Slim fit minimalist clothing?

[madgrad]

My question is a simple one with an answer that so far has eluded me. I'm a graduate student in my early 20's and I'm trying to dress with a bit more style and class than those around me without trying to be too cutting edge and failing. I don't have model looks or sensibility so I'm not even going to try and delude myself into thinking I can dress like one.

Basically I'm in the process of changing my wardrobe. My closet is full of striped shirts which are baggy, a couple of generic polos, a ton of t-shirts that I love because they aren't that common, and some decent jeans. I'm suffering from what can be described as a sort of visual burn out. I go out to bars and clubs and alot of the clothes guys are wearing strike me as guady and generic simultaneously: The same striped shirts that don't fit, baggy destroyed jeans, popped collar polos, etc.

What I'm looking to do is change my style a little bit and purchase pieces that are more of a simple look, single colors, more of a minimalist look. My problem that I've run into over and over again is fit. T-shirts are no problem, a small fits me perfectly. The problem are dress shirts or any long sleeve shirt really. I'm 6'3, about 150 pounds and I have fairly long arms. The best fit shirt I have comes from H&M, it's a medium and the sleeves are a perfect length, not baggy, and it's snug in the chest. Jeans I'm ok on, I have a few pairs of jeans that fit pretty well and I'm ordering a pair of dry APC Standards tomorrow, can't wait to break them in.

Any advice on where to shop for slim fit shirts, sweaters and hoodies would be appreciated. I live in Maryland and I can drive an hour down to DC so I have a pretty good selection at my disposal, just looking for help or a nudge in the right direction. I'll order online too .

Here's what I wore today for a general idea of my build. I'm a 30/34 in my pants.

That's sort of the look I'm aiming for. Nothing too flashy, a little burst of color here and there to make it interesting. Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you all in advance for your contributions.

[englandmj7]

Well, firstly, stop wearing Sevens, they fit like shit, look like shit, and are overpriced.......as far as other pieces, unfortunately, I haven't found one shop that completely caters to all my needs....I use e-bay and live in L.A. so it is easy to find stuff here......not sure abotu D.C. though........

[ten100switch]

yes about the jeans, first off make the move to straight leg or tapered leg jeans. you're thin enough to pull it off to problem. you can learn all about what straight leg jeans to get here in the superdenim forum. ok start with that it's a good step.

[shoegal]

these are probably the textbook minimal labels

helmut lang

calvin klein

jil sander

dior homme

apc

[haptronic]

whats with all the new topics, please use the search function.

anyway The Denim Bar in Arlington VA crries APC so you could try them on.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1111488

from what you"ve said the New Standard might be what your after.

Edited by haptronic on Jan 22, 2006 at 10:28 PM

[johninger]

I'm guessing you don't mean minimalist as in as little as possible. If you do i think the papua new guinean high countrymen are the absolute leaders in this field.

If thats not your style, get back to basics and don't spend a lot. If you listen to half of the people on hear, you'll have to start a second job just to afford one outfit.

Check out what you are wearing thread, some people pull off a understated look pretty well on here.

If loving denim is wrong i don't want to be right.

[PG2G]

I'm actually looking decent (and reasonably priced) slim fit shirts too. Ben Sherman makes slim stuff, AFAIK (if you can find something without an extremely ugly pattern). Other than that, I don't really know. It'd be nice to not have to buy shirts that cost as much as a pair of jeans though

[DJ_Flame]

Ben Sherman has some cheap slim fits, but the quality is horrible. Crooked stitching, suspect dyeing techniques, and most of their button-fronts are poly-cotton.

Same goes for their blazers etc.

If you can't pay below $50 for them, it isn't worth it really. Zara/ H&M has better value.

Edited by DJ_Flame on Jan 22, 2006 at 11:20 PM

[heartsandcrafts]

i know this will sound rude, but that blazer is so unattractive

i had that same problem trying to find a good slim fitting button up a few months ago, and to my surprise I found it at the gap. It is their premium dress shirt, it has a slight stretch to it, barrel cuffs. If you need it slimmer dry it hot and it will shrink up. I am the same height as you +10lbs and I fit a small.

