Hi OB,
I'm going to be starting my grad job soon, which means i'm going to need some formal clothes. I've only really got 2 collared shirts pretty much. Was wondering if there are any good brands that are recommended? Cheap but comfortable? I bought a suit from roger david that i quite liked for interviews, but i know nothing about material/cut/quality etc.
I'm quite a slim build. Asian guy, 173 ~70kgs.
Still reading through the blog, this is more complicated than i thought. Work shouldn't be too formal so most of the time i'll be wearing trousers and a button up. I'm probably taking this more seriously than i should be haha, but i would rather invest in something that would be comfortable and last me a while.
Thanks for the thread. I'm actually thinking of going back to VN at the end of the year. May be an opportune time to get myself some tailoring. :)
I find http://www.hallensteins.com/ good for stocking up on work clothes. They ship from NZ but use DHL so it usually arrives in a few days. They quite often have mystery discounts with 10-100% off. They just had one recently.
Thanks, i'll keep an eye out for any good opportunities. :)
+1 for Hallenstein
High recommend them as they sell well fitted suits at a cheap price. Their shirts are easy to iron too (one of my pet hates).
If you are going to Asia, visit G2000. Good quality business shirts that are easy to iron.
what's your budget? anything decent i.e. MJ Bale type stuff would be around $500-700 a suit but they're pretty good.
Right now my budget is under $500 for a suit. I'm thinking of shopping for 1 more suit and maybe 2-3 dress shirts. Just not sure where to look for the dress shirts either.. does it matter what brand dress shirts are or does it not really matter?
How many button ups do you need for work anyways? :s
depends how often you wash your clothes - usually i'd have 4 shirts for mon-thurs (fri is casual). brands dont really matter if you're not that into it, just make sure you have the basic colours like a light blue/white. for shoes…again, down to budget, but i suppose getting 2 pairs from Aquila or something is ok. if you get into menswear in the future then you can look into better stuff in the 200s price.
if you want to buy shirts online, get a tape measure and measure yourself carefully to avoid sizing issues, when i started grad work i got all my shirts from TM lewin/Charles Tywhitt. At a minimum, you could get two suits to rotate and 4 shirts for the work week.
Try Connor @ DFO, they sometimes do random sale
Dress shirt $20-30, you can get a suit for around $200-300 (if it's still the same as last year)
They are a bit thin though
People here seem to like Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts. They have a current deal of 3 for $99 (Usually $39 Each) + $12.95 Shipping.
I usually get my shirts from Myer when they have the extra 25-75% already reduced items sales.
If you want something that is cheap but well-fitted, the bigger tailors from Bangkok, Vietnam, Hong Kong etc do world tours - you should check their dates. They usually book a space in each of the major cities and will take your measurements, get you fitted etc. They do any tailored clothing - for guys I think it is usually suits and shirts. You can pick fabric from the samples as well.
The finished product gets mailed to you and if you need adjustments made they are free to return, get fixed and sent back. My partner got his whole work wardrobe made this way and my brother in law's wedding party too.
I've used http://www.excelsuits.com/ and they were fine. You can google for others.
van heusen tops are nice and comfortable and easy to iron. good quality. reasonable price, last many years.
polyester cotton, nice on the body
I usually go with a 6-8 shirts.
Reason being you don't need to stress about clothes drying / staining a shirt etc and having to do a mid cycle wash.
It's also nice to have a good rotation, however this isn't something you need to go all out and buy at once.
I've only got a few suits and I find that i tend to just wear trousers and shirts on a daily basis; the suits rarely get worn at least in summer.
I purchase separate trousers not to wear out the suit jacket combo.
The current suit cut which seems popular at the moment is slim fit 2 button.
I usually get my suits tailored in Thailand or Vietnam. You will need to work well with your tailor and understand what you want and be able to communicate it.
Target and Big W - Tend to have some good stuff if you are starting out. You can always buy the more exy ones later when you pay packet increases!
oh and dont forget UNIQLO - they have really good basics for pants and shirts.
Depending on your employer, you may get away with a shirt and v neck jumper combo if you want to save on buying full suits
this past thread may give you some idea,
my 2 cents -
1. wear appropriate to the nature of job/position. don't over or under dress.
2. alter the suits properly and don't wear like putting on a bucket.
$35-$65 to alter the cuff of suits. $15-$25 for the length of trousers.
3. being slim and Asian, you will find better fit on suits bought in Asia, local custom made or slim fit like in TJ Lewin (UK size) than Australian fit Roger David.
4. get a soft tape or visit DJ/Myer/professional shop for a proper measurement. You need measurements like chest, length of the inner thigh to top of shoes. Read this blog from TJL.
5. the higher the wool blend or number, the more expensive.
no expert than others, so see what the others say.