The Fashion Thread... personal tastes, musings, and recommendations

RM Williams do good chelsea boots. They are of course made in Australia. They've become more expensive in the last few years, but worth keeping a look out for sales. Think I've had mine for nearly 7 years now.

Mr Porter often has some good sales - which whilst even in sale are still expensive but you can get some really high quality stuff.

Herring Shoes is also very good. They have a big range and are also very transparent about where things are made. Lots of their shoes made are in the UK, but also some in Portugal and Spain.
 
New job, start 9th May. Found out today dress code is the dreaded business casual leaning towards the former (i.e. not full suit and tie, but no jeans either). Spent the last decade in either a company polo and black chinos or loungewear and gymwear on weekends/nights. Have going out-out clothes but nothing really in between so I really need a capsule wardrobe ASAP at least for spring going into summer and autumn, then I can get cooler weather stuff down the line.

Suggestions for decently made entry-ish level stuff? I like nice things but need to buy a bunch of items so this is more to get me going. Ideally suited for more of an athletic build as broad chest/shoulders, shelf butt/thighs, tiny waist.

Guessing a bunch of oxford button-down shirts and either some pleated chinos or tailored trainers? Will go to Bluewater next week to try stuff on as they have a pretty wide spectrum of clothing stores.

Shoes-wise I’ll probably be looking at what’s on sale on the Herring site?
 
I'd seriously give Charles Tyrwhitt a go, they have massively increased their range of "business casual" over the last few years.

personally I would go for stretch fitted chinos, pleated ones are a bit 60 year old man IMO!

Shoes, herring yes but also look at the Northampton factory outlets, had some cracking bargains from Barker directly:

www.barkershoesoutlet.com

Barker Shoes Outlet - Last Season & Discontinued Shoes

Barker shoes are an English Shoemaker that has been producing handmade shoes using traditional shoemaking methods since 1880. Popular styles including Brogues, Oxfords, Derbys, Loafers and Boots.
www.barkershoesoutlet.com www.barkershoesoutlet.com

Also, maybe wait until you start to see what the actual dress in the office is, at my office (City law firm with a similar dress code), the norm these days is chinos, shirt (mix of normal and button down), but paired with smart-ish trainers rather than shoes
 
rG-tom said:
I'd seriously give Charles Tyrwhitt a go, they have massively increased their range of "business casual" over the last few years.

personally I would go for stretch fitted chinos, pleated ones are a bit 60 year old man IMO!

Shoes, herring yes but also look at the Northampton factory outlets, had some cracking bargains from Barker directly:

www.barkershoesoutlet.com

Barker Shoes Outlet - Last Season & Discontinued Shoes

Barker shoes are an English Shoemaker that has been producing handmade shoes using traditional shoemaking methods since 1880. Popular styles including Brogues, Oxfords, Derbys, Loafers and Boots.
www.barkershoesoutlet.com www.barkershoesoutlet.com

Also, maybe wait until you start to see what the actual dress in the office is, at my office (City law firm with a similar dress code), the norm these days is chinos, shirt (mix of normal and button down), but paired with smart-ish trainers rather than shoes
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Cheers. Yeah I won’t go too mad until I see what this specific place is like for clothing - I’ve been there twice for interviews etc but everyone was working from home (at the time, I’m not sure this will continue as it’s part of the Civil Service and they want people back in the offices) so it was hard to get much of an idea.

Already got a load of stretch chinos and a few pairs of leather tennis shoes (Common Projects, Axel Arigato) so I’m covered there at least and the wool trousers etc can wait for when it’s colder.
 
Also agree pleated chinos are a bit old fashioned nowadays. Go with stretch no pleats. I also tend to get jean style chinos as they look a bit more casual than normal chinos (5 pocket style, similar to jeans, but in a stretch chino material). But it depends on the office. I pair them with OCBD shirts and slightly smarter leather trainers or more typically some suede or leather chukka boots (short ankle boots). Again it really depends on the office so don't buy too much until you see what others wear. I find that brown suede chukka boots and even suede Chelsea boots are very versatile and can be worn with really casual or business casual stuff.

