Where do you buy your clothes?

[Louis Balfour]

NomduJour said:

Believe it’s something to do with them.

Long overdue and quite pleasant. Beforehand I used to end up at Sartoria if I wanted a coffee and a pee.

[NomduJour]

Windmill or the Burlington Arms…

[NelsonM3]

T Shirts, Polos and Jeans tend to be GAP, Timberland etc.

Jackets, jumpers tend to be a bit higher end. Hugo Boss, Barbour.

Shoes are nearly always PUMA these days. Smart shoes M&S or Clarks (I work in Sales so they last about four months!)

[Dav72D]

bhstewie said:

For anyone interested I ended up with a bag full of CDLP briefs and socks as it was either half price or heavily discounted at Frasers.

At £14 for briefs and £10 for socks that felt acceptable for something supposedly premium quality that's made sustainably in Portugal or Italy and first impressions are good.

I wouldn't say I'm a particularly superficial person as if I was I guess I'd have gone for stuff with visible logos but I must say it's interesting how wearing nicely made good quality stuff does make you feel a bit better about the world and yourself

Never heard of this name before so decided to buy some T-shirts from House of Fraser.
Really good quality... very impressed!
Thanks

[Regbuser]

Ref. shirts, have just purchased 3 from https://www.josephturner.co.uk/mens-shirts/mens-fo... so I'll have see how they wash and wear

[nismocat]

NomduJour said:

dukeboy749r said:

As a premium shirt maker, I'd genuinely have thought that Budd would have offered two-button cuffs.

CT do - it is the mark of a better shirt.

But, seemingly, you can have a name, charge mega money and still offer the least possible.

The mark of a better shirt? It’s purely choice.

How much should one of these badboys set you back, then?

Is that Paddy Considine?
11
I buy my tees from the second hand store. Usually have some American university logo on. Good quality and £2!

[gregd]

I spend far too much on clothes and still end up wearing the same few things for wfh. I've also got a particular weakness for coats/jackets and trainers! I kid myself I'm buying classic stuff and to be fair I do tend to go for timeless Ivy League / heritage brand stuff. Also have an interest in style generally, buying mags like WM Brown, The Rake plus watch magazines etc.

I would recommend a few brands/online retailers though:

Trickett - quirky small online retailer of clothes and home stuff.. Owner is a really good guy also
Natalino - Naples/Italian style stuff for work / smarter gear. Trousers and long sleeve polos are great
https://allbluescostore.com/ Great menswear shop in Leeds
Danner - keep buying their walking/everyday boots.. not cheap but great quality
Trainers - particular weakness for New Balance, but also classic Adidas and Nike stuff
Sanders & Sanders - work and smarter shoes.. Steve McQueen style chukka boots are great
Naked & Famous - comparatively good value selvedge denim.. Levi's have stopped making my favourite 501 cut.
Uniqlo - underwear and basic T's
Patagonia - fleeces, jackets and 5 inch shorts in particular
Harley of Scotland - Shetland sweaters
Baracuta - G9 Harrington Jackets
Barbour - I also have a wax jacket problem!
Lacoste - just the classic polos
Champion - hoodies and basic T's
Folk - 'Assembly Pant' - nice casual trousers
Gitman / John Simons / Kamakura - Ivy style oxford collar button down shirts..
Armor Lux - French sailor style sweaters and good quality T's

Edited by gregd on Monday 19th February 08:40

[ben5575]

Nice list, some good stuff on there.

My weakness is Wax London. <ph ponce mode on> I prefer a looser silhouette. Their stuff is generally heavy weight in softer textures and colours. It sits well layered up against denim and boots in the winter and can be paired back with their cotton trousers and trainers when it's warm.

The Whiting overshirts are now classics and the Dean tees are heavy weight, 90's boxy cut that can be worn as a colour layer or on their own. I wear this green one in particular way more than I should: https://waxlondon.com/collections/all-clothing/pro...

Whilst obviously relaxed and casual, their cut is good enough to pass as smart casual.

&sons is also another great brand aimed at 40+ men who aren't ready to retire into the shirt/jumper/polo middle aged uniform: https://andsons.co.uk/products/sons-fatigue-pant-a...

Again, really nice heavyweight, soft cotton in great colours. Like Wax London, good quality and wears really well. It's also seemingly the de facto wardrobe supplier for older gents on TV.

Honourable mention to Uskees as well: https://uskees.com/ Relatively cheap, hard wearing no frills clothing - just don't expect a lining. Simple way of adding/layering colour/texture in to an outfit.

[gregd]

Hadn't heard of Wax London and Uskees.. sounds like nice gear.

Pleased to hear &Sons is good quality also.. I like the look of some of their stuff but haven't ordered yet.

Almost all my clothes are bought online these days, especially when there are sales/discount vouchers etc.

