Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with clothing and fashion

Where would I find quality, curved, wooden hangers?

decrescendo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:38:26 -0800

Where would I find quality, curved, wooden hangers? I was just at Nordstrom and I bought some dress shirts that were hanging on some really nice, curved, wooden hangers in the store.

Where would I find something similar?

I see a lot of wooden hangers online but I'm afraid they're probably pretty junky.

Target
Target
Walmart

I'm right, but lack visual evidence of my rightness

B-squared — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:45:07 -0800

Help me find images of handsome, manly men in white sweaters. I'm trying to convince my husband that a white sweater is as versatile as his dour browns, blacks and grays. If they are layered with shirts under or jackets over, all the better. Thank you!

Yes, I've got a lulu. Why?

stuck on an island — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:25:06 -0800

Where can I find reasonably detailed reference images of smart everyday women's clothes from the 1940s, 50s and early 60s? After bemoaning the state of modern women's workwear for years, I've decided to draw my office wardrobe influences from the past. Specifically, the block of time bordered roughly by His Girl Friday and Mad Men. (Yes, I know.) To do this, I need images from the time to "clip" for reference and inspiration, but I can't figure out where to look -- searching specifically for costume images yields too few results, searching generally for the time periods yields too many.

Where should I look to get a good idea of what the woman in the street wore? I am not looking for haute couture or Hollywood glamour (although I'd welcome recommendations for good frock porn films) -- more along the lines of what a Sartorialist of the time might have photographed. I make clothes and am learning to draft my own patterns, so the more detailed the images the better.

Below the hemline...

lois1950 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:13:57 -0800

Fancy restaurant tonight = black/white jersey wrap dress. It's October in Seattle. Can I wear panty hose? I have not worn a dress all summer and I missed the memo about not wearing panty hose anymore. I don't think that black or white tights will look good with the dress; nude or bare would be better. Is this a big fashion no?
The alternative is dress pants. I am in my 50s and no one has ever accused me of having any fashion sense. Thanks for any advice!

Help a fussy, picky dresser look better.

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:10:40 -0800

I'm embarrassed by the way my husband dresses. He says he wants to dress better, but that he "physically can't". My husband has told me repeatedly that he wants to look more stylish and more professional (he's 30). This is great, because I'm tired of feeling like he's my kid brother instead of my partner when we go out. However, he has a bizarrely long list of tactile sensitivities that make it "impossible" for him to wear certain things because they're so uncomfortable that he "can't concentrate on anything else".

I don't really know what to make of these objections. I remember when I was a child thinking wool sweaters must be punishment for bad behavior, but I definitely grew out of it. Is he just being ridiculous, or could these issues be physically and/or psychologically real? Any other picky dressers have insight?

Here is partial list of his self-imposed sartorial restrictions, along with his rationales. (He also has a rather spartan aesthetic sense, you'll notice). He won't wear any of the following things except under extreme duress:

Things that are "scratchy":
denim (i.e. all jeans) and corduroy
synthetic fabrics or blends
wool or wool blends

Things that "make me feel like I'm suffocating":
sweaters
ties
undershirts
slim-fitting shirts

Things that are nonspecifically "uncomfortable":
blazers and jackets
shirts tucked in
belts

Things that "look dumb":
stripes, checks, or patterns of any kind
v-necks
boots
pink, yellow, purple, and pastels
vests
watches
hats
(pretty much any accessory/nonessential)

Things that are "inefficient":
shoes with laces
owning more than one pair of shoes
owning more than one coat
buttons

The end result of these limitations is that he typically wears Gap chinos, a t-shirt, and slip-on shoes every single day. On dressier occasions he'll swap the t-shirt for a solid-colored oxford-type shirt, but only if it's half a size too big, loose at the collar, and untucked.

So...

1) In the short term, what can he do to dress better within the boundaries he's set for himself? I'm not very knowledgeable or creative in this department, unfortunately.

2) More importantly, in the long term, can he be desensitized to blazers, belts, shoelaces and sweaters? How should he go about it, and how can I help?

Anonymized for my Mefite husband's privacy, who would die of embarrassment.

