New Wardrobe

[Quantum Buckyball]

Hi guys,

I have decided to donate a large portion of my current cloth collections to Salvation Army before school start in August. I haven't purchased any new clothes for about 7 years (when I graduated from high school). I think it's about time for me to ditch jeans and t-shirts and start dress more professionally. What's the typical budget for a new wardrobe (for men) for a graduate student? I found a website describing a typical wardrobe would cost around $300 to $500 (http://artofmanlines...nly-wardrobe-1/), but I don't want to wear anything fancy like the ones they listed on their website.

Thank you,

J.

[anthropologygeek]

Most guys were Jean and a t-shirt.

[aberrant]

For my school, I would say +80% of the chemistry (male) TAs wear jeans, and the rest wear shorts. Most of them wear tees or long sleeve checkered shirts.

Edited June 4, 2012 by aberrant

[TakeruK]

Many people in the physical sciences don't worry too much about how they dress. I think it's worth it to think about what you're wearing a little bit but you don't have to be like "job interview" professional. I think you should dress up to a higher level than, say, t-shirt and track pants/sweatpants, though. Jeans/khakis are good in-between pants, and I like to wear them with a clean t-shirt on most days. When I am TAing, I wear a polo-shirt (ooh so fancy ).

But if you don't have any formal wear, you should definitely invest in a dress shirt, dress pants, suit, tie, belt, dress shoes (not sneakers!) and matching socks (i.e. black?). You would need at least one set for formal events, especially if you are going to a dinner event (banquet at a conference for example). I know many physical science people pride themselves in being casual and some of them will wear t-shirt + jeans to these events. I think this is a very unprofessional but that's just my judgement of their character, not their work So make sure you have the right wardrobe for the right occasions!

[Quantum Buckyball]

hmm I think jeans should be okay, but I might have to get some new t-shirts, because the ones I have were from PacSun

[Quantum Buckyball]

Many people in the physical sciences don't worry too much about how they dress. I think it's worth it to think about what you're wearing a little bit but you don't have to be like "job interview" professional. I think you should dress up to a higher level than, say, t-shirt and track pants/sweatpants, though. Jeans/khakis are good in-between pants, and I like to wear them with a clean t-shirt on most days. When I am TAing, I wear a polo-shirt (ooh so fancy ).

But if you don't have any formal wear, you should definitely invest in a dress shirt, dress pants, suit, tie, belt, dress shoes (not sneakers!) and matching socks (i.e. black?). You would need at least one set for formal events, especially if you are going to a dinner event (banquet at a conference for example). I know many physical science people pride themselves in being casual and some of them will wear t-shirt + jeans to these events. I think this is a very unprofessional but that's just my judgement of their character, not their work So make sure you have the right wardrobe for the right occasions!

Thank you! I will need to get myself some khakis pants because I don't have any, same for formal wear. As for polo-shirts, I tried to buy some from Polo Ralph before, but they were just too big for my body size. I think I might need to get myself a professional tailor. I met a student at the Visitation Weekend, and he was "shocked" when I told him that I was an incoming PhD student because he thought I was only 16.

[rising_star]

In my department, the guys typically wear jeans and t-shirts. Granted, these are usually jeans that fit decently and don't have any holes in them. They save the khakis and polo shirts for conferences or if they want to actually impress somebody. The male faculty wear a more diverse range of clothing, but this is their personal preference more than anything. My advisor, for example, wears jeans and a collared shirt when he's not teaching and khakis/slacks and a collared shirt when he is. But he dresses more formally than basically anyone else.

[ANDS!]

Jeans, boots and a collared dress shirt. Can't go wrong.

[MashaMashaMasha]

I would say that if you want to follow the AoM guide and like the style, but don't want to go too dressed up, you can easily take the Creative Casual wardrobe list - omit some of the things you know you wouldn't wear and focus on tailored, well-fitting jeans with button-up shirts. Wear a belt. Wear nice shoes/boots and keep them polished. Buy fewer things and invest in quality craftsmanship, and they will last longer and age better.

For women, the advice is always to buy pieces as part of an outfit, not just based on the article of clothing itself, and I think that applies here, too. If you can't envision it in ensemble with other clothes, you won't wear it!

