The GQ Guide to Dressing for Less
All it took was the Great Recession, but GQ finally got around to making a “how to buy affordable” style guide. 25 tips in all, which you can find in the April issue of GQ. Or now that they’ve finally shown up on their website, you click through the slide show below. Our agreements, and disagreements with their tips follow close after.
Click for the full GQ Slideshow
The Yays – AKA, the Best of their advice.
The Unbeatable J. Crew Chino Blazer. $99
1. Taste is more important than money – Sure is. See Mark Cuban.
3. Start at the best of the low-cost, high-style stores, Like H&M, J.Crew, and Uniqlo – That’s a pretty obvious suggestion, but it’s still a good one. Only issue I have with it, is that unless you live on one of the coasts or Japan, you’re not going to be able to buy any H&M or Uniqlo stuff.
5. Learn to navigate the outlet mall, and focus on accessories – There’s usually a reason why what ended up at the outlet mall, ended up at the outlet mall. If something, anything, makes you feel weird about the purchase, don’t buy it. But accessories are almost always a safe bet.
Too bad Tailoring can't fix posture. $300
8. Shopping online can be a time- suck. Know where the deals are – Or where you can at least get pointed in the right direction… like… well I suppose that’s why we’re here.
11. Find yourself a great tailor – You can spend all the money in the world on a suit, but if it’s ill fitting, it’ll look cheap. You can spend around $200 on a suit, and if it’s tailored correctly, it’ll look like it cost $700. That guy in the gray suit up there? It was purchased from Topman, for only $200. (Looks like the sale was over. It’s more li ke $300 now.) Fit is far more important than price. From shirts to pants to outerwear. And especially suits. Know how to buy a suit. Read the rules here.
15. Wearing high-end labels head to toe doesn’t make you stylish – It would make most of us reading this poor. Very very poor.
The Timex Tank. $44
18. Don’t get eaten alive – Whether it was an expensive sweater, or a great find at a thrift store, if you open up your closet to find holes eaten through your stuff, you’ll be mad. Buy Cedar Blocks
24. World of Bargains: Buy a Watch Inspired by the Classics – When’s the last time a guy in the real world came across someone wearing a Tag Heurer? There’s plenty of affordable watches on the market that look tremendous, and won’t cause buyers remorse.
The Nays – AKA, the misguided suggestions.
16. Be your own barber. – What? No. Don’t… don’t do that.
C9 Champion Tees wick. $12
22. No need for sweat-wicking microfibers
It was a good piece, but do you really think GQ would have written their Dress for Less Style Guide if we wouldn’t have all just been walloped by the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? It’s doubtful. Let’s hope they don’t write another one for a long, long time.