Looking for some style advice for a 21 year old from the HiveMind!

Junior687 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:49:10 -0800

Looking for some style advice for a 21 year old from the HiveMind! I just recently turned 21 and I would like to dress more like an adult. I have grown pretty tired of sneakers and gaudy t-shirts. I have been reading various blogs and magazines, but I want to get the opinion of the average person. HiveMind is the greatest!

I'm 6,4 and 167 pounds. I'm in the process of gaining weight, but I would like to get outfits that show off my height, but don't make me seem pencil-thin. I don't want to dress too formal, but a casual stylish look is what I'm trying to achieve. What are some outfit essentials for a young man's closet? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

On a side note, a friend bought me a sweater from Banana Republic to celebrate my goal of trying to dress like my age. See here. Does anyone have any ideas to dress up/down this sweater so I can wear it for an upcoming retirement ceromony? Thanks!!!

What are your favorite sources for gray-market men's apparel?

There's No I In Meme — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:45:48 -0800

What are your favorite sources for gray-market men's apparel? I've become intrigued by the idea of buying basic men's staples, such as sweaters and dress shirts, from gray market suppliers of knock-offs (branded or not). I've tried dhgate.com with mixed results - some awesome quality pieces at great prices, some snafus with sizes, colors, and patterns.

What are some other sources for gray-market clothes I could try with reasonable prices, minimum order size, and quality?

How long should my dress shirts, sweaters be?

decrescendo — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:39:12 -0800

How long should my dress shirts, polos, and sweaters be? I'm tall and I have a hard time determining what's too short and too long. I'm 6'3" or 6'4" and 190 lbs. Maybe it's just my perception, but I'm having a hard time determining whether or not sweaters, dress shirts, and polos I just bought are too short or too long. I've been looking for a good guide on how long these shirts should be for a long time but I haven't found one.

Maybe it's that I have really long legs, but I can't help but always think that most of my shirts are too short. But then I order tall sizes and they end up coming PAST my hips sometimes, which I definitely think is too long regardless of how long my legs are.

Does anyone have any input on this?

Maybe I'll try to post pictures of what I'm trying on right now.

Suggestions for durable colthing

racingjs — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:35:41 -0800

I’m looking for quality, durable mens clothing, what are your recommendations? It could be dress wear, working clothes, shoes, sportswear; I want to buy those pieces of clothing that you pay 2 times the price but still looks fine after 10 years.

For example, I’ve been dissatisfied by Banana republic but satisfied by the quality of Patagonia clothing and I want that durability across my wardrobe.

Long billed ballcaps...

Muirwylde — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:01:23 -0800

Where online can I buy a fitted high quality ballcap with an extra long bill? Occasionally I see more or less traditional modern ballcaps with a luxuriously long bill. Not extreme or anything just an inch or two, maybe three longer than average. I have large head so this look is more proportional for me. I live on an island so online is probably the way to go. Any ideas?

Help me find more pants like my favorite pair

Jacen Solo — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:32:35 -0800

I can't find any pants that are anything like my favorite pair. And I'm not even sure if my favorite pair is reasonably fashionable, in the first place. Help? So I have this favorite pair of pants. Here are some pictures I managed to take in the bathroom mirror... not so great, but hopefully they'll give you some idea: 1, 2. They're black, and kind of like cargo pants, but made out of a more synthetic and less jean-like material. The tag says "Shell: 100% polyurethane, Support: 70% cotton/30% nylon." The only branding information I can find is "Old Navy" and "Outdoor," with this strange symbol. I think I bought them like 6 years ago or something, so I doubt this exact model still exists. They have two pockets on each side, and two in the back, fastened with velcro (except the top-side pockets), and have a built-in belt-type thing with one of those three-pronged "click" fasteners, if that makes any sense.

