Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with clothing and attire

Premiere Attire?

peachykeen — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:30:39 -0800

What should one wear to an L.A. movie premiere? I've scored tickets for a movie premiere tonight and am clueless as to what I should wear. I'll be attending as a member of the general public, not walking the red carpet or anything.

The catch- I'm leaving in an hour! And what's more, my wardrobe is pretty limited. Jeans, some cute tops, sundresses, and one LBD. Will the LBD be too fancy? Jeans and a dressy top too casual?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Dressing for success

Bardolph — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:24:04 -0800

Help me learn to dress my husband! Tips/tricks/resources on developing a good eye for men's business attire? Over a few decades as a girl, I've acquired tons of specialized knowledge about how to dress women in general and myself in particular-- I know, for instance, that pencil skirts make me look thick-waisted, that certain prints look elegant while others scream "Wal-mart!", etc., etc. Having recently acquired a male second half (who's begged me to look after his wardrobe), I'm looking for ways to gather the same sort of information about men's clothing, and business attire in particular.

Areas of special concern are:

Body shape/tailoring. Suits all look the same to me-- kind of absurd and stubby-legged-- so I'd love to find out which lines/proportions will make suits look "right", and what specific adjustments to the garment can help make the most of my husband's adorable, but not 100% modelesque, body proportions. I'm looking to go beyond the basics here: something like this , with a discussion of specific waist/shoulder/arm/leg proportions, would be ideal, not just the standard "heavier gentlemen should wear double-breasted suits" or whatever. Hubby is 6'2, 200lbs, broad shoulders, short legs, small pot-belly, if that helps at all.

Colors. I have a decent eye for matching women's clothing, but men's shirt/tie/suit combos seem to follow subtly different norms. Exactly what shirt colors can one wear with navy, for instance? Is the shirt meant to be the accent color, or the tie? Are there any general rules to help one figure this out?

Ties. Once we move past the novelty-Simpsons-tie range, these all seem to be some variation of geometric print/stripe, more or less bright-colored, 100% silk. Whence, then, all the jokes about "that hideous tie"? What exactly distinguishes a cool, expensive-looking tie from a $10 Sears special?

None of the research avenues I've tried so far-- Google, salespeople, menswear catalogues, What Not To Wear, this, this-- has yielded much in the way of specific, comprehensive and ~scientific info on these issues. Would love any combination of direct advice/resource referrals to help me understand what looks good on real men!

Formal Christmas Attire

sir_rubixalot — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:57:24 -0800

So I am looking for ideas as to what to wear to this year's company Christmas party. The theme is Naughty is Nice. I am not looking for anything too naughty, but more along the lines of something formal but outlandish. Any place that I could rent something for one night in the San Francisco area would be perfect. I have a couple of ideas, suit with a tophat/cane, maybe a leisure suit, anything that would turn heads. Oh yes, I am a guy and I am not too into the assless leather chaps/gag ball/leather thong.

Urban Rugged Clothes like Triple 5 Soul and G-Star Raw. For chicas, not guys.

barnone — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:28:23 -0800

Women's urban clothing. I'd like to find more brands of clothing like G-Star Raw and Triple 5 Soul. I particularly like this jacket and this shirt and this blazer. What are other retailers or brands that sell kinda tough, kinda sexy, kinda rugged apparel, specifically for women? I know of Karmaloop, Diesel and a few other online places, but so much of it is cutesy or too tiny. This is for a women's size large, about a 12-14 if possible. Men's clothing just doesn't really fit me (or someone else for whom this kind of clothing would be perfect). Guy's shirts are often too broad and the arms are too long, my hips are too wide. Think "urban rugged" rather than "full-out military" and definitely not too cutesy like this.

So: any suggestions? Skater/snowboard attire that isn't too tricked out? Punk clothing that's toned down a bit?

