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I buy all my sons dress shirts at thrift stores. Most look to have been barely worn if at all and good name brands. Just look over carefully for flaws or stains. He does buy dress pants, (or at least non-cargo pants) new because he is hard to fit size.
I buy all my sons dress shirts at thrift stores. Most look to have been barely worn if at all and good name brands. Just look over carefully for flaws or stains. He does buy dress pants, (or at least non-cargo pants) new because he is hard to fit size.
Would it be worth it to have whatever dress pants I buy tailored?
Yep...thrifting rocks. Very often you can find like new items. As an example what to check start with a shirt.
Check collar at neck area for fraying or discoloration. Check underarm area for stains. Check sleeve cuffs for stains or fraying. Just look the shirt over good. Same goes for pants and blazers. Look for lables that say no iron required. Nothing wrong with a pure cotton shirt either. If you own an iron.
The blue blazer is a must have. Weddings, funerals, work gatherings, or who knows what. Way better to have it than need one last minute. By far try and thrift for one. eBay too can have some good buys on nice used clothes. If at all possible you want 100% wool. The synthetic stuff for blazers always looks cheap.
Learn how to tie a tie. Period.
The tip of the tie end should end at your belt buckle. Not above. Not below. At the buckle. Nobody wears one anymore. People treat you more serious when you wear one. Same with the blazer. Try it and see.
Keep the shoes polished.
Get dressed up and see how people react to you. Clothes can be a powerful tool for you. There is truth to clothes do make the man. People who don't know you will treat you in a way you will like. Looking better than the rest is a definite advantage in the workplace. Not over the top. Just classic, sharp, and polished. The world can be your oyster.
Yep...thrifting rocks. Very often you can find like new items. As an example what to check start with a shirt.
Check collar at neck area for fraying or discoloration. Check underarm area for stains. Check sleeve cuffs for stains or fraying. Just look the shirt over good. Same goes for pants and blazers. Look for lables that say no iron required. Nothing wrong with a pure cotton shirt either. If you own an iron.
The blue blazer is a must have. Weddings, funerals, work gatherings, or who knows what. Way better to have it than need one last minute. By far try and thrift for one. eBay too can have some good buys on nice used clothes. If at all possible you want 100% wool. The synthetic stuff for blazers always looks cheap.
Learn how to tie a tie. Period.
The tip of the tie end should end at your belt buckle. Not above. Not below. At the buckle. Nobody wears one anymore. People treat you more serious when you wear one. Same with the blazer. Try it and see.
Keep the shoes polished.
Get dressed up and see how people react to you. Clothes can be a powerful tool for you. There is truth to clothes do make the man. People who don't know you will treat you in a way you will like. Looking better than the rest is a definite advantage in the workplace. Not over the top. Just classic, sharp, and polished. The world can be your oyster.
Take it from a man who knows.
Thank you for the info on what to look for! I'm guessing I could get far more than just a week's worth of clothing at goodwill for $200.
Maybe I'll try a blazer...but...wouldnt wearing that and a tie to go grocery shopping be overkill? Or is that the point?
I need to learn how to tie a tie.
I've never polished a shoe, but I'm sure I can figure it out.
I'd guess dressing nice probably helps your chances with the ladies and makes you look better as a student.
Last edited by CuriousAboutRussia; 05-10-2019 at 04:59 PM..
Don't go with just white or blue shirts. There are nice colored shirts with subtle stripes or pattern and checks, that look good with gray, blue, and tan slacks, and most colored shirts will look nice with any of those slack colors. Black slacks I would stay away from, they would look more like something a waiter would wear as part of a uniform. Don't forget a nice pair of blue jeans, darker color, not worn, not baggy. You can usually just tell if something is made well by looking at it and touching it. If you are unsure of quality you can look it up while you're in store on your smart phone. But lesser brands are fine as long as not worn, clean, and good fit and look for a label that says permanent press, iron free. Unless you want to learn how to iron.
I've purchased plenty of dress shirts that would go for $30-50 in a retail store for $5-8 in perfect condition at Goodwill stores. Sometimes you may have better luck going to a more expensive part of town to a thrift stores, but not always.
Last edited by Izzie1213; 05-10-2019 at 05:51 PM..
Thank you for the info on what to look for! I'm guessing I could get far more than just a week's worth of clothing at goodwill for $200.
Maybe I'll try a blazer...but...wouldnt wearing that and a tie to go grocery shopping be overkill? Or is that the point?
I need to learn how to tie a tie.
I've never polished a shoe, but I'm sure I can figure it out.
I'd guess dressing nice probably helps your chances with the ladies and makes you look better as a student.
You're picking up on this quick! Nice!!
I have been a clothes horse most of my life. So I'll pass on some tips for you.
First is to consider yourself a blank canvas. Clothes are a way to express your moods, attitude, creativity, and more. So maybe one day you do wear a tie to grocery shop. Just because you feel like it. Or maybe not. It's also very important to have fun with perfecting your look and style. This outlook will last you a lifetime. There is never a down side to always looking good.
A full length mirror is mandatory. Or at least a shiny storefront window, so you can check your whole look. Try to check your look before you leave the house. That's why it's nice to have the mirror at home. You can change things up if you need to before you hit the street.
