Five SS13 Menswear Staples
Men’s SS13 Fashion Trend: Statement Tailoring
Men’s Sunglasses & Face Shapes Guide
Men's Short Hairstyles
Men's Mid-length Hairstyles
Men's Long Hairstyles
Men's Curly Hairstyles
Men's Black & Afro Hairstyles
Celebrity Hairstyles
Introduction
Being eminently fashionable and image conscious gentleman it is perhaps unsurprising that contrary to pervading stereotypes, we actually enjoy shopping. Long gone are the days of being dragged around the shops by our mothers, forced to try on clothes we didn’t care about, spending an all too brief amount of time in the toy shop and the inevitable, hateful and embarrassing walk through the ladies underwear section of M&S. Our tastes have developed and we aren’t the kind of men brought along by spouses to carry bags, (although this does still happen for we are of course chivalrous gentlemen) we go along because we want to.
The freedom of growing up means we can wear what we want, when we want and with no nagging parent to give us unhelpful advice. However, most importantly, we can shop where we want. The freedom we are privy to makes retail consumerism, the feeling of guilt after each purchase and a much lighter wallet a joyous experience – shopping has become an event that we wish to repeat as often as Top Gear is shown on Dave.
But despite the collective pleasure derived from our enjoyment of shopping we are all still individuals. Our shopping method (or lack there of) gives us different parameters and results; we look for different items, we have different budgets, different styles and different tastes. In fact you could almost guarantee that not one of us would shop in exactly the same way, and thus we arrive at the subject of this debate – just how much does the way we shop affect the way we dress?
The Debate
Our image or our style is very personal, as we have said many times before that it is a representation of you as a person; your personality, your choices; individual direction shapes how you dress. The way you shop has very close links to the final product, i.e. the way you look and the factors I have previously mentioned will all inevitably have an influence.
Budget
In life, money is the key to everything and the case is no different with clothes; looking good costs money, and lots of it. The fact that our desire to look good and dress well is a purely aesthetic and visual notion does perhaps make that guilty feeling a little stronger than it might be with other essential purchases, but it is a choice that we have made in order to feel confident and look the best we possibly can – in this respect I think that we can all agree; it was a good decision. Nevertheless, our budget is hugely important.
The amount of money you have to spend – more than anything else – will either dictate or influence every aspect of your style and style choices. On the surface we have two distinct groups; the first is students, whom for the most part have little money and inhabit the likes of H&M, Zara, Topman, the bins around the back of these stores and the sales. The second group is almost everybody else, the men that have jobs and don’t sit around watching day time telly (this is actually true – I spend an awful lot of time watching day time telly), whom inhabit everywhere and anywhere they fancy.
However, the distinction is far from this clear cut. For example, you could be a hard working man with a full time job but you still can’t or have no wish to spend a vast amount of money on your clothes, despite your interest in the way you look. It is very easy to assume a standard, but the way we shop is not that simple.
Whilst monetary constraints will in most cases restrict the average shopper to cheaper end of the high street, it does not mean that everyone will follow the pattern – our individual attitude towards WHAT we buy and HOW we shop vary immensely. Personally I like to invest in my clothes, I avoid the lower end and as such purchases are few and far between, but whilst I might not think too much about spending £70 on a shirt, my housemate simply cannot fathom my reasoning, he is far more interested in getting more clothes for the same amount of money.
This does not mean that money is not an issue for me, far from it, I am still a student and cider retains its top three place on my list of priorities. However, in terms of clothes my attitude towards where my money is going is clear – I want guarantees of quality, fit, shape and material. That is MY attitude towards clothes, it is neither right nor wrong, but an expression of my choice.
You must then ask yourself whether you are an investor or the type of person that wants as many clothes as possible.
Style
Having taken into consideration clothing parameters – price, quality, fit et al – we must then ask ourselves how far budget will dictate our style. We have identified what basis we are shopping on but that does not mean we have centred upon an image. Does your budget decide whether your style remains consistent and timeless through investment or does is force you to make the most of the more fashionable aspects stores? Do you shop in a particular shop because you cannot afford to go anywhere else?
