How to shop for the vintage man

[MissHuff]

Okay fellas, could you help me out a little? I want to get my man some gifts for seperate occasions that also tie together. There's Christmas and then his birthday is a month later. He's not the vintage man yet... but he has expressed an interest in dressing better (He's the jeans and baseball cap guy). What kind of woman would I be if I didn't find myself trying to help him change it up a bit?

So I was wondering what are some good wardrobe staples that I could get him to start him off in the right direction?

 

[carebear]

Sport coats that can be worn with his jeans to get him used to the idea that it can be comfortable. I like the tweeds, they will typically go with everything and can dress up or down depending on tie/pocketsquare/pants type.

Maybe a nice pair of khakis to get him used to something other than denim, they'll go with his existing shirts and can dress up or down.

Some button down shirts (advise him to wear them properly (tucked in) or you'll be setting yourself back), the Gap or Banana Rep. is fine for these. Don't necessarily force a tie on him right away if it ain't his thing. Although they are classic, I'd avoid the chambray/lt. blues, those with khakis are a retail uniform of sorts and can draw comments. Try bolder colors or, alternately, sport cut white shirts. Not fitted "dress shirts" per se those can look a little overly formal with jeans/khakis.

Newsboy cap or even the similarly styled Kangols to get him used to something else on his head than a children's hat. Anything but a ball cap.

If you kinda slide stuff into his wardrobe a bit at a time he may feel more comfortable (less "makeover shock") and it won't break his bank requiring him to totally replace his wardrobe all at once.

I'm in the "dress more stylishly/grown-up" rather than the "dress in vintage or replica and nothing else" camp. It'll be easier to go from dressed down, to dressed "better" to maybe eventually dress actually "vintage" than to jump the steps.

Check in the Suits thread for Matt's list of business attire and look at the trousers/jackets/blazers ideas.

 

[Orgetorix]

^^ That's good advice.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I will take one..fairly tall..

oh wait...you meant shopping to clothe them....

 

[Novella]

I will take one..fairly tall..

oh wait...you meant shopping to clothe them....

lol That's what I thought when I read the thread title.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I don't have a man to shop for, but Hemingway Jones is my roommate, and he is quite a good dresser, both modern and vintage. He actually doesn't own any vintage clothes, but manages to find modern clothes which look incredibly vintage.
So, let me think here of what he has. Your man sounds like he'd like some casual wear, but you would like it to be a little dressier. One look I really like a lot I saw men all over Italy wearing. They wore jeans, but they weren't the faded, shaggy ripped ones that we have here. They were a bit more tailored, in no way tight, but not saggy and baggy. They wore oxford shirts tucked in. Not the real dressy kind with button down collars. They were either plain white, or patterned. They wore this with a chunky, fun colored patterned tie and topped the look off with either a sport coat or a blue blazer. There shoes were also immaculate. Nicer dress oxfords, verses sneakers. I thought this was a great casual look. And, even though the were wearing jeans, they still looked neat.
You could simply change this look for a more dressy dinner by changing the jeans to a nice pair of khakis or slacks.
I think a tailored sport coat and a blue blazer (either single or double breasted depending on stature) are staples in a man's wardrobe. As well as a few pairs of good, neat looking dress shoes. A good pair of shoes can really make the difference in an outfit. I was recently at Aldo in the mall, and they had some great looking men's shoes, all on sale. They were funky, but they had quite a few pairs that had a vintage flair to them.
It might take a while for him to feel comfortable tucking in his shirt and wearing a tie. The jacket look also looks good without a tie, if he really doesn't want to wear one. I've been told by most men that khaki's are a lot more comfortable and fit better than most jeans. I'm not a big fan of the Gap, but they do make great khaki's for both men and woman in all different styles. They did, after all start out as a jean and khaki provider.
Well, changing a man's style, or actually giving a man a style, can be a tough thing to do. I wish you luck! In my opinion, I think that there are a lot of styles out there right now that can look really good. I think it's all about neatness. If he want's to wear jeans, let him, just try to get a clean cut pair. And again, a cool sport coat or blazer can really look sharp, and add a little more style to an outfit. Before you know it, he'll look so good you won't be able to tear him away from the mirror. So, to sum up, nice and neat is really all you need. Good, fun shoes, interesting ties, sport coat, blue blazer.
OH! I almost forgot. Hemingway Jones has this great lightweight cotton and spandex suit from JCrew in a navy stripe. It is such a versatile suit, because of it's material. He can dress it up and wear it to work, or dress it down and wear it on the town, without worrying about being overdressed. He wears it without a tie, and doesn't button the top button of his shirt or the jacket, and wears a more casual shoe. It's such a good look, and because of the material, it is really comfortable. JCrew has some really great button up shirts right now, quite a few without button down collars, lot's of cool stripes, and exceptionally nice cotton.. If you have a JCrew outlet near you, I'm not sure how close you are to Wrentham, that is a great place to go. They have lot's of great stuff, and usually it's more than half of what you pay in the retail shoppe. Hem has gotten some really nice, casual button up shirts at a great price there.
Well, I'm sorry I went on so long! I hope you find some of this helpful.
Good Luck!

 

[MissHuff]

I will take one..fairly tall..

oh wait...you meant shopping to clothe them....

haha if I knew how to do that I wouldn't be trying to fix this one... if you're up to the challenge you can have mine... rather tall, kind of awkward, wonderful table manners lol.

 

[MissHuff]

If you kinda slide stuff into his wardrobe a bit at a time he may feel more comfortable (less "makeover shock") and it won't break his bank requiring him to totally replace his wardrobe all at once.

I'm in the "dress more stylishly/grown-up" rather than the "dress in vintage or replica and nothing else" camp. It'll be easier to go from dressed down, to dressed "better" to maybe eventually dress actually "vintage" than to jump the steps.

Well, changing a man's style, or actually giving a man a style, can be a tough thing to do.

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I think I'm gonna go with the sport coat idea and a few nice shirts. I just had to shave all his hair off last night after he had a mishap trying to clean up his hair himself so now I have an excuse to get him some new hats to keep his head warm and hide some of his ratty old caps.

The problem I've run into before is that when I get him to dress more formal/grown up he feels like he's getting dressed up for work because he's spent the last 10 years as a waiter in fine dining restaurants. Slowly introducing is definitely the way to go. Or Maybe burning all of his clothes and hitting the outlets could also work.... a girl can dream lol

 

[Pilgrim]

Just be aware that hair makes a significant difference in hat size. If he's shaven now, his hat size will go up when the hair grows back - I'd guess 1/8 to 1/4 size. Anyone else have experience with this?

 

[carebear]

That's a point, I'd think just getting a little wiggle room for now and using a spacer in the band would solve the problem. Kinda depends on how thick he wears his hair. 1/4 size is an awful lot.

Great point on the shoes Daisy!

My favorite casual/dress shoes are Havana Joes. I wouldn't wear them with a suit (they aren't meant to be polished to a high shine), but they go fantastic with any other type of pants. Leather upper, good sole I wear them on long walks on and off pavement. A bit spendy but mine are years old now and still take polish and are in great shape. A simple black oxford (well-polished) will handle the dress events.

 

[MissHuff]

That's a point, I'd think just getting a little wiggle room for now and using a spacer in the band would solve the problem. Kinda depends on how thick he wears his hair. 1/4 size is an awful lot.

Thanks. I'll keep the size in mind when I'm shopping.