What's the Middle/Upper-Middle-Class Clothing Brand Universe?
Hi all, I grew up wearing whatever my Mom bought at the local mall, and now I find myself in need of a crash course on middle to upper-middle-class clothing brands specifically for men on Wall Street (which is where I'd categorize myself as an incoming FT BB IBD analyst in NYC).
I became familiar with a couple of brands during my SA, but I'm still uneducated on a ton of others. I mentally categorize brands by their niche / go-to product, so what relevant brands should I be aware of, what's their style, notable item(s), where do they fit in the hierarchy, etc.?
I'd appreciate any input, and I'll aggregate my thoughts/users' comments for posterity.
- Bonobos: known for "daily grind" dress shirts but don't know much else, how do they rank against BB/CT?
- Brooks Brothers: YouTube channel "Gentleman's Gazette" recommends their business casual products like sweaters and chinos, dress shirts are less form-fitting than CT
- Charles Tyrwhitt: known for dress shirts that are a slimmer fit than BB
- Lacoste: known for polos
- Lululemon (athleisure)
- Patagonia (outerwear): known for fleece vests (Synchilla or Better Sweater?)
- TM Lewin: another player in the dress shirt game but don't know much else, how do they rank against BB/CT?
- Vineyard Vines (preppy): is this a college/young-adult brand for business-casual items that becomes inappropriate as you age?
- Indochino (suits): cheap M2M that will still need tailoring
- Suitsupply (suits): good M2M or buy their OTR and take to a tailor for finishing touches, higher-end Indochino
- Allen Edmonds (shoes): known for Park Avenues (cap-toe oxfords) which Presidents have worn in the past, get belts from them too since you can color-match with the shoes
- Cole Haan (shoes): lower-end than AE?
Don't know much about Banana Republic, Zara, LL Bean, H&M, J Crew, Ralph Lauren, Eton, Ledbury (god WSO users mention soooo many dress shirt brands it's dizzying), etc. Don't even know if the ones I named are in the "middle to upper-middle-class" range. Some brands I may have a misconception of (e.g., Hugo Boss sounds like a trashy business/business casual brand to me but seems to be well regarded on WSO, Gucci seems to me like crap quality faux-luxury that's marked up because of the name), so please let me know if I'm right or severely wrong.
Cut out VV and Indochino, then most of those on your list on the bottom are fast fashion, which I'd assume you wouldnt buy too much of if you were truly upper middle class.
All this being said, what kind of question is this lmao? Just bc you make X money doesn't mean you need to buy a certain brands clothes. I think the issue here was that you just wore what your mom bought you, so I'd suggest just figure out your personal style and just try a bunch of brands out from low-end to high-end for more staple pieces
I've grown into my own style, so that's not the issue here. While yes, I don't need to buy from certain brands just because I make $X income level, I'd like to at least conform to the bare minimum (i.e., wear dress shirts from CT instead of Docker's). Just need to know the basics, and then actively manage lifestyle creep from here on.
Stay away from Vineyard Vines, it's pretty much just for Vandy & SMU frat boys now.
Allen Edmonds shoes for the win
For everyday/casual look into Theory, Fahrety, Ministry of Supply (great button downs), Everlane, Scotch & Soda, and Uniqlo
That’s not the upper middle class clothing universe at all.
Glad I came across your comment, those brands are exactly what I was looking for.
There’s UMC for adults and there’s UMC for college boys and summer interns. They’re not the same.
Pretty much all of the brands OP cites are worn by interns. Clothes that are not acceptable in the office.
thebrofessor ?
the OP seems incredibly superficial so idk that I can add much value as what I like out of clothing isn't associated with class status, hierarchy, etc
if you have a specific question, please ask
Others have said it, but you need to figure out your personal style and then what fits you best. From there you can focus on quality, but there are many high quality brands. Below are some recommendations (based on what I own, and have liked):
suits: suit supply for everyday, Isaia for a nicer suit. Other brands: Kiton, Brioni and Canali
coats/jackets: most of the brands above + theory, Ted baker (a bit more affordable), Ralph Lauren. Also, Loro Piana but now you are stepping into a different price
dress shirts: lots of overlap with suit brands, but I’ll add Eton, Charvet, and Tom Ford (although I’m less of a fan)
jeans: I mostly stay away from the “high end” brands here, although kiton does make nice jeans. I just find they try too hard to make something “expensive”, I’m a fan of citizens of humanity, Levi’s, Ralph Lauren or just go to J crew or similar. As long as you don’t buy the $2k balenciaga jeans that have a shirt attached to the back of them for “fashion”, you’ll be ok.
Casual shirts: ministry of supply or theory are my go to.
A little late, but some of these brands are reasonable like AE, others are more expensive like Theory for polos where it could be $150-200 (casual Friday). Then you're recommending Tom Ford, Kiton, and Lora Piana - aren't those crazy expensive? Any recommendations similar to theory in price point? Where it's quality and could be $2-400 for a polo/sneakers and $1000ish for a leather jacket but it looks great? I like Boss for dress shirts/suits that are almost $1000 so good price not sure about quality have heard they're ok but have had great experience.
Cole Haan shoes are dog crap. Allen Edmonds are my go-to. They have sales all the time so NEVER pay full retail!! There are better choices for the full retail price of ~$400.
Vince, theory, AG jeans, Lululemon, Taylor stitch, blue owl denim. I like Neiman Marcus’ house branded sweaters and quarter zips.
The traditional American brands J. Press and Andover Shop
Alden also makes great shoes but more expensive than Allen Edmonds
Many of the English shirtmakers like Harvie and Hudson, Budd, Hilditch and Key. Harvie and Hudson in particular is dramatically better in quality than stuff like Charles Tyrwhitt but isn't that much more expensive.
Brooks Bros. kind of sucks now and hasn't been good for a while
Agree with these brands. Add Tag Heuer for watches.
A lot of upper middle class brands are just middle class brands. Think RL and J Crew are fair game here also. Personally love Theory and think Hugo Boss is fine.
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