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Clothes shopping

February 12th, 2009 at 03:18 am

Now there's two words you won't hear me say everyday! But let me start from the beginning and say THANK YOU to all you smart ladies out there who really know how to dress a man.

I also did some research on my own, and although the advice I received here are invaluable, it also became clear to me that I still need to go to a specialty store where someone can measure me, visually inspect me, and custom tailor the suits to make sure they will fit right.

The Suits
And that's how I ended up shopping at the Mens Wearhouse. The employees there (both guys) were amazingly helpful. Best of all, not only are their suits on discount (from $500 down to $350), but everything in the store (except shoes) was buy 1 get 1 free on top of that! That means the suits are more like $175 each! For something that normally costs $500!

So, I picked up a couple of really nice suits. Single breasted, 3 buttons (that's all they had), and 100% worsted wool. One is dark navy, and it looks and feels great! Very conservative, looks timeless, but is also very formal.

The second suit is very similar in style and quality, but is charcoal gray and a bit less formal. Ideal for occasions when I am not attending something serious.

I also picked up four 100% cotton Oxford type dress shirts. Two matched the suits, and two more that can worn on its own (when suits are too much). The shirts are also buy 1 get 1 free.

No ties or shoes though. Shoes are dictated by the workplace, and I didn't really like any of the ties there. In a pinch, I can always borrow a tie from my dad's closet.

The Cologne
I've been going to this one mall for literally more than a decade now, and I've actually never known that there was a Macy's there. Luckily, I managed to stumble into it to look for some cologne.

It's amazing, the deals that are out there and how desperate people are, wanting you to shop. I literally got (politely) hounded by two sales reps there. "Hey, would you like to try this on? Go on, please, give it a try! Really good deal right now! How about this one?"

Some of Macy's clothing is on sale by as much as 65% off the original price, AND if you are a Macy's member (which I signed up for because it was free), you get much as an additional 30% off on top of that! Crazy.

Anyways, I sampled several colognes, and you know what? I never realized that colognes can smell "sweet", "powdery", and/or "musky". I mean, I almost never wear cologne, so I had no idea.

But in the end, I still decided on Lux's recommendation of Armani's Acqua Di Gio. It was the most conservative scent out of all the ones I sampled, and I think conservative is the safest option for a newbie. Plus, I do like the nice, light scent.

Speaking of which, exactly how much cologne is one suppose to use and where exactly do you apply it? Sorry, I have no idea about stuff like this.

In Closing....
Sorry that I also don't have any pictures. Although I have the dress shirts with me, the suits are still at the store, waiting to be tailored. And anyways, they're just suits, like any other suits anyone has ever seen.

Oh, and sorry about being so wordy. It might seem crazy talking this much about clothes shopping, but... all this is a unique experience to me. Quite literally, I have never done anything like this before! But in the end, I also think this is a good long term investment and I am happy with my purchases.

Update
I went back to the Mens Wearhouse to exchange my shirts, citing my concerns about wrinkles. They double checked my shirts and said that the shirts I bought are specially treated cotton shirts that prevent wrinkling. Sure enough, he showed me the label on the shirt that said, "Non-Iron". He added that that these treated cotton is actually even more wrinkle-free than a cotton/polyester blend.

And here I am wondering why these shirts were so expensive! Hehe. Although, because they were buy 1 get 1 free, they turned out to be about roughly the same price as any other comparable shirts found elsewhere, except these are suppose to be superior quality.

The employee was even wearing one, and showed me his. I double checked and asked if dryers will still wrinkle it, and he said that while nothing is impervious, my shirts should be the most resistant to it. Anyways, I've decided to keep these, because he said that if I somehow still don't like it, then they'll take it back and exchange it.

7 Responses to “Clothes shopping”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1234411336

    I apply perfume on each side on my neck...one spritz per side. I also sometimes do my wrists...but I don't know if men would do this. The less the cologne the better. You don't want it to overpower the people you work with.

  2. whitestripe Says:
    1234422323

    don't feel crazy talking about clothes, my DF is probably more into clothes than me, and i like my clothes! i think it is nice that men care about what they wear and what they look like.

  3. LuxLiving Says:
    1234447563

    100% cotton??? - did they get you a size up to allow for shrinkage?

    Aren't these going to have to be ironed?????????????? Do you iron? Like to iron?

    Are you on close personal terms with a dry-cleaner that's going to press these shirts for you? If not, are you going to like paying for it????

    Ummm, I would take these back. I would think that they saw you coming on those shirts and sold you what works for them not what might be best for you. Likely you want something permanent-pressed. Comes out of the dryer looking pressed and ready to roll out the door in a snap. The 100% cotton's going to come out of the machines looking like the bottoms of Beverly Hillbilly's Granny's feet after a long day! I'm just saying because you're my friend and I care and I think that because you're a newbie guy at the clothes buying that you got taken advantage of. Don't want you going out all wrinkly, nor do I want you to have to slave over an ironing board. And I know you most likely don't want to pay to have this done for you.

    But, then again, you may like 100% cotton. Hubster does.



    He irons his own shirts.



    Excellent choice on the cologne - clean fresh, not very heavy! Err on the side of caution. A bit goes a long way and some people who you might be around you can be allergic to any colognes in their surroundings.

  4. Broken Arrow Says:
    1234449581

    Oooh, didn't realize that! They did size me up a half size for comfort. But 100% cotton is NOT good? What type should I be looking for then?

    The shirts haven't been taken out of the wrappings yet, and I still have the receipt. I'm sure I can exchange it for something else or get my money back.

    Anyway, please don't worry about telling me I did something wrong. That's why I am asking to begin with, and I just want to get it right.

    So, do you think it should be a cotton/polyester blend?

  5. LuxLiving Says:
    1234450632

    Permanent Press. It's going to be something like a mix of 60% cotton & 40% polyester. Frankly, I personally wouldn't buy the shirts for Hubster at Men's Wearhouse. Suits yes. Shirts, no. They've got perfectly servicable oxford shirts at Walmart & K-Marts that are virtually indistinquishable (it's early did I spell that right??) to my eye, that are likely far less in price. Might depend on if you are strictly a 'buy American' kind of person. It might pay to compare prices.

    I looked in Hubster's closet - some of his oxford shirts have a big old 'Wrinkle-Free' tag slapped in the back of the neck. This works if as soon as the buzzer on the dryer dings that you hop on it and hang them up pronto-burger!

    Most of his came from Walmart and he wore them daily to work and washed them every time he wore them. Some have lasted for years and years.

    Also, I have bought him perfectly nice oxfords from thrifts and resale shops that look brand new for 3-6 dollars.

  6. Broken Arrow Says:
    1234451454

    Thank you Lux! Terrific advice. I'll go return the shirts later today, and check out the discount stores. Maybe even Macy's. Hehe.

  7. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    1234651649

    Hey, I'm late to this, but Men's Wearhouse was the mall store that did so well advising my clothing-ignorant DH. Also, he does have some 100% cotton oxford JC Penny shirts that are somehow treated to be wrinkle free, and they are great. So maybe you have the same thing. Woven shirts don't normally shrink, in my experience. I don't know why. Maybe the fabric is pre-shrunken before sewing.

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