Cool threads to buy online?

January 28, 2006 9:56 AM

Cool threads to buy online?

I need some new cloths. I hate going to the mall because all the cloths there seem to be targeting teeny-boppers. Right now I have this really vanilla Mossimo meets New Navy look (like every other bloke my age), and I'm ready for something a little more eye catching, unique, and stylish.

I'd have a hard time spending more then $50 for a pair of jeans (but I have in the past). I'm also looking for a new watch. I really like those watches from fossil with the fat leather bands. What do you think?

What about a good place to buy shoes online?

Things were so much simpler when I was in high school and the only thing I needed to be "cool" was to wear a pare of JNCO jeans and a T. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing JNCO now :).

I've fallen out of style. Please help this 24 year old male. Thank you.

-nickerbocker

posted by nickerbocker to shopping (20 comments total)

My husband and I like The Giant Peach, though they're only waist-up clothes.

For shoes, Zappos, of course.
posted by kmel at 10:17 AM on January 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

I outfitted my 19 y.o. hipster with an entire Ben Sherman wardrobe. Some of it came from department stores (on sale) but I got some of it online. overstock.com just got a new shipment of Ben Sherman and always has a decent selection of what they call "Modern Apparel" in the Men's section. You can also try Bluefly, which also trends young and hip. I found some deals at Macys.com and Nordstrom.com, as well. At Macys.com the young men's section is called "Young Men/This is It" and at Nordstrom.com it's called "The Rail". Make sure to click on the sale tabs on both sites. The sale stuff is listed separately.

As for shoes, Zappos, Zappos, Zappos.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 10:18 AM on January 28, 2006

Unlike kmel, I was way too lazy to link, but here is a link to the Ben Sherman site. I haven't ever bought anything there because they never have sales, but you can get an idea of what the YPOTS (Young People of Today) are wearing.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 10:20 AM on January 28, 2006

so far, all the suggestions have been great. Lots of unique stuff at all of those sites.

Thank you.
posted by nickerbocker at 10:40 AM on January 28, 2006

I second the recommendation of Bluefly--some good stuff there, made affordable. (I mean, you could pay $100 for that spiffy new Ben Sherman, but why?)

For shoes, Zappos is kind of overwhelming to me--I prefer Onlineshoes. Clean layout, nice choices in the stock.

Macy's and Nordstrom online also very good. Have fun--I recently started spiffing up my wardrobe myself, and love it.
posted by LooseFilter at 10:44 AM on January 28, 2006

Most places I shop online are also brick-and-mortars, but I do enjoy Threadless, Preshrunk, OMG Clothing and ILoveYourShirt to cure occasional bouts of hipsterdom. Outside of the t-shirt realm, there's the equally pseudo-hipster Brand Neusense and the more street-style KarmaLoop.com. All of those companies are for casual clothing, so if you're looking for something dressy, don't bother. If not, buy quick before all the winter sales end!
posted by youarenothere at 10:54 AM on January 28, 2006

Avoid Fossil watches. I bought one once and it was a total piece of crap. Broke almost immediately.
posted by scratch at 11:08 AM on January 28, 2006

Disclaimer: Everything in this post is void and null if read after Jan 28 2006. (Fashion changes quickly)

American Apparel has some seriously awesome clothes as far as buying online goes.

Beyond that I would reccomend buying more selectively from the stores you already shop at in addition to branching out fashion-wise. If I were to go into American Eagle outfitters and buy my whole wardrobe there it would be one thing (I'm trying not to offend here), but buying the occasional long-sleeve shirt or something gives your wardrobe some more variety.

You mentioned not spending more than $50 on jeans, but you would be suprised how good of an investment a really nice pair of jeans is. I know that spending $200 on jeans seems like overkill, but I guarantee they will fit you 100 times better and last way longer. So if you keep them 4 times as long as a normal pair then you've justified buying them, right? If you don't spend money anywhere else in your wardrobe spend it on jeans, it will pay off.

Also, style point: avoid cargo pants or cargo shorts like the plague.

Alright, thats it.
posted by deafweatherman at 11:32 AM on January 28, 2006

Please don't buy Fossil watches and remember, T-shirts are underwear.
posted by 517 at 11:44 AM on January 28, 2006

Great prices on trendy shoes at Snooty Hideout.
posted by furtive at 11:58 AM on January 28, 2006

Definitely check out zappos for shoes. They have free shipping and free returns, so there's really no risk.

As for clothes, I really think you shouldn't buy them online - so much about how clothes look on you has to do with the fit and the material, and these things vary a lot between brands. You should definitely try them on in person.

