Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with clothes

How can I minimize the amount of lint on my clothes?

grouse — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:32:05 -0800

How can I minimize the amount of lint on my clothes? I use a communal washer and dryer in my apartment complex.

Should I use drying sheets? I've used them before and they didn't seem to make much of a difference. I was using the cheapest generic ones available—does the brand matter? Can I cut them into quarters as suggested her?eg What about using fabric softener during the wash cycle?

I do a separate wash for my Smartwool socks and towels as these seem to generate much lint. It's worse if one washes the socks inside out as Smartwool suggests, so I've stopped doing that.

Is it more effective to use a lint roller before washing rather than after?

Other suggestions?

Who designed this dress?

Joe Beese — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:11:57 -0800

Who designed the gorgeous dress Anne-Sophie Mutter wears on the cover of her box of Mozart sonatas and related DVD?

Help me dress myself for work.

kensington314 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:38:19 -0800

I have found various posts on this, but none quite get me where I need to be. I want to know what I should wear to work, business but not quite a suit. That is to say: what pants-jacket-shoes-shirt combinations would you suggest? I am interested not only in colors but also patterns and textures. The question is about men's clothing, but I am interested in advice from men and women. Note that I do not wear jeans. I am white, light brown hair, six feet tall 195 pounds. I have a beard. I can buy new stuff, but this is my starting point:

- brown wool jacket
- light grey linen jacket
- black pants
- brown pants
- blue pants
- very light brown/creme pants (not quite tan)
- light brown/dark brown patterned pants (not sure the name of the pattern, but it is close-knit checkers smaller than a millimeter, with the overall effect being tan)
- light grey/black patterned pants (same as with the pants above, effect being charcoal)
- white shirt
- midrange blue shirt
- midrange blue shirt with vertical pinstripes
- various boxy patterns in the white shirt/blue lines family

Extra points go to people who can suggest good websites that deal with business dress combinations. Just any old advice that works, thanks!

Crayon in the Dryer, 3x Over

theichibun — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:13:54 -0800

I washed some clothes with a crayon in a pocket. Now I've got yellow crayon spread out across my clothes. But it gets better. The clothes weren't getting dry and I kept putting them through the dryer. 3 times total, never noticing that the crayon stains were there. How can I get rid of, or at least minimize, the problem so I get some of my pants for work back? I've tried ironing with a paper towel and putting them through the washer with various combinations of OxiClean and other stain fighting products. At first running them through the washer seemed to be helping (cold/cold just in case maybe using warm water somewhere would help), but the last time I tried that I didn't see it getting any better. I also saw no good coming from the ironing method.

Due to my schedule the clothes have now been sitting in my room for about a week since the incident. Probably not a good move, I know. Do I have any hope of fixing the mess this late in the game?

I want to look good. No, really good. (Or: personal shopper?)

tellumo — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:33:48 -0800

A few years ago, I had a girlfriend who (gently) took me to task about my wardrobe and made a few suggestions as to how I could look better. I could see the difference after I'd tried a few new outfits, but I'm not very good at coming up with them myself, and I'm not very good at knowing what looks good and what has to change. It recently popped into my head that I could hire someone to help me out with this, but I know absolutely nothing about how to do so--although I hope MeFi harbors someone who does. Can you help me? I understand that the usual job title is "personal shopper," but I understand they mostly work for high-end stores, and I want to be able to 1) have a wider range of options and 2) get a pair of jeans for less than $300. "Style consultant" also came to mind, but that makes me think of calling Deloitte and asking for the menswear department.

Essentially, I'm looking for someone who can work with me on how to deal with my appearance (hair, glasses, clothes, shoes, accessories, any other aspects I may have forgotten) in all situations, work and leisure. I'm mostly interested in buying new clothes because I think I can pick out a few real clunkers from my wardrobe and replace them, but ideally I'd like to have an expert opinion on what to keep and what to chuck, as well as what to buy.

