Clothes style... esp. for smaller guys

[spukee]

I'm not a real flashy guy. Most of my life it's been t-shirts and jeans, and while my tastes have gotten better with time (no more Charlotte Hornets tees, or bright orange board-pants), I figure there's got to be some alternative out there for the Friday night scene.

Now here's where it gets hairy. I'm a small guy - 5'7" and around 140lbs. Clothes that look good on most guys do little more than make me look disproportionate, or shorter than I really am. Add to that the fact that I live in Phoenix, Arizona, so long sleeves and jackets aren't an option 10 months out of the year, and I'm sure you can see why it's so hard to break out of the T-shirt and jeans cycle.

So here's the deal: Can anyone here give me an idea of where to look for style inspiration, and where to buy clothes? And if anyone else here with the same sort of body-type has trouble finding decently fitting clothes, how do you get around it without breaking the bank?

 

[negativefcf]

Need more info.

Are you jacked? 140 lb in muscle or 140lb mostly in fat?

What kind of style? Preppy? Baggy pants? Athletic?

Pants size ... etc.

How much are you willing to spend?

 

[mrmoe]

I'm about your size, so I do have an idea of what you're talking about. First of all, you have to find things you're comfortable wearing. That would be the most important thing. Your clothes should compliment your personality. Stick with what you feel good with. There's nothing wrong with wearing t-shirts and jeans if that's what you like wearing. You can make a variation on the types of shirts and jeans you're wearing, however.

I usually go with medium or fitted t-shirts. I find they fit my body best. I wouldn't go with anything bigger than medium cuz it'll make you look odd, as you might know. As for what kind? Well, that's your call man. Don't ever let anyone tell you what to wear, especially if you'd feel strange about wearing it. I'm personally into the skater & rock style-type clothes. Doesn't cost a whole lot to maintain my wardrobe, and I always feel good with what I'm wearing. I also have a few more expensive "nice" clothes incase I have an outing to attend (date, dinner).

Anyway, there are plenty of other places to look for clothes for decent prices (Old Navy, etc.). Shop around and find a store you think you might like. Ask the cute store girls what they think, and you'll have yourself a fun time flirting and getting new clothes!

 

[spukee]

Originally posted by negativefcf
Need more info.

Are you jacked? 140 lb in muscle or 140lb mostly in fat?

What kind of style? Preppy? Baggy pants? Athletic?

Pants size ... etc.

How much are you willing to spend?

Around 16% bf. I'm not fat, but not cut either - pretty straight up and down.

As far a style goes, I'd like to stick to jeans and work from there. My two best looking outfits currently are:

- straight black tee, a pair of beat up jeans that fit well, and a faded red-leather studded belt. Red chucks or black boots.

- Red and black polo, same pair of beat up jeans, and a black sport coat tailored to custom fit. Black boots.

Pants size is 28/30, though I don't really see how that matters much. Relaxed fit is good - not a big fan of really tight pants, but I don't like the washboard ass effect baggy pants give off.

As far as cost goes, the cheaper the better. I'm not looking for anything designer, just ideas on what kinds of clothes work.

 

[frivolousz21]

Im 5 7 155-160...got the muscular nice look.

you need to dress like somone 6 foot tall..except they wear large you wear small to medium!

simple!

 

[negativefcf]

Originally posted by spukee
Around 16% bf. I'm not fat, but not cut either - pretty straight up and down.

As far a style goes, I'd like to stick to jeans and work from there. My two best looking outfits currently are:

- straight black tee, a pair of beat up jeans that fit well, and a faded red-leather studded belt. Red chucks or black boots.

- Red and black polo, same pair of beat up jeans, and a black sport coat tailored to custom fit. Black boots.

Pants size is 28/30, though I don't really see how that matters much. Relaxed fit is good - not a big fan of really tight pants, but I don't like the washboard ass effect baggy pants give off.

As far as cost goes, the cheaper the better. I'm not looking for anything designer, just ideas on what kinds of clothes work.

Looks like you rock the "Normal style," i.e. polo and jean. That's cool.

Old Navy, GAP and H&M for everyday wears. Banana Republic ONLY if you're trying to upscale for some special occassion. I would avoid Structure (just my experience). I would avoid all the broadline (Kmart, Sears, Target), since they don't carry "Our" size. Their small is large for most department stores. My top recommendation would be H&M and Old Navy.

For example. For Old Navy, if you like tight fitting shirts: hit the small size. If you like the more laid back shirts: hit the medium size. Do not rock anything larger than Large.

Pants size do matter. They matter a lot. I wear relax fit (34x28), 5'8'' 145, muscular. I like my pants to come close as possible to the ground, i.e. covering about 1/2 my shoe or so. You know, the straight pants look. It looks good and it feels good. I also rock the small tight shirts, as well.