Wedding attire advice needed

jamesonandwater — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 19:40:44 -0800

What is appropriate for a woman to wear to a daytime black tie wedding, where the ceremony is at a Catholic church? The day-time and church elements are throwing me, so if you have any advice please offer it! The marriage ceremony will be early afternoon, dinner late afternoon, and the boozing til late.

Any black tie events I've attended before have been night time affairs and certainly didn't have the church component, so I'm confused about what may be appropriate. Possible further wrinkle, this wedding will be in November in Ireland, so getting from place to place will be in the cold and wet, although I guess I can borrow loverboy's tux jacket if necessary. Any suggestions would be really welcome.

Dress me in "Summer Chic"

adamdrici — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:21:57 -0800

FashionFilter: Help me avoid a fashion faux pas at an event where the attire is described as "Summer Chic." More after the jump. I am attending a benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this Thursday evening and I am a little unsure what to wear. I just started dating this girl who is a few years older and a bit of a New York socialite, while I am still a lowly undergrad. She is taking me to this Young Members Party which she said is supposed to be the social event of the season.

Basically, I don't want to look too out of place (I'm probably already going to be the only one there without a job, ha!) so what do you recommend for "Summer Chic?" I really only have dark suits and I thought khakis and a blazer would be too casual. Thoughts? Thanks!

men can't wear sundresses.

brinkzilla — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:21:50 -0800

My boyfriend and I are heading to an outdoor wedding this weekend. It's expected to be hot, so I am questioning the appropriateness of a suit. The poor man will roast. What should/ can he wear that is acceptable? To give a little more detail. He's not the type of guy that is into fashion. That is kinda evident from the clothes pile on the end of our bed. He is more of the 30 year old grad student/ science type. He wears what I buy him, although, I am conscious of his comfort over fashion stance, but try to upgrade when possible. We are going to a cousins wedding on my side of the family, and he missed the last 4 due to summer research that he does in Maine. So... this is it, the mystery boyfriend is finally showing up and I want him to look nice. (but comfortable) As I mentioned above, it's in NJ, outside, and it's expected to be in the 80's.
Help.

How to tell a new employee her clothes are too sloppy?

mygothlaundry — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:36:30 -0800

How do I gently inform a new employee that she needs to dress better? We recently hired a new part time person for our (very) small staff. She's wonderful; we love her; she's already great - work-wise. Appearance-wise, however, she leaves something to be desired. She's sloppy; her clothes don't fit well or match and they're just inappropriate for her position, which is very much in the public eye. She's also in her mid thirties, so you would think that she would know dressing like a college student is no longer appropriate. Her clothing style is what we here in Asheville call "crunchy" btw: messed up old Ugg boots, corduroy jeans that don't fit, a not quite clean shirt that clashes horribly with the much too small cardigan over it, striped kneesocks with a plaid skirt and so on. We do have a dress code but it doesn't cover this kind of thing: it just says no jeans & no logo T-shirts & please be neat.

She doesn't have to get all corporated out - noone expects her to wear a suit every day or anything - but she should look like an adult, have clothes that are basically business to business casual and are clean, match and fit. This whole thing is hard for me because I certainly don't dress like a corporate clone: I mostly just wear black and try to make sure that everything looks at least kind of "officey." So I have no idea how to approach this entire conversation and, as I hate confronting people for anything at all, much less something personal like this, I am turning to the hive mind.

What should I wear to a business meeting at a hip company?

Xazeru — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:05:42 -0800

What should I wear to a business meeting at a hip technology company? I have an upcoming business meeting with some executives at a cool Bay Area technology company. I'm an engineer, so I'm used to dressing comfortably (okay, occasionally slovenly). I have a few nice looking suits, but I'm worried that I will look stuffy and uncomfortable if I wear one to the meeting.

I'd like to look cool, competent and comfortable, but also appropriately 'dressed up'. What should I wear?

Whatever you recommend will likely not be in my wardrobe already, so suggestions about where to shop would be appreciated as well.

