Steve
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 11/10/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Finding a genuinely good tailor
Simple question: Any suggestions on how to approach this beyond the usual yelp/Google reviews, ask people, etc.?
Likely a function of living in US flyover country, but I am finding it remarkably hard to find tailors who genuinely know their trade. Maybe I'm asking too much but I was hoping to find a tailor with some vague idea of how clothes "should" fit that can help me figure out the best approach.
Any secrets to finding good ones beyond trial and error? I keep hoping I'll stumble across the mystical "100 year old Italian man who hand stitched troop uniforms in WW2" that I can go to and just say "make this fit" and have him work his magic. Instead, I'm finding even simple pants hems get messed up because I didnt think to specify "Please trim the fabric or at least match the thread to the pant color so I don't look like I have cuffs halfway up my calf." Is this where I am or is this just reality now and tailoring is a mostly dead trade unless you are in NYC/London/etc.?
10 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/31/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Consolidated reading list?
Hi all,
Did a search and couldn't find anything. Is there a recommended reading list for folks getting into this (besides just the guides/discord itself)?
I'm thinking a list of blogs, other websites, guides written by designers/companies that folks think are actually useful vs thinly veiled sales pitches for a particular product, etc.. In this case, I'm not speaking about inspiration (though obviously may include that) but moreso educational pieces. Basically, things like the guides here. Would be great if aimed at beginner-intermediates but I'll take anything!
9 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/27/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Bag Alternatives
Hi all,
Know the general feeling about supporting Thursday Boots here and happen to agree, but got into them before I knew. Most items I've been interested in I've been easily able to find comparable alternatives but this piece is proving challenging.
https://thursdayboots.com/products/mens-commuter-messenger-bag-old-english
Any ideas?
Requirements:
- Must be full grain leather with this sort of sleeker/minimal design
- Must be able to accommodate laptops up to 16 inches (found a few that were smaller)
- Flexible on price if it's in the ballpark. Let's say under $500 as a goal.
- Prefer similar color/trim as that is a big part of the draw and I think will give more flexibility than black or lighter brown. Open
28 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/26/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Style vs Fashion
Hi all,
Been observing for a while, contributing a smidge and reading obsessively for about a month now. I never really distinguished carefully between the two terms (style, fashion) until I saw a breakdown a couple days ago. Actual definitions are all over the place so this is not about "which definition is right" but it got me thinking more clearly about my goals and how I relate to clothing.
What I'm coming to realize is I perhaps have low aspirations. I want to dress nice and "put together." I could not care less about trends. Several current trends I simply don't like and I am not really motivated to "get into". I guess clothing choices are inherently a form of self-expression, but I don't necessarily feel I need it to be a "core" way for me to express myself. I am quite fine looking like a generic 40s worker bee (which I suppose is itself an expression?) if I can look like one who is dressed reasonably well - at least as I define it.
One thing I'm unsure about is whether this is a step on the road to getting into fashion or a reasonable stopping point. I am curious if others went through this "phase" before getting into it more or if you were always more of a trend-follower/setter (assuming you identify as such) and wanted to develop a more individualistic style from the get-go. Based on this, I'm also curious if this is the right place for me or if there are particular blogs/forums/etc. that align better with this perspective.
Also - I realize this is a "fashion" group so I hope no one takes the above the wrong way. You all have been incredibly supportive and I truly do not intend any of the above to come across as judgmental of anyone who relates differently to clothing (which may well be most of you?). This is about me learning, clarifying for myself what I'm trying to achieve and figuring out the best way to go about it.
I don't even know that I really asked a specific question (besides "where else if not here?"), but would love thoughts/reactions...
22 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/23/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Finding inspiration....
I've gotten the impression from many of the regulars finding inspiration is an important piece, particularly when one is first learning. I wasn't really able to find any good explanations of what it meant or even just logistically the best way to do it. I am also someone who barely has a FB account and has generally tried to minimize his social media engagement.