As for stores you can find at the mall that sell clothes that fit well and don't look too bland, try: Urban Outfitters, Express Men, Guess, and H&M. There are others, but these are the first that came to mind.
posted by driveler at 12:36 PM on January 28, 2006

Amazon.com has a really good selection of clothing (inc. shoes and watches) in a broad price range. I have also received excellent service from the fairly priced (and sometimes fairly pricey) RevolveClothing.com.
posted by Moody834 at 12:40 PM on January 28, 2006

make sure you KNOW your exact right size for each brand you fancy, then go to www.yoox.com to do the shopping.
posted by ouke at 12:50 PM on January 28, 2006

Buy some style magazines (GQ, Arena etc) and flick through them. Full of adverts and photo spreads, you will soon begin to recognise what you like and where to get it.
posted by fire&wings at 12:53 PM on January 28, 2006

Please don't buy Fossil watches and remember, T-shirts are underwear.

Ummmmm....ok. How about a recommendation then? I don't take much credence for people who just throw shit out there and don't give any reason why not to like them. Are Fossil watches too trendy? I really like that fat leather band style for some reason. I think it looks very modern.

You mentioned not spending more than $50 on jeans, but you would be suprised how good of an investment a really nice pair of jeans is. I know that spending $200 on jeans seems like overkill, but I guarantee they will fit you 100 times better and last way longer. So if you keep them 4 times as long as a normal pair then you've justified buying them, right? If you don't spend money anywhere else in your wardrobe spend it on jeans, it will pay off.

I don't really have that kind of money to spend on jeans is the real reason. I will keep what you said in mind, though. I do plan on just buying a thing here, and then a thing there. Progressively upgrade my wardrobe with each pay check.

As for clothes, I really think you shouldn't buy them online - so much about how clothes look on you has to do with the fit and the material, and these things vary a lot between brands. You should definitely try them on in person.

I agree with you for the most part. But going out to the mall these days is like getting my teeth pulled. I can think of about 100 different things I'd rather do with my free time. Malls nearest to me don't have a real large selection of shops (not very big), and what they do have seems to all be geared towards 13-18 year olds. I could drive 45 minutes to a larger near-by-city and go to their malls, but that is more time I don't want to spend "shopping." I get so much anxiety to be "done with it" that I will generally settle on something I don't really want.

I agree that buying online is a gamble...I really love how much selection there is. I know that for the most part if I get a shirt online, it would be pretty rare to see someone else in this town wearing the same thing (around the college or out in a bar or party or whatever).

Buy some style magazines (GQ, Arena etc) and flick through them. Full of adverts and photo spreads, you will soon begin to recognise what you like and where to get it.

Good idea. I'll go pick up a magazine. But a lot of the stuff they have in there are crazy expensive. Like $500 for a sweat shirt is ridiculous.

Thank you all for your links! Any other recommendations for watches? I don't really need something to keep time, just a fashion accessory for a guy. Sometime when I was in middle school, watches fell out of style. Are they still out of style? I've seen some guys sport them really well, and others not so well.
posted by nickerbocker at 1:21 PM on January 28, 2006

To clarify, the purpose of checking out style magazines and the like is rarely to buy the actual clothing that appears in there. Skim through the photos and just find the look that you like. You can use that as a guide when shopping for the much cheaper equivalents to the designer versions.
posted by Mrmuhnrmuh at 1:36 PM on January 28, 2006

If we're being anecdotal about Fossil watches, I wanted to note that I gave one as a gift to a friend three years ago and he still wears it pretty much everyday without problems. Furthermore, I think watches - including the one that you linked to - are perfectly stylish. Unlike JNCOs.
posted by youarenothere at 4:00 PM on January 28, 2006

Nothing wrong with Fossil watches per se. Any watch if well cared for can last forever. I still have this original Swatch watch that I've worn since elementary school days (band replaced twice).

However, Fossil watches tend to emulate what's currently trendy and take a shotgun approach - make every possible color variation of every popular style. In my view, their ubiquity and uniform design essentially makes them "ordinary." I prefer watch styles that are a bit more unique.

Currently, I rotate between the above Swatch, this Alessi, and this Kenneth Cole. If you like the Fossil watches, I recommend Nixon for a little something unique. I've been looking at this Nixon Rotolog Leather for sometime and if it looks slick in the store, I'm going for it. If you like the thick leather band style, you can buy just the thick bands with attachments for watch faces. Disassemble an old watch and insert it into the band - voila! One-of-a-kind thick leather band watch.
posted by junesix at 5:28 PM on January 28, 2006

Nixon makes great watches.
posted by k8t at 5:53 AM on January 29, 2006

Yeah, fossill kinda sucks but, um, unless it's this fossill watch.
posted by rschroed at 2:49 PM on February 2, 2006