Had some down time in the office today which got me thinking about my wardrobe. Thought this could make for a good discussion, so please contribute below.
Work:
1. Mizzen & Main Dress Shirts (Specifically Leeward Formal)
Ranking: 10/10
These are my #1 recommendation for anyone working in a corporate environment. They are wrinkle free, and making trips to the dry cleaners is such an outdated waste of time IMO. The material is softer and more comfortable than any other brand in the same price range (J Crew, Brooks Bros., Polo, etc.). They also last FOREVER. I have one or two of these shirts that is 3-4 years old and I wear it like 30+ times a year and it still looks brand new, no rips or tears.
Designed for athletes, these shirts fit better than almost anything else for people with above average muscle mass. They also have trim and tall options so that they can look tailored regardless of your body shape. They also have all the sizing options online so you can use your measurements to get the perfect fit.
No I am not sponsored or partnered with them in any capacity, but this is probably one of like 3 products I would recommend to literally everyone.
2. J Crew Tech Pants (Link)
Ranking: 8/10
First of all, these are not revolutionary and every Lulu wearer would likely try these on and be underwhelmed. They are extremely light weight and the best pants to wear in the summer. They are as comfortable as a pair of semi-formal pants can be, and they hold up pretty well.
The reason I like them is that J Crew has insane sales on them somewhat regularly, and that you can also find them at their outlet stores. They aren't quite as nice as Lulu ABCs, but I regularly get them for ~$45 a pair, which is why they are on the list.
The biggest con is that I have had a few of these stain quite easily, which is a bit of a let down.
Again, these are far from revolutionary, but the price and comfort (esp. in the summer) make them worth looking into.
Casual / Workout:
1. BYLT Basics T Shirts (Specifically the Drop Cut)
Rating: 11/10
This is probably the product I would swear by the most, and I wear these shirts any time I don't need to dress formally. They are insanely, stupidly comfortable, and I have been told by several different women that the fit is very flattering. If you work out regularly and have a good build, these shirts will be your best friend.
I wear these shirts nonstop and can get 3-4 years out of them even when using them for workouts regularly.
The only con is that after a lot of hard workouts you will start to get permanent sweat stains, but this has occurred with every single workout shirt I've ever owned.
They don't rip, they hardly shrink (if at all), and the comfort doesn't fade over time.
2. Gymshark 2 in 1 5 inch Shorts
Ranking: 9/10
Nothing mind blowing here, after 10+ years of lifting regularly, these are my go to shorts. The quality is insane, no rips or tears after ~5 years of ownership, despite working out in them nonstop.
The two in one feature is really nice for gym rats going 4+ times a week because lets face it, the less laundry the better.
Also, the fit is really nice and sometimes wearing compression shorts + separate shorts results in neither fitting quite right, or showing off a bit too much skin. These fit exactly as they should every time. I also feel like the 5 inch inseam is the perfect length for people who actually train legs regularly, but might be a bit risky without compression shorts, so the 2 in 1 feature is really nice.
Lastly, they go on sale every so often (they are on sale right now) so you can get them for as little as $25 a pair, which is a stupid good deal.
Columbia Knit Factory
Mom and Pop shop that has been making MIUSA knits since 1921. Big fan of the CobbleCloth crews.
What do you like most about them? Fit, comfort, durability, price, other?
Great value, MIUSA.
I wear the sweaters in the winters all the time. CobbleCloth is incredible during the fall/spring, handles rain very well. Rugby's are famous.
I primarily shop at Banana Republic and sometimes the GAP. I have very basic needs. At this point, I primarily wear jeans in all different colors, t shirts and shackets. The shacket is a great alternative to a sweater, which I do not like at all. Shackets are dressy enough for Zoom meetings, which is what I do most of the time.
What is the shacket you have? Never heard of that before.
It is in between a shirt and a jacket. It is a very thick shirt with a collar
Why? No offense, just sounds really boring
Nice recommendations at good prices.
I try to go for 100% natural materials whenever possible. Not a fan of the way the synthetic materials wear out over time. Aside from Patagonia, all my synthetic and other similar materials clothes end up wearing out vs wearing in. My Lulu pants got this issue after only a few years.
Just figured quality cotton/wool/linen made clothing is better bang for the buck and more comfortable given they’ve been making it 100s of years compared to the recent synthetic blends.
what does wearing in mean? I get your point with synthetic materials but didn't totally get what this meant
If I buy a nice pair of jeans or leather shoes, they get more comfortable the more I wear them. The leather stretches to my foot or the jeans get softer and get a nice look to them. Basically they look and wear nicer the longer I have them.
on the other hand most synthetic materials fall apart and look cheap after a while.
Levi's jeans and Pepe pants
Falke socks
Very simple needs here, mostly driven by comfort
I love lululemon more than ever. Their sale pricing is usually pretty good and the product does last a very very long time. I have ABC pants from ~4 or 5 years ago that still look good, and when they ripped, lululemon repaired them for free!
They've also repaired a ton of my wife's leggings for free.
Also I dont really dress formally at all anymore. So athleisure to everything FTW! lol
New Balance 574's in grey. I will always have a pair of these. Favorite shoe ever.
I just bought a pair of 550s, and I love them. I might grab a pair of 574s next.
Nike Zoom Fly 3s - for casual wear
Nike Zoom Fly 4s - for training
Nike Zoom Fly 5 for the office.
Nike Zoom Fly 6 for date nights.
haha I didn’t like the look of the Zoom Fly 5s, but the Zoom Fly 6s look very fast.
Nike Zoom Fly 3 Premium Sequoia Men's - BV7759-001 - US
These are my favorite pair of ZF3s to wear with jeans. So comfortable. Hard to find them below $500 thesedays.
