I see Joe dusted off the ole "Skimp or Spend?" post. Here's a few thoughts I've collected up for while...
Suits: Right on. Half canvas and 100% wool are the key things. From a big guy perspective, Spier & Mackay and SuitSupply won’t work because they max out at size 46 or 48. I recommend Hart Schaffner Marx, which can often be found on sale in the $500ish range at Nordstrom Rack or Saks Off Fifth. Saks’ store brand “Made in Italy” suits have a good rep too at the same pricepoint. Then there’s always MTM. I have a great suit from Enzo, and I think Joe has recommended Black Lapel in the past.
Shoes: ”I'm glad to pay those union dues. Just don't judge me by my shoes.” With apologies to The Band, I’m afraid we are definitely judged by our shoes. I would take a different tack than Joe – spend on function, skimp on form. By that, I mean spend on the shoes that you wear daily and need to earn your living: dress shoes for the office worker, work boots for a tradesman, sneakers for retail, etc. Also, spend on athletic shoes to maximize your performance and prevent injury. Skimp on shoes that you want/need just for looks or to complete an outfit, like dress shoes that you only wear with a suit a couple times a year. Or maybe white sneakers for the weekend. I think Joe has mentioned it before on the site, but suede is your friend when skimping on dress shoes or boots.
Outerwear: Looks on target to me.
Blazers: Personally, I find a brown sportcoat with subtle pattern more versatile than a navy blazer. YMMV.
Chinos: I have gone through so many pairs of cheap chinos, and they just never hold up. YMMV. Being naturally a “skimper” wherever possible, I have found the second hand market to be very productive for finding high quality pants at low prices because chinos, and khakis in particular, are so ubiquitous. Orvis khakis for $3? Yes, please! Walk into any thrift store, and half the men’s pants rack will be khakis. You do have to sort through the old, pleated Dockers and whatnot, but the gems are there (or will be next week). Ebay, Poshmark, and Grailed are great for chinos too.
Jeans: Yes sir. I keep coming back to Levi’s. High value quotient, and I guess the fit just works for me. I’d put Carhartt in this category too. Shout out to Prison Blues for Made in the USA jeans at Levi’s prices.
Polos: I’ll go with Joe’s advice here. You know, I haven’t found a polo shirt I like yet. Maybe I’m just not a polo shirt kinda guy.
Casual shirts: I don’t know, cheap OCBDs just don’t do it for me. They look cheap. The collars aren’t right. I’d spend a few bucks more for at least Land’s End or LL Bean. Brooks Brothers has been running multi-buy deals on their shirts lately. I mean, you could just splash out once on a multi-buy for white, blue, striped, and wild card like pink or yellow in whatever fit you like, and you’re pretty well set for a decade or three. BB’s OCBDs look better as they age.
Dress shirts: I just picked up an MTM shirt from Proper Cloth for $50 with their newbie discount and couldn’t be happier.
Sweaters: Let’s throw sweater vests in here too. I agree you can get by with a skimp and stick to merino. This is another area ripe for second hand pickings to level up to better brands and maybe cashmere.
Watches: Watches are basically man-jewelry, right? The best advice I’ve seen is either “go big” and invest in a watch that will hold its value, like a Rolex, Omega, etc or keep it cheap, let’s say under 2 or 3 hundred.
Ties: Full disclosure – I’ve never owned a Tie Bar tie. I’ve never had the need to buy a Tie Bar tie since I’ve filled out my tie collection with high quality ties sourced from thrift stores for a dollar or two a pop. Ties are the easiest things in the world to thrift. You stop in, move the old 90’s splatter paint ties and ugly Christmas ties out of the way, and look for the good stuff. In and out in five minutes, and if you’re lucky, with a Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece rep stripe, Italian silk print, or chunky, solid-color wool tie. And if that’s too much trouble, Poshmark and Grailed abound with good ties for a few bucks more. I’ve had lots of ties over the years. Cheap ties just suck. They’re hard to tie, hard to get a good looking knot, and just look cheap. So skimp on ties, but skimp smart.
Sunglasses: I got nothin’. Man, remember when AO Original Pilots were like $50? I wish I bought a pair back then.
Belts: My belts suck, not gonna lie. There’s a lot of leather shops out there making full grain leather belts for reasonable prices. I think that’s the route I want to explore.
Cars: sure
Booze: Spend on brown? Or just find a good supply of Buffalo Trace.
Skincare: Men care about skincare? Doesn’t crusty, leathery skin as you get older add distinction and manliness? I like the “sleep, drink water, and wear sunscreen” plan.
Haircuts: Its amazing how much friendlier your barber gets and better your haircuts get when you leave in a nice tip.
Fitness, etc: Kind goes with the shoes thing. Get the best shoes you can afford for whatever activity you’re doing. And helmet, as required. Everything else, I don’t know. For the super-skimper, get a beat up used copy of Pavel’s “The Naked Warrior” off Amazon for a couple bucks and never look twice a gym again. Unless you actually like going to a gym, in which case, its probably spend-worthy.
