, such as in the waywt or inspiration threads here, or other social media, tv shows, etc., and make notes on what YOU think are elegant basic, nice types of shirts, etc.
I think feedback here will be alot more helpful when you can ask specific questions with examples we can look at
you are probably right. The thing is, here in Vienna/Austria, its just soooo damn hard to find the stuff i am looking for. When i go to H&M, Zara, Peek, Pull & Bear, etc. i barely find something that looks and feels nice.
Wait let me search something to give you some impressions
Those are example outfits i personally find really appealing.
For example i really started loving high-rise fashion. and old-mixed with modern elegant aesthetics.
This is basically what i wanna achieve in my wardrobe. But i am really struggling to find good pieces at reasonable prices.
nice well this is outside my knowledge so I'll defer to others
but the second pic looks like ai in which case it might not exist in reality :xd:
the second is probably ai, although the style still exists xD
Thank you nonetheless. Hopefully someone can help me out here
from the pictures you've posted a logical step would be a turtleneck or knit sweater of some sort
this particular style lends itself to 'heritage' brands like polo ralph lauren (or regular ralph lauren), j.press and brooks brothers
Yeah the pictures are a good place to start, pick out pieces you like from the outfits you find appealing and work towards getting stuff like that. Like zeo im seeing turtlenecks and sweaters, and some high waisted pleated pants.
the best way to get these in europe/in general is secondhand, be it vinted, ebay, depop or in person
i didn't really see shoes pictured but this sort of style lends itself to loafers (usually black penny loafers); meermin's a good brand at retail, and secondhand you can search for alden, allen edmonds, or church's
more than anything i would keep looking at inspiration (be it online or in #waywt or #inspiration ) to see what other things you find appealing as you keep building up your wardrobe
alright, i will keep looking. Thank you very much guys!
Even if AI, Its just a pea coat that is comically too small
Gurkha Trousers
For EU folks Vinted is Goated IMO. What im seeing is a lot of suit trousers worn casually. For those, vinted or IRL thrift stores are the way to go.
With suit trousers it makes sense to bring them to an alterations tailor to have them hemmed to the lenght you want them to be.
Ah disregard, you already have those.
With winter shoes you propably want either dressier boots or derbies with a rubber sole. Loafers with a rubber sole might also work though. Really depends how much you are walking and at what altitude in austria you live.
Here are some examples:
For boots:
https://www.crockettandjones.com/collections/mens-boots-collection/products/coniston-darkbrown-scotch-grain
(this link is just for illustrative purposes, plenty of shoemakers produce something like this, incl meermin)
For derbies I would suggest looking at paraboot as you have access to french vinted and paraboot prices apart from a few very popular items are not too bad there.
Crockett & Jones UK
Coniston Dark Brown Scotch Grain
Coniston, a higher leg derby boot with a straight toe cap. Made from the finest dark brown scotch country grain with Dainite rubber soles with a storm welt for added water resistance. From the Men's Main Collection.
Trolling through ebay for things like polo collar wool sweaters and scottish cashmere turtlenecks is a great way to experiment for cheap and get great quality pieces
The reason why the stuff at those places doesn't feel nice is that they are fast fashion.
You are not going to get an "old money" aesthetic from the cheapest, most mass-produced clothing available.
I love Vienna. I usually visit for the opera but while I'm there I like to check out vintage and secondhand shops—there is a lot of nice stuff. I'd recommend spending some time in places like that.