The Appeal of Dressing Fashionably for Men

[mcknia07]

I would love to take a guy out shopping. I mean, like homestly, how much fun would that be. To pick out more clothes that aren't even for me and to make someone else look good. Not saying that I look good, but I think I know how to dress a man.

 

[Cyrus]

I would love to take a guy out shopping. I mean, like homestly, how much fun would that be. To pick out more clothes that aren't even for me and to make someone else look good. Not saying that I look good, but I think I know how to dress a man.

You can take me out shopping so long as you buy it for me. Were going to start at Hugo Boss, and work our way down.

 

[Cyrus]

offtheleft, very nice suit you have. The first pic looks like a clubbin' photo that you would see in a magazine.

As for people wearing tight clothes...only do so if it properly fits, like moonbear said, we don't want muffin tops everywhere. I see more females doing this than males, but nice fitted clothes is a good thing. Plus, it helps if the person looks good anyhow to begin with...

LOL...I've never seen any guy with a muffin top due to tight jeans in my life.

 

[mcknia07]

Alrighty, sounds ok to me, but I get to pick out everything then, and you can't say no to me. I've never been to Hugo Boss before, so it might take hours upon hours

 

[Cyrus]

Alrighty, sounds ok to me, but I get to pick out everything then, and you can't say no to me. I've never been to Hugo Boss before, so it might take hours upon hours

I hope you poo-poo money. I don't think you could spend hours there, they don't sell that many things. It's a very small selection, and an extraordinarily high price.

 

[mcknia07]

LOL...I've never seen any guy with a muffin top due to tight jeans in my life.

Ummm, yeah I have, not that I wanted to. It's sick! People can get new clothes, they really aren't that much.

 

[mcknia07]

I hope you poo-poo money.

Oh great, how expensive are we talking here?

 

[Cyrus]

Oh great, how expensive are we talking here?

You don't want to know.....shirts are going to be $175 and up.

 

[Cyrus]

Ummm, yeah I have, not that I wanted to. It's sick! People can get new clothes, they really aren't that much.

That's quite nasty...

 

[mcknia07]

You don't want to know.....shirts are going to be $175 and up.

Holy crap boy, you sure know how to pick the most expensive items now don't you?!

 

[Cyrus]

Holy crap boy, you sure know how to pick the most expensive items now don't you?!

You said you were going to pay for it!

Seriously though, they have very very nice stuff in terms of design. But the price is literally for people that have lots *lots* of money to drop. The jackets (normal everyday type, not dress suit jackets) there are going to run $600+, ties are $100+, shoes are $160+ (sneakers!)...it's the top end you can buy.

But lots of companies like Ralph Lauren are also damn expensive (button shirts $200+). Not the stuff at department stores, but the real deal Ralph Lauren Boutique.

Neiman Marcus is also shi* expensive. They have dress shoes that run over a grand.

 

[mcknia07]

I hope you poo-poo money. I don't think you could spend hours there, they don't sell that many things. It's a very small selection, and an extraordinarily high price.

I can spend hours in small stores You have no idea. I have spent 8 hours in a tiny store and still wasn't done. I didn't want to leave.

 

[mcknia07]

Did you say SHOES? Oh no, bad word for me to hear, I might get into lots of trouble now...

 

[gravenewworld]

There is a difference between tight fitting and form fitting. I know that if I wore a suit like this:

I would probably rip the entire back of the coat in half if I crossed my arms. I would also probably split the seat of pants that tight if I ever crouched down to pick something up. Get something that fits to your form.I haven't seen a suit posted yet that I liked. Not saying I would ever buy one unless I made tons of lucre, but Hickey Freeman makes good suits that don't look ridiculous

http://www.hickeyfreeman.com/website/assets/product_images/hickeyfreeman/085303514_md.jpg

http://www.hickeyfreeman.com/website/assets/product_images/hickeyfreeman/085303040_md.jpg

 

[Cyrus]

There is a difference between tight fitting and form fitting. I know that if I wore a suit like this:

I would probably rip the entire back of the coat in half if I crossed my arms. I would also probably split the seat of pants that tight if I ever crouched down to pick something up. Get something that fits to your form.

Personally, I don't like that suit. It's way too slim cut. It's not something you'd ever wear in a professional setting. It's way too trendy. So you could only wear it to a club, and would spend loads of money on it. It's useless rags IMO.

Edit: Those new suits you posted are nice.