We must also consider the online question; we can now buy clothes with the click of a button but that will not suit everyone. A lot of you will be happy to buy items untested, whilst others will prefer to try before they buy. It can also lead to more impulse purchases, as it is easier to pick things you like on a screen only to later find them very different – although this last point has been negated somewhat with the introduction of free and convenient returns services for most major online retailers.
If you are less concerned with material or quality (for whatever reason) then there is no need for you to spend a fortune. But even then, with the likes of Topman and Burton creating ranges that make a big point of using high quality, totally natural fabrics in their clothing, the question of whether anyone needs to fork out for their clothing anymore is made even more complex; arguably, it then becomes a question of brand.
What drives our choice of brand and shopping method? We have discussed how budget will influence our choice of shop but how might our style decide our purpose? Each company has its signature image, be it the youthful exuberance of Topman, the more refined and modern classicism of Zara or the monochrome, distressed and fashionable works from AllSaints; this will reflect in the clothes they produce and the looks that can be created from them. We will always find a brand that works best for us, for our look and for our needs but is this decision taken by the style we want to create? Certainly shopping a regularly at a particular brand will create a style that is a reflection of that but does it dictate our overall look?
High Street Vs High Fashion
With budget and style the issue is more of image difference; does a style, recreated with items from the high street and then again with more expensive items actually appear that much different? Whether it is necessary to spend more money than you need to is all down to personal choice, your situation and your attitude. Where you spend your money is all down to these same parameters and how you spend your money is just the same, but I think it would be hard to deny that it does have an influence.
Below are a variety of menswear essential products from the high street, and then from premium designer brands. Both blocks feature comparable items in order for you to see the difference in styling, price, fabrics and quality. It is necessary these days to spend more than high street prices?
High Street:
- Asos T-shirt With Raw Edge Crew Neck
- Selected Tako Cable Knit Jumper
- Camel Hooded Toggle Duffle Coat
- Light Blue Washed Oxford Shirt
- River Island Leather Bomber Jacket
- Asos Leather Sole Brogues
- Teak Tan Leather Tassle Loafers
- Port Cotton Skinny Chinos
- 1969 Skinny Fit Jeans Resin Rinse Wash
- Slim Fit Corduroy Pants
- Murph Shirt
- Asos Slim Fit Tweed Blazer
- Forest Marl Check Shirt
- Denim Sanderson Western Jacket
- H By Hudson Turber Suede Boots
- Selected Nice Shawl Neck Cardigan
Premium Fashion:
- Dolce & Gabbana Crew Neck T-shirt
- Acne Massey Aran Knit Cotton Sweater
- Gloverall Duffle 3251c Tan Coat
- Dockers Solid Blue Bd Oxford Shirt
- Ps By Paul Smith Pre-aged Leather Bomber Jacket
- Grenson Tan Grain Leather Longwing Sid Brogues
- H By Hudson Tyska Brown Shoes
- Ymc Twill Trousers Online Exclusive
- A.p.c. Petit Standard Slim Selvedge Jeans
- Polo Ralph Lauren Cinch Back Straight Leg Cord Trouser
- Burberry Prorsum Denim Tailored Fit Single Cuff Shirt
- Our Legacy Grey Soft Structured Classic Wool Blazer
- Gitman Vintage Plaid Forbes Shirt Navy & Green
- Paul Smith Jeans Denim Jacket
- Diemme Roccia Vet Suede Boots
- Gant Alpaca Shawl Cardigan
Conclusion
Your image is very personal. It is created by you, maintained by you and developed by you. Your attitude towards your clothes is a hugely important part of your look and I think it is crucial to consider just how much influence how (and where) you shop has on how you look; changing your style could simply be a case of changing your shop.
But now its time for your view – Exactly how do you Shop?
- What is your attitude towards shopping and clothes?
- Are you an investor or do you like to make the most of your money?