Like I said, I'm worse than clueless here, so my questions will be many and fundamental:

What is this called? A "personal shopper," a "style consultant," a "wardrobe consultant," something else? What's the phrase to type into the search engines? (For clarity and brevity, I'll use "personal shopper" in the following.)

How do you qualify a personal shopper? What do you look for to determine whether a personal shopper is good at their job and will work well with you?

What's the going rate? I understand the in-store ones generally work on commission, but I'd prefer to hire someone independent. I'm in San Francisco.

How should I set this up? Should I plan on an initial consultation followed by a shopping trip, or some other structure?

What should I ask a personal shopper? What sort of things should I keep in mind when working with one?

If you've worked with a personal shopper, what was it like? Any tips?

If you are a personal shopper, is there any advice you'd have for me on how to work most effectively with you or one of your colleagues?

If you're in the Bay Area and know a personal shopper, would you care to recommend him or her?

Bonus Question: While I appreciate good design, I think I have a bit of a tin eye for my own stuff, and for almost anything involving dress. Is it possible for me to get better at this, and if so, how?

I've seen this question, but there were only a few responses relating to independent personal shoppers, I'm not in NYC, and my questions are a little broader.

Thanks!

I need to find shiny sparkly clothes.

jhighmore — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:24:23 -0800

So my friend has some sort of overdeveloped magpie region of her brain and loves sparkly shiny clothing (think sequins, covered in glitter). Where can I find something extra special for christmas for her? Skirts, tops, dresses - hell, even pyjamas or accessories. I would love your ideas of where to purchase such sparkly items. UK-based is very preferable. Budget of £50 but preferably a bit cheaper. Thank you all in advance!

Happy medium or nurturing the beast?

bitteroldman — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:28:32 -0800

I can't seem to find sweatshop-free or second-hand clothes in the style that I like. How about this alternative? So I really wanted to make a push to purchase sweatshop-free clothing and started to do some research into what was available. Read a lot of discussion with a lot of valid points being made on all sides of the argument.

Not to mention, the style of clothing that I am looking for is more dressy and I can't seem to find any stores or Websites that sell dressy, sweatshop-free clothing.

So then I thought to myself, what if I bought my clothes regularly, but for each article of clothing I buy, I make a donation to a charity in the country where the clothes were made (we're talking about 30-50% of the price I pay for the clothes)?

My rationale is that when I make the donation, I have a pretty good idea where it's going; but if I buy a dress shirt that says "Made in Wherever", I have no idea what the conditions of the factory are like.

So on the surface, it seems like an interesting idea, but is it a good idea or is it the equivalent of whipping a child and then feeding him/her?

I want to do what's right, but damn it I'm still wearing the clothes I bought when I first met my better half, and that was 11 years ago!

What does a non-fashiony woman wear to a tech interview?

duckus — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:45:13 -0800

What does a non-girly woman wear to a technical interview? Details on impending fashion crisis inside. I'm a non-girly woman. I mostly wear jeans and t-shirts to work. I have an interview at a tech company that sounds casual. I've read previous threads (and googled) and most, if not all responses are geared toward men. I don't really feel comfortable going in a suit with no tie !

Right now, my plan is brown cords with a really thin wale (just learned that word! ) and some kind of button down shirt. I'm wearing a kind of hot-pink kind of almost magenta stretch shirt right now (I realize I said I'm non-girly, but this shirt is really cute ! ). It has a button hole mid-shoulder for rolling up and buttoning the sleeves.

I'd prefer to go untucked shirt route .. but I'm pretty fashion clueless .. so any options would be fantastic.

Thanks !

Handling Drippy Food with a Non-Straight-Lined Torso?

WCityMike — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:40:23 -0800

I'm by nature a person who likes to keep myself looking neat. I'm having a logistical problem with that. At the moment, I'm also very heavyset, meaning that, geometrically, I have a slope going from neck to waist, not a straight line. (A slope that no doubt will continue to steepen as I progress towards that personal goal, but nonetheless, a slope.)

