Prioritizing the basics

[Feng_Li]

[Edit: Bartender, I meant to post this in General Attire. My apologies.]

Having saved a bit of money and substantially reduced my gas budget now that university is over, I'm taking stock of my wardrobe and hoping to improve it. Here is how it stands at present:

1 Gray 1 Brown Fedora
1 Mustard-brown flat cap
2 Jackets (visible here and here.
Smattering of shirts & ties
5 pair (total) khaki and navy chinos
1 pair gray wool trousers (also visible in the last photo)
1 pair black oxfords
1 white cotton pocket square
1 reversible belt
1 brown leather gunbelt (I don't carry at the moment, but I like the belt and it's dressy enough I wear it anyway)

3 polo shirts (1 long sleeve, 3 short)


Looking at Matt's List I am unsure how I should build next. Priority number one, I think, is a pair of brown shoes. I've been wearing some plain leather hiking boots to work with my khaki trousers that are passable, but barely. For context, I teach public school, which is one of the most casual work environments imaginable. I and one other teacher wear jacket and tie on a daily basis.

I'm trying to figure out what items would be the best investment at this point. The shirts and trousers I have, while not especially good (mainly Dockers) do get cycled pretty hard, so I expect I can upgrade there as things wear out.

Secondly, I live near Portland, OR and I've absolutely no idea where I ought to look for things. I splurged on the green jacket and wool trousers at Michael Allens with the intent of building an interview outfit, but I can't afford to shop there very often. Aside from those, it has been at least five years since I bought any clothes, so all recommendations are appreciated.

 

[AlanC]

Have you tried thrifting and ebay? Ebay for shoes, thrifting for lots of things. Take a look at ebay for Allen Edmonds for your brown shoes.

Shoes really are the foundation of the wardrobe.

 

[Cacklewack]

Feng_li,

I suggest eBay, and if you want to shop for vintage clothes downtown, Avalon and Decades are pretty decent places.

I buy all of my shoes (Allen Edmonds) on eBay. You can't beat the price.

Matt

 

[Feng_Li]

Thank you for the store suggestions, Cacklewack. I think I'm better off sticking with brick-and-mortar places for now, as I'm not sure enough about sizing to feel good about ordering online yet.

 

[Cacklewack]

Find a brand of shoes you like at a local store, and then purchase them on eBay! That's what I did with Allen Edmonds!

Matt

 

[Undertow]

Yes, I agree with the eBay suggestions. I couldn't tell you how many great pairs of shoes I've been able to pick up on the bay. In fact, I was just wearing a favorite pair of $100 Florsheim wingtips during jury duty today that I picked up on the bay NIB for $18.

 

[Feng_Li]

Success, I hope!

One other reason I was frustrated with ebay was that there are webfilters at work, and I generally wound up missing things by several hours. Thank you, Marc Chevalier, for mentioning esnipe in your Classic Style article. It sure makes ebay a lot easier.

These should polish up nicely. Bl?ºchers mislisted as Oxfords, correct?

Is there anything special one should know about secondhand shoes, other than to give them a thorough cleaning and polishing?

 

[Renee]

Do you want only vintage, or are new "classics" also acceptable?

Looking at what you've listed, I would suggest acquiring a classic navy blazer and upgrading the khakis. A good navy blazer is really a "workhouse" piece of clothing for a man, and you'll find that good quality khakis are worth their weight in gold (especially if you wear them on an almost-daily basis teaching). They really do upgrade your entire look. My husband and son both wear Bill's khakis, and while a bit pricey initially they pay for themselves many times over. Maybe then a nice dark charcoal gray fine wool suit with a faint pinstripe.

Whatever you decide on, you're already ahead of the game!

 

[Feng_Li]

I don't mind modern items that look classic. Everything I'm wearing in the second picture is modern. It was also painfully expensive, although part of that may simply be my having to adjust my notion of what things should cost.

I like the blazer suggestion, and having a third jacket will certainly prolong the life of my other two. And I see that John Helmer's carries Bill's, so I will definitely pop in next time I'm downtown.

 

[Dr Doran]

Helmer's in downtown Portland is marvelous. If you talk to the owner, John Helmer, you'll get a synopsis of the past 80 years of men's wear. He's a wonderful fellow.

I'm a little surprised that no one is mentioning Goodwill. If you are not afraid to be seen there and you spend a little time there, you will easily find at least good suit-jackets, and perhaps even entire suits. I have about 20 whole 2-piece suits I have gotten there, many of which fit immediately, some of which were vintage, and a few of which required small tailoring. I have found double-breasted suits there, too, which garner great admiration. Price: nineteen dollars each. My favorite pair of saddle shoes, oxblood and black Florsheim wingtips in excellent condition, also were obtained at Goodwill for a stunning six dollars.

I have only recently started seriously buying things on ebay but have found excellent deals including a herringbone brown DB suit, perfect fit, for 25 bucks plus shipping. I have gotten a few shoes there including Allen Edmonds, slightly used, not exactly dress shoes but almost, pretty cheaply. I think they were forty dollars instead of three hundred.