 

[Cyrus]

I have this suit, but solid black

http://content.nordstrom.com/ImageGallery/store/product/Gigantic/15/_5463875.jpg

 

[gravenewworld]

I have this suit, but solid black

See something like that is good. Classic and modern look to it. That is something most guys could wear. There are only a few people that can pull off the super trendy look and look good doing it.

 

[Cyrus]

I think that's the key difference. There is a vital distinction between *modern, and *trendy.

Trendy looks bad pretty quick as it shifts often. But modern is a slight variation on something traditional without going too far outside the norm. I generally avoid buying anything trendy unless its specifically for going out to a place like the bar.

I talked to the guy where I bought my suit. It was interesting he was telling me the most expensive suits have very light soft fabric, but you don't want to wear those every day or they will tear or fall apart quickly. They are only for special occasions. For everyday, you want something that's tougher, which are the cheaper end suits. (Cheaper is a relative term here).

 

[Kurdt]

Like these - http://f1store.formula1.com/stores/f1/products/product_details.aspx?pid=40622

Rossi as in Valentino Rossi?

F1 outfit, eh?

Not quite those.

http://f1store.formula1.com/stores/f1/products/product_details.aspx?pid=41657

And yes Valentino Rossi

 

[Moonbear]

And pleats work for some people.

I agree. I don't know where Jason gets the idea that pleats are for fat people. I think it's usually fat people who need to avoid them...if the pleats are stretched, it makes someone look even fatter.

I took one ex-boyfriend shopping (he wore the same size pants as SticksandStone, so I definitely can appreciate how tough it is to find that size in menswear...unless it's such a popular size that they sell out first), and not being sure what styles would look good on him (he didn't know either, which is why I was shopping with him) he headed off to the dressing room with a mix of pleated and unpleated pants. First he came out with the unpleated ones, and I almost died laughing. I couldn't decide if I should hand him a pocket protector or get him fitted for dentures. They looked like some horrible cross between nerd and old man pants (or maybe it's that the classic nerd look is to wear old man pants). Then he tried the pleated ones, and what a difference! Hubba hubba!

It was hard finding non-baggy pants too, though. That had nothing to do with the pleats, and in such slender sizes, had nothing to do with them being made for fat people. I used to think it was easier for men to shop than women, but with the trends in the stores, it's not very easy for men to shop either, especially if they just need a mature, classic look (without looking like an old fart). There were some slender designs too, but they went to the other extreme. After he tried those on, I was informed they must have been designed for castrati, or maybe pre-pubertal boys.

I don't have to go shopping with the current boyfriend. His taste is impeccable! Of course, he gets all his clothes custom made and spends a small fortune on them, but they look fantastic! Though, most still cost less than those trashy looking designer clothing. Just one really made my jaw drop when I found out how much it cost (apparently I have expensive taste too, because it is my absolute favorite shirt of his)...that's because the fabric was expensive, not the tailoring.

 

[Moonbear]

Not quite those.

http://f1store.formula1.com/stores/f1/products/product_details.aspx?pid=41657

And yes Valentino Rossi

It takes a confident man to wear red shoes.

 

[Monique]

I don't know about fashion, some trends are better to be avoided.. like the shapeless clothes that are all over the stores right now, it is impossible to find something shape-fitting. I'm a little intrigued by the talk of tailoring, what would be the most common things that you would get fixed by a tailor and what fabrics would best be suited for refitting?

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know about fashion, some trends are better to be avoided.. like the shapeless clothes that are all over the stores right now, it is impossible to find something shape-fitting. I'm a little intrigued by the talk of tailoring, what would be the most common things that you would get fixed by a tailor and what fabrics would best be suited for refitting?

There are obvious things that most people would think about, like adjusting the length of pants or sleeves (I'm short, so all my pants need to be hemmed. Out of necessity, I learned to hem pants myself so I don't have to run to a tailor with every pair of pants I buy, but I don't know how to do sleeves to come out looking right). With dress shirts or blouses, they can take in the side seams fairly easily to make it more form-fitting (for women, this is sometimes a regular necessity if they have a larger chest and have to buy a size up to keep their blouses from gaping open in the front). Another common alteration, especially for women, is to take in the waist a bit. With those shapeless clothes that have no curves, if you have curves, often you have to get pants or skirts that are too big in the waist in order to fit right around the hips, so a tailor can take in the waist to make it fit right and show off those curves.

