Clothing, Weddings, Moneys

[DeathInABottle]

What's a reasonable amount of money to spend on a nice shirt and tie?  I'm going to a wedding in a month, so I went downtown yesterday to look for a new suit.  Thought I'd start at used places, try my luck, and I actually found this great three piece suit at Value Village for $30.  It was practically made for me - may as well have been fitted.  Thrilled with this, I figured I could now justify spending a bit of money on a nice shirt and tie.  Went to a fancy place, and picked up a fantastic Italian silk tie for $110 and a great dress shirt for $150.  The shirt and suit are at the tailor's now, having some minor alterations done.

I came home and told my roommate, and he called me an idiot (and a woman) for spending that much money on clothes "when I could have bought a PS3 instead".  I figure a) he's the kind of guy who never spends more than $20 on jeans, so what the hell does he know, b) the used suit justifies the new shirt and tie, c) it's worth investing money in this kind of thing, and d) who the hell wants a PS3 when you could have an XBox instead.  Right?

[Merusk]

I'm hoping you left a 0 off of that suit price, because a $260 shirt/ tie combo with a $30 suit is..   

Are you wearing the shirt-tie often enough over the next year or two that the expense was justified?  If not, yes, you're an idiot.  It's one thing to invest in clothes when you're going to wear them frequently.  It's another to buy an ensemble and then just hang it in your closet only to find out it doesn't fit the next time you try to wear it.

[Engels]

Some people on this board haven't had any growth, other than an occasional fluctuation of their paunch, in like, 10-30 years :P Its not a bad investment to spend even $600 on a suit/tie/shirt/shoes combo if you're settled into your body's shape.

[Merusk]

The paunch/ neck is what I was referring to.  Particularly if, as I'm guessing is the case here, you're still in your early to mid 20's.  I've replaced several work shirts that would fit me still if I hadn't gotten a little thicker around the neck and middle due to all the damn time spent sitting in an office chair.  Even working out and losing weight I know I'm not going to be a 15 1/2" neck again.

The tie thing's cool, tho.  YOu can hang on to those forever, as the fashion (wide/narrow/color/pattern/solid) always comes 'round again.  Well.. unless ties finally go the way of the dodo.

[Oban]

A tie is an investment, so choose a design that is timeless, learn how to tie proper knot and take care of them.  Same thing with a well tailored shirt.

I still have three Zegna ties in my normal rotation that I bought fifteen years ago and my favourite shirts are a couple of Ralph Lauren Purple labels that I picked up a decade ago. 

I started to purchase Battistoni ties and shirts a few years back and have heard that people wear them for decades as the styles never really go out of fashion.

Enjoy your clothes.

[climbjtree]

My first thought in all of this was that you need to make sure that the higher quality of the shirt and tie don't make your suit look like it's crap.

[Oban]

My first thought in all of this was that you need to make sure that the higher quality of the shirt and tie don't make your suit look like it's crap.

...says the arch-villain.

[Signe]

I think ties are horribly unattractive.  Wear an ascot and smoking jacket to the wedding if you want to make a REAL impression.



Ahhh.  I swoon.

[Venkman]

A tie is an investment, so choose a design that is timeless, learn how to tie proper knot and take care of them.  Same thing with a well tailored shirt.

Wouldn't that be more for the office than for the occasional wedding?

I think DIaB did the right thing. No amount of money is too much to spend to look sharp at a wedding, particularly if it's the couples' first wedding, they and their friends are in their 20s, and you're single 

Just don't give them a $15 gift certificate to Best Buy while wearing your $110 tie though 

[Abagadro]

I buy all of my dress shirts/ties at Nordstroms. I've gone to fancier places and spent more money on shirts & ties, but always come back to that place because the shirts seem to fit me better, look nice and are durable.  I tend to hit their twice-yearly men's sales and stock up. The next one starts on June 13. Their normal shirts are around 60-65 (can be found on sale for around 50), and their John D. Nordstrom brand (which is what I prefer) are around 90 and can be found on sale for around 70-75.  For ties I also like Nordstrom's during the men's sales, particularly the Robert Talbott lines which are regularly around 100-110 but can be found for 70-80 during the sale. I have to wear this stuff every day though so it is worth the investment for me.