This means that anything that possibly could drip (and even the neatest food seems to have something that can do that) is pretty much guaranteed to land on my shirt, no matter how careful I'm trying to be.

Stuffing a napkin near my neck not only looks a little inherently stupid, but it also usually doesn't provide adequate coverage.

I can't be the only person to experience this, given America's obesity rates and men's workplace formalwear, or given the presence of the bust for women.

(Parenthetically, I'm asking this because some workplaces where I'm applying for work require a shirt and tie – slightly unusual for my particular level – and given that dress shirts can be expensive, I'd like to be limiting the number of stains to as few as possible.)

Any tips?

How to bypass Cafepress?

hellbient — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:02:44 -0800

I want to make my own t-shirts. How can I do my own personal version of Cafepress, Zazzle, etc.? Not Cafepress in the sense that I would set up a site and take orders, but Cafepress in that I want to actually print 1-off Photoshopped images onto a shirt. I don't want to do iron-ons, screenprinting or draw anything. Is this possible without spending several thousand dollars on a Fiery or whatever? I would settle for B&W printing if there was no color option. I haven't been able to come up with much from my searches, generally it's just a bunch of Cafepress wanna-be sites.

Style tips for the circumferentially challenged

Ziggy500 — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:57:11 -0800

Plus-size ladies, please help me be fabulous. [UK] I'm a young, pear-shaped, quite overweight woman (in the process of sloooowwwly losing weight fwiw). I carry all my weight around my stomach and hips, my top half is almost disproportionately small. I always wear the same thing: Tops or long-line tunics, and jeans/trousers. I've never worn dresses or skirts all that much. I feel like they make my midsection look even bigger.

The problem: The top/trouser combo is both boring and, worse, occasionally frumpy (because larger tops that fit my hips are sometimes too big for my upper body).

So basically, what other styles can I try that will work with my body shape and WON'T be frumpy? What UK shops can I go to apart from the high street staples? I love accessories, so any tips regarding those would be much welcomed as well.

Interesting Men's Shoes

OmieWise — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:07:13 -0800

Can you recommend interesting men's shoe makers? I really (really!) like a lot of Cydwoq shoes, and some Fluevog's. I dislike shoes styled after athletic shoes or old track spikes. I'm most interested in learning about high style, relatively unusual shoes. They can be dress or casual. Because Camper has moved their line to mostly mimic track shoes, there are very few models I like anymore. I'm not a fan of simple, Mephisto, or Born.

(No offense intended, these brands just get trotted out a lot when people talk about men's shoes.)

I've read the other questions on AskMe related to this topic.

Thanks.

Good Winter Clothes for Toddlers

puritycontrol — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:15:10 -0800

Please recommend good winter clothing for 1-year-olds, especially super warm coats. We're talking months and months of ice and snow here. It's our first midwest winter and we'd love recommendations on coats and clothes to get our 1-year-old boys (well, they turn 1 in a couple of weeks). Online or stores in the Aurora, IL area. Thanks in advance!

Cold Weather Running

hapticactionnetwork — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:29:44 -0800

What should I know about running in cold weather? What should I wear when I run in cold weather? (Specific brand recommendations and places to buy things in New York especially appreciated.) I recently moved to New York after spending my entire life in Texas and California, where the Winters are almost non-existent. I'm excited/apprehensive about dealing with my first Winter, and I'm trying to prepare.

I run two or three times a week, not usually more than 30/45 minutes. I'm not a very serious runner, but I'd rather not give it up when it starts to get cold. So: what do I need to know about running in cold weather? And, more specifically, what should I wear? (I'm a guy.)

I've looked at a bunch of websites, so I have an idea of general suggestions about types of clothing (layers, breathable material, etc). I don't know, however, where to buy good quality running clothes or any good brands. I'd really appreciate suggestions from people who don't have anything invested in what I ultimately buy.

Also: should I just give up and join a gym with treadmills over the winter?

How?!: Perfume Smell OUT of Laundry.

