Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with clothing and Apparel

Will I turn my fancy suit into a clown suit?

abkadefgee — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:01:13 -0800

I'd like to buy a new suit. I'd also like to lose a lot of weight. Will the suit still look alright if I lose 60 lbs and have it altered, or should I just wait until I lose the weight? I recently started a new job and have some extra money to spend on some upgraded clothing. The suit isn't a requirement of my job, but I'd like to look extra sharp now that I can afford a suit that fits properly.

On the other hand, I'd also like to lose a fair amount of weight. I'm currently about 5'9" and 220 and I'd like to gradually get down to about 160. Obviously, if I lose that much weight, my current suit will no longer fit.

So, if I have a suit altered to fit me after losing 60 lbs, will it still look decent? Would a jacket/blazer/sport coat be easier to alter than the slacks? Or will I look like a mess either way?

If the answer is yes to the latter question, I'll keep my suit money in the bank.

How to not shrink 100% cotton American Apparel T's

huxley — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:23:34 -0800

I've only found help on how to Shrink stuff, not how to avoid it. So the American Apparel medium t-shirts are too big for me even after a wash, but their small shirts are perfect pre-wash. They are 100% cotton and I'm wondering what I can do to not have them shrink at all. Can I hand wash them gently with detergent and then hang dry? Any experience or anecdotes would be great!

What are some good backpacks for petites (women's)?

jdruk — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:30:33 -0800

What are some good backpacks for petites (women's)? Hi all!

I'm having awful back problems from carrying a messenger bag with me everywhere, but when I put a normal backpack on my 5'1" body, I look like some sort of comic book turtle-villain.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a modern, stylish (not kids'!) backpack that is designed for a tiny person? Bonus points if it's under $75.

Any and all ideas much appreciated - Julia

I'm popular. Just not in North America.

913 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:38:13 -0800

What are some fashion trends that are popular everywhere else but North America? It can range from clothing to apparel to jewelry.

An example would be the yellow Livestrong bands that blasted North America but didn't really have much of an effect on the rest of the world.

poppin buttons

mistsandrain — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:06:34 -0800

Looking for shopping advice in DC for the post-partum body in transition.... I am enjoying this new va-voom figure (A cup to C cup) but most of my pre-pregnancy clothes don't fit at all (I was size 4-6)- or if they fit they don't look right or aren't comfortable (now I'm 8-10). I don't know how to shop for this new body and I'm going to need some good and patient customer service to help me spend my 1k budget and walk out with good career clothes (business casual for the most part).

I'm 37 and I like modern clothes and lean towards a mod look, but not too trendy/ fussy.

Good stores in the DC Met area?

Find me a hat like Ricky's argyle cap

matildaben — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:50:41 -0800

Where can I get a hat like the argyle cap that Ricky Lizalde wears on Project Runway? It's a kangol-style cap with a black/white/gray argyle pattern. I tried to find a picture of him online, but the one on the Bravo site has him wearing a different hat, and I don't have the technology to take a screencap from my TiVo.

Help Me Dress Like I'm Hip and Emo

JPowers — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 14:51:20 -0800

I'm looking for a bunch of really hip and (sorry I have to use this word) indie clothes and apparel stores that have a web presence. These are kind of the sites I'm talking about. What I don't want is sites like T-Shirt Hell or Busted
Tees. No college frat boy crap, nothing too cute or funny. The more abstract and (here comes another one) artistic the better. Any ideas?

Fashion for 18-26 year olds?

bamassippi — Mon, 22 May 2006 10:27:59 -0800

Anybody know of any good boutiques/clothing stores in major cities that sell hip, fresh apparel to 18-26 year old men and women? I'm looking for independant shops that sell tees and jeans like one might find in an Urban Oufitters store... but not corporate stores; indy stores with the newest, hottest fashions.

A link to a list of places would be ok - HOWEVER... I would like YOUR personal input.

What are YOUR favorite shops in NYC?
Where do YOU always shop when you are in San Francisco?
Etc.

Belts and you

selfnoise — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 11:30:02 -0800

I've got belt issues. (of the clothing variety) Belts are excellent devices for holding pants up. I think we can all agree on that. And a belt seems to be a good thing to wear with a nice shirt and pants. However, I really dislike belts when I'm sitting down. The buckle makes me uncomfortable, and since my office job requires me to be sitting down for most of the day, this can start to wear on a person.

Suspenders seem like they might be an alternative, but I really thing my coworkers would giggle if I started wearing them.

So... what are my options here? What's the best, most comfortable way to hold your pants up all day long?

Origin of American Art Wear t-shirt?

rschram — Sun, 25 Jan 2004 21:04:43 -0800

Where do t-shirts come from? I bought a t-shirt from a thirft store with a funny print. It reads "America. Made by Humans." It's a standard baseball style shirt otherwise, but its tag was "American Art Wear." I'm interested in the printing of the t-shirt more than the original manufacturer of the shirt. The manager of the store said something a bit cryptic: that the owner/clothes buyer gets most of the tees off the backs of trucks at trade fairs. Who is in the business of printing t-shirts for this kind of distribution? Who is "American Art Wear"?