Beginners' Fashion Advice

[TheFashionPrinceHeir]

So basically, im here (like most people) to get some real fashion advice.

Iv always been interested in fashion to an extent, however, up until recently, iv mainly been one of those kind of people who the vast majority on here tend to hate , rocking plenty of jack wills, a fair bit of hollister, chinos, cuffed jeans etc. however, recently, while more and more reading fashionbeans and one or two other fashion articles , iv reached the point where i feel my fashion IS just a copy of many many others, and heading in the direction of a wannabe one direction-er (which i must admit, at times, they do look highly fashionable)... so basically, how do i go from this transition, of wearing mainly cuffed blue jeans and converses and a jack wills/hollister top etc with a jacket.. to the type of fashion where i want to be?

out of the pieces i own, someof the things i do really like.. chinos in brown, camel colour, khaki green (albeit cuffed at the bottom), and a pair of blue cuffed jeans and some black levis.. also, a jack wills gilet (its nice!!) , plenty of scarves, and accessories, but far too much fo my upper half is concentrated on heavily logo'd holliste, the occassional all saints and jack wills i am starting to develop my own look (got complimented for wearing chinos, a plain black t shirt and a waistcoat on a casual the other day), and have brought some all saints military boots, some boat shoes (for the summer) etc. etc.

SO someone help!?!

iv read all the beginner guides but even some of the basics are too expensive for me im just a student whose furiously trying to juggle saving up for univeristy with car insurance, petrol prices, clothing etc etc. so basically i cant spend a lot!

and my wanted list i suppose boils down to these items:

a navy blazer - up to 30 quid ish
some sort of red/burgundy jeans/chinos - up to 30 quid is
a fairisle or some nice knitwear (not too fairisle, i like to keep the patterns fairly basic/simple/subtle)
a grey(or possibly other colour?) cable knit jumper?
a nautical striped kinda long sleeved top


okay, by now i expect 95% of you arent reading this, but any advice in how to make this HUGE transition?! please?!?

and the biggest advice (since im a lazy bugger), can anyone find any of the items i like in the sort of price range im looking for..anywhere !? please help

want to try and integrate this new fashion in with some of the old pieces i have (kinda) so im not chucking away TOO much and wasting too much money..

and any helpw ould be HUGELY appreciated.. MANY THANKS !!

[Nath6644]

Hi there! We have alot in common it seems.
I am a student and I'm also making a very similar transition, although from completely the opposite end of the spectrum to you. (the kind of hipstery, art student look)
And to be honest, I think I'm finally starting to succeed, though its been a hard journey.
Build from the bottom up: start with shoes (I'm wearing brogue boots atm) and bottoms (I wear black skinnies but some coloured skinny chinos are on my wish list). Buy loads of plain tops to go with these (no garish huge logos!)

As for the top, keep it simple! Simple colours, simple textures! (don't go straight for cords and tweed yet!) Plain t shirts can be layered with grey or coloured plain knitwear, fairisle and blazers.

As for the money issue, I buy nearly everything from topman or asos. Look in the sale in topman atm, there's some ridiculous buys where I am!

Hope this helps man!

[Sam]

I'm afraid that you will need more money or a shorter shopping list to really make this work, but there's a good fist to be made of this with what you have.
I would firstly suggest you buy vintage sometimes. Make it inconspicuous - no massive 70s lapels for example - and make sure the condition's good, but if you can do that you can save money. Check out Beyond Retro, Rokit and That Indie Look (google them all, each has online shops) as well as your local charity shop(s).
Topman and Asos are okay but be wary of quality, they're notoriously ropey.
You seem to have an okay idea of the pieces that will work for you; I'd suggest you strip the list down a bit though in the interests of saving money. Opt to only get one bit of knitwear for example; if you get the right piece it will be extremely versatile.
Cuffed jeans and trousers are dangerous territory but check out the great article on the main bit of the site for some ideas; be aware that in the context of an outfit for the fashionable man they suddenly become a very daring choice, quite unlike their niche as an everyday choice for the boyband wannabe.

[Jay]

There's some good advice here. I'm not one for advice on tight budgets as I like to splurge, but think long term. Building up a wardrobe of basics is about timeless classics (and the items you've listed are exactly that for the most part), so don't think about buying for this season. Shop around, buy the summer items now and wait for the January sales for the winter stuff. Buying out of a season is a great way of getting stuff on the cheap (but don't buy anything too on trend, because by the time the right season rocks around again, you'll look a plonker.