So, my question has two parts:

Are these reasonably fashionable, for casual wear with, say, a nice t-shirt? I've recently discovered fashion, and am still getting the hang of it; for example last week I upgraded from nerdy XL t-shirts to American Apparel solid-color M t-shirts. I much prefer these type of pants to jeans, or to the usual jean-like cargo pants, but if everyone thinks they're super-lame or something, I would welcome the advice.
Assuming they're reasonable, where can I get more of them?!? I've tried searching the internet, but nothing quite matches. The features that I most like are the material---it feels very smooth and synthetic (in a good way), while not being anywhere close to work-out pants---plus the color; the abundance of pockets and the belt-type thing are also nice.

Thanks!

Recommend casual button-down shirts for sale in NYC

Spacelegoman — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:28:20 -0800

Please recommend good quality button-down shirts for sale in NYC for a slender guy - I'm looking for something casual that can be worn tie-less and untucked if I'm in the mood, but still well made with good fabric and cut, i.e. at the level of Thomas Pink or w/e but casual. Priced up to around let's say $200 a shirt, although if it's less that's even better. Thanks!

Nerdy white girl wonders about hip-hop fashion and subcultural stereotypes.

bubukaba — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:37:07 -0800

I am curious about different varieties of hip-hop style (basically, the kinds of things I see cool [mostly] black teenagers and young adults wearing). I'm interested in looking at pictures of it (are there street fashion blogs for this kind of thing?) and also in finding out more about the history, origins, and cultural associations of this kind of dress (anything from academic articles to fashion magazines). Even information as simple as where one can buy this kind of clothing, or what you know or have noticed to be "cool" things to wear among the hip-hop set these days would be good to know. I'd also love to see any trendsetting music videos or whathaveyou that you can recommend.

I'm also interested in anything you can tell me about specific nuances of music or other cultural artifacts that have associations with different 'parts' of hip-hop culture. (I guess one thing I'm trying to hash out here is what the different 'parts' of hip-hop culture even are.)

I'm in Chicago, if there's anything specific to location that I should know about.

Things that I've noticed in particular and wouldn't mind knowing more about:

1: Men wearing outfits that match, completely. I saw a guy on the train the other day wearing a really cool hat/shirt/pants combination with a sort of macabre Jack the Ripper motif. (Is wearing clothing that matches signify anything special? Does one buy the whole outfit together, or is Jack the Ripper the logo of some particular line of clothing that I know nothing about?)

2: Women wearing clothing highlighted with intense neon colors.

3: Women wearing masculine clothing (wife beaters, baggy pants, do-rags, close-cropped hair or cornrows). (Are they lesbians? Tomboys? Some female analog to the banjee boy?)

4: Men with a hip-hop look sporting mohawks.

Aside from aesthetics (I really dig how a lot of this clothing looks, though I as a nerdy white girl could never get away with wearing most of it), a lot of my interest rises from my familiarity with the styles of dress associated with predominantly white subcultures and my apparent lack of familiarity with the styles of dress associated with black subcultures. I feel like I'm culturally literate enough to recognize the stereotypes that are being played with (or played to) when I see a kid with a mohawk and a leather jacket, a guy wearing a salmon pink polo shirt, a guy with a goatee and skinny jeans, or a girl wearing Birkenstocks and dreadlocks (to use some simplistic examples) - but I have no idea how to read similar signals from people who are part of 'scenes' that aren't dominated by whiteness. I can't even tell if the kinds of things I've described as "hip-hop style" in this question are part of the same 'scene' or not. In the world of subcultural stereotypes, would the guys with hip-hop mohawks hang out with the guys in matching outfits, or would that be as 'weird' as a skinhead hanging out with a hippy kid? (Note: I know that in the real world people hang out with all sorts of people - I'm just particularly curious about stereotypes at the moment.)

Please turn me into a yuppie.

canadia — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:38:47 -0800

YuppieFilter: I've recently graduated from university and am about to start my first professional job ever. I'm a 25 year-old woman. What the heck do I wear? I'm going to be teaching this fall, and so far the only thing I know about the dress code is I have to look "professional." No shorts, no jeans, no flip flops, no sleeveless shirts, that sort of thing. Until recently, I was a university student who only worked at jobs that didn't care what I wore as long as I did my work. Right now, I bike to and from my non-professional, wear-what-you-want job, so I typically wear t-shirts and running shorts. In winter, I wear jeans and sweaters with cardigans or hoodies.