I'm basically downloading random stuff I like from the web, Google images, etc. with limited organization. I did get Pinterest but I find it's interface clunky af. In some cases I have a starting piece to work off and I include that in search terms to guide things.
.....am I doing this right?
What platforms do you use?
What kinda of search terms will you use? How specific/general do you get?
How do you save and organize things?
Do you scaffold off specific pieces or is it more a gestalt you go after? Or does it depend on the context and what you are trying to achieve?
Thanks in advance!
35 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/19/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Chino and sock brand recs...
Hi all,
Was using the guides before but it sounds like they may be outdated now, so wanted to ask here:
- What are current thoughts on best brands entry-mid $ chinos? Let's say $100ish (not a hard limit, just a ballpark) but obviously I wouldn't be disappointed to spend less. Looking for a more traditional/tapered look vs baggy. Trying to distill what I've found in searches, it seems like Bonobos used to be the go-to but has fallen out of favor. A&F doesn't even appear to have actual chinos anymore. BR used to be maligned but now seems to be coming back into favor. Gap is so darn cheap I'm suspicious. Other go-tos? Just got some Spier and Mackay ones that seem nice enough but I don't know about durability. Also curious about Flint & Tinder 365 just because FB seems desperate for me to buy them.
- Similar question for socks, but particularly dress socks with simple/non-garish patterns. Material is so variable in socks I don't want to give a price range, but I'm looking for the same tier as above. I like Bombas, Smartwool, Darn tough, etc. but they are overwhelmingly solids and I'd like some variety. They don't need to be wool, I honestly never owned a wool pair until recently. Tie Bar has (some) nice patterns to illustrate what I mean and obviously the price is great, but I have no idea the quality.
Thanks!
13 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/18/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Building an outfit from the shoes
7 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/13/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Prioritizing Spending
This may be too broad a discussion topic vs a simple q&a one, but figured I'd post it anyways.
I'm (possibly incorrectly) assuming most folks here fall somewhere on the spectrum from middle to upper middle incomes. Clothes run the gambit from dirt cheap to comically expensive. Perhaps not true at the lower end, but at some income level this turns into a "You can have anything you want (within reason), but not everything you want" problem and I'm fortunate to count myself in that club.
I'm curious how folks prioritize in this circumstance. Buy fewer but higher-priced items? A handful of high priced pieces but go cheap on "filler" items? Focus on items you'll wear socially? Items for work? Just whatever you'll wear "most"? Pay for dress shirts, cheap out on plain T's? Vice versa? Or maybe I'm just too much of a planner and you all just buy things you like and figure it out as you go?
I realize this is all going to be very individual. I imagine it will get easier once I'm building off a solid base vs debating which ill-fitting coffee-stained thing to replace first when I know the answer is going to eventually have to be "all of them". For now though, it's a bit of a struggle and I'd love to hear how others strategized around this. Even just building a capsule wardrobe, I am sure there isn't a "right" way, but I'm interested in the variability....
40 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/12/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Ridiculous question...
I see references to different "types" of style (traditional, bohemian, softboy, etc.) and it seems like many have subcategories.
I can make guesses in some cases, but in others I have literally "no" idea what it means. I can obviously Google but in some cases the results seem.....dubious.
Suggestions on the best way to build an understanding of this? Are there guides I missed or (trustworthy) ones elsewhere? Is it even necessary for a 40's dad/professional who is 98% certain some slight variation of "traditional" is where he will land?
10 replies
Mmfad
•Created by Steve on 10/12/2024 in #questions-and-advice
Charles Tyrwhitt 3 for $99
Hi all,
Just joined so if this is the wrong spot, please point me in the right direction!
Was planning to pick up some new dress shirts and I have always-always-always been able to find their 3 for $99 deal easily online if it wasn't immediately front and center on their website. For the life of me, I can't find anything the past month or two.
Does it come and go during the year and I've just been lucky in the past or did CT drop this? I've found some other deals but all are in price ranges where I have other comparable options...
Thanks!
6 replies