Oh, and when I'm made King of the World, anyone seen in cuffed jeans/chinos will tarred, feathered, paraded through the streets where everyone will be encouraged to jeer and throw things, before being drowned in a lake. Twice, just to make sure.

[Olly]

Oh, and when I'm made King of the World, anyone seen in cuffed jeans/chinos will tarred, feathered, paraded through the streets where everyone will be encouraged to jeer and throw things, before being drowned in a lake. Twice, just to make sure.

BRILLIANT! I'll be at the front of the crowds, ha ha.

Anyway, back to the question in hand. If you're really trying to stretch your budget, why not have a look at eBay? I know some people sneer at it but I have picked up some pretty phenomenal pieces at frankly ridiculous prices. Check out the thread. If you already have an idea of what it is you want then you shouldn't have too much trouble finding something.

Best of luck.

[Daniel.]

Congratulations on coming to your own conclusions about what's holding you back in the fashion world. The two hardest leaps to make are realising that you dress one way because everyone else does, and then not caring about what anyone thinks when you dress your way.

I would definitely invest in a bright yellow latex suit. It's trendy and timeless. Throw in some yellow brogues as well to complete the outfit. Don't use a yellow pocket square though, you don't want to overdo the yellow.

[Evan John]

Hey,

By the sounds of the items you already have (Jack Wills, Hollister) you're in your 20s. Check out our article for advice on how to dress. A 30s-40s article is coming soon.
Dressing For Your Age – The Twenties (20s) | Fashionbeans.com

[Pin Money]

Get down to TK Maxx, if you can be arsed to wade through all the junk, you can find some amazing pieces at amazing prices. I got an All Saints gilet for £30 at the weekend, and a Feraud blazer in Navy for £40 a few months ago.

[William Colman]

First off, I think you should be prepared to spend a tiny bit more on certain items; a navy blazer, unless you are lucky, will cost you more than £30, you might be better off waiting until the sales start to kick, you'll have a better chance of getting something half decent at a price more suited to your budget. Or as Pin Money has suggested, trawl through TK Maxx. Thankfully for you all the other things you have on your list are relatively cheap.

For chinos within your price range try these:

COMFORT CHINOS - Trousers - Collection - Man - ZARA United Kingdom

or

Plum Perfect Skinny Trousers - Skinny Fit - Mens Chinos & Casual Trousers - Clothing - TOPMAN
unfortunately, quality is something that you will have to compromise on for a while but as long as you look after your clothes i.e wash them on the right setting and inside out so the colour doesn't run so much on the outside and don't make them too dirty they should last a while.

in terms of knitwear you are in a similar position in terms of quality but you'll be able to find some decent stuff around.

http://www.topman.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId =33056&storeId=12555&productId=2681410&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=207221&parent_ca tegoryId=207169&pageSize=200&refinements=category~[364726|207221]&noOfRefinements=1

and

http://www.topman.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId =33056&storeId=12555&productId=2684344&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=207221&parent_ca tegoryId=207169&pageSize=200&refinements=category~[365167|207221]&noOfRefinements=1

Push your budget a tiny bit (if you wait for the navy blazer you'll have more to invest in other things) and you'll be able to buy something a bit nicer. The fairisle jumper from Topman above isn't too garish and it's a good colour but still has the right amount of sartorial appeal to create a bit of a statement.

For your stripey top try this

Ben Sherman | Ben Sherman Long Sleeve Top at ASOS
Bit more expensive than you might have wanted but it will be of reasonable quality and perfectly fits a nautical and heritage theme.

Hope this helps, good luck with the style change.

[rubyblue]

Since you are on a budget, you are not going to be able to buy all the things you want quickly. Make a list with your top priorities: maybe it's more important to buy knitwear and a casual jacket instead of a blazer, which is pricier and you're not going to get so much wear out of. Consider not just what you want, but what you need.

Don't go for trendy or exccentric pieces at first. Instead of buying coloured trousers or bright patterned shirts, get a supply of basics that will seem less repetitive when you wear them often.

Become an expert at shopping. Go to every store you like regularly to spot the things you need, compare prices, qualities and styles, and try to make most of your shopping at sales. You'll find heavily discounted items thet make it easier to build your new wardrobe. Try, as far as you can, to buy things of decent quality that will last a while.

You will have to come to terms with the fact that this kind of transitions are difficult. You are not going to look super-trendy or be dressed exactly the way you like while you're at it, but it's definitely worth the effort.