Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with clothing

hoody filter

lodie6 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:17:17 -0800

I'm looking for a hoody that absolutely MUST have a double zipper - meaning you should be able to unzip it down and up at the same time. Other details: I'm holiday shopping and looking for a high-quality hoody. It needs to be plain (no big graphics, a small logo of some sort is ok) and a dark color. It can be medium to heavy in weight. This person has and enjoys other hoodies from various skater brands as well as Carhartt - the sweatshirt should be durable like those. The gift recipient will be an adult female, but it does not matter if it is a men's garment.

Workout tops for short girls?

catesbie — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:23:31 -0800

Are there brands that make workout tops suitable for short girls? I'm 5'1" but reasonably curvy. All the fitted workout tops I own are too long and therefore too tight on the hips, so they ride up on my rather short waist and require constant adjustment. Buying a size up doesn't solve the problem - then they're just too baggy everywhere else. Can anyone recommend a brand - online or otherwise - that sizes tops for petites? (Lots of places seem to offer pants with shorter inseams, but not tops.)

This would be for the usual gym stuff, but also needs to be suitable for Pilates and yoga, where t-shirt+sports bra+headstand simply will not do. Thanks in advance.

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!

MetaStyle: Help a stylishly challenged person get the perfect dress.

magnoliasouth — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:14:40 -0800

Help me (a plus-sized picky person) pick out an affordable, versatile dress to wear to a December wedding. I have no sense of style and I hate shopping for dresses; there are several reasons why too.

1. I have gained a lot of weight since an injury, so I'm around a size 18 and probably a 20 in some dresses. I feel like I look fat in EVERYTHING. I have thin nicely shaped legs though, but my torso is another story.
2. I don't like wearing dresses at all and I only shop for new cocktail/semi-formal dresses about every ten years. I am very picky.
3. I look terrible in many colors. I have almost an Eastern European look where my hair is medium to dark reddish brown, but my skin is very fair. Yellows and reds are out.
4. I prefer green and not just any green, but close to sage. I have only one feature that I'm proud of and that is my green eyes. Sage makes them striking and I nearly always get a compliment on my eyes.
5. I have to have something which hides my armpits. I have skin tags that I hate and am mortified over. Several times I've been to the doctor to have them removed, and every single time there wasn't "time" to do it. It's as though I'm destined to deal with them forever and always.
6. I need something that is about $75 or less, if possible.
7. Since I don't shop often for stuff like this, it needs to be versatile enough to wear for Christmas parties (et al) too.

Phew!

I like this dress, in Sage, but again, no sleeves and I'm not entirely sure how it would look on me anyway.

So, any ideas? If I get the above dress, what kind of wrap could I wear with it or sweater, or something else? I can't leave it sleeveless. Is there another dress out there which would be a better option?

I'm at a loss.

Trouble with black hats

Brocktoon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:13:28 -0800

Why can't I find a decent black hat/cap? It seems that every time I buy a black baseball-style hat, the black always fades to brown or off-color after a couple months. I don't stand in the rain in these hats. I don't do anything to them but wear them. I've tried Hurley hats 'cause I like the style. I thought maybe getting an MLB (etc) licensed hat might boost the quality, but any hats they have in black are all "gangsta" style. While I have nothing against this style, it is not for me. Anyone have any ideas?

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!

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.

Used clothes in Detroit

lolo341 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:42:34 -0800

What are your favorite used clothing/thrift stores in the Detroit metro area and/or Ann Arbor?

Help us find this suit!

a.steele — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:15:05 -0800

Men's Suit Filter: Please help us remember the brand of a suit we saw at K&G! This just happened yesterday while my boyfriend and I were looking for his halloween costume, and we've already forgotten! Details: we're 90% sure it starts with a Z. I seem to remember a double-L but it could possibly be a different double letter. 3 or 4 syllables. Vaguely Italian?

The suit was a 4-button royal blue with subtle stripes, and a slight sheen. It was inexpensive ($80, retailed for around $100-$120?). Not sure if K&G is regional, but it's a discount suit store like Burlingtons. I'm assuming that the fact it's not high quality is why we're not having luck with the Google.

If we have to, we'll go back and look at the label but it's out of our way and they didn't have his size. Hoping the hive can help. Thanks!

Need a new jacket lining that is hopefuly not stripey pink. In London.

ElmerFishpaw — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:03:07 -0800

My leather jacket needs a new lining. Im in London. Where should I go and what should I expect to pay?

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!

Inexpensive work clothes in the DC area?

Mrs. Pterodactyl — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:22:25 -0800

Where can I find inexpensive work clothes in the DC area? I am planning to start a job as a receptionist/administrative assistant in the near future and I've recently lost weight so none of my clothes fit, although I am still plus-size. We are pretty short on money right now so I really really don't want to spend too much; I would very much appreciate any suggestions for decent, inexpensive stores for plus-size women to buy work clothes. The hardest part for me is generally finding things in my size, especially things that will last and are appropriate for my age (twenty-five). Thank you for any suggestions you might have!

What are the etiquette guidelines for T-shirts referencing ethnicity?

Eater — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:36:30 -0800

How likely is it that a white American woman in NYC wearing this shirt in public and in the workplace will be deemed offensive?

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.

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!