This post has a lot of good ideas, but a lot of the suggestions are... well, a little bland to me. I like things that are very girly and classic but not boring, so I think what I'm looking for is more "cute librarian" than "investment banker." So far my top choice is Anthropologie, even though the prices horrify me. Other than that, though, I'm completely stuck.

A little about me: I'm 25, 5'4", and anywhere between a size 6 and a size 10 (US) depending on the brand. I wear plastic cat-eye glasses. My hair is curly and bra-strap length (and no, I won't straighten or cut it; I'm proud of my curls!). I'm shaped like a ruler; there are no curves here. If it matters, I'm white as a ghost with dark blonde/light brown hair, so I look terrible in both white AND black. I have tattoos on both inner arms that need to be covered by sleeves.

Any suggestions? I have no problem shopping online if I have to.

This is my second post, and so far I've only ever asked questions regarding clothes and shoes. I should actually ask something smart next time.

Garment Purge 2009!

EatTheWeak — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:44:02 -0800

How best to go about rebuilding my wardrobe? Hey everyone! I was hoping to get a hand with some matters of fashion. See, I'm a big fella who has lost a significant amount of weight over the last year or so, and all my old clothes look pretty damn goofy on me now. Aside from salvaging a couple beloved t-shirts, I mean to donate the lot of my fat man garments and rebuild my own wardrobe from the ground up.

The trouble is that fashion is one damned esoteric discipline to me. I was hoping some more clothing-conscious MeFites could give me some advice on how best to go about this. What should I be looking for? What's in style nowadays? - I can't seem to get a handle on it. In an ideal world, what is every young man's closet equipped with?

If it matters, I'm about six feet tall and 220 lbs big. My shoulders are fairly broad, my head is always shaved and I tend to sport a beard or a mustache. I'm 30 years old. What shall I wear to accompany all of that?

Thanks, everyone!

Locally-made pants in San Francisco

hobbes — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:24:54 -0800

Besides Cordarounds, are there any other pants / trousers made in San Francisco? Roughly two years ago, someone wrote about amazing-fitting men's pants by a shop in SF. I remember thinking I'd buy a pair when I finally have enough money; and that I do, I've forgotten the shop.

It might actually be Lindland's, but I'd like to know other places as well.

Thanks a lot!

Where can we find interesting men's clothing in the Boston area?

shaun uh — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:18:36 -0800

We're looking for more than just jeans and polo shirts - but where? I went clothes shopping for a guy for the first time in my life yesterday, only to discover that men's fashion apparently consists of nothing but variations on a single outfit. It's like, blue button downs or brown button downs, red t-shirts or green t-shirts? There's barely any interesting patterns, even. We found a single paisley shirt in a sea of solids and wanted to cry when it was the wrong size.

When I commented on the travesty that is men's fashion, the guy I was shopping with replied, "This is why men hate shopping. Because shopping hates men."

I thought that maybe it was our choice of locales - we went to our local mall and hit up the stores there: Macy's, Express for Men, United Colors of Benneton, a couple other bland ones I can barely remember. So I'm wondering - is there a place in the Boston/Cambridge area we might have better luck?

Searching for simple, matching gifts for same-sex couples.

penguingrl — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:13:26 -0800

Where can I find (either a store that delivers nationally or an online website) that has matching items (shirts, pillowcases, mugs, etc.) for same sex couples? I recently found the site and absolutely loved their items. The only issue is that there are no items for people who are in same-sex relationships. Does anyone know where I could find such a site? I have searched for gifts and some are a bit too loud and vibrant for my and my friends' taste. I would love it if it had a simple style, like that one of the www.boldloft.com site, but matching, like a girl/girl stick figure pillow set or a boy/boy stick figure shirt set.

Suitable for the workplace?