- How far do you think the way you shop affects your style?
- How much influence does your budget have on your style?
- What other factors do you think affect the way you shop?
- Do you think I’m talking rubbish? (Of course not)
As always, let me know in the comments below.
Will
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I’m having this debate with myself lately and just bought the book “To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?” by Lucy Siegle to figure out which vision we should have. Copied items? Inspired items? Quality vs Quantity? I’m going nuts!
[Ed. Book mentioned: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Die-Fashion-Wearing-Out-World/dp/0007264097
I have read the same book and ultimately it just depressed me, I figure if I stick to my pattern of buying quality pieces and look after them I’ll do the best I can without making sure everything is fair trade/organic. Buying a fair bit of vintage helsp balance things out too (I hope)
My shop does however stock monkee jeans which are organic/slave labour free but mainly due to the quality and colour range rather than the credentials.
http://www.scarycanaryclothing.co.uk (for those interested)
Great article Will, I think it’s possible to achieve both price and quality if you’re prepared to put the additional effort into searching.
I have had my fair share of topman clothes and for me they are a bit of a false economy, the occasional piece is well made but for the most part I would say that the clothing doesn’t last very well, jumpers and jeans from topman become tatty very quickly and it’s not long before they end up in the bin.
I prefer to put time into scouring the sales and scoring some unbelievable bargins, for instance following you’re recent article on duffles I made a trip down to bristol to investigate the sales and picked up a gorgeous duffle for £70 its actual price had been £250. The quality of the coat really shone through I tried on a number of other coats but this one looked and felt a million dollars.
I find this website very useful for picking up bargins
shopstyle.co.uk
It searches the database of all the major clothes brands and retailers and gives you the ability to drill down into the results by defining percentage of discount and overall cost. I would always check this site before splashing out to reassure myself that I was getting a good deal.
I also bough Martin Lewis’s money book recently and his philosophy is that you needn’t comprimise your lifestyle you can simply adopt smarter buying habits. On several occasions I have got massive discounts through using promotional codes. I bought a pair of Kurt Geiger shoes for £30 when they would usually retail at well over a £100.
If you’re really stylish you don’t have to spend big money and can look good for minimal, deluded people think extravagent prices meant instant cool, not the case!
You don’t have to sacrifice quality for money. I’m a student and never go above the €50 price except shoes. However a lot people think that I have expensive clothing on. At foremost my style is smart-casual or street but not with baggy jeans. Going to the rights shops WE, Jack n Jones and online retailers for the sale products can give you enormous benefits. Newsletters are also good to sign up for. Simply put, you do need to put some effort to it and have patience.
Second, it very important how you treat your clothes. 90% of the shirts, t-shirts and jeans cannot be out into the dryer. Just read the label. Treating your clothes with good manner keeps them in a fashionable state.
I have recently moved from continually buying very stylish / trendy pieces from the main high street stores to building a more versatyle wardrobe of better quality basics. This means that rather than trying to put together a very on trend look that needs renewing frequently I am starting to develop a style of my own and thus more control over my image.
In time when I have the basics covered I’m sure I’ll return to buuying more stylistic pieces to accentuate my basic look with a more on trend angle.
I wonder whether anyone considers this a reflection of trends in mens fashion as a whole or something particular to me?
Who are the best high street stores (or in stores with equivelant price range) for quality and fit?
I would say that gap are very good. Despite the low price tag there stuff is actually very well made and stands up to repeat washing whereas topman/h&m stuff tens to fall to bits. I have jumpers from gap that I keep going back to year after year. They also have alot of sales throughout the year and have a good selection of basics to form the building blocks of some of your looks.
Also don’t write of the old greats like Marks and spencers, you are more or less gaurenteed good qwuality and service when you go to them which is why they have been about for yonks
I would certainly advocate M&S for top quality clothes, even just basic knitwear; jumpers, cardigans etc. If you want to stretch, All Saints Shirts are really good, but they are at the upper end of the highstreet, American Apparel is good quality with a reasonable price tag and Uniqlo are very good as well.
