Thanks EN, Now I need Pants that fit
So, I'm a pretty typcial guy who doesn't buy new work clothes very often. My uniform of the day is buisness casual, usually slacks and a dress shirt, with Khakis and a golf shirt on Fridays. The bulk of my work clothes were purchased when i was a lean 165lbs person. Coming up on my 4th year of Triathlon I am now a very fit 145-149lbs skinny dude who's pants and shirts don't fit right. I'm tired of walking around looking "skinny" instead of looking "fit" in properly fitting clothes...
This past weekend I walked into Kohls with a $100 gift card and walked out with nothing. I tried on several pants and nothing seemed to fit just right. 32x32 used to fit just right, now I need more like a 30x32, but good luck finding a size 30 waist at Kohls and if you do, it usually means a 30 length. It then occured to me, that maybe this store isn't made for me.
So keeping in mind, that I'm a cheap bastard for "work clothes" with a few exceptions of nice suits I have for important meetings, I probably need to shop somewhere else that has more options. My wife of course just laughs and rolls her eyes and yells, "go to the mall" meaning stop shopping at Kohls. p.s. I like Kohls, or should I say I used to.
Anyone else have this issue???
Any recommendations...
Comments
I know this is the club house forum where things are casual, but please don't take your pants off in here.
kthxbai.
=:-O
Yes, I hear you. Clothes for adult men nowadays are made with extra room between the ribs and mid-thigh. So I end up with billowing shirts around the middle and pants which just dont look right. My BMI @ 22.5 is supposedly right in the middle of normal, but I feel shunted to the kids department sometimes. As well as needing 31 inch waist stuff,which of course doesnt exist. My two solutions... The fitter @Nordstroms, and wearing 25 year old dress pants from back before they started tailoring mass market clothes for the " new normal".
Shopping at a store meant for 20 somethings sometimes works ... H&M is what we have here.
shirts are another issue ... Anything big enough in the shoulders/chest is way too big in the waist, and vice versa ... If it looks nice in the middle, I can't move my arms.
also, no one (outside of our tri space) has any sympathy for our "problem". Which is the main reason I'm responding . You have *every* right to feel aggrieved.
1. There's little that a good tailor can't fix. Not "the dry cleaner who hems pants for $3.99," but a real, live, good alternations tailor. Google "Best tailor in (hometown)" and I'm sure it's been discussed somewhere, sometime. fwiw, I tip my tailor as much as a tip my bike repair guy at Christmas - my tri yo-yo weight has brought us very close.
2. For sheer ease of trousers consumption, you wants the JCrew, or Brooks Brothers Milano. Sizing starts at 30. Flat front (because you can), and order three different waist sizes by mail, all Goldilocks-style. Keep the pair that fits, return the ones that don't fit with free return shipping, and you're khaki'ed for life. Bonus: you don't have to set foot into JCrew.
3. unless the shoulders are now way off on the suit or sportcoat (which is really unlikely, even after double-digit changes), also the tailor.
If the collar is ok on the shirt, they can make even the most billowy, pirate-style blousey shirt fitted with some simple alterations.
If the collar is to big, new shirts. No way to fix a 16.5" collar around a 15" neck, and it makes it look like the weight loss was due to illness. Brooks brothers by ''net (same approach as above), or for tailored shirts, TM lewin has a perpetual 5 for $200 sale for nice stuff that punches well above its weight.
The womens forum?
Same answers! The tailor is your friend.
When I needed help with triathlon, I found EN. When I needed help getting fashion on, I found the style forum. These guys will fix you up! Send a few hours lurking and you will never be the same again...
http://www.styleforum.net/f/5/classic-menswear
Nate- I'm with you man. I have lost 2" on my neck size over the past couple of yrs so now I'm down do a 17.5-18". But at race weight I wear a 32-32 Pants( down for 38-32 at my chunkiest). So basically every time I went to work it looked like I was wearingmy dad's suits. At my neck size, I even swim in Brooks Brothers slim cut shirts so I was forced to buy custom shirts which shockingly don't cost any more if you find the right place.
But to your original question... I am über cheap when it comes to clothes. I have no problem dropping $10k on a bike, but spending over $25 on khakis to me seems outrageous so I don't do it. I just restocked with khakis that actually fit me at BJ's Wholesale (similar to Costco or Sam's club) of all places. They had Dockers, Polo, Savane, etc. and they were all like $19.99 each. I'm sure they were last yr's model, but let's be honest, khakis haven't changed in 15 yrs... They also had more of the weird sizes than the regular sizes and I had to dig through piles on a table to find the right ones, but they were there. Good Luck!
... if you ever thought you spent too much on bike parts, that place will give some serious perspective.
What I am noticing as I look at my current clothes is the more expensive, "brooks brothers" type clothes definetly outlasted the other clothes, think Men's warehouse. So maybe there is a value to spend some money if the pair of pants is going to last for a long time without wearing out. I'm totally with John on the Khakis. I go through those things very fast. I won't spend $$ on a pair of Khakis. I do like the idea of going to some stores that generally market to younger folks, like a JCrew to see if the slim fit type clothes look ok on me as Dave and Al suggested. Luckily I have a few outlets to include JCrew just down the street from me.
Alright team, the goal this weekend is to get 2-3 pairs of pants and a few dress shirts that fit me properly...The tailor is my friend...I can do this...