Ratio — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:43:30 -0800

Should I wear a suit to work every day? I'm a 40 year old male. I work as a designer for a large software company. The dress code here is very casual and I already dress more formally than most of my co-workers -- they're usually in jeans and t-shirts; I usually wear dress slacks and a dress shirt. The thing is, I want to upgrade to wearing a suit (w/o tie) every day. Is that weird? I love the way I look and feel in a suit, and I already have a reputation as a bit of an eccentric aesthete around the office. But I am well liked and don't want to start coming off as superior or pretentious. I just love to wear suits.

What not to wear

edmcbride — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:13:37 -0800

I have no wardrobe, or style. I'm lost, when it comes to this, Can anyone out there help dress me for a family members wedding? I have no style what so ever, and I have a wedding to go to in about a month. Its an evening wedding. My wife is sitting behind me searching online for dresses. I live just about every day in my "work uniform" of a blue shirt and khakis. Weekends, I wear a t-shirt and an old pair of ratty jeans. I don't want to go too over the top with a formal tuxedo, because from what I can gather, its a semi formal wedding on a military base, in Newport, RI.

Please help me, mefi, you're my only hope!

I want something probably blue-ish. I'd wear a kilt but they are so expensive, and I don't know if anywhere local rents them. I also don't want to show up the wedding party. I wouldn't but I don't want something gaudy and flashy.

Local links would be awesome.

Where can I find a swimsuit like this one?

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:08:59 -0800

Awesome VS swimsuit not available in my size. Looking for similar alternatives. I really love this swimsuit from Victoria's Secret, but they don't have the top in either of the sizes I can wear in a color that I like. My preference is for red or at least not purple or in the blue family since my other swimsuit is blue and green. I've looked around various swimsuit shops online that offer tops with bra sizing, but I haven't found any suits with similar enough tops that aren't over $100.
Separates are a must, because I'm bigger on top than on bottom, and bra sizing is much preferred for the best fit. I wear a 32D (best) or a 34C, and a x-small or small bottom because I have no hips or butt.

Stylish alternatives to hooded sweatshirts?

hpliferaft — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:32:01 -0800

Stylish alternatives to hooded sweatshirts? I love hooded sweatshirts because they're casual and comfortable. Under a jacket with hood sticking out, unzipped over a t-shirt, paired with jeans or shorts, they look great on everyone.

But I'm getting tired of looking at my set of 10 or so hoodies that I've been wearing for years.

What are some alternative looks I can sport that are similarly easy to do?

How would I find a place in DC that could make some custom-made dress shirts for me?

decrescendo — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:43:54 -0800

How would I find a place in DC that could make some custom-made dress shirts for me? Or should I tailor my normal store-bought "fitted" shirts? Will this remedy my issues? I'm 6'4" 190 lbs and most shirts seem to balloon out too much when I have them tucked in. It unfortunately makes me not want to take my blazer off. And when I wear them untucked with jeans they seem to be a little too wide at the bottom.

How can I remedy this? I'd like to find a place to get custom shirts in the Washington DC area. Or is there some other option I could pursue. The shirts I own are "fitted" but not tailored. Is tailoring a good way to fix this without buying custom shirts? I'm not sure what tailors can actually do with fitted 16-1/2 36/37 store-bought shirts.

Where do I find a somewhat cheap and well-made black sport coat (in the Washington DC area)?

decrescendo — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:14:50 -0800

Where do I find a somewhat cheap and well-made black sport coat (in the Washington DC area)? I'm looking for a black sport coat that I would wear out to the bars for happy hour or on the weekends. I own a few suits but I'd rather not use their suit jackets for this purpose in case something gets spilled on them.

How cheap can I go without buying a piece of garbage? And where should I buy it? I don't want to buy something that is cheaply made but still $100. I want quality for my money but at the same time not buying a jacket from Nordstrom for $500 or something.

I live in the DC area but I could very well end up buying something from a chain store anyway.

Any help would be fantastic. Thanks!

Tomgirl Fashion

granted — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:44:45 -0800

You're a petite (5'1"/100) female invited to a semi-formal event where most of the women will be wearing dresses. You yourself do not feel comfortable in a dress (let's refer to your style as "tomgirl"), but you're definitely too feminine for a suit. What would you wear? Assume you're also on a budget. Asking for a friend.