You can go reasonably casual with these and then if you need to smarten them up occasionally, add a sports jacket to it (avoid trainers in this instance). But nowadays most places are casual enough that a sports jacket isn't really needed.

rG-tom said:
I'd seriously give Charles Tyrwhitt a go, they have massively increased their range of "business casual" over the last few years.

personally I would go for stretch fitted chinos, pleated ones are a bit 60 year old man IMO!

Shoes, herring yes but also look at the Northampton factory outlets, had some cracking bargains from Barker directly:

www.barkershoesoutlet.com

Barker Shoes Outlet - Last Season & Discontinued Shoes

Barker shoes are an English Shoemaker that has been producing handmade shoes using traditional shoemaking methods since 1880. Popular styles including Brogues, Oxfords, Derbys, Loafers and Boots.
www.barkershoesoutlet.com www.barkershoesoutlet.com

Also, maybe wait until you start to see what the actual dress in the office is, at my office (City law firm with a similar dress code), the norm these days is chinos, shirt (mix of normal and button down), but paired with smart-ish trainers rather than shoes
Click to expand...

All good advice. Charles Tyrwhitt seems good quality and agree they have improved their more casual range recently. I really like some of their stuff nowadays.
 
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All noted. My terminology is off - I do mean flat front, just w/the crease down the middle from the lower thigh/knee downwards as they look a bit smarter (although perhaps unnecessary; I have a load of All Saints slim taper ones with a bit of stretch in office safe greys/beiges already). It’s mainly just the shirts tbh but the 4 for £120 or whatever it is at CT should cover it.

Shoes-wise I was indeed thinking more biz-cas styles so yes Chukkas were on the list, Chelsea boots, maybe monks, probably some penny or beef-roll loafers for summer. Rubber sole though as I’ll be walking some of the commute and I’ll wear through leather soles quickly, and I dislike the lack of grip.
 
Somnambulist said:
All noted. My terminology is off - I do mean flat front, just w/the crease down the middle from the lower thigh/knee downwards as they look a bit smarter (although perhaps unnecessary; I have a load of All Saints slim taper ones with a bit of stretch in office safe greys/beiges already). It’s mainly just the shirts tbh but the 4 for £120 or whatever it is at CT should cover it.

Shoes-wise I was indeed thinking more biz-cas styles so yes Chukkas were on the list, Chelsea boots, maybe monks, probably some penny or beef-roll loafers for summer. Rubber sole though as I’ll be walking some of the commute and I’ll wear through leather soles quickly, and I dislike the lack of grip.
Click to expand...
Hi Som. Consider investing in some shoes that are goodyear welted as they will last literally years of use with the ability to be resoled at any decent cobblers. Cheaney are a good starting point and have tons of styles https://www.cheaney.co.uk/men-c48/boots-c100

They also have an outlet section with cut-price articles https://www.cheaney.co.uk/outlet-c89

Good ranking list of most main British shoe brands here https://www.lovablebrogue.com/post/the-definitive-ranking-of-british-shoe-brands
 
Richdog said:
Hi Som. Consider investing in some shoes that are goodyear welted as they will last literally years of use with the ability to be resoled at any decent cobblers. Cheaney are a good starting point and have tons of styles https://www.cheaney.co.uk/men-c48/boots-c100

They also have an outlet section with cut-price articles https://www.cheaney.co.uk/outlet-c89

Good ranking list of most main British shoe brands here https://www.lovablebrogue.com/post/the-definitive-ranking-of-british-shoe-brands
Click to expand...

Cheers - yes I refuse to buy any formal footwear that’s not gy welted and well-made; watched too much Tring Shoe Repair on YouTube!

I’ll hold off ordering anything till I’ve got my trousers (going shopping tomorrow) so I can colour match accordingly!
 
Hades said:
@Somnambulist Warning, when you start buying more expensive shoes it can get a bit addictive and, err, expensive :)
Click to expand...

Aware. I do like nice things but I try to go for the quality over quantity approach. Unfortunately my shoe collection is extremely limited due to rarely needing to wear them - I have one pair of black Chelsea boots from Hugo Boss and one pair of gaudy two-tone brown Oxford brogues from Ted Baker that have been worn about a dozen times between them over the last decade, neither of which are that comfortable - so I‘m going to have to strategically buy a rotation of work-safe quality footwear whether my wallet likes it or not over the next year or two.