Shane — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:12:42 -0800

Is it possible to get cologne smell out of clothing? I kind of "inherited" a half-dozen nice sweaters that reek of perfume, and I'm allergic as well. I've tried mucho baking soda and soaking in the wash machine; haven't tried vinegar yet; past (somewhat related) threads suggest Ozium and Synthrapol, but they're really not for this purpose.

Should I just become a nudist?

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:59:38 -0800

I need to find dress pants that fit. I am a short female (a bit over five feet tall) and have a little bit of a belly (meaning my stomach isn't perfectly flat), but I am well within the normal weight range for my height (I weigh 115 pounds). I sort of have a pear shaped body but it's not that extreme. I eat well and am active but this is just the body that I have.
I cannot seem to find dress pants that fit properly. They all squeeze my waist and give me a muffin top or I am unable to sit down in them without feeling like they are going to pop off. I have tried many different sizes (2, 4, 6, petites and not petites) in many different brands, and they all squeeze my waist and hang off of my butt and generally make me look dumpy and terrible, or they are so tight I can't even get them on or sit down. I have a lot of luck with low rise jeans but I want to wear something nicer on a daily basis.
Is there a particular brand of dress pants that might work for my body shape? I want to dress nicely because I look very young due to my height, but I unfortunately have a limited budget. I cannot pay $200 for a pair of pants, but I could probably justify paying up to $100 if they really were great and didn't make me look or feel bad. I am used to having to get things hemmed by a tailor but I do not want to have to buy pants that essentially need to be resewn by a tailor to fit me properly. Unless that is the only solution, but it can't be.
This is anonymous because I do not want people to know that I am having this kind of issue with my body. I know that I shouldn't be upset because I look good naked and I am a healthy weight, but when I put on pants I feel squeezed and gross and preoccupied with my discomfort.

Overseas tailors?

btkuhn — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:44:24 -0800

Please share your experiences with overseas tailors I'm looking to buy two new suits and some dress shirts. I don't know much about clothes, so while searching for posts on clothing advice for men I came across several threads discussing tailor-made clothes abroad. It looks like there are lots of tailors in HK, Vietnam, India, Thailand, etc who do this, and the prices (especially for Vietnam, India, Thailand) are much better than I would expect to pay here for an off the rack suit. So of course I'm interested in this. A trip to India or Vietnam would negate most or all of the cost-savings, but most of the websites I've come across have diagrams showing you how you can make measurements on yourself, send them in to them, and they will build your clothes based on these measurements.

So my questions are:

- Can you share your experiences with overseas tailors? Were you pleased with the quality, prices, etc? I'm interested especially in the places other than Hong Kong since prices seem to be higher there.

-Has anyone done the "take your own measurements" thing, and sent them to an overseas tailor? What are your experiences with this?

BTW, I'm not picky about clothes. I'm just looking for clothes that will look good at work and not wear out after a few months.

Thanks

Help me spend $300

downing street memo — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:00:43 -0800

I got a $300 gift card recently at work. I'd like to spend it on updating my wardrobe a little. Pretend I'm completely clueless (I pretty much am). Where should I go, and what should I buy? Can I do this with $300? A few details:

1) I'm 24, male, 6' 3", and around 210 lbs. I'd like to lose a little weight, but I don't think I want to get much below 200.

2) My workplace environment is business casual.

3) There's not a lot of difference between "work clothes" and "casual clothes", for me. I have a whole lot of jeans but none fit particularly well, and I don't have a lot of shirts that are strictly casual. When I go home for the day I usually just change into jeans or shorts.

4) I need casual shoes and probably a new pair of brown oxfords or slip-ons for work.

5) I live in DC, and don't own a car, so ideally any store would be metro accessible. I could probably get to Tyson's without much difficulty though.

