How much have you learned from the forums.

[Betelgeuse]

So, as above, how much have you learned?

I'm really glad that this type of forums have crossed in my way, cause otherwise I would be spending a lot of money on things that are not worth it. Here are some points I have learned:

- Shirts: I use to buy Hugo Boss and Zegna shirts like crazy and most part of them, full retail or I waited to get a slight discount and bought them. The biggest problem, I wanted to buy the shirt that fitted closely to my body, so I ended up buying one to two size less for that, eventhough the neck was killing me. Now I know that for 1/3 of a price I can buy a shirt that fit my neck, allow me to move and that is nice.

- Shoes: I was buying branded shoes and I had a constraint for shoes, I wanted the sole to be close to the shoe, don't know how to explain that, but if the sole was visible from the top, I wouldn't bought them. So a lot of rubber sole or thin soles, I was buying. A pair of Ferragamo's that I have, I would like to change the sole, but it's going to be a mess, so I think it would be better to try to sell them. I also have learned a lot about the construction and the materials used to get nice shoes, yes, I know some of the ones I have bought are not the interwebz favourites, but with the propper care and usage, I think I have what I want, versatility in my wardrobe.

- Suits, SC's: I didn't have any experience buying them and what to look for on them. So I thought the part that I should care the most to fit was the chest. So my chest fitted nicely but the shoulders were a mess. Also I asked the tailor to supress the waist a lot. Also the brand was important for me and look "fashonable", so Hugo Boss, Z Zegna and Giorgio Armani. So today, aside that I decided to grow a bit in the gym, I have a bunch of suits in my closet that I can use anymore cause I know they don't fit anymore. Probably someone in the street would see me and think that they look nice, but I now know they don't.

So, lets hear you.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Back on ye old Ask Andy I learned quite a bit about shoe construction and what to look for in a pair of shoes. I've pretty much become addicted to Alden shell cordo now and love the way it looks and feels. Shell #8 is the perfect colour. And I learned the Mac method for shining which is invaluable.

I really want to invest in shome shell cordovan... but I fear that when I do that... I fell in the Shell Cordovan obsession and start spending like crazy on shell.

I found this Carmina's, particularly sexy: http://epauletnewyork.com/collectio...ry-perforated-captoe-boot-ruby-shell-cordovan
Or this Alden: http://www.aldenshop.com/Store/DrawProducts.aspx?CategoryID=154&ParentID=94&PageID=&Action=

But the color of the Carmina's is sexier.

 

[Russell Street]

I never knew about jacket canvassing or shirt collar fusings. Otherwise, mainly my tastes were altered into not viewing pocket squares and wingtips as fussy over-ornamentation. Oh, they got me into the striped watchband thing and alerted me of the reasonably priced Otto Frei.
I also learned a better way of sewing on a button and how sleeve/cuff lengths should be.

 

[Betelgeuse]

I never knew about jacket canvassing or shirt collar fusings. Otherwise, mainly my tastes were altered into not viewing pocket squares and wingtips as fussy over-ornamentation. Oh, they got me into the striped watchband thing and alerted me of the reasonably priced Otto Frei.
I also learned a better way of sewing on a button and how sleeve/cuff lengths should be.

This. I used to think that wingtips and those shoes looked bad, now I want them, they add a lot of versatility.

 

[Chorn]

Before I joined SF, I thought Thomas Pink was the end all be all of ties. I had 20 in regular rotation. Some of them were hideous. I thought my J&M were close to comparable to my AE (how I didn't notice how one looked like shit so much more quickly than the other is beyond me). I didn't use shoe trees and I didn't polish my own shoes (lord knows what kind of cheap polish Korean shoe shiners use). Most importantly, since I had only ever worn suits (as in....I hadn't worn an odd jacket with a tie....not even a navy blazer...a single time before joining SF), I had no clue about matching texture or formality. None. Zip. Nada. Wasn't great with color as, hey, white shirt, gray suit, and any tie ever.

I also paid full price for a few Hugo Boss suits.