Improvement and Suggestions (outfit or individual pieces)

Chorn

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Alright, I figure that this would be a good and civil place (at least while it's in the beta stage) to try to establish something between the indulgence of WAYWRN and the hard iron of Good Taste on SF.

I'm not a terrible dresser. I occasionally post outfits which get a lot of positive feedback. I rarely post outfits that are panned. But I often post outfits that garner between 5-7 thumbs and I want to know what I can do to improve these outfits while keeping the same general feeling behind the outfit.

Hence this thread. It isn't a place for home runs or train wrecks, though a few might get posted. Post here to get honest and civil advice on how to improve what you wore today.

Anyway, a recent outfit of mine which I really liked; I was surprised by its tepid reception. I know the jacket needs to be lengthened (took it to the tailors a few days ago to have 3 cm added), but what else could I do to keep the same feeling of this outfit while also improving it?

[bimg=400]http://cdn.styleforum.net/f/f9/f9989e96_DSC_0052.jpeg[/bimg]
 
I thought your last post on SF's wayrn - the tweed suit and tattersall shirt - was your best yet. I liked all the elements and the combination, but mostly I suspect it's because you looked relaxed and natural in it, especially in the spoilered loo pic. So might be a pose/photography thing - try the sitting on the loo pose for all your fits and you might get more feedback!

In the outfit above I think the tie is too shiny, it stands out from all the other elements too much. Personally I would probably have chosen a different shirt too, coloured or patterned somehow.
 
Also, I think Foo said somewhere that only having 1 pattern is tricky (I know he rubs people up the wrong way but I think he's right sometimes): when only one item is patterned it's going to stand out more than if it's combined with another pattern or two. This effect is heightened when the sole patterned object is a tie or ps (as they are already sort of "ornaments"). In your outfit above, it looks like an all solids thing (which is fine), but then there's the patterned PS. The tweed suit outfit worked so well because the herringbone in the suit complemented the check in the shirt and meant neither stood out too much.
 
My other two green ties have less yellow in them, so I was worried the pocketsquare wouldn't work. As far as the shirt goes, perhaps I could've gone with oxford or something with a finer stripe. To create the appearance of content, here's another I'd be interested in hearing an explanation on. This is the first suit combination I posted on SF...one of two navies I owned, but the only one in the country at that moment. I was pleased with the combination; no one else was. I go back and I understand a lot of why what I wore didn't work....but never could understand this.

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I like that tie, you could pair a wide range of colors in a pocket square with it imho.
 
I like that personally. I guess you could say the scale of patterns are all a bit too close, but not in a way that causes a major problem to my eye. But suits with stripes like that don't seem to be favoured on SF for reasons that are beyond me. And I remember Manton being against checked shirts with predominantly white grounds, but that's another one I don't quite understand.
 
Gorge or buttoning point?

Regardless, I'd say that the shortness of the jacket is a bigger problem. $&%*#@ Korean tailors. Fortunately, the second one he made for me was the length I asked for (in this, I asked for 29.5 inches...he kept saying that 27 inches was best...and in the end, though we agreed on 29.5, I got 28).
 
a) nice going with the wine ribbon tack
b) put it on your manhood for the womens
c) how attached are you to that tie? It feels a little 90's to be because of the geometric nature of the squares. Though I suppose all squares are geometric. Except nerds from the 60s.
 
That pocketsquare is pretty enthusiastic (and could be tamed a bit for the benefit of all), but as far as I can tell, I like everything else.
 
From a few days ago. I've no idea how to wear that tie; I only know that I like the feel of it. For the outfit in particular, I probably should have gone with a navy cardigan rather than the brown, but I wanted to bring the brown in the tie out more (it often appears to white too me).

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Yup, it's NM. Good eye! And good idea with the olive cardigan...if only I had an olive cardigan.
 
Got my SC back from my Tailor yesterday, so I was eager to wear it... I think he needs to reduce the chest a bit.

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My guess is that the knit tie/ocbd clashed with a very city pinstriped brown suit. Is my diagnosis correct?

[bimg=400]http://cdn.styleforum.net/3/39/900x900px-LL-3999d54a_DSC_0073.jpeg[/bimg]
 
Yes I'd say so. The PS also looks a bit too colourful. Really like the tie though.
 
Catching up in here:

This doesn't look bad. The only thing that stands out to me is the pattern on the tie against the checkered shirt. I would opt for a tie with no pattern when your shirt and suit already have patterns.

Overall, not bad. And I definitely like the color combination overall.

I have no problem with a patterned tie here. Its just that particular pattern clashes with the lines of the checks. I also wouldn't opt for anything else geometric looking (lines, circles, checks, etc.).