Bump-less dresses

widdershins — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:04:17 -0800

Please help me find some nice dresses that work on a not-so-apple-shaped body! I'm having a tough time finding dresses that look good on my body. I've never had hips or a defined waist, but since my pregnancies my belly has gone from 'never-quite-flat' to 'permanently look about 3 months pregnant'. I'm 5' 8" and otherwise have nice long legs, medium-to-large chest (38 C/D) and broad shoulders. I'm only 10-15 pounds overweight, but it's all sitting up front and center.

While I'm working on getting rid of the belly-fat, I've gotten quite good at picking slimming clothes for my body - V-necks and suit jackets etc, but however I try, I cannot find any dresses that look good.

For skirts, I tend to look for stretchy materials (w/a jacket over it) so the skirt won't look like a circus tent. But stretchy dresses are exactly the wrong thing for me - I look more pregnant than ever. Empire dresses also make me look pregnant, and simple sheaths look horrible. Wide straps are not good with my broad shoulders, and I don't like loud prints.

Googling advice for apple-shapes yields results that seem to be geared towards bigger women than I. Is there another body description for 'fairly evenly proportioned except for my belly'?

Bonus points for links to specific dresses that I can try on in person - I'm in CT w/access to most major brands.

sports clothing for the large?

LN — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:46:38 -0800

Hiking gear in XL? My hunny and I are going on a two week hiking trip in about a month, and I need proper clothing. Jeans are all I have, and I am given to understand that jeans are the worst possible thing to be wearing in the great outdoors. Hive mind, can you recommend good places to buy larger-sized outdoors clothing online?

Difficulty: I'm female, and am teetering just on the edge of regular and plus sizes in regular clothing, which means that the women's gear most outdoors shops sell will be far too small for me. Also, I'd like something that looks good and feels comfortable, rather than the baggy, shapeless, elasticated-waist stuff most outdoors shops sell to people my size. I don't want to be ashamed to be seen hiking!

How fancy can a cardigan get?

Juliet Banana — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:32:39 -0800

I am looking for formal, professional-looking cardigans for work. I'm a petite female who is basically trying to avoid wearing a blazer. I'm a bank teller, and suit jackets seem to be a bit more common on females than at my previous job. I do not want to wear a jacket for many reasons, though if you can magically find a blazer that will actually fit and flatter a girl my size I'll be amazed and corrected.

I know a cardigan is never going to be as formal as a jacket. However, they work a lot better with my wardrobe, I can roll up the sleeves if needed so they're not dragging through stacks of cash, and I just like them a lot better. I'm trying to find cardigans, or maybe pullovers, that are quite formal and workplace appropriate. People do wear sweaters where I work, so this isn't some crazy harebrained scheme that's going to get me fired.

Complications: I'm an XS or petite small in US sizes. I'm about five feet tall and a hundred pounds. I easily fit into children's and junior sizes, and clothing lines for full-grown normal-sized ladies sometimes won't fit right unless I can find an extra-small. There are certain stores where the sizes run small (ex: Anthropologie, Bebe) and I don't have problems, and there are certain stores where the sizes run large (ex: Wal-Mart) and I can't fit into anything.

My work wardrobe style is generally something like this; a tailored dress that hits on the waist, opaque tights, ballet flats, and a cardigan. I need help with the last component. Online options, suggestions for brands that carry work wear in smaller sizes, and store recommendations in Chicago proper are all welcomed.

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!!!

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.

Describing a dress shirt.

phrontist — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:25:31 -0800

I'm sartorially clueless. How would you describe this kind of shirt? It's a "dress shirt", sure, but how would you specify the fabric and cut (particularly that type of collar)? Here is another example. I'm looking to buy some shirts like these but when I go to department stores I can only find this sort of thing - which is cut completely differently and uses an extremely thin fabric. Help me articulate the differences.

Unique men's clothing resale in Manhattan or Brooklyn?

4midori — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:01:16 -0800

Recommend unique, affordable men's clothing resale stores in Manhattan or Brooklyn? Hipster ok, or vintage. I'm looking mainly for short- and long-sleeve collared shirts.

What are these thin, stretchy dress socks called?

hjo3 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:18:44 -0800

What do you call these dress socks? They're very thin and stretchy, almost like opaque calf-high pantyhose. Where can I buy them? I have exactly one pair of these dress socks that I adore. They come almost to the top of my calf and have a one inch wide band at the top. The material is patterned and just barely thicker than women's pantyhose (enough to be opaque and slightly less clingy).

I'd really like to buy more. They may even be a women's product, but I don't care. Sadly, I forget where I got the pair I have and they don't have a tag.

Questions: What are these called? Where can I buy them? Do you know a good place to order them in bulk (i.e. by the dozen or more)?

Help me learn about the clothing consignment business.

mintchip — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:18:57 -0800

Help me learn about the clothing consignment business. If someone is interested in opening a clothing consignment shop, what would they need to know? For example, is this a lucrative business? How would you know what kind of items to accept and how to price them? How would you hire employees? How would you protect against theft? Are there a general guidelines for how much retail should cost (rent wise)? How would one determine whether such a business is viable in a specific area? How do you attract consigners? What sorts of resources (books, web sites, etc.) would help someone learn about this type of business? What else do I need to know? Et cetera!

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?