I'll definitely wait for the sales for pricier sites like

https://www.drakes.com/
https://clutch-cafe.com/
https://www.trunkclothiers.com/
https://dicks-edinburgh.co.uk/
https://www.sunspel.com/

[bitchstewie]

So three and a bit months on and other than not throwing my old stuff out it's pretty much a new wardrobe.

Asket hoodies and merino jumpers
Allsaints Tees
Sunspel Polos
Luca Faloni Chinos
CDLP briefs and socks
Tripe Aught Design shirts

Bit pissed off that it's winter so the tees and polos have literally just sat on the rail since Black Friday and I don't see any befit paying for better base layers as the Mountain Warehouse stuff I have is cheap and toasty.

I'm struggling with jackets as I seem to like functional outdoor stuff with a hood like Montane but it's not the smartest but the smart stuff like an Epsom jacket just doesn't seem as "wrap up warm" as the functional stuff.

Any suggestions?

[Regbuser]

Aren't these all the rage at the mo? > https://www.johnlewis.com/red-pro-change-waterproo...

[BunkMoreland]

bhstewie said:

I'm struggling with jackets as I seem to like functional outdoor stuff with a hood like Montane but it's not the smartest but the smart stuff like an Epsom jacket just doesn't seem as "wrap up warm" as the functional stuff.

Any suggestions?

Was talking to a friend about this a while ago. Hes very much a fan of the waxed Barbour jacket (or similar) We decided it was the Hood that actually makes a coat less formal. Get whatever Montane you want but in a muted colourway and without a hood and it will instantly look smarter. A Parka can do both, but perhaps remove the hood for some events

Also the number of horizontal sections a padded jacket has can make a difference. Too few and it looks unstructured. Too many and it looks busy. Theres a number in between those that still looks casual.

In terms of Overcoats. They are supposed to be layered. So T shirt, knit and then that on top. (Works for the "scandi minimalist look" ) Whereas the padded coats do all the insulation on their own, so for me, I tend to wear a lighter layer underneath.

[cheesejunkie]

bhstewie said:

So three and a bit months on and other than not throwing my old stuff out it's pretty much a new wardrobe.

Asket hoodies and merino jumpers
Allsaints Tees
Sunspel Polos
Luca Faloni Chinos
CDLP briefs and socks
Tripe Aught Design shirts

Bit pissed off that it's winter so the tees and polos have literally just sat on the rail since Black Friday and I don't see any befit paying for better base layers as the Mountain Warehouse stuff I have is cheap and toasty.

I'm struggling with jackets as I seem to like functional outdoor stuff with a hood like Montane but it's not the smartest but the smart stuff like an Epsom jacket just doesn't seem as "wrap up warm" as the functional stuff.

Any suggestions?

As a man that owns maybe over 50 coats I'd just suggest buy one for each use. I'm not joking. No need to own 50. I've been giving the ones I don't wear away for years.

But as a man that owns maybe over 50 coats I'd also say multi function stuff tends to be a bit crap at being function specific.

There's no such thing as functional outdoor and smart in my view depending on your definition of outdoor and smart. Separate the two.

On the waxed Barbour recommendation, it's an option and you can buy a massively oversized hood that's intended to be over a cap for them. Just don't buy the Ashby with plastic sleeves (been there done that got rid of it).

Smart = raincoat, overcoat, trench, mac etc ... basically things with buttons, possibly with a fly but definitely no hood.
Functional = down filled, triple membrane etc with weather protected zips etc. and hoods.

Or just buy a really good leather jacket and don't give a st about the rain.

[Prohibiting]

I’ll echo the above as you ideally need 2-3 types of coats:

Smart: Long wool overcoat (to be layered over a wool knit) + umbrella if it’s raining

Don’t give a damn: Padded insulted coat and/or a waterproof jacket to go over the top if it’s raining a lot.


Something like a Barbour jacket is more spring/autumn IMO.

[ZedLeg]

I spent about £600 at Fred Perry on a Harrington and a parka with a removable quilted liner.

Covers all bases for me.

[hungry_hog]

You could go full "Canary Wharf banker bro" and wear a padded gilet under your blazer

Failing that, there are some overcoats which have via padded liner, so warm, waterproof and still smart.

John Lewis would have something I think, or if you want to go more upmarket, Cordings or Macintosh.

I don't wear them myself as I prefer a waterproof down jacket

[bitchstewie]

I'm not a banker bro and I don't have a blazer

I think "field jacket" or "utility jacket" is the sort of thing I'm leaning towards.

https://www.piniparma.com/en-gb/products/green-sol...

But probably a bit "plainer" looking.

Same issue around how to avoid "made in Bangladesh" or whatever.

[okgo]

Percival make a nice simple style ish waterproof jacket.

[bitchstewie]

The Sherlock?

Tempting as it's on sale and I quite like the simplicity.

I think I struggle a little bit to know where to stop with coats - like above I could easily end up with a wardrobe full of the things.

[okgo]

Well most people do exactly that over time. I have probably 5 or 6 coats but I bought a belstaff one maybe a decade ago, and the most recent one just this winter.