Suits: Right on. Half canvas and 100% wool are the key things. From a big guy perspective, Spier & Mackay and SuitSupply won’t work because they max out at size 46 or 48. I recommend Hart Schaffner Marx, which can often be found on sale in the $500ish range at Nordstrom Rack or Saks Off Fifth. Saks’ store brand “Made in Italy” suits have a good rep too at the same pricepoint. Then there’s always MTM. I have a great suit from Enzo, and I think Joe has recommended Black Lapel in the past.
Shoes: ”I'm glad to pay those union dues. Just don't judge me by my shoes.” With apologies to The Band, I’m afraid we are definitely judged by our shoes. I would take a different tack than Joe – spend on function, skimp on form. By that, I mean spend on the shoes that you wear daily and need to earn your living: dress shoes for the office worker, work boots for a tradesman, sneakers for retail, etc. Also, spend on athletic shoes to maximize your performance and prevent injury. Skimp on shoes that you want/need just for looks or to complete an outfit, like dress shoes that you only wear with a suit a couple times a year. Or maybe white sneakers for the weekend. I think Joe has mentioned it before on the site, but suede is your friend when skimping on dress shoes or boots.
Outerwear: Looks on target to me.
Blazers: Personally, I find a brown sportcoat with subtle pattern more versatile than a navy blazer. YMMV.
Chinos: I have gone through so many pairs of cheap chinos, and they just never hold up. YMMV. Being naturally a “skimper” wherever possible, I have found the second hand market to be very productive for finding high quality pants at low prices because chinos, and khakis in particular, are so ubiquitous. Orvis khakis for $3? Yes, please! Walk into any thrift store, and half the men’s pants rack will be khakis. You do have to sort through the old, pleated Dockers and whatnot, but the gems are there (or will be next week). Ebay, Poshmark, and Grailed are great for chinos too.
Jeans: Yes sir. I keep coming back to Levi’s. High value quotient, and I guess the fit just works for me. I’d put Carhartt in this category too. Shout out to Prison Blues for Made in the USA jeans at Levi’s prices.
Polos: I’ll go with Joe’s advice here. You know, I haven’t found a polo shirt I like yet. Maybe I’m just not a polo shirt kinda guy.
Casual shirts: I don’t know, cheap OCBDs just don’t do it for me. They look cheap. The collars aren’t right. I’d spend a few bucks more for at least Land’s End or LL Bean. Brooks Brothers has been running multi-buy deals on their shirts lately. I mean, you could just splash out once on a multi-buy for white, blue, striped, and wild card like pink or yellow in whatever fit you like, and you’re pretty well set for a decade or three. BB’s OCBDs look better as they age.
Dress shirts: I just picked up an MTM shirt from Proper Cloth for $50 with their newbie discount and couldn’t be happier.
Sweaters: Let’s throw sweater vests in here too. I agree you can get by with a skimp and stick to merino. This is another area ripe for second hand pickings to level up to better brands and maybe cashmere.
Watches: Watches are basically man-jewelry, right? The best advice I’ve seen is either “go big” and invest in a watch that will hold its value, like a Rolex, Omega, etc or keep it cheap, let’s say under 2 or 3 hundred.
Ties: Full disclosure – I’ve never owned a Tie Bar tie. I’ve never had the need to buy a Tie Bar tie since I’ve filled out my tie collection with high quality ties sourced from thrift stores for a dollar or two a pop. Ties are the easiest things in the world to thrift. You stop in, move the old 90’s splatter paint ties and ugly Christmas ties out of the way, and look for the good stuff. In and out in five minutes, and if you’re lucky, with a Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece rep stripe, Italian silk print, or chunky, solid-color wool tie. And if that’s too much trouble, Poshmark and Grailed abound with good ties for a few bucks more. I’ve had lots of ties over the years. Cheap ties just suck. They’re hard to tie, hard to get a good looking knot, and just look cheap. So skimp on ties, but skimp smart.
Sunglasses: I got nothin’. Man, remember when AO Original Pilots were like $50? I wish I bought a pair back then.
Belts: My belts suck, not gonna lie. There’s a lot of leather shops out there making full grain leather belts for reasonable prices. I think that’s the route I want to explore.
Cars: sure
Booze: Spend on brown? Or just find a good supply of Buffalo Trace.
Skincare: Men care about skincare? Doesn’t crusty, leathery skin as you get older add distinction and manliness? I like the “sleep, drink water, and wear sunscreen” plan.
Haircuts: Its amazing how much friendlier your barber gets and better your haircuts get when you leave in a nice tip.
Fitness, etc: Kind goes with the shoes thing. Get the best shoes you can afford for whatever activity you’re doing. And helmet, as required. Everything else, I don’t know. For the super-skimper, get a beat up used copy of Pavel’s “The Naked Warrior” off Amazon for a couple bucks and never look twice a gym again. Unless you actually like going to a gym, in which case, its probably spend-worthy.
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