Google up some of these terms. "Classic mens dress wear" "Classic mens navy blazer". Have a long look in the images section of the search results. Look at a ton of them and pick out some looks you like. You will see you can wear that blazer to a wedding or kicked back with jeans casual at a coffee shop. All in how you mix the look. Soon you will develop your own style from some of the images you saw. It will become second nature to you.
Learn your colors. Google up what colors go best with what skin tones. Learn which colors make you pop. Also which colors just look bad on you. This will help as you start to add color to your wardrobe.The first place to do that is in your shirts and ties.
Every thing I mentioned here can be done very very cheap. As you look at those clothes pictures much of that is big buck designer stuff. Matters little. You can copy the look for pennies on the dollar at the thrift store. It's the colors and patterns you can take for free from those high fashion designers. You would be amazed how close you can get at the thrift shop.
Yes, Yes, Yes to a tailor!!! Good looking clothes that fit perfectly are awesome!!! Plus lucky you, Russia is known for some first class tailors. Take your used stuff to him and have him work his magic. Ask for pricing before you give him the job. You can find a good tailor on a student budget. Just keep looking. The right tailor will get a kick out of a student who is trying to look his best.
You won't get it all nailed, right out of the gate. No worries. Especially with the thrift store stuff. No big money lost. Have fun with it. Develop your look and style. Enjoy it for the rest of your life.
Don't go with just white or blue shirts. There are nice colored shirts with subtle stripes or pattern and checks, that look good with gray, blue, and tan slacks, and most colored shirts will look nice with any of those slack colors. Black slacks I would stay away from, they would look more like something a waiter would wear as part of a uniform. You can usually just tell if something is made well by looking at it and touching it. If you are unsure of quality you can look it up while you're in store on your smart phone. But lesser brands are fine as long as not worn, clean, and good fit and look for a label that says permanent press, iron free. Unless you want to learn how to iron.
When I say black pants, I mean like black dress pants that would come as part of a 2-3 part suit, not like black slacks...mayhe I don't know the exact difference.
I wasn't going to go with just blue and white...after a week or so, people would realize I only have two colors of shirts and that would get boring anyway.
I would probably get some shirts in pink, dark blue, maybe light purple (they make those, right?), different stripes and things like that.
I'm guessing I'll have to get almost anything I buy tailored...
I have been a clothes horse most of my life. So I'll pass on some tips for you.
First is to consider yourself a blank canvas. Clothes are a way to express your moods, attitude, creativity, and more. So maybe one day you do wear a tie to grocery shop. Just because you feel like it. Or maybe not. It's also very important to have fun with perfecting your look and style. This outlook will last you a lifetime. There is never a down side to always looking good.
A full length mirror is mandatory. Or at least a shiny storefront window, so you can check your whole look. Try to check your look before you leave the house. That's why it's nice to have the mirror at home. You can change things up if you need to before you hit the street.
Google up some of these terms. "Classic mens dress wear" "Classic mens navy blazer". Have a long look in the images section of the search results. Look at a ton of them and pick out some looks you like. You will see you can wear that blazer to a wedding or kicked back with jeans casual at a coffee shop. All in how you mix the look. Soon you will develop your own style from some of the images you saw. It will become second nature to you.
Learn your colors. Google up what colors go best with what skin tones. Learn which colors make you pop. Also which colors just look bad on you. This will help as you start to add color to your wardrobe.The first place to do that is in your shirts and ties.
Every thing I mentioned here can be done very very cheap. As you look at those clothes pictures much of that is big buck designer stuff. Matters little. You can copy the look for pennies on the dollar at the thrift store. It's the colors and patterns you can take for free from those high fashion designers. You would be amazed how close you can get at the thrift shop.
Yes, Yes, Yes to a tailor!!! Good looking clothes that fit perfectly are awesome!!! Plus lucky you, Russia is known for some first class tailors. Take your used stuff to him and have him work his magic. Ask for pricing before you give him the job. You can find a good tailor on a student budget. Just keep looking. The right tailor will get a kick out of a student who is trying to look his best.
You won't get it all nailed, right out of the gate. No worries. Especially with the thrift store stuff. No big money lost. Have fun with it. Develop your look and style. Enjoy it for the rest of your life.
Part of the reason I'm moving there is how cheap things are. I get insurance money every month that puts my income at double the average income of a person in the city I'm choosing. I can get a nice apartment, nice food, entertain myself and still save money. You can raise a family there on the $1400 I get a month.
I want to look good. It never hurts. I doubt I will wear jeans often..I'm sure I'll wear jeans sometimes, but the idea of going to the park and taking a walk in more formal dress really pushes my buttons in a good way. I don't know why. I will look up blazers and such.
I'm glad about the no money lost part. How much would tailoring the clothes cost here? My dad told. Me his dress pants cost $18 a pair
Thanks for the enthusiasm! It's rubbing off. What would you recommend on the cold weather front, by chance?
Not sure when you are leaving the U.S., but the yard and garage sale season is underway and you can often find great things at less than thrift shop prices that way.
Many Russian cities and towns have bazaars where you can find all sorts of items, including clothing. Might investigate if there is a bazaar, which is like a large outdoor market with covered stalls generally, near where you'll be living.
My son has been to Russia twice to study. I'll ask him what he thinks.
Which university? What are you studying?
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