Style Scenario: What to wear to a Smart Casual job interview

[JBarwick]

I usually don't click on the main page style scenarios but decided to check this one out as my company is interviewing candidates and it seems more casual styles are common for interviews. Whatever, let's have a go. Plus the guy is wearing the menswear uniform of blue jacket, gray pants, blue shirt.

Can we talk about the top photo for a second? If not, click away but we have to. This site used to be about Fit > Cost so we would find great styles that fit well for an affordable price. Note to Jason P. if he is a poster, it is awesome you workout as more people should but your clothing fit needs to take this into consideration.

The pants in the thigh region are tight to the point I would say the wearer needs to size up or try a different fit. It goes with the working out territory speaking as someone who cannot wear athletic fit. People like to poke fun at skinny jeans or super slim fit suits but this look is similar and does not get mentioned on the somewhat regular "What Styles Should Die" thread that pops up.

The jacket in the upper arm is also pretty stretched doing a basic movement. I would suggest trying a different size or fit if you want to stick with Bonobos otherwise a new brand would be needed.

If you are buying a $400 sport coat, $200+ watch, and a $300+ briefcase, you can afford to tailor your clothing. In this instance the sizing is wrong on the small end and there is only so much fabric you can let out.

[armedferret]

jason's a beefcake. odds are nothing OTR is going to fit him properly due to thigh and arm diameter, unless he sizes *WAY* up and tailors the CRAP out of stuff...and then it tends to not sit/look right, dimensionally, most other places.

he's a much better candidate for MTM or bespoke, but neither of those (okay maaaayyyybe MTM from a few outlets) really fit the wheelhouse of the site. at least not for the "style scenario" bits.

[Alex.C]

Agreed. Unfortunately if you're a gym rat (I'm not saying that pejoratively) for many years, you're going to tend to need custom made or extensively tailored clothing. Just the price of admission if you wanna get swole. My brother in law was a heavy lifter in his 20's and now at 37 he needs a 48-50 jacket for his enormous shoulders and chest but a 36 waist. Getting him into a suit is tough work.

TL;DR: If your pants leave you with moose knuckle, you need new pants.

[ExFed]

I had the same thought when I saw the photo.

[Nandyn]

Don't shame the moose knuckle. Embrace the moose knuckle.... just you know, not literally.

[JBarwick]

jason's a beefcake. odds are nothing OTR is going to fit him properly due to thigh and arm diameter, unless he sizes *WAY* up and tailors the CRAP out of stuff...and then it tends to not sit/look right, dimensionally, most other places.

he's a much better candidate for MTM or bespoke, but neither of those (okay maaaayyyybe MTM from a few outlets) really fit the wheelhouse of the site. at least not for the "style scenario" bits.

Understandable but do you present such non-standard cases to people starting in menswear? I feel Dappered is more of the starting arena in addition to places on reddit but when you show ill-fitting clothing, it looks bad for the site. I see mentions of this on other sites and Dappered gets a bad rap on fit even though it seemed Joe and team cared about it at one point. Is it do as I say, not at I do (or show)?

I have another theory that no one looks good in these newer Athletic cut pants. All examples I recall seeing look like downward pointing triangles.

[Loafer28]

I had the same thought when I saw the photo.

Agreed. When you can see the outlines of your pockets, the pants are probably too tight. I suspect there is also a huge X with the jacket pulling on the buttons.

[mebejoseph]

The pants in the thigh region are tight to the point I would say the wearer needs to size up or try a different fit. It goes with the working out territory speaking as someone who cannot wear athletic fit. People like to poke fun at skinny jeans or super slim fit suits but this look is similar and does not get mentioned on the somewhat regular "What Styles Should Die" thread that pops up.

Yeah, I noticed that right away. And the fit in the thighs makes the crotch way too tight. It's not a good look. Jason P., I like your style scenario, your clothing choices, etc. But the fit needs some adjustment.

[mebejoseph]

Don't shame the moose knuckle. Embrace the moose knuckle.... just you know, not literally.

Oh boy--I've never heard the term. But I was thinking it was the male version of camel toe.

[abh159]

Love the scenario but agree that the picture is pretty off-putting when you first click on the article. I know most of the items the guys review on the main site aren't kept and have to be returned after. So for that reason tailoring isn't an option, and you're stuck with how it fits off the rack.

I'm going to give Jason P. the benefit of the doubt and assume that is what is going on in that photo.

Although he does mention the pants being his "go to" pants option so he could very well own everything he's wearing. In that case I think he should refer back to this article from not too long ago: https://dappered.com/2019/09/20-sign...are-too-tight/

[Geo]

I had the same thoughts during his round up of the best athletic fit jeans. IMHO the Jcrew jeans which he gave one of the lowest ranking looked the best. While his favorites were mostly to tight up top and too narrow around the ankles. No disrespect to Jason P. He's putting himself out there which is more than I can say about myself.

Slightly off topic but why do all athletic fit pants have narrower hems than their slim fit counterparts? I think most athletic fits would be a lot better if the top block had a contemporary fit with the the same tapper from the knee down as the slim fit. Everyones athletic fits are just skinny pants for guys with thighs. The extremely narrow hems look odd when you have big thighs.

[armedferret]

Understandable but do you present such non-standard cases to people starting in menswear? I feel Dappered is more of the starting arena in addition to places on reddit but when you show ill-fitting clothing, it looks bad for the site. I see mentions of this on other sites and Dappered gets a bad rap on fit even though it seemed Joe and team cared about it at one point. Is it do as I say, not at I do (or show)?

I have another theory that no one looks good in these newer Athletic cut pants. All examples I recall seeing look like downward pointing triangles.

I'm sure Joe would be happy to accept any submissions with photos you have for the main page.

[JBarwick]

I had the same thoughts during his round up of the best athletic fit jeans. IMHO the Jcrew jeans which he gave one of the lowest ranking looked the best. While his favorites were mostly to tight up top and too narrow around the ankles. No disrespect to Jason P. He's putting himself out there which is more than I can say about myself.

Slightly off topic but why do all athletic fit pants have narrower hems than their slim fit counterparts? I think most athletic fits would be a lot better if the top block had a contemporary fit with the the same tapper from the knee down as the slim fit. Everyones athletic fits are just skinny pants for guys with thighs. The extremely narrow hems look odd when you have big thighs.

I remember looking at that one and could only think of an upside triangle the whole time.

[julius12]

Yeah the clothes are too tight and it's not a good look.

Actually, it's not just the clothes. I know it's objective, but muscles that big are just not aesthetically pleasing to look at anymore, especially when fully clothed as you'll just look fat, or muscled fat. I think the sweet spot is between Ryan Reynolds at the skinniest and Hugh Jackman at the bulkiest.

[LesserBlackDog]

Yeah the clothes are too tight and it's not a good look.

Actually, it's not just the clothes. I know it's objective, but muscles that big are just not aesthetically pleasing to look at anymore, especially when fully clothed as you'll just look fat, or muscled fat. I think the sweet spot is between Ryan Reynolds at the skinniest and Hugh Jackman at the bulkiest.

"Subjective" is the word you're looking for, and you're right, it is highly subjective. As someone who follows a lot of Olympic lifters and powerlifters, these days I am a lot more impressed by bodies that look functional and powerful (like Jason P's) and a lot less impressed by conventionally "aesthetic" bodies who look to me like their tiny waists and legs would crumple under a heavy load.

I look at a lot of bodies I used to find impressive and now just see someone who has been calorie-restricted and dehydrated to get their bodyfat to an unsustainably low level just to show a little muscular definition in their torso for a scene in a movie.