And you can find plain sweaters that fit good at Banana Republic

[cchen]

"Fit good" Geezus... not trying to be the grammar police but damn.

Anyway, back on topic. You can find slim fitting dress shirts from many brands. Thomas Pink slim fit shirts, Polo Ralph Lauren custom fit, Ralph Lauren black label, and many more. If you're on a tight budget, Express for Men actually makes slim fitting shirts that are decent quality.

[heartsandcrafts]

you missed the fact that i didnt capitalize the letter "i" a couple times, i also didnt use a period at then end of my first sentence.

[dongle]

here are similar postings on styleforum

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=30927

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=26870

the second thread gives a good stock wardrobe.

[sarno]

ditch those jeans, dude. the cut and wash both say, "hey, I'm stylish but comfortable." Pay attention to the musings of The Sartorialist blog and you might find he shares your newfangled aesthetic. also, get a shoe with a more pronounced heel and toe, that will complement the slimness of your new wardrobe.

Edited by sarno on Jan 23, 2006 at 07:46 AM

[giantreptile]

geez, guys. the jeans aren't THAT bad.

[aitsuka]

no, they're really bad, can't stop staring at them.

-don't hate, appreciate-

[madgrad]

Ok, this is the feedback I'm looking for. I'm confused as to why they are bad? They are aren't baggy, aren't distressed, they don't have an obnoxious wash, what's wrong with them that I'm missing so I will know not to buy other jeans of that ilk?

[darkanimal]

Get dark jeans, this will make you look slimmer. And yeah, get a better jacket/blazer. Overall, just get acquainted with how different fits of clothes fall on your body. You'll then know what works and what doesn't, it's like instinct. Go window shopping and just try on different cuts. Don't listen to those sales people. Experiment. Good luck.

[ten100switch]

better yet, never wear a blazer with jeans

[macuser3of5]

I've always been happy with the slimness of Costume National Homme. CNH is pretty under-the-radar, so you can usually pick up shirts for a relative steal. I have a few that I've only paid $60 or so for, and a few pairs of pants that I snagged for about $80 each. Not 'cheap' mind you, but you're willing to pay for Sevens, so I can't imagine it being much of a stretch.

[giantreptile]

Quote:

I've always been happy with the slimness of Costume National Homme. CNH is pretty under-the-radar, so you can usually pick up shirts for a relative steal. I have a few that I've only paid $60 or so for, and a few pairs of pants that I snagged for about $80 each. Not 'cheap' mind you, but you're willing to pay for Sevens, so I can't imagine it being much of a stretch.

--- Original message by macuser3of5 on Jan 23, 2006 10:41 AM

good call. and nice username.

[madgrad]

Hahah I didn't pay any where near full price for the Sevens, I got them on sale at Nordstrom Rack for about 40 bucks. Same the best pair of jeans I own, a pair of PDCs that are very slim cut. I have no problem paying for quality though, and will check out CNH as soon as I find a web site that stocks their clothing. I already have their cologne, might as well get a shirt or two as well lol

[macuser3of5]

Heh, I should have given you some help: Yoox.com. Currently they have a fall/winter sale, in which you can get a load of CNH clothing at great price points. Dress shirts ranging from $90-$130, casual & dress pants anywhere from $50 to $150. Given your description, I'd guess you're probably a tagged 48 in pants, maybe a 48 in shirts too? Hard to say considering the armlength issue, but don't worry about baggy arms, CNH is Dior-slim in the arms... Besides, Yoox accepts returns/exchanges graciously, so I recommend grabbing something and finding out where you stand in terms of fit, and trading it in if it doesn't work out.

Hope this helps.

Edited by macuser3of5 on Jan 23, 2006 at 11:41 AM

[sarno]

go with straight leg. any other fit gives your body an unflattering silhouette (note the taper at knee and then widens at ankle). a clean, immaculate, even blue wash is too slick, makes it look like these are your "going out" jeans. jeans are for work, always.

[madgrad]

Great site! However did you make a typo or am I missing something regarding sizing? The reason I ask is that I don't see a single shirt or pair of pants in 48, according to the size guide I found on the site I would need an XXXL at that size!

