Clothing for the rest of us

[optimusx]

Hey guys,

After reading the posing trunk thread and getting a pair of jeans in I had to make a statment/ask a question. Are there any places that sell clothes for guys not within the "American Norm"? Ever notice that when you buy an XL shirt their tight at the top and then have enough room for another person by the time you get to the bottom? Same thing for pants, the waist may fit, but Heaven forbid that your Quad/Hams can actually get into the pant legs.

The jeans in question were on sale from Amazon, so of course the frugel shopper I am, I decided that since I had not picked up a pair of jeans since like 4th grade that I'd buy a pair. They normally run $128 but were on sale for $19 so I figured what the heck and then threw in a Star Trek novel to get the free shipping (I'm such a nerd). Well long story short: The waist fits fine but OY is it tight around the bum and legs.. there is NOTHING left to the imagination. Granted after realizing that it was a designer jean (I guess designer...2xist) I assumed that it would fit in a similar fashion since the intended audience are slim guys... but name a slim guy with a 36 waist.... hmm I might post pics later if I'm up to it (or if demand is high enough).

But I guess the point is, designer or not, clothing is getting harder and harder to find. Most of my clothing has aged well (read: stretched without tearing) so I'm not in dire straights for new clothing... but I do need to buy some more business-casual type attire and such that FIT well. Any suggestions?

Thanks guys!
Scott

[paarke]

Buy a kilt! Actually its not quite as daft as it sounds. There was a Scottish guy who worked in another office of my department here in Birmingham. As he's in a public office, he has to wear the uniform, but he didn't like it. He took the issue to an employment tribunal, and won the case on the grounds that banning him from wearing his national dress, i.e the kilt, amounted to racial discrimination, and the department had no choice but to allow him to wear it in the workplace. Bet it blows a bit chilly around the Outer Hebrides at this time of year though. Anyway, anyone got any sensible solutions?

[glammaman2000]

carries what they call a"relaxed fit"jean that is great if you have a big butt&legs,but don't want to dress like a drug dealer.in the 80's,some suit manufacturers were marketing"athletic drop"clothing(for guys whose waists were 10"smaller than their chests)but they've been pretty much discontinued.

[RadRx]

This is my current gripe with all those fashion makeover 'artists' telling guys to stop wearing pleated pants. Plain front pants are not made for anyone with even the slightest amount of leg development. I was being fitted for a pair of dress slacks several years ago and the seamstress made a comment about a definite need for pleats just to avoid 'showing too much' up front. Talk about leaving nothing to the imagination -- modesty in this regard must be the reason for the trendiness in untucked shirts.

Levi's used to make it easy to find jeans that fit by using their numbering system. Nowadays, however, they all seem to describe varying degrees of bagginess. 550 and 560 fit larger in the leg. Barney's still sells original 501's at a ridiculous $138, but they can be had for less just about anywhere else.

Diesel - out of the question. Aside from feeling like you're shopping for jeans at Ikea ("I think the groepen pair fit better than the posin"), there is just no way they will ever fit right on anyone not starving themselves to model for their catalogue.

Lucky - surprisingly not a bad choice. Model 165 is a nice, relaxed fit; 181 shows off a bit more. That placement of a "Lucky You" ribbon along the inside of the zippers might get some raised eyebrows. BTW boot cut has an entirely different meaning nowadays; it does not refer to a flaring cuff like it did in the 70's and 80's.


I think in shirts the manufacturers have started cutting their patterns to reflect the average shape of Americans. The only place that sells tapered shirts is A&F. Just hope you don't actually have to go someplace that requires a look other that permanently wadded look. Of course, if you're built enough just stretching it over your frame could pull out some wrinkles.

It also seems like the more expensive shirts are cut more generously to pander to the income levels of the buyers. Women's clothes have been this way for years ("Somewhere out there is a size 6 so expensive it will actually fit Nell Carter" - Rita Rudner), and many of the leisure clothiers for men are starting to follow suit.

Suits -- Hmmm. A lot of places now offer men's suits as separates -- giving men more options with regard to waist drop and pant style. Dunno. I don't really need to buy that many.

[buffdoc]

In terms of shirts, Gap now sells an athletic cut line. I have found these to fit really well.

[wbhunk]

I agree with Buffdoc....at the insistence of my sister, my mother, and the current beau, I had a fertile day of shopping at the Gap, and was very impressed by the "athletic cut" shirts, especially in XL (17-17.5 neck) -- it's nice to finally have shirts that fit my neck without looking like maternity blouses!

In terms of pants, I work best in the straight-front Gap khakis and slacks....but that is because I have, to be kind, a rather generous pair of glutes, and pleats make it look like my hips are even bigger than they are.

For jeans, I'm a Wranglers and boots guy....and I've had good luck with Wrangler relaxed-fit 31 MWZs, as far as being able to fit thighs and butt without that torniquet feeling.

