Pants – The $1500 Wardrobe Part IV
Creating a versatile, sharp wardrobe doesn’t happen overnight. By far, the best course of action is to go slow. But for argument’s sake, let’s say you have to start from scratch, today. Over the next 5 days we’ll see how far a strict budget of $1500 can go. It won’t be easy and some corners will have to be cut, but the goal is to end with a setup of clothes that can have someone looking great in almost any situation. Remember, we’re playing with a total of $1500 here. So there will be an obvious focus on real affordable stuff, which can last with reasonable care. Also, remember that 90% of looking good is fit, so a well tailored $200 suit will look better than an ill fitting $1000 suit every single time.
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Jeans: Levi’s 514 Slim Straight – $39.99
($54)
As much as some of us love our 501s, they don’t get under $40 that often (if at all.) But a pair of Levi’s 514s in their dark, “Tumbled Rigid” wash are almost always available for under $40 on Amazon and ship free & fast if you have their Prime service. They are a little bit slimmer than the 501, but they’re not quite to the level of skinny yet. Unless you’ve got soccer/skier thighs, you should be comfortable in these jeans which skim but don’t cling for most. Pics via Levis.com, where with a well timed code they might get even cheaper.
Chinos: Mossimo 5-Pocket Twill in Copper – $24.99
Yes they lean casual and the pockets dip a little low… but if you’re headed somewhere that you need to be dressed up, just wear one of your suits. These hit all of the right points on fit, looks, and price. A nice way to break out of the jeans habit for dirt cheap. They do fit a little slim through the lower legs, so be aware of that. Also worth a look: The mossimo cords and tailored washed chinos.
Trousers: Use your new suit pants (or just wear a suit) when necessary
Remember all that cash we blew on Monday? Right. Use those pants when you need wool trousers. Honestly it’s not a great idea to make a habit out of wearing your suit pants separately. You want both pieces of your suit to wear at the same rate, but if you’re using the suit jackets as blazers on occasion, then at least each piece is getting some work away from the other. There’s also a case to be made that you don’t really need separate wool dress pants. If it’s dressy enough for wool trousers, then wear a suit. Dress it down by going tieless and maybe layer a sweater underneath for a poor man’s 3-piece.
TOTAL COST: $64.98
CASH REMAINING: $103.96
Upcoming Categories: Fri – The Rest.
Only two pairs of pants? Thought for sure you’d throw a pair of gray chinos in there or something, especially with how much money you have left! That said, if I was only going to have two, it’d probably be those two.
Yeah in the future maybe add other prices ranges. Like the “basic level” would have just these 2, but a higher budget tier could include more/alternate items.
those copper look pretty red on the site but not as much in your photos – could you elaborate on the color?
Yeah, that sounds like a problem for future us.
I’ve got a pair of them and Joe’s pictures are much more accurate than Target’s.
As far as wearing suit pants and jackets separately goes, the bigger key to making sure they break in at the same rate is not how often you WEAR them separately, but how often you CLEAN them separately. If you wear one piece out the door without the other and spill something on it, take the whole thing to the cleaners. Of course, you’re still best off wearing the whole thing together, too.
Or just keep following this site and getting the heads up on deals as they come
Levis.com has the Levis at 30% off. Free shipping over $75.00
Gotta get ahold of Levi’s 513’s, you guys. Not quite at slim at the 511’s, but more fitting than the 514’s. Great leg opening, many washes, but harder to find. Urban Outfitters has them for around $60. Well worth it. I’m sure the Levis website has them, too.
Totally. I am huge fan of my 513’s. I used to go for the 514 because the 511 were too skinny, but I felt the 514’s leg was too wide and the rise was too low.
The 513’s have a perfect leg opening and a slightly higher rise, great for tucking shirts in without extended your torso so much. Unfortunately, they don’t have many washes that I like.
That’s what’s held me off of getting some. I find the 514 to fit my weightlifter thighs pretty well, and the rigid washes look really nice. Just need tapering below the knee.
Urban Outfitters has a wash called Neppy Rinse that is dark. UO, Piperlime, and Nordstrom have a wash called Rumpled Rigid that is also dark and looks a little more polished (more like the 514 Tumbled Rigid), in my opinion.
I’m far from squatting a house (and squatting in a house) but the 514s are as slim as my legs will allow in the ol thigh area. I’m with you Yeti.
Hey all, long time viewer first time poster. If you’re like me and work in a typical business casual environment, you may find yourself wearing wool type trousers almost every day and would look quite out of place wearing a full suit. I prefer not to wear my suit pants without the suit jacket unless I’m in a pinch. I highly recommend TJ Maxx/Marshalls. You can find many brands such as Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, etc. that look like they could be suit pants, but don’t have the matching jacket all between $20-$30 dollars. They have quite a variety of sizes and if you look often you can get a lot of different styles. I like Joe’s suit pant individually idea, but for me its just not really workable.
You may have been looking at a different color of the same pant. The ones Joe has on I believe are the “Mustard Seed” color
I’m a fairly avid cyclist (so have well developed thighs and glutes) and I recently discovered the 508s. Same fit above the knee as the 514, but with a slight taper to the lower leg. My biggest complaint with the 514 was that it felt like I had a sail’s-worth of denim flapping around my ankles. The 508s fit like a dream.
The color is pretty good, but can’t say I like the fit on those ‘chinos’. Add a big belt buckle and Joe’s ready for the rodeo. The five pocket style also makes it just look like colored jeans.
There have to be better options for without adding too much to the budget.
I would interested in a similar post without the suits. They eat up most of the budget and I don’t need them with my business casual attire that is standard at work. Joe could you consider one for the future?
JC Penney has levi’s for $40 every day, no code needed. And they do have the tumbled rigid. The 501’s are $45 every day.