Yes I'd say so. The PS also looks a bit too colourful. Really like the tie though.

I think I'd have to agree. Knit just looks a bit odd there. A red silk would knock that out of the park. No problems with the square, but then again, I enjoy fruity squares.
 
Chorn Chorn , as per your comment a few days ago about contrasting materials, here's a similar gingham look I did today; same tie and navy focus, but a cotton jacket with more casual details. Better?

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Sounds like it would be. Looking forward to seeing the picture.
 
The jacket and tie definitely work better here, but that plaid is so informal that it looks odd with a tie. I've never really seen medium or large scale gingham or plaid as something to go with ties. If you like that look, maybe look into medium scale graph checks or tattersall (both which lend themselves well to looks which stradle city and country).
 
The jacket and tie definitely work better here, but that plaid is so informal that it looks odd with a tie. I've never really seen medium or large scale gingham or plaid as something to go with ties. If you like that look, maybe look into medium scale graph checks or tattersall (both which lend themselves well to looks which stradle city and country).


I agrre with Chorn, Argen. I think that the shirt would be better without the tie and I think that another fold for the PS would work better. :)
 
The jacket and tie definitely work better here, but that plaid is so informal that it looks odd with a tie. I've never really seen medium or large scale gingham or plaid as something to go with ties. If you like that look, maybe look into medium scale graph checks or tattersall (both which lend themselves well to looks which stradle city and country).

thirded. And the PS is a total clash.

Gingham and suits/ties is a tough sell. Plaids are much more versatile in that regard.
 
I have no clue how to wear a light gray suit.

Keeping in mind that the tie is much less dark than the the picture lets on, I still wasn't happy with what I wore yesterday (actually, I was happy when I was walking around sans jacket)

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What don't you understand about light gray? I think this picture looks very sharp.
Agreed. A micro check wouldn't be my first choice, but it looks pretty fucking good.

Principles of light grey - KEEP IT SIMPLE. Simple shirt, bold tie, white square.

Now, granted, these could be the principles of just about any suit color, but I find the contrast works exceptionally well with light grey.
 
I think the tie could have been a bit lighter. I agree about the white square...light gray worsted demands the most muted of pocketsquares.
 
This is my everyday look: gray flannel slacks, blue poplin, odd jacket. Sometimes a tie, sometimes not.

Shitty pic with the sun behind me but it's the collar I'm about, here.

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I hate this shirt collar. I don't even know what I hate about it; I just hate it. Help me, here. Spread collar? Medium collar? Club? The point collar isn't doing it for me.
 
Spread or medium spread. Times inifinity. Collar points should not be visible unless it's a button down (and though a tie pin may mitigate this, it seems that collar may be too short for even that).

I'm not a sleeve Nazi; I dont always want my sleeves showing. But the jacket sleeves are long--your left appears to be toughing the first knuckle of your thumb. That should only be 25$ at your tailor to fix
 
I need to have all my left sleeves shortened. I have a separated left shoulder that healed visibly higher than my right, giving me an effectively shorter left arm.

Thanks. I'll try a spread collar.
 
My right is a full inch shorter than my left for similar reasons. I hate working sleeve buttons on anything besides bespoke--anything OTR is going to need expensive adjustments since they'll need to take the sleeve off.
 
Took my thrifted Brioni and another sports coat into my local tailor for alterations today. Pricey, but the guy knows what he's doing and I'm excited to get them next week.
 
Rain Man Rain Man Agree with Chorn that you might try some spread collars. Broad shouldered types generally look better with them.

I misread somewhere that spread collars were for "larger-framed men." I figured "larger-framed men" was a euphemism for lardasses; why else would anyone make point-collar slim-fit shirts with a 17 neck?

I'll get some spread-collar shirts. Thanks.
 
Full spread and cutaway definitely different. And cutaways look especially bad on people with larger necks (fat or not) as it seems as if the collar is being torn asunder by neck girth.
 
Cutaway in the extreme sense is the "sportscaster" collar. Wide, wide, wide open w/ room for the biggest double windsor possible.

Club collars are essentially point-collar shapes w/ rounded edges.
 
Sportcasters generally don't wear cutaway (at last as I understand them). I've always thought cutaways would show tie above the knot. I wear spreads with an extra 2cm added to the collar band. If I wanted to wear a windsor, they could probably accommodate them.

Gingham-French-Dress-Shirts.jpg
 
I used to have a shirt with a cutaway collar. I hate it, it made me look like if I were fat, it gave a visual effect of a very very broad neck. Plus I like my tie knots quite slim so the windsor knot is too much for me.
 

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