Shirts and Sweaters – The $1500 Wardrobe Part III
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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Dress Shirts: Target Merona White – $22.99 | Target Merona Fine Stripe – $22.99
The white, semi-spread dress shirt is going to be #1 on your list, and the option from Merona is borderline indestructible, has a nice sized collar, and looks great either with a suit or under a sweater. They’re now offering a fine stripe option that’s incredibly sharp. Same collar too, and it looks extremely good tieless. Plus, unlike a pale blue, you just can’t find a fine stripe (with the stripes all one width) at a thrift store or discount shop for dirt cheap. $23 for a dress shirt is too good of a price to pass up, even if they aren’t all cotton (these are 60/40 blend).
Casual Oxford: jcp Oxford Cloth Button Down in light blue – $20.00
Most guys have a stockpile of casual button up shirts in their closet, even if they are going through purging their wardrobe and upgrading the rest. Think about how those old oxfords look under layers. Do logos get hidden behind the Merona Kensington’s lapels? Can louder patterns you don’t wear anymore work when only the collar shows under a V-neck? Keep what you can because we’re already starting to get pulled by those $1500 budget reins. But if you’re going to buy a new casual button up shirt, make it this one. Light blue, a nice trim fit, and a soft oxford fabric, all for twenty bucks.
Polos: Old Navy Tri-Blend – $7.49 | Jersey – $9.74 w/ ONTAKE25
Here’s to hoping Target brings back the original design for their plain, Mossimo Polos this upcoming spring. In the meantime, Old Navy polos in their tri-bend or jersey cotton-blend are good options, as long as you size down. It’s not really polo weather for most of us, but a few are always nice to have on hand. Plus, you can easily score T-shirts for cheap at the thrift store. The 25% off Old Navy code ONTAKE25 expires today, Wednesday 11/7/12.
Sweaters: J. Crew Factory Merino V in navy – $34.50 & khaki – $34.50
Forget cashmere. Skip lambswool for now. What you want is a sweater that’s going to be thin enough to layer but tough enough to stand up to repeated usage. These can suffer from some piling, but overall, they’re as good as it gets for the price. The merino wool doesn’t scratch, the sweaters can take a beating, and the V-necks dip but don’t dip absurdly low. If Khaki doesn’t look good on you, try the heather grey, warm garnet, or heather vine options.
TOTAL COST: $152.21
CASH REMAINING: $168.94 (is it okay to panic yet?)
Upcoming Categories: Thurs – Pants, Fri – The Rest.
I like this series of articles. I think it would be great to see one or two more series at increasing price points. E.g. the $2500 wardrobe to see the evolution of the components if people can go a bit further
I’m getting nervous for you!
I agree….
I think it would be pretty easy to extrapolate for yourself if you have the extra $. These suggestions almost all allow for pricier items if a person has the extra cash, but provide a good framework to work with, IMO.
Well, looks like your outerwear options are going to be very limited at this point. Just sayin’!
On the dress shirts if I was looking for an upgrade what would be the next two brands above target?
Probably Lands End – dress shirts run in the $30 range and less when on sale (never buy from Lands End at full porice!!!- they run sales ALL THE TIME, think 25-35%) and be sure to check the closeout site, I got some OCBD’s for $14 from closeouts.
i almost would like to see another post (after this is done) that includes the “just missed” from this series…
I’m pretty sure it’ll never get as far as outerwear. We haven’t seen pant options yet, either.
I think maybe a good offshoot of this would be building the best wardrobe you can for the collegiate/graduate student (assuming you’re a traditional age), for somebody new to a formal workplace and for somebody working in a casual workplace. I’d love to hear from people who actually took the $1500 plunge and revamped their wardrobe to Joe’s specifications. Maybe one item in each category that would be a major upgrade if you already have a solid collection there. This is one of my favorite series and I’m thankful joe took another stab at it.
100% correct. That, and it’s tough to peg outwear for someone who lives in Miami vs. someone who lives in Seattle. Although an above the knee trench works almost all of the time: http://dappered.com/2012/10/the-trench-coat-spectrum/
Joe, all of these $1500 articles (old and new) are great. Keep up the great work. Although, I will say, I do enjoy the J Crew Factory Cotton/Cashmere blend of V-neck sweaters. Got them in-store for $34.50.
Worth mentioning that Target has added slim fit options to their dress shirts. For me they fit a lot better than the UDS options.
Charles Thyrwitt frequently runs sales that can put some of their dress shirts in the $30-$40 range. I’ve had good luck with them.
what’s comparable to the jcp oxford, but with a more substantial collar? looking for something in that price range I could throw a tie on. gap’s modern Oxford is almost perfect, just barely too short to tuck in for me :/
I tried the Target Merona Slim Fit Ultimate Dress Shirt during their online pre-sale that Dappered highlighted a few weeks ago. I got a white one, and while I liked it initially, the sleeves shrank a 1/2 size after the first wash/air dry, and the fabric isn’t nearly as iron-friendly as a cheaper Easy Iron from H&M. After the next wash I’ll have to stretch it out while damp. I like the collar and overall feel of it, but unlike other Target purchases, I’m thinking twice before grabbing another one.
You can have a tiny bit more money to play with for your budget if you use HAULPASS for 20% off for the J Crew Factory sweaters. Which I totally love – have in three colors.
Indeed, as long as you’re spending more than $100. Nice code from Factory though (do miss those 30% off ones)
Oooh, just think – if they had a 30% off deal at $100, you’d be able to get three of those for just $3-ish more than buying two. Curse you, math!
I second Charles Tyrwhitt as well. Their extra slim (formerly called “tailored”) fit shirts are the foundation of my work wardrobe.
I really like this “1500 wardrobe” thing, but I think you should have planned it out ahead, because we’ve got pretty high class suits and such, but really cheap shirts. I don’t know… I would just like to have seen this balanced out a bit better. I also think it would be nice to continue with for example a casual wardrobe or different price point wardrobe, etc.
solid deals on the sweaters and the jcp oxford, lands end has sweet oxfords too
Joe I