[Quantum Buckyball]

I would say that if you want to follow the AoM guide and like the style, but don't want to go too dressed up, you can easily take the Creative Casual wardrobe list - omit some of the things you know you wouldn't wear and focus on tailored, well-fitting jeans with button-up shirts. Wear a belt. Wear nice shoes/boots and keep them polished. Buy fewer things and invest in quality craftsmanship, and they will last longer and age better.

For women, the advice is always to buy pieces as part of an outfit, not just based on the article of clothing itself, and I think that applies here, too. If you can't envision it in ensemble with other clothes, you won't wear it!

I need to get myself a tailor. I have never used one before, and I have some old clothes that I don't wear anymore because they're just too big for me, I lost about 40 lbs since Jan

[TakeruK]

I need to get myself a tailor. I have never used one before, and I have some old clothes that I don't wear anymore because they're just too big for me, I lost about 40 lbs since Jan

I always thought tailored clothes were overrated until I got a tux/pants/dress-shirt tailored for my wedding -- wow it sure makes a big difference! It's not something I would (or could afford to) do on a regular basis but I thought that was a special enough occasion

For the rest of my clothes, I find that buying new things when old things don't fit is usually more economical than getting them tailored to fit me again (I found that it costs ~$10 for each thing they do; i.e. hemming, taking sides in/out etc.) . But maybe I'm just buying cheap clothes!

[jeffster]

I've always had a hard time finding shirts that fit me. They're either too baggy around the body with sleeves that are right, or the sleeves are too short and the body fits right. That all changed when I moved to Europe though. There aren't very many of them in the States I don't think, but over here the store Zara has button-up shirts that fit like they were made just for me. Great for the tall skinny types, and not overly expensive either.

Anyway, I think the OP is on the right track! Don't underestimate dressing decently. Unless you talk on the phone a lot, the way you look is the first real impression you make on nearly everyone you meet. Some people will weigh it more than others, of course, but the way you've dressed will also affect the way you carry and present yourself unconsciously. If you roll out of bed without a shower, throw on shorts and a Justin Bieber t-shirt and head out, that will change your bearing for the worse the whole day. Make your minimum attire jeans without holes and something other than a t-shirt, and you've already started off on the right foot.

And it doesn't have to be expensive, or all done in one grand shopping spree! if you're like me you hate shopping - you just want nice things in your closet ready to go. So just gradually improve your wardrobe over time, discarding the worst of it and adding new pieces. Unlike women, we don't really need pre-planned "outfits." Find one nice shirt, next month get a nice pair of jeans, the next a pair of shoes that aren't sneakers, etc. Much easier on the budget and on your shopping-nerves that way.

Oh, and get one black belt and one brown belt, then one pair of black leather shoes and another of brown. If you have matching black and brown leathers, you can basically wear damn near any combo of other things and it works, from suits to jeans.

[honkycat1]

Most guys were Jean and a t-shirt.

1) Don't wear something because "most guys wear it". Most guys dress terribly and look terrible.

2) Wear shirts/pants/jackets that fit you. People typically wear stuff way too big and baggy. Know your body type and get stuff that fit you. Most off-the-rack still are made for a big body type regardless of the height. Look for fitted shirts or slim fit shirts, in general.

3) Go for simple, classic styles.

As far as AoM's wardrobe guide, I don't think its fancy. Sure, you don't need to wear a suit or even a blazer to school/TA every day, you ARE a student. If you are a professor, then thats not a bad look. But wear a button up shirt and throw on a light jacket or sweater and some dark jeans is totally casual and can look nice at the same time (If they fit well).

and wear nice shoes, loafers or some nice lace-ups, don't wear gym shoes outside of the gym (unless you want to look like the typical academic: slacks and gym shoes... ).

dressing well is not the same as "dressed up". You can dress casually and still look very well put-together, which is what you are looking for. And find stuff that you are comfortable with.

There are a TON of resource on men style/image online if you want to better take care of your image.

but seriously, if you wear things that A. Fit properly, B. is clean, and C. isn't filled with graphics and make you look like a walking billboard, you are already ahead of 90% of the guys walking around on campus.

Edited July 10, 2012 by donnyz89