I tried to include all the relevant details. Thanks for your advice!

what is wrong with my dryer?

cheemee — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:11:34 -0800

kenmore clothes dryer help: my wife and i recently purchased a home that came with a kenmore washer and dryer. at the time of the house inspection, the dryer was working fine. we have tried to use it since moving in and it no longer functions. any ideas what could be wrong? ...when we turn the dial and press start, the dial moves as if it is drying a load. however, the drum inside does not spin and the unit does not heat up. the little light inside it does turn on when we open the dryer door, which makes me think that it is not an issue with the power or breaker. but can it be? or can anybody suggest what could be wrong?

if anybody has any recommendations for a repair-person in the richmond/vancouver BC area, i'd also appreciate that!

thanks all!

Plus-size clothes in and around Boston?

Sublimity — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:21:05 -0800

Plus-size womens' clothing in and around Boston? Extra points for good consignment stores serving this demographic. Finding good fat-girl clothes is always a challenge. I just moved to the area from the other side of the country and am trying to find good resources for finding clothes.

I've noticed national womens' clothing chains in the area (Avenue, etc) but I'd love to find other options too. I'm in the 26-28 range, so department stores like Bloomingdales which appear to top out at 24 aren't helpful.

Local or regional plus-size clothing store suggestions are much appreciated. I'd also love to find a local equivalent to Seattle's Two Big Blondes, a consignment store for sizes 14 and up, which offered a mix of casual, professional, and dressy clothes, as well as shoes and accessories.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Nursing clothes

LittleMissCranky — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:41:54 -0800

I need breastfeeding tops. Please tell me where I can find some that won't cost a ton of money. So I currently have two infants at home, and I'm breastfeeding. One is generally crawling all over the place and often trying to hurt himself in new and inventive ways, while the other is wanting to nurse pretty constantly. For many reasons, nursing tops are pretty essential for me right now, but I'm having a hard time finding them for less than exorbitant sums. There are a few websites that I've found, but they're very expensive and generally have terrible return policies. What with the two babies and all, I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on this, and I really don't want to spend a bunch of cash on clothes that I can't try on. Any ideas, MeFi mommies?

Any recommendations for a tailor in Beijing?

Idcoytco — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:08:18 -0800

I am female, visiting Beijing briefly. I would like to get blouses and slacks made while I am there. I am too tall for off-the-peg.

Why are formal clothes more likely to be dry-clean-only than casual clothes?

madcaptenor — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:57:23 -0800

Why are formal clothes more likely to be dry-clean-only than casual clothes? I went to a wedding last Saturday, and I'm going to another one tomorrow. Both times I'm wearing a suit. The suit, of course, is labelled "dry clean only". This is inconvenient for me, since all my other clothes are machine-washable, but I'll do it.

This got me thinking: why are "formal" clothes, in general, less likely to be machine-washable? Are there reasons having to do with how the fabric is made? Or is this purely a status thing -- that wearing clothes that need Special Cleaning makes you more important than the people who can just throw their clothes in the washer and let them spin around? I'm hoping there's people who know more about fashion than I do who can answer this.

A quick Google indicates that there exist machine-washable suits: here, here, and here are press releases disguised as newspaper articles about them. (It's telling that these come up higher on Google than places where you could actually buy them.)

Where can I buy good quality t-shirts that actually fit well?

jonesor — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:50:43 -0800

Where can I buy good quality t-shirts that actually fit well? I like wearing t-shirts, I like ones with fun designs, and I like plain ones.

However, most of the ones I get seem to be cut really badly. They're too tight under the arms at the front (I'm quite a broad shouldered male). This leads to them getting stinky too quickly.

Before you say, "get a larger size", I should point out that they fit usually fit well everywhere else, and the larger ones are way too baggy.

So, can the mefites recommend some quality brands that might fit me better before I give up and start wearing more formal shirts? (I'm in the UK, if that makes any difference).

US expat needs new wardrobe

Dag Maggot — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:53:53 -0800

I'm looking for good suggestions for buying US clothes on the Internet from overseas. Clothes are so expensive here in Australia that I think it might be cheaper even with the added shipping costs. I'm looking for male clothes that could be worn to the office - trousers, shirts, shoes.