Of course a good tailor or seamstress can take apart an entire garment and custom fit every part and put it back together, but if it needs that much work, it's better to just not buy it. I've had to deal with this when friends have chosen horrendous bridesmaid dresses that didn't fit me in any dimension...let out the hips, take in the waist, shorten the bodice, take in the shoulders (or shoulder straps), add a built-in bra to the backless ones, raise the hem on all the ugly, poofy layers, etc.

It's easier to take in clothes than let them out, so if you're thinking about tailoring, it's better to buy something that is bigger in some places than one that's tight in some places. How much can be let out depends a lot on how much extra fabric is in the seams. I think with things like bridesmaid dresses, they know there are going to be major alterations, so leave extra fabric in seams, but for most store-bought clothing, there are very minimal seam allowances.

 

[Cyrus]

It takes a confident man to wear red shoes.

Kurdt is all man, never forget it. ALL MAN

 

[Cyrus]

I agree. I don't know where Jason gets the idea that pleats are for fat people. I think it's usually fat people who need to avoid them...if the pleats are stretched, it makes someone look even fatter.

I took one ex-boyfriend shopping (he wore the same size pants as SticksandStone, so I definitely can appreciate how tough it is to find that size in menswear...unless it's such a popular size that they sell out first), and not being sure what styles would look good on him (he didn't know either, which is why I was shopping with him) he headed off to the dressing room with a mix of pleated and unpleated pants. First he came out with the unpleated ones, and I almost died laughing. I couldn't decide if I should hand him a pocket protector or get him fitted for dentures. They looked like some horrible cross between nerd and old man pants (or maybe it's that the classic nerd look is to wear old man pants). Then he tried the pleated ones, and what a difference! Hubba hubba!

It was hard finding non-baggy pants too, though. That had nothing to do with the pleats, and in such slender sizes, had nothing to do with them being made for fat people. I used to think it was easier for men to shop than women, but with the trends in the stores, it's not very easy for men to shop either, especially if they just need a mature, classic look (without looking like an old fart). There were some slender designs too, but they went to the other extreme. After he tried those on, I was informed they must have been designed for castrati, or maybe pre-pubertal boys.

I don't have to go shopping with the current boyfriend. His taste is impeccable! Of course, he gets all his clothes custom made and spends a small fortune on them, but they look fantastic! Though, most still cost less than those trashy looking designer clothing. Just one really made my jaw drop when I found out how much it cost (apparently I have expensive taste too, because it is my absolute favorite shirt of his)...that's because the fabric was expensive, not the tailoring.

Pleats are fine, but I find they tend to have that old 1920s-1930s look. Again, there's nothing wrong with that; but, they tend to come off more 'dressy' and I wouldn't wear pleated pants without a belt, nice shoes and a nice shirt.

I perfer non-pleated pants and no cuffs on the bottom. You can wear them without a belt and it looks fine. Pleated pants are pretty much signature dockers.

But as you said, if it looks good on you wear it.

 

[Cyrus]

I don't know about fashion, some trends are better to be avoided.. like the shapeless clothes that are all over the stores right now, it is impossible to find something shape-fitting. I'm a little intrigued by the talk of tailoring, what would be the most common things that you would get fixed by a tailor and what fabrics would best be suited for refitting?

That's because you live in Europe. American shirts are for fat people, literally. If I buy a button up shirt at any american brand store, it's spills out all over the place when I tuck it into my pants. When I try on shirts from European stores they are cut for slim people and it fits into my pants neatly. So I have to get the chest/waist of the shirt brought in. They usually cut out like 5 inches on each side!

That's how I can tell if someone doesn't know how to dress themselves (Guys). You'll see them 'dressed up' with their shirts tucked in their pants spilling out all over the place.

 

[offtheleft]

That's because you live in Europe. American shirts are for fat people, literally. If I buy a button up shirt at any american brand store, it's spills out all over the place when I tuck it into my pants. When I try on shirts from European stores they are cut for slim people and it fits into my pants neatly. So I have to get the chest/waist of the shirt brought in. They usually cut out like 5 inches on each side!

That's how I can tell if someone doesn't know how to dress themselves (Guys). You'll see them 'dressed up' with their shirts tucked in their pants spilling out all over the place.

give me an example of some of these european brands. I am a thin guy and i find it quite ugly when I am wearing a button down size 14.5 and it makes me look like a hot-air-balloon.

 

[Monique]

It's funny to see that there are guys here who are particular about their clothing. My bf is of the same type, if it were up to him he'd only wear Ralph Lauren Purple Label. It's a nightmare to go shopping with him, as he is really picky. At one point I got him to like clothes of a main-stream store (they had really nice shirts/pants), but he has deprecated them as the cuffs started to wear (according to him, I can't see anything wrong with them ).