[Miasma]

Does anyone know where they get off charging that much for ties in the first place, I've always wondered that.  The mark up must be just incredible.

[Abagadro]

I'm sure the mark up is well into the 300-500 percent range on them, but you can really easily tell the difference between a crap tie and a nice tie just by the knot it will hold.

[Signe]

I have to agree about Nordstroms.  They have some great sales.  When Righ was in corporate mode and had to wear a suit and tie every day, I found it was especially worth shopping for quality.  Find yourself a good tailor and dry cleaner, too, once you invest in decent men's clothing.  Even for smart casual wear, it pays off in the end.  If you can manage it, however, work from home and wear comfy crap.  Drag out the suits for weddings and funerals.   Have fun at the wedding, Death Bottle, and hang on to the fancy rags for future interviews!

[Ironwood]

I'm fine with it;  however, you do realise that your dinner at the wedding is going to go right over it ?

Now factor in the drycleaning.

 

[schild]

The idea of low/medium/high quality clothing is very region centric. In Miami or SoCal, that's low end. In Phoenix, it's pretty much high-end. Because most of the people out here are still dressed by their mothers. Or at least seem to be.

I mostly shop at Nordstroms because the quality to price is pretty much the best in the industry. But they're not quite as region-centric as Macys or Saks. Saks, especially. You can get a good idea for what's NICE where you live by going to Saks.

Edit: Just so you get an idea though, $150 won't even buy you a NICE pair of jeans. You're looking at anywhere between $250 to $500 for a really nice pair. I could probably go out and get a NICE shirt and tie for around $350-$400 depending on what color set and suit I was wearing to the wedding. It all completely depends - honestly - on how badly you want to fuck a bridesmaid and if you can pull that shit off. Because, let's be honest, if you're not aiming to fuck a bridesmaid... well... yea. Let's assume you do. Otherwise, just get a nice white shirt (around $100-$150) and a decent tie, and get drunk and be ready to throw the shirt away.

Edit2: Also, your roommate is as much a bitch as Jain Zar's friends. Don't listen to him. Ever.

[Trippy]

I buy all of my dress shirts/ties at Nordstroms.

Nordstrom's is great cause they sell dress shirts with extra long sleeves. I can't wear any of those L/XL-sized dress shirts cause their sleeves are invariably way too short for me. Need some bizarre sleeve length and neck size combination? They've got it.

[Furiously]

The idea of low/medium/high quality clothing is very region centric. In Miami or SoCal, that's low end. In Phoenix, it's pretty much high-end. Because most of the people out here are still dressed by their mothers. Or at least seem to be.

I mostly shop at Nordstroms because the quality to price is pretty much the best in the industry. But they're not quite as region-centric as Macys or Saks. Saks, especially. You can get a good idea for what's NICE where you live by going to Saks.

Edit: Just so you get an idea though, $150 won't even buy you a NICE pair of jeans. You're looking at anywhere between $250 to $500 for a really nice pair. I could probably go out and get a NICE shirt and tie for around $350-$400 depending on what color set and suit I was wearing to the wedding. It all completely depends - honestly - on how badly you want to fuck a bridesmaid and if you can pull that shit off. Because, let's be honest, if you're not aiming to fuck a bridesmaid... well... yea. Let's assume you do. Otherwise, just get a nice white shirt (around $100-$150) and a decent tie, and get drunk and be ready to throw the shirt away.

Edit2: Also, your roommate is as much a bitch as Jain Zar's friends. Don't listen to him. Ever.

Or you could get a $25 shirt at Mervyn's and a hooker and still be ahead.

[Lantyssa]

I'm so glad I work in academia and don't mind hitting resale shops.  I'd be broke with as much clothing as I buy at those prices.