I was walking around Greenwich the other day and saw this store called state and liberty.
Had really cool stuff.
I don’t know how to describe it. Professional attire, but fit like athletic clothing.
I get my dress shirts from them and I think they're great. Similar to Mizzen+Main. Dress shirts made out of workout material but they still look very professional. They don't wrinkle and are machine washable. Hard to beat for $95.
This is my go-to for wedding attire. Really nice stuff.
1. Shirts - as OP notes, wrinkle free is everything. I prefer Brooks Brothers but will go for anything as long as its legitimately wrinkle free, not some bullshit "wrinkle resistant" nonsense. I'm told tailors can't due true wrinkle-free because the chemical is controversial environmentally and only mass producers are heartless enough to use it. Thanks OP for the Mizzen & Main rec.
2. Pants - I know I'm in the minority here but I recommend against tech pants in the office. No matter how hard Lulu and the others try to make you think you're getting away with it, I think it still looks like tech pants and doesn't come off well. Recommend getting real pants from a tailor.
3. Workout shirts - The Nike Legend Poly T-Shirt is my go to. Under Armour Tech 2.0 is a close 2nd, but there's something perfect about the fit of the Nike one.
4. Workout shorts - At 6'2 I'm not tall enough for long shorts to look good, but too tall for most regular shorts to look good. Ten Thousand for example, their 7" short is too short and their 9" is too long. The Under Armour 9" Launch shorts fit me well but I'd like other options. If any other guys have this "between two sizes" problem, I'd love to know what brand filled the gap for you. Thanks.
Great recs, havent come across the BB wrinkle free shirt but will keep an eye out
Office pants - billy reid 5 pocket. look sharp and fit well. Probably not very dressy if you need to be wearing nice shit but my office is casual.
Workout shorts - Lulu pace breaker shorts 7" inseam my favorite - best material and have the phone holder in pockets which is so huge. Essentially only athletic shorts i own, can play tennis, go running, soccer, workout
Workout shirts - not picky with these any do the trick, I really dont sweat that much naturally so don't know differences there. I have one Rhone reign tee which probably looks and feels the best but they're like $70. Not really a fan of the vuori shirt i own seems like a more shitty material
Uniqlo
All Saints
Levi’s and Acne Selvedge Jeans
Patagonia and Lulu
Our Legacy
Aime and Kith
Brunello cucinelli
brioni
loro piana
rlpl
tom ford
turnbull asser (shirts)
crockett jones/ john lobb (shoes)
moncler (some outerwear )
burberry (trenches quilted jackets and chesterfields)
incredible taste with the turnbull asser mention
Username checks out
you left out charvet for shirts and ties, anderson & sheppard and huntsman for tailored clothing, and george cleverly for shoes. If you're old school and like hats, Lock is not to be missed, either. While you're at it, hit up Berry Bros for some claret & Fox for cigars. QED.
Gildan crewneck sweatshirts for workouts + whatever else. I have 5 of them, like $6 each at the time when I got them. It’s basically the same brand that is ordered in bulk for youth sports stuff to get prints on for tournaments or whatever.
Had them for maybe 7 years and they haven’t worn out at all. I like to stay warm at the gym throughout my whole workout but hoodies kind of get in the way (especially for squat). They’re also still comfortable enough after all this time that I wear them at home.
Wow, awful take if you're recommending Mizzen & Main. $100+ dollars for made of 88% plastic. What do you need spandex for? Do you work out at your desk? You'll be sweating like a dog. Just go natural bro, 100% cotton/wool from a reputable brand (think J Press, Proper Cloth, Bloomingdales, etc.)
1) Quality: High quality synthetic materials are just as comfortable and durable as natural ones, so Im not sure what the issue is? I know several CEOs who swear by the brand, so I highly doubt the quality is as dubious as you imply. One of them is a former chemist running a chemical manufacturing company, so I would trust their perspective more than yours in terms of quality.
2) Overheat: The shirts are incredibly lightweight and breathable, so again, do you know what you're talking about?
Lastly, I wouldn't trust fashion advice from an intern who cant figure out if he works at sweatshop or not, LOL
What does a random CEO know about high quality clothing lmao. THey probably spend far less time on average caring about their clothes, which would imply less knowledge about what is actually comfortable/durable since their entire universe is "clothes that are appropriate to wear in workplace". Linen, high quality cotton, etc. are much much better than synthetics, other poster is right.
If you insist on wearing petrochemicals all means!
Nice thanks for the dress shirt suggestion. I need something just like that because I've just been wearing the Tyrwhitt ones and I've ripped like 5 shirts at the elbows already. I want the shirt to fit me well but also have some give for my arms which are kind of big (16"). If I size up the arms fit about right but the shirt can be a little too loose in other places. Will try these Mizzen shirts.
Costco / Kirkland clothes - great prices and very comfortable. Started wearing them way more frequently at the start of COVID when I was WFH for ~2 years.
Do you wear their work or casual clothes, or both?
Oh definitely casual
Charles Tywitt shirts - Love the texture
I love J Crew's pants but I find they dropdown quite frequently
I have a pair of boots and leather sneakers from Thursday boots and found them both to be high quality and worth the money
I love all the understated Italian brands, Zegna, Brioni, Isaia but then I realized there's actual Italians and Italian trained tailors in New York who will make you really nice work and casual clothes that are more unique and cooler. my rule is buy those brands on sale or go custom
Do you have any Italian tailor recs in NYC? Feel free to DM if you prefer
Dress shirts - Eton
Shoes - Nike and Allen Edmonds
Socks - Polo and Nike
Briefs and undershirts - Saxx
Thanks going to try the BYLT shirts
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