 

[Cyrus]

Here I have no life so I took some pictures to illustrate a point:

The first one is unaltered. The second one is a tailored shirt. The third is a custom made shirt to all my body measurements. Its also in increasing price as you go right. You get what you pay for!

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/8423/baggyxv3.png

The pants should have a belt (I was lazy). I also think they are a bit too baggy. I have not had them altered yet either. I should probably have those and the first shirt done.

 

[Cyrus]

give me an example of some of these european brands. I am a thin guy and i find it quite ugly when I am wearing a button down size 14.5 and it makes me look like a hot-air-balloon.

Hugo boss - expensive but it will fit you
Zara - thin european cuts because the company is from spain

If you are lucky you can find some at regular department stores for slim fit. If so, by all means buy it instead of the more expensive Hugo shirt. I literally can't find one that fits my neck and isn't too short on the arms, so I have to get them custom made. The ones I buy from the store are too big on the neck so I don't wear them with a tie, ever.

If you can spend the money, just get a custom shirt. It has many advantages. If it starts to go bad in the collar or cuffs, they can just replace it with a new one of the same material and it won't cost you the price of an entire new shirt. You can also specify exactly how you want the shirt to look, how many buttons, what type of cuff. You can make exactly what you want. One pocket, two pockets, no pockets.

 

[offtheleft]

Hugo boss - expensive but it will fit you
Zara - thin european cuts because the company is from spain

If you are lucky you can find some at regular department stores for slim fit. If so, by all means buy it instead of the more expensive Hugo shirt. I literally can't find one that fits my neck and isn't too short on the arms, so I have to get them custom made. The ones I buy from the store are too big on the neck so I don't wear them with a tie, ever.

If you can spend the money, just get a custom shirt. It has many advantages. If it starts to go bad in the collar or cuffs, they can just replace it with a new one of the same material and it won't cost you the price of an entire new shirt. You can also specify exactly how you want the shirt to look, how many buttons, what type of cuff. You can make exactly what you want. One pocket, two pockets, no pockets.

where can i get a custom shirt from? I am guessing not just anywhere.

but there are two major shopping malls in my area and both have some section of a department store for just hugo boss and some other big name designers. especially one mall about an hour away... short hills mall. big big rich area.

but, ill look into zara as well

 

[JasonRox]

Zara - thin european cuts because the company is from spain
.

Perfect, that's the name I was looking for earlier.

 

[JasonRox]

If you are lucky you can find some at regular department stores for slim fit. If so, by all means buy it instead of the more expensive Hugo shirt. I literally can't find one that fits my neck and isn't too short on the arms, so I have to get them custom made. The ones I buy from the store are too big on the neck so I don't wear them with a tie, ever.

Same issue here.

It's really an American thing. I bought plain t-shirts from Le 31 which is just a Quebec branch, and they all fit well around the neck.

Maybe people are getting fat to fit in their clothes properly.

 

[JasonRox]

Here I have no life so I took some pictures to illustrate a point:

The first one is unaltered. The second one is a tailored shirt. The third is a custom made shirt to all my body measurements. Its also in increasing price as you go right. You get what you pay for!

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/8423/baggyxv3.png

The pants should have a belt (I was lazy). I also think they are a bit too baggy. I have not had them altered yet either. I should probably have those and the first shirt done.

Dude, you got pleats! Gross!

Pants with pleats tend to be cheap and pants that went all sale. I bet you go somewhere where they have suits on sale (full attire) and all of them will have pleats.

I was wearing a suit everyday, different ones, in the summer and none of them had pleats. None of the other guys had them at work too.

Spend the extra money for pants with no pleats... not one... none.

Very disapointed.

Note: When I get my digital camera back, I'll take a picture of one of my pants. Cellphone camera doesn't show up well.

 

[JasonRox]

It's funny to see that there are guys here who are particular about their clothing. My bf is of the same type, if it were up to him he'd only wear Ralph Lauren Purple Label. It's a nightmare to go shopping with him, as he is really picky. At one point I got him to like clothes of a main-stream store (they had really nice shirts/pants), but he has deprecated them as the cuffs started to wear (according to him, I can't see anything wrong with them ).

Some girls have fun if they're with me... for the first hour.

Some think it's funny that I'll try on and everything and walk away buying nothing or very few out of all that I tried.

A lot of time when I go shopping, I'll wear shorts and a plain t-shirt. The easiest way to just try on a bunch of stuff. The only probably I have with this is looking like a bum. But since I only shop in the US, it's average.