I’ll try to do what I’ve done with clothes recently which is to avoid getting anything I like in isolation and only buying things that I know will fit in well with the rest of the wardrobe. Also these sorts of things don’t go out of fashion so whether it’s last years stock on sale or factory seconds I’m sure I can get some bargains.
 
Somnambulist said:
New job, start 9th May. Found out today dress code is the dreaded business casual leaning towards the former (i.e. not full suit and tie, but no jeans either). Spent the last decade in either a company polo and black chinos or loungewear and gymwear on weekends/nights. Have going out-out clothes but nothing really in between so I really need a capsule wardrobe ASAP at least for spring going into summer and autumn, then I can get cooler weather stuff down the line.

Suggestions for decently made entry-ish level stuff? I like nice things but need to buy a bunch of items so this is more to get me going. Ideally suited for more of an athletic build as broad chest/shoulders, shelf butt/thighs, tiny waist.

Guessing a bunch of oxford button-down shirts and either some pleated chinos or tailored trainers? Will go to Bluewater next week to try stuff on as they have a pretty wide spectrum of clothing stores.

Shoes-wise I’ll probably be looking at what’s on sale on the Herring site?
Click to expand...
TM Lewin do great chinos. Or Ralph Lauren if there is an outlet nearby. TM are more stretchy and won't last as long. RL are solid workhorses that'll last a long while. TM normally do outfit packages with a linen jacket and often have codes available.

Shoes, go Loake made in England (not the India fashion stuff). It's cheap enough and will last a long while - I track my 6 or 7 pairs in a spreadsheet :cool::o
 
dLockers said:
TM Lewin do great chinos. Or Ralph Lauren if there is an outlet nearby. TM are more stretchy and won't last as long. RL are solid workhorses that'll last a long while. TM normally do outfit packages with a linen jacket and often have codes available.

Shoes, go Loake made in England (not the India fashion stuff). It's cheap enough and will last a long while - I track my 6 or 7 pairs in a spreadsheet :cool::o
Click to expand...
TM Lewin seem to have gone bust, been bought out but aren't yet fully back in business.
 
Hades said:
@Somnambulist Warning, when you start buying more expensive shoes it can get a bit addictive and, err, expensive :)
Click to expand...
Yeah you are right; I recently refreshed all of my footwear as I was just buying fashion brands and also in too small sizes. I started with a pair of Thursday Captains, which then progressed to two pairs of Grant Stones, which then progressed to a pair of Crockett & Jones.

Sizing of GYW (Goodyear Welted) shoes has been a nightmare but I have now mostly got it dialled in and finally understand that it's normal for GYW shoes to be a little roomy with some extra space at the toe (an inch or so can be normal) as they are designed to be worn with thicker socks.
 
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Hai guyz.

Got some trousers. Shirts I need to order as Charles Tyrwhitt didn’t have much in store exactly my size.

Their extra slim fit seems about right. They didn’t have any of the super slim but I’m not skinny so that would probably be pushing it a bit as far as the armholes being too tight etc.

Neck is 14.5“, 36” chest and the 14.5” shirts are a little snug but the 15” was a bit baggy round the back (and I won’t be wearing a jacket to hide that). T-Rex arms mean I’m a 32” cuff as the 33” was a bit too long.

Collars though! Classic vs semi-cutaway considering they will mostly be worn tieless?
 
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Personally I'd say classic. A cutaway collar may be fashionable now but could go out of style at some point. There's a reason things are classic.
 
Bought tshirts from Amazon before and the quality has been ok, but recently came across a set of 5 "Charles Wilson" ones which arrived other day and have to say very impressed. Fruit of the Loom quality. Each tshirt comes in that sugar paper sheet folded, each one has its own silica gel pack too. Made in Bangladesh it seems but quality and threading seemed excellent, and the fit is not too tight, nor too loose, just right at least for my slim-ass (size S @ 36").

Perfect for the incoming summer.

Also, V-nicek >> Round neck!

Charles Wilson 5 Pack Plain V-Neck T-Shirt (Small, Dark Essentials Type 42) : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Charles Wilson 5 Pack Plain V-Neck T-Shirt (Small, Dark Essentials Type 42) : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors
www.amazon.co.uk

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