 

[Good_ol_boy]

Phoenix?? You might look into some light colored (white or tan) Linen slacks (linen is cooler than denum for the Phoenix summer). They'll go with the Polo's you already have. Or you could get some of the new bright colored and brightly stripped Polos.
HTH

 

[DJStudent]

Well first off you should try to get that 140lbs to muscle cause I think 16% is a bit much. You might want to really look into that. I'm about 5'10 and I weight 135 but my body fat is like less then 7%.

There's really not too many options if you live in say arizona. You're right you can't do the long sleaves and long pants look cause it's just so hot. Personally I prefer the new york type of look. I even seen small guys about 5'5 to 5'7 pull it off very well. nice blazer, pants, and shirt will often do wonders. You can also rotate them and you get a fresh look.

One thing you can do is buy a nice dress shirt from say Express or BR. Roll up the sleaves and either wear a t-shirt or a wifebeater underneath depending on how thin or thick the material is. Goes well with a lot of shorts and you still look better than just wearing a t-shirt. Express shirts are cheap if you catch their semi-annual sale. Normally goes to about 20 bucks from the normal 60. Really take the money and invest say in a charcoal gray or a navy blue shirt. They look great. Also if you feel adventurous and feel that you can pull off the pastel colors, go for it. I personally like pink and purple. I think I get the most compliments from those two colors than anything I ever wore.

 

[jprjrjr]

I'm 6"5' and about 235lbs. My body fat is about 7 percent. So yeah, you're a bit soft there. Don't worry though, it's a bytch for us big guys to find decent clothes too. Might I add more expensive also for the extra material.

 

[saminex]

man go with the ralph lauren polo, lacoste or abercrombie polos and the espress abercrombie and american eagle jeans they are money. And Old Navy is crap, dont wear that cheap crap.

 

[MindOverMatter]

do all you guys wear polos? every dj clothing thread there is, there seems to be at least 5 guys saying "wear a polo". either that or "wear faded jeans with a striped button up shirt".

is this like a sosuave uniform or something?

 

[thebsharp]

Since you are short like me, you should buy clothes that are more slim so it makes you look taller, buy whatever you want but make sure it fits well. I've come to learn the importance of a good body before good clothes so get in shape and anything will look good.

 

[spukee]

Originally posted by MindOverMatter
do all you guys wear polos? every dj clothing thread there is, there seems to be at least 5 guys saying "wear a polo". either that or "wear faded jeans with a striped button up shirt".

is this like a sosuave uniform or something?

Seriously... I'm sorry I even brought the ONE polo shirt I own up... eh, I'm thinking tees, and the occasional dressy shirt are going to have to continue working for now. The girls I go for aren't impressed by a prepish style, and frankly... neither am I.

To everyone who came in here boasting about 7% body fat - that's great for you, I'm glad you managed to kick your own ass like that, but goddamn if this isn't a thread about clothing style.

I'll heed the advice to check out GAP, Express, American Eagle, and all those types of places. I know Lucky Jeans and Buckle tend to have the kind of styles I go for as well, although they seem a little pricey for me right now.

 

[saminex]

if you wear t-shirts dont get the excessively baggy ones, but not to form fitting. Polo shirts are easy, you wear them and put on a pair of distressed jeans and you look money. They have a broad appeal, unlike t shirts.

 

[salthepal]

Originally posted by negativefcf


Pants size do matter. They matter a lot. I wear relax fit (34x28), 5'8'' 145, muscular.

Dude ... Something's not right .... if your pant size is 34, you cannot be 145 lbs, not unless you'r 5'0 ... and if you think you're muscular you should weigh in at over 160 lbs ! I'm 5'8 140 lbs ... but my pant size is 29 .... and im not a very muscular guy, but definitely the just-got-out-of-a-famine look ...

 

[negativefcf]

Originally posted by salthepal
Dude ... Something's not right .... if your pant size is 34, you cannot be 145 lbs, not unless you'r 5'0 ... and if you think you're muscular you should weigh in at over 160 lbs ! I'm 5'8 140 lbs ... but my pant size is 29 .... and im not a very muscular guy, but definitely the just-got-out-of-a-famine look ...

I am pretty lean and muscular, some baby face fat, but not much else. I don't know what your situation is like. Nor your dress fashion. But 29 seems to be more on the small size. Or do you rock the tight pants look? You're sure you're 140?????? 140 for 5'8'' is somewhat muscular. See some of the body builders. They're usually at the 150 lb mark for the 5'7''-5'9'' class. And they're considered decent size. Alot of boxers at the 5'7'' range are at 140lb-150lb. On example: http://www.boxinggurus.com/tszyuk.html BTW: I am trying to be boxer!

I rock the relax (not baggy, a little bigger than "normal"), preppy look. I don't like tight jeans, just not my style. I used to be a 32, during high school before I became jack.

So I am somewhat confused. How are you 140lb and considered yourself "skinny"? Maybe you're taller, say 5'10??

 

[diablo]

AE... also, try doing a search.