Shopping the sales -- how does it work, when does it happen, where do I go??

croutonsupafreak — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 07:06:18 -0800

Over the next few months, I need to buy a lot of new clothes to bulk up my professional (woman's) wardrobe. I want everything I buy to fit well. Slacks, skirts, blazers need to be lined. I will not buy anything without trying it on first, so web and catalog shopping is out. I don't have the budget to buy this all at full price. What kinds of strategies can I employ to get the best deals possible? Are there specific stores I should be shopping in? Are there sales I should watch for? Are there specific dates, weekends or times of year when I can get the best deals? How can I find out about and obtain about great coupons and upcoming sales? Those are the questions, here's a little background.

I am normally a cheapo shopper, and I'm pretty clueless about nice business wear.

My boss and the most respected senior women in my work place tend to wear suits about half the time, and nice skirts or slacks with sweaters or blazers the rest of the time. I've also become that my boss notices what people where when -- "Didn't she wear that earlier this week?" etc.

So I want a classy and robust wardrobe.

I hope to gradually acquire:
* 2 summer work skirts
* 2 summer work dresses
* 2 winter work dresses
* 2 fitted pullovers (1 v-neck, one crew neck)
* 2 cardigans
* 1 black turtleneck (fitted, black, thin)
* 2 pairs winter work pants (tropical wool, lined, not black)
* 1 classic pant suit in a light color
* 3 wool blazers (varied neutral colors)
* 1 light summer blazer
* nude stretchy camisole
* 2 belts -- dark brown and a lighter color
* more socks and pantyhose
* Light colored summer office shoes (pumps)
* 1 pair of knee boots
* 1 pair of ankle boots.

I can't afford it all at once, and I want to get the most bang for my buck while still going after high quality stuff. Hence my obsession with sales and deals.

How should I approach this?

Storing a sport jacket

beammeup4 — Mon, 01 May 2006 20:32:10 -0800

How do you properly fold a sport jacket to store in a suitcase for 3 months? So I'm leaving my first year of college on Wednesday and are starting to pack up all the junk I've accumulated over the year.

I have a sport jacket hanging in my closet right now that may not make it back home, therefore it will be placed with a lot of my other belongings in storage.

How do I properly fold and store a sport jacket in a suitcase so that it doesn't wrinkle and looks nice and neat when I pull it out of my suitcase if I need to present myself in front of an employer or high-status PhD in August?

Conference attire 101

|n$eCur3 — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 11:15:18 -0800

Help me figure out what I should wear to this conference next week in Boston. It's my first conference ever and I don't want to look over/under dressed. Also, any MeFites attending (this is right up your alley)? The above link is mainily for clues/ context. I work for a jeans and t-shirt company, and for some reason I feel ridiculous when I have to wear anything nicer. Should I dress to impress, or just go wearing what makes me feel comfortable? Specific suggestions are much apprieciated. My email is in my profile for those who want to meet up in Boston for the conference.

Dressing past the interview...

srah — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 10:41:17 -0800

What should I wear to work in a higher education student services setting? Interview attire is one thing - I'm all set with that. But once I get the job, what should I wear to work? I want to build up my professional wardrobe and I want to do it right. There's plenty of information on the web about what's appropriate or inappropriate to wear to a job interview, but much less about what's appropriate to wear once you get the job. What information there is (I've read JT Molloy's New Women's Dress for Success) seems to be angled towards the corporate world, rather than higher education, and I feel like the rules are probably slightly different.

Background: It's my first professional job after back-to-back college and graduate school. I want to look professional to my co-workers/supervisor, but I thought that wearing a suit every day might be overkill in this setting. I want to be approachable by students but not look like one of them (I'm a petite and young-looking female, so this is a concern).

Please let me know what works/doesn't work for you!

Stop my suit trousers from wearing out between the thighs!

viama — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 04:35:05 -0800

How do I stop my suit trousers wearing out so quickly? The area between thighs always seems to pill up and eventually wear out, especially on pure wool suits. My thighs are a bit on the large side, I'll admit. Blended fabrics seem to fare much better.