 

[Pyrrhus]

Hahaha, fashion conscious scientists? what?!

In my case I have to go to different stores in order to find exactly what I like and fits me right.

For shirts: I usually buy mainly Nautica, Ralph Lauren, and Perry Ellis. Other brands with stuff I like and fits me well are Oscar de la Renta, Kenneth Cole and others.

For jeans: I like American Eagle, Aeropostale, and recently I bought a couple of MEK Denim jeans from a store called Buckle. I liked them too.

For t-shirts: I buy everywhere. Stores like Hot Topic, PacSun, Nautica, Aeropostale and more

For winter clothing (jackets, sweaters and etc.): I bought most of it from Zara. I like their style. The jacket I like the most is from them.

For dress pants: I usually buy mainly Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Roundtree & Yorke. I might look in other brands if I don't seem to find what I like.

For shoes:

Now that's another story. I don't like wearing much sneakers, I like comfortable shoes a bit on the sport-like look. However, I always need at least a pair of sneakers, especially because I play soccer sometimes and I go to the gym. I usually just check out Nike or Reebok or other similar brands for a pair I like.

Now for the shoes!. I don't have any specific brands I check out. I pick the shoes based on look depending on purpose (business, pleasure, others), comfortability, and quality of materials (I like my shoes to last long).

I've bought from Gordon Rush, Steve Madden, Ecco (danish super comfortable shoes), Sperry, Mezlan (spanish brand with classic designs), Adam Derrick, and others.

My experience so far buying clothes is that you should look for quality in the materials, the style you like, and also important the fit.

 

[Cyrus]

Dude, you got pleats! Gross!

Pants with pleats tend to be cheap and pants that went all sale. I bet you go somewhere where they have suits on sale (full attire) and all of them will have pleats.

I was wearing a suit everyday, different ones, in the summer and none of them had pleats. None of the other guys had them at work too.

Spend the extra money for pants with no pleats... not one... none.

Very disapointed.

Note: When I get my digital camera back, I'll take a picture of one of my pants. Cellphone camera doesn't show up well.

This post made me laugh because I'm not a fan of them either. I only have two pairs of pants with pleats (dockers). But in general, don't confuse pleats with being cheap. It's a different style, that's it. There are plenty of suits out there with pleats that will cost an arm and a leg. It's a matter of taste.

 

[Evo]

Are pleats back in? I remember watching "what not to wear" and they were making fun of the woman because she was still wearing those gastly pleated women's pants from the 80's. They said pleats were out and not to wear them. This was a couple of years ago.

Ok, I checked fall fashion 2008, pleats are coming back into style. OH NO. I do not look good in pleated pants. I have no waist line and no hips, no rear end, and skinny legs. I will look like I'm wearing clown pants again. I might as well add a little tutu. Some people can carry them off, I can't.

I can't decide between these two lovely dresses from the new fall fashion line. The first one costs $436, the 2nd $429. The purse is only $2,000.

 

[Andre]

I can't decide between these two lovely dresses from the new fall fashion line. The first one costs $436, the 2nd $429. The purse is only $2,000.

Evo, I think you're a "winter type", which would make these your basic colors:

http://www.wintertype.net/images/wintertype-kleuren.jpg

Consequently, neither of the three would be the optimum.

 

[Evo]

And if anyone is wondering. I think the dresses and purse are ugly. (no offense to anyone that loves them)

 

[mcknia07]

I won't be caught dead in something with pleats.(Darts, I'll do, but no pleats) It makes me look super fat and makes my hips look really wide.(It doesn't help that I have curves, that I have to try to fit) It could just me me thinking this, because everyone else says I look like a twig.

Evo, I love the first dress, and adore the purse

 

[mcknia07]

I'm addicted to shoes, and well purses are good too. But, that is because I have to carry a lot of school things in it, and everyone asks me for things, and well, I always have it My purses are kinda large, to fit everything. I'm not one for dresses, I go more for skirts, though.

 

[Cyrus]

I have no waist line and no hips, no rear end, and skinny legs.

You're really doing a good job of selling yourself!

 

[rootX]

I can't decide between these two lovely dresses from the new fall fashion line. The first one costs $436, the 2nd $429. The purse is only $2,000.

I liked the second one

 

[Evo]

Oh my, those two dresses reminded me of the old housecoats my grandmother wore.

Well, if you liked those, you'll love these.

I'm too lazy to crop the pictures. The dresses I'm referring to are the dresses on the left in the 1st two pictures and the one on the right in the third.