Topman and Zara just don’t do anything for me, H&M is slightly better on the number of pieces that I actually like but I still don’t like the quality.
Brilliant article. Personally i think that if you have a strong sense of personal style, self image and a strong picture in mind of the style you wish to achieve, then it is irrellevant if you go for quality over quantity or vice versa. A clear vision is key to developing personal style.
Interesting article. I’m 17 and in high school (with a job) and yea i fall into the “student H&M” catagory. despite that though, when it comes to fashion i like to invest in my clothing. Which mean i like to buy pieces that i know i’ll be able to use again and again for a good while and not just for a season or 2. In need of a new coat, i brought myself a duffle one from H&M because reading your article on them i realized that duffle coats are timeless so they’ll still be suitible to wear for endless amount of winter until i have to replace it. i do say shops affect the way you dress but not what brands you buy. At one time a person came up to me and told me if i was wealthly because of an outfit i was wearing but honestly that was just stuff from H&M and Urban Outfitters that i wore. just because you have on a D&G shirt and APC jeans dosen’t always mean you’ll look 100x better than the person next to you. As much as i love fashion, i still keep in mind that i dont have unlimited money on hand so like i said in the beginning places like H&M, UO, Uniqlo, etc works for me and when i do shop at those kinds of stores ai make sure to invest in them.
In the last couple of years I’ve completely changed my style from looking like a walking Topman manakin to trying to put together a timelss and versatile ‘capsule wardrobe’ built around quality in key areas. The capsule wardrobe often seems to be touted as something easily attainable, but in my experience that is misleading. Even starting to get there has proven a very gradual process. I now have a good few quality (ie expensive) mistakes that I’m trying to sell on e-bay to claw back some of my misplaced investment.
I am finally becoming more ruthless and considered in my shopping habits as I better identify what I’m going to get real use out of. Consequently I know it will pay off in the long run, but the actual process of getting there is very expensive in large part due to the intrinsic trial and error nature of overhauling your wardrobe.
Until you get to grips with the concept within the parameters of your own style and sensibilities though it’s not that straightforward, which can be overlooked. As much as I’m a wholehearted advocate, and as much as it can come down to personality and being blessed with the foresight and conviction to make the right purchasing decisions, the phrase ‘capsule wardrobe’ should come with a footnote of warning!
very interesting article, thank you
I am a college student with a limited budget. Since my budget doesn’t allow me to buy expensive clothing, I often dig through the clearance section of stores I like to frequent.
Since I reside in Texas, USA, we have an extended summer. Therefore, winter apparel makes to the clearance section much sooner compared to other parts of the country. My favorite supermarket (called Target) sells decent clothing with decent to good fits. Once their clothing hits clearance, they could be up to 70% off original price tags. I often found 100% cotton and 100% merino wool sweaters for $5-10 each. This causes my sweater collection to be ever growing!
My advice? Patience is definitely a virtue to follow and often pays off later. You may have urges to buy an item at that very instance, but sometimes you could wait it to go on sale if possible. Buy seasonal apparel at the end of the season and invest in the more higher quality basics anytime of the year.
Tom you are right about picking your battles wisely.personally for me I mix high end and premium brands as long as its QUALITY because you will find that not all premium brands last just as not all high end fade quick. Good point thom
I like to invest. In fact, the “must have items for your wardrobe” articles here at fashionbeans helped me a lot!
I don’t mind putting money into things that are timeless classics and that will last for years to come. My suit, shoes, classic blazer are the few things I’ll go the extra mile for (Paul Smith level). Otherwise, I’ll be smart about money, but I do appreciate the details and quality of fabrics and such… I don’t follow trends at all, so I can afford to spend a bit more.
I keep a running list of things I want/need most in my wardrobe and wait for annual sales I know happen, then I jump on good deals. I got my Paul Smith Burton brogues for half price. It pays to be patient. I’ve wanted that pair for about a year.