[haptronic]

size 48 italian, translates to 38" us, size S. [for jackets] roughly a 32" for trousers. [so you may be a it46 in trousers]

Edited by haptronic on Jan 23, 2006 at 11:57 AM

[giantreptile]

madgrad: first of all, you're in grad school. so unless dad's rich, you're not going to be able to afford a lot of the clothes you want, especially the names dropped on this board. so you will have to pick wisely. i think the jeans you have are really not that bad. believe me, you could do a lot worse, and i've seen it here. sure, sevens are ubiquitous, but those aren't the worst in terms of cut. and a lot of snobs on here were probably wearing sevens 5 months ago, so don't worry about that. what you really need to do is invest in a nice pair of glasses. look into a new frame, possibly more striking than what you currently have. second, invest in one or two pairs of really good shoes- avoid square toe. spare no expense, and choose wisely; one pair black, one brown. honestly, the blazer is the worst thing you have in this picture. the blazer with jeans look is heading toward disaster, so maybe you'll want to make it work with other types of pants (cargos maybe?). i think your head is in the right place, you'll do fine. you're on the right track with APC. just remember that you are in grad school, so don't go overboard. waste your money on trendy clothes when you have a good job.

[macuser3of5]

LOL, welcome to the wacky world of European sizing I should have clarified, though. For example, I'm a 38" chest size (US Small), which converts to a 48 in european terms. The only problem I've had with yoox is that the search results sometimes mix the two up, something will show as a 48 when it's actually a 58, etc. Or it shows as a 38 when it's actually a 48 IT, and so on. It's best to check each item and size that falls within your two numbers (mine are 38 & 48), as yoox will always note the actual size as shown on the tag in the item description. Which, for my 38" chest, is a 48 IT.

For instance:

http://www.yoox.com/item/tskay//rr/1/cod10/360273011S/areaid/36/st/N/COSTUME+NATIONAL+HOMME/Dress+pants

http://www.yoox.com/item/tskay//rr/1/cod10/380147463N/areaid/36/st/N/COSTUME+NATIONAL+HOMME/Long+sleeve+shirts

http://www.yoox.com/item/tskay//rr/1/cod10/360273191B/areaid/36/st/N/COSTUME+NATIONAL+HOMME/Dress+pants

[madgrad]

Thanks for the heads up regarding the sizing, that makes waaaay more sense.

Regarding cost: While I am in grad school I do work full time and my car is paid off, so I can afford one or two nice items of clothing a month. Don't worry, I won't be going overboard!

[triniboy27]

Similar to what some ppl up here have said, be sure to invest your $$$ in some classic quality items rather than buying trendy clothing. You've made a good start with the APC jeans purchase so far.

While I agree that the whole blazer and jeans thing is overdone, sometimes it cannot be avoided depending on your occupation or your interests. If you're intent on wearing blazers, dress them up rather than dress them down - ie, wear a nice dress shirt and sweater under the blazer rather than a tshirt.

For a good example of what I'm talking about, look at how Brad Pitt dresses in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

[madgrad]

Quote:

Similar to what some ppl up here have said, be sure to invest your $$$ in some classic quality items rather than buying trendy clothing. You've made a good start with the APC jeans purchase so far.

While I agree that the whole blazer and jeans thing is overdone, sometimes it cannot be avoided depending on your occupation or your interests. If you're intent on wearing blazers, dress them up rather than dress them down - ie, wear a nice dress shirt and sweater under the blazer rather than a tshirt.

For a good example of what I'm talking about, look at how Brad Pitt dresses in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

--- Original message by triniboy27 on Jan 23, 2006 12:45 PM

It's funny you should say that because I'm looking around for some nice slim fit sweaters right now, might see what H&M has in stock tomorrow.

I do like the look of this shirt from yoox

http://www.yoox.com/item/tskay//rr/1/cod10/380105071Q/areaid/36/st/SN/COSTUME+NATIONAL+HOMME/Long+sleeve+shirts

My chest is only 32 inches, so with a bit of tailoring that shirt should fit my torse quite nicely. My only concern would be the sleeve length. I can handle an inch or two short because I turn my cuffs up out of habit, but if it's any shorter than that I'll have to send it back.