 

[mcknia07]

Who on Earth would wear any of those? Total grandma look happening there.

Those are kinda bad patterns and you lose the look of the body in baggy clothes.

 

[Cyrus]

Oh my, those two dresses reminded me of the old housecoats my grandmother wore.

Well, if you liked those, you'll love these.

I'm too lazy to crop the pictures. The dresses I'm referring to are the dresses on the left in the 1st two pictures and the one on the right in the third.

...vomit.

 

[Moonbear]

Are pleats back in? I remember watching "what not to wear" and they were making fun of the woman because she was still wearing those gastly pleated women's pants from the 80's. They said pleats were out and not to wear them. This was a couple of years ago.

Ok, I checked fall fashion 2008, pleats are coming back into style. OH NO. I do not look good in pleated pants. I have no waist line and no hips, no rear end, and skinny legs. I will look like I'm wearing clown pants again. I might as well add a little tutu. Some people can carry them off, I can't.

I can't decide between these two lovely dresses from the new fall fashion line. The first one costs $436, the 2nd $429. The purse is only $2,000.

Okay, there's a difference between pleats and ghastly 1980s old-lady pleats! The pleated skirts that my old great aunt used to wear would never look good on anyone, and never did. Pleats on more modern, stylish skirts are more like little tucks than full pleats. Though, sure, there is no one style that works on every body type, so you might still want to avoid them. I just don't get why some people in this thread (and I don't mean you here) seem to think that just because a style looks bad on them that it's a bad style in general. It just means it's a bad style for them and their body type.

The style of those dresses doesn't bother me in terms of pleats/darts or overall shape (they might actually look good on me), but the colors/patterns are hideous!

Pleats in men's pants have never gone out of style. Though, I agree with Cyrus that they are better in pants you'll wear with a belt for a dressier look...then again, I don't think men look all that good without belts. Some can carry off that look, but most need that extra belt to keep their pants from falling off since they shouldn't have hips like women do.

As for the "baggy" shirt, it just looks like it's not tucked in all the way. Is it too long? It's kind of hard to tell since it seems like the pants are too big and the shirt is coming untucked quickly. It also looks like the sleeves are way to wide too though, so the rest of the shirt doesn't start to hang in the right place. It really doesn't make sense, unless you have very wide shoulders and are buying extra-large shirts or something. Afterall, if someone is putting on a lot of weight in the middle, they're also going to be putting it on in the chest and shoulders and everywhere else, so would just need to buy a bigger size, not have a smaller size cut wider around the middle. But, what brand was that? If I ever need maternity clothing, I'll remember who has the shirts that are narrow in the shoulders and wide in the middle.

Though, I went out shopping today and am finding a frustrating new problem...when did clothing manufacturers decide that women's arms have all grown two inches longer?! Almost every shirt or sweater I tried on had sleeves that were WAY too long. What sort of ape-like arms are these made for? I found only two sweaters that had proper length arms and that weren't shapeless sacks of yarn (I expected to sift through shapeless sacks of yarn...that's always been a problem with winter sweaters).

I'm not really even sure if it's so much that any of the clothing is being cut for fatter or slimmer people, but more that it's just cheap imported crap from sweatshops with no quality control, so nobody is checking that the proportions of the clothing make any sense for anyone.

 

[Moonbear]

Oh my, those two dresses reminded me of the old housecoats my grandmother wore.

Well, if you liked those, you'll love these.

I'm too lazy to crop the pictures. The dresses I'm referring to are the dresses on the left in the 1st two pictures and the one on the right in the third.

You know it's bad when the runway model looks like a boy wearing his grandmother's dress (that first picture). The middle one isn't bad, but you really have to have the right body shape to pull off a coat dress and not look like you're a streaker running around in nothing but a trench coat. I can't pull off that look at all. As for the last one, I'm not sure there's a body type in the world that could look good in that. Hey, on the plus side, if this whole academic career doesn't work out for me, I might have a future in the fashion industry. I can sew something that looks that good. Heck, I think I could do the first one too, but might need the help of a 5-year old with finger paints. I'd sew the big long tube with sleeves, and then hand it over to the 5-year old to color.

 

[mcknia07]

I totally agree with Moonbear. Not all people can pull off looks and some goes the other way, just because it looks like crap on me doesn't mean it will look like that on you.

And as for the long sleeves...I always have a problem finding sleeves and pant legs that are long enough for me. Where did you go shopping, they might have stuff to finally fit me