Also, the navy dip dyed brogues by Paul Smith are the kind of item you can’t get cheap by another maker. This would be a good time to consider splurging. A pair of khakis? Why buy D&G when Gap will suffice? Pick your battles carefully, and your key items will make your outfit come together nicely.
Personally, I think it’s very uncool to have everything too nice and expensive. There’s no personality in that.
I totally agree with that last comment Peter. From all the blogs I read there’s nothing more interesting that seeing where people have picked all their stuff from, if it was all a case of wandering into a high street store and buying something then it’d all be very boring.
Not that we’ll be walking into high street stores much in the future if the ASOS profits and high street names going into administration are anything to go by.
Very good article, maybe it would be good to do an analytical High St vs Online debate too and see what peoples experiences, preferences and genuine habits are when it comes to using the two, and for what items.
I shop by what I need designer or high street, If I need a navy blazer for example I search through all the main sites and pick the one that most fits the image I had in my mind. If that is 30 pounds or 300 doesn’t matter as long as it what I wanted.
A online vs store article would be interesting, without the internet I would own hardly any designer clothing. I find the atmosphere and sales assistants in high end stores make shopping an very unpleasant experience for me.
I’m a student and shop largely on the high street (and ASOS) – I don’t have the money to spend spend spend on extravagant pieces. BUT reading this website has made me a lot more picky and thoughtful when it comes to choosing what I buy/wear. There’s a lot of negativity towards Topman – I think the mistake is apparent when people walk out of the shop looking exactly like one of the dummies. It’s not an individual style, and gets copied by many. However, if you choose carefully in there, you can come out with a nice, well-crafted, individual outfit. Just ignoring the crowd can make the world of difference.
As some others have said, exploring different places also helps. Looking around places like Selfridges can give one plenty of inspiration, and I found my first pair of ‘Cheap Monday’ jeans there – most comfy jeans I’ve ever worn, £50 (which is probably the most I’d spend on a pair).
I buy less printed t-shirts now because largely, the quality isn’t as good. I tend to go for more ‘timeless’ pieces now – brogues, desert boots, Converse, oxford shirts, blazers, parkas, skinny jeans. I went through a phase of buying carrot jeans/chinos because they were littering Topman – but it soon dawned on me that they’re not my thing. So I’m back to Skinnies – better fit, more variety – but still extremely hard to find ‘the right ones’.
So yeah – this website is great, keeps us on the straight & narrow when it comes to purchasing our clothes. But I wouldn’t say you have to spend loads on one piece (unless you really want to) – quality and value for money can go hand in hand if you look after the items.
Look for quality not. Brands I guarantee you will find it in both high and premium for example I’ve had armani t shirts that lasted only a few washes but on the other hand I’ve had t shirts from woolworths which cost a fraction of the armani one that but lasted way longer sometimes brands just make you pay for wearing the name.
I have always shopped by the rule ‘if the product price is equivalent to the personal worth of the item then buy it’, for me that means the cut, quality, and style must be to my liking to warrant consideration. Therefore I haven’t bought high street in over 6 years as I prefer to buy something I actually want rather than buying just because it’s cheap.
Having moved in with my fiance money being spent on clothes has reduced and made me think more about what i’m buying. With working for a fashion retailer I do understand and appreciate the quality of higher priced items but I will draw a line, £100 for a jumper is way too much. I do however spend that little bit more on such items as footwear, jeans and outerwear as these are the pieces of clothing that get used and exposed the most day-to-day so quality is important. I also do buy from the high street, mainly basics such as plain t-shirts, at the end of the day a white t-shirt is a white t-shirt no matter where you get it from.
It’s nice to see everyone has their own opinions on this! It would certainly seem that picking your battles, sensible choices and getting a good balance is the way forward. It all comes down to personal preference in the end; just what do you want to get for your money.
LOOOL i thought that ladies underwear scene only happened to me. reminds me of when i was 8 i said i wouldnt go there and i got left sitting down on the base of a huge lingerie poster. then two moms came round pushing their babies and laughed when they saw me. good times :’ )