A thread on affordable casualwear I like on eBay. Requirements: plenty of stock and under $100. 🧵
Taylor Stitch Shirts (~$50 eBay)
Great value new; even better value used. The fall/winter shirts are made from surprisingly thick fabrics. I like the Yosemite (chamois) and Crater (plaid flannel) models best, although they also have some cool Westerns and chambrays.
Dickies, Carhartt, & Stan Ray Painter Pants (~$50)
Robust, double knee construction. Cool way to wear white pants bc they don't feel as aggressive as white jeans + they look better dirty. Wear with chambray. Plenty on eBay, although this pic is from UnionStationVintage on Etsy
Vintage Lee Rider Jacket (~$75)
Cooler than Levis Type III bc it has a more interesting silhouette (cropped, v-shaped) and slanted chest pockets that aim toward the shoulders (kinda like peak lapels). Warning: these can be wonky to size; buy from a place that takes returns
French Chore Coat (~$75)
I like the beat-up vintage ones best. A dime a dozen on eBay and Etsy. If wearing a stinky chore coat grosses you out, you can check for new ones from brands like Vetra, Le Laboureur, Arpenteur, and Le Mont Saint Michel.
Scottish Shetlands (~$50)
A bit prickly, but good over an oxford cloth button-down shirt. Harder wearing than cashmere, and much more affordable, too. Anything made in Scotland will be good. Type "shetland (Scotland, Scottish)" into the search bar + click "include descriptions"
Stan Ray Fatigues ($80)
If you don't want to sort through vintage military fatigues, check out Stan Ray on eBay and Etsy. Made in Texas from OG 107 sateen fabric. Beware of sizing (triple check measurements). A size 30 waist may need a size 32 pant.
Vintage Cargo Pants (~$80)
Articulated knees, box pleated pockets, and drawstring hems can all help to create a more interesting shape on the bottom half of your outfit. Search "German Bundeswehr pants," "p44 pants" and "military surplus cargo pants," but triple check sizing
Chambray Shirts ($75)
The look of a denim shirt, but lighter weight and good for summer. Easy to find on eBay from brands like Ralph Lauren, Bronson, and J. Crew's Wallace & Barnes. Engineered Garments is also great but will run you a little north of $100
If you find this helpful, I round up cool menswear-related eBay finds for a site called Put This On twice a week. Prices tend to be a bit higher than $100, but the general idea is to help ppl build quality wardrobes on a budget.
a lot of ppl who claim to be progressive struggle to make the connection btw the things they care about—fair wages, labor protections, & homelessness—with their belief that clothes should cost $20
the items in this thread may be outside of your budget and that's fine! no one has to engage in fashion. but the idea that clothes should cost $2 sits at the core of many of the problems ppl complain about. it's not all about evil corporations; it's also about you, the consumer
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When I was on a menswear forum, navy trousers were of great controversy. Discussions about them lasted many years, resulting in long-lasting rivalries. Sometimes people refrained from speaking about them out of fear of dredging up old debates.
First, I should state at the outset that there's no way to have this conversation without, in some way, speaking crudely about certain classes of people. I make no judgements about their worth or dignity. I am only describing the semiotics of men's dress.
Second, everything depends on your goals. Dress is not a science, so there are no overriding laws. Everything is contextual to culture. More on this later
Before we start, here are two outfits involving green sport coats. Which do you like better? Please choose before moving on.
I get this question a lot. I don't have strong views on how transmasc people should dress, but since I often get the question, I've thought about it a bit. Will share some thoughts in this thread. 🧵
My general feeling is that this question often approaches the idea of style from a perspective I don't share. I don't believe in approaching dress first from the perspective of body type. For instance, there are a lot of guides online that break down body types like this.
I disagree with this perspective because they always seem to be about forcing the person into one narrow ideal. So if you're short, they tell you how to wear certain things to give the illusion of height. Or if you're heavy, they say how you can dress to hide your weight.
I don't think people such as Hegesth are intentionally choosing to dress like this to signal they're "not like the swamp." I think we're simply in a generational change in terms of taste. Will show some examples. 🧵
A hundred years ago, men's dress was governed by time, place, and occasion (TPO). If you were of a certain social position and had to do a certain thing, you were expected to wear certain outfits. If you didn't know these rules, a tailor would tell you.
Over the course of the 20th century, these rules loosened, partly because society became more accepting of different social groups and their lifestyles (which is a good thing). By the close of the 20th century, the rise of business casual swept tailoring out of offices
Anthony Constantino, CEO of Sticker Mule, says that he would use a US manufacturer for his company's t-shirts. However, he feels the US company doesn't meet his quality standards and they "must maintain quality."
So what constitutes a quality t-shirt? Let's find out. 🧵
For reference, I'm comparing Sticker Mule's t-shirts (made in Nicaragua) to Bayside Apparel (fully made in the US from fiber to finish). Sticker Mule charges $19 for their t-shirts. Organizations that print on Bayside blanks sell their merch for $27.
I should state at the outset that to properly determine quality, I would need to send these t-shirts to a lab, which I'm unable to do because I don't own a Sticker Mule t-shirt. Additionally, quality can be subjective, as it depends on your preferences.
It's very hard to find a suit jacket that can be worn with jeans, assuming you mean the kind of suits that would be worn for business. Let me show you. 🧵
What do we mean by "suit?" The term suit simply means that the jacket and pants were cut from the same cloth. You can have corduroy suits or linen suits. But when most people say suit, they mean the kind of outfits that would be worn for business, funerals, and court.
Such materials are typically dark in color and slick in feel. Historically, men wore these things with white dress shirts, dark ties, and black oxford shoes to do business in London. This history is why this outfit telegraphs "I'm here for serious business."
I disagree. In this thread, I will tell you what's wrong with Stephen Miller's outfits. Hopefully, this will help you judge whether a suit fits when you're shopping for one. 🧵
For context, here is the video that @FischerKing64 is responding to. Can you spot the issue with this suit?
It appears that Miller has spent a considerable sum upgrading his wardrobe since his time in Trump's first administration. I suspect these are all made-to-measure suits because they look new and come in a wide variety of materials. Unfortunately, all of them exhibit a collar gap.