[brent]

Originally Posted by wbhunk

...
In terms of pants, I work best in the straight-front Gap khakis and slacks....but that is because I have, to be kind, a rather generous pair of glutes, and pleats make it look like my hips are even bigger than they are.
...

Yeah, pleats were an awful mistake that should be left in the '80s. If you are fat, they make you look MUCH fatter, and if you aren't, they make you look fat. What were we thinking 17 years ago, and why won't retailers let those things die?

[ottomun6]

I can't speak for all guys...
But I can say that as a guy that had 27+" thighs a few years back, that pleats were a godsend for guys with big thighs. If for no better reason, they are funtionally wonderful. I used to get angry when trying to find pants to fit that didn't look overly tight. Having everything altered was not in my budget.
I distinctly remember going down the racks trying to hold up the pants to see if the width would be more than average and even buying waist sizes 2" too large.
God forbid if you put them through the washer and dryer!! they would shrink even tighter!! There were times that you could make out the family jewels, I may as well have put on a pair of lycra shorts.
But that's why I love and always will love those funky old pleated pants

P.S. thaks for thr heads up about The Gap, I will have to drop in.

[Mdlftr]

I find that the more expensive stores tend to have good dress clothing that has truer sizes and better fit: e.g., Nordstrom's (for business suits--very well made and they last forever) suits tend to fit better, have truer sizes and have tailoring thrown in as part of the purchase price. They also have sales twice a year (Men's is in the summer, from late June to late July) and it is definitely worth the trip if you need 1 or 2 really good suits that you will keep for a long time (think Navy and gray).


You might also try Joseph A. Banks--their prices are good for dress clothes and they will work with you to fit you.

RE: Casual clothes. The relaxed fit jeans are fairly widely available and are a good idea. Dockers, which seem to be everywhere, are now at Penny's and they have a wide selection, with various forgiving leg/seat/ waist combinations.

Re: pleats. The "big butt" issue is there, BUT I have to say that they are very helpful in keeping the family jewels private! I have a proportionately large muscular butt that always pulls my pants in the front. Pleated pants, well-fitted, can be very flattering. It helps if you have a fairly flat lower torso, so the pleats don't look puffed out.

A buddy of mine, who is shorter, has an even more muscular butt and legs. He favors those gross polyester (!) stretch pants with the longer leg (like high schools football coaches wear). His wife LOVES his butt, but he gets all bent out of shape when it attracts attention from guys! (We're both straight, but he's just fashion-impaired, I guess). Anyway, I DON'T recommend the stretch polyester---unless you ARE a high school football coach, or it's Halloween!

Mdlftr

[RadRx]

MD:

Are you referring to those Bike (brand name) shorts that look like they have a built-in lifting belt? Favored by HS coaches? I thought they were mandatory!

Here's a hint for dress suits. Buy 2 pairs of slacks per jacket for the workhorse suits that you expect to wear a lot since pants wear out faster than the jackets. One of the tailors here in LA actually makes his pants with a removable liner to wash rather than subjecting the entire pair.

Even burlap looks good with flat abs.

[brent]

Originally Posted by Mdlftr

...
Pleated pants, well-fitted, can be very flattering. It helps if you have a fairly flat lower torso, so the pleats don't look puffed out.
...Mdlftr

I have yet to see pleated pants not puff out, and I have yet to see pleat flatter ANYONE!!! I'll take back that pleats can't help anyone, but I'm sticking to the fact that I have yet to see that mythical person with my own 2 eyes...

PS, I love flat fronted Dockers, Gap relaxed fit, and Old Navy Worker jeans. Also, in Oregon, and here in Nevada, Nordstrom's Men's Half Yearly Sale is in January. So if you live anywhere I have, you just missed it.

[grywlf]

being just about 6ft5 buying pants has always been a problem mostly with inseam
finding a 36 wst 36ism near impossible inless you order through a catalog i like baggy fight for the leg room shirts i've gone from a 1x tall to needing a 2x to 3x
still alittle tight in shoulders and way puffy in the stomach why do they assume everyone who needs a 3x is horribly over weight

[polomuscle]

try Polo--Big and Tall. exact measurements on Polo.com

[jcwise]

You can also try Land's End. They carry up to 20 inch neck and 40 inch arms. They can do a taper shirt so you do not feel like you are wearing a tent. I understand your issues about being 6'5".

[optimusx]

Hehe.. apparently this problem is fairly common, based on the fairly large response given. I didn't even know there was such things as an Athletic cut anymore... I'll definetly have to look into some of the options that were mentioned..

I just hate buying clothes Toys, Dvds, electronics, books.... I could spend entire days shopping for those things. . clothes, ugg.. paarke's suggestion of kilt isn't too bad either actually I'd never have to worry about the kilt being too tight around the legs ...hehe.. but I don't know how people would respond to a guy in a kilt in South Georgia

Scott