Get a personal stylist for a reasonable price

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/10/08/get-a-personal-stylist-for-a-r.html

This is an intriguing idea! Does anybody here have any personal experience with this outfit? There are some reviews on Reddit (yeah I know, taken with a block, not a grain, of salt) that claim the quality is not good but other than that I only see a lot of astroturfed reviews.

1 Like

I shall continue to choose my own damn pants. Inadvisable as that may be.

10 Likes

I don’t have experience with outfits like this (see what I did there?).
That said: I’d rather have fewer good quality pieces of clothing instead of more lower quality stuff. It comes down to frustration for me: yes, it’s frustrating finding decent stuff at prices I’m willing to stomach, but lower quality clothing seldom fits properly, wears out quickly, and underperforms in the meantime. It’s a false economy.
I try to keep my wardrobe pretty simple: oxford cloth button down shirts, canvas pants, wool sweaters. Once I find a decent source for each of those, I tend to be pretty loyal to brands (Lands End Sail Rigger shirts, Taylor Stitch Chore pants, Lands End Shetland sweaters, if anyone cares).

Edit for spelling.

8 Likes

I mail-order a lot of my clothes right now; LLBean, Lands End, and Duluth Trading get a lot of my clothing budget. I’m one of those weird guys that likes to shop for clothes, but I don’t have the time, and it’s getting harder and harder to find decent quality stuff in B&M stores. I’d use a service like this if I could trust it.

1 Like

Yeah, I hear you.
At the prices they’re quoting, there’s no way this stuff isn’t fast-fashion junk. Designed to last three months and fall apart when the next trend hits.
I don’t remember the last time I shopped B&M for anything but shoes (and not even those, most of the time…).
Have you checked out Huckberry?

1 Like

You cannot buy yourself a personal style.

1 Like

Nice thing about being older is that no one expects me to be a fasion icon. Levis, unbranded golf shirts, comfortable shoes and a jacket if required.

3 Likes

Not exactly a new idea:

https://www.outfittery.com

1 Like

I took a look at the store. Generally, it’s fashion that fits you to a T, if you wear a lot of t-shirts.

The shoes and pants look to be the same kinds of things I could find at DSW and Marshall’s/Burlington - and a good end of season sale at a store comparable to Dillard’s or Macy’s. I currently own slim jeans in black and blue from Kenneth Cole and Perry Ellis, plus a sweet pair of cordouroys in fir green from Levi’s - who’da thunk?

Just remember it’s Monkey/Monkey…and Giraffe/Giraffe

7 Likes

Is there a service where people can buy a frickin’ curated clue?

I love this idea, but that’s because I’m the kind of person for whom “you look like your mother dressed you” is not an insult.

I have no eye for fashion and would happily let someone pick my clothes for me within broad parameters of style and budget. But every time I’ve looked into one of these types of services, they’re always way more money than I ever spend on clothing, and the “personal” styles all seem to be some variant of what we used to call preppy.

OK, so maybe I do have some small eye for fashion, but I’m a cheap bastard with terrible taste? This is one of those adult skills that has always eluded me. I feel like I can get close enough to well-dressed that I can’t tell the difference, but always suspect that the truly well-dressed can spot me a mile away.

How did everybody else learn how to do this?

2 Likes

[quote=“MrMonkey, post:13, topic:87057, full:true”]How did everybody else learn how to do this?
[/quote]

I can’t remember the name of the show, but there was a program where they’d send a buyer out to find clothes that mimic the latest designer fashions for street prices.
The concept is even easier now that smartphones have advanced because you can have the pictures at your fingertips while you shop.

In a nutshell, this is what many “cool” dressers who can’t afford a personal stylist have been doing for years.

1 Like

I talk a big game, but here I am in shorts and a mildly wrinkled cotton button down (don’t judge me).

The most important facet for a well dressed guy are lines. That is why fit is so important–i don’t care what you look like, if you have well fitted clothes that don’t slouch, aren’t billowy, and point away from features you don’t care for, you will be attractive and well dressed.

Men of a certain age tend to need to de-accentuate their middle, show off their shoulders, and draw a line straight down from the waist. This means no tucked in shirts with a belt wrapped so tight you cants breath, shirts need structure, no skinny jeans after 21 years old, and make it fit. Most men can rock a boot cut with ease, it is the rare individual who can rock a taper.

Colors are your friend. Wear a color that makes you slightly uncomfortable occasionally.

Scarves and jackets are also very useful in defining lines. A scarf makes you look taller, and a well fitted jacket does that along with giving you a pleasing outline.

[quote=“japhroaig, post:15, topic:87057, full:true”]no skinny jeans after 21 years old, and make it fit.
[/quote]

The exception being a rather slim individual in the first place. Skinny jeans look “normal” on me, when they make most guys look like like Jonah Hill trying on jeans in Superbad.

2 Likes

Puffy jackets are an abomination. I said it. If you want to look like the Michelin man I hope you are getting paid for it.

I am not knowledgeable about sneakers at all, so I will demure on that subject. I am more of a Beatle boot/flip flop sorta guy.

When thinking about patterns, keep in mind that they also alter the line of the garment that your eye follows. That makes a heavily patterned piece of clothing difficult, but not impossible. The reason tweed and herringbone work is you still have the vertical notes of the jacket and trousers. A tweed T-shirt? …uh, that’s called bravery.

In your case, they ain’t skinny jeans. They are correct jeans :slight_smile:

Still, I bet you’d look fly with a little flare on your hem.

Personally, I’ve always kind of pushed the intentional nerd look, so I’m generally cool with “highwater” exposed ankles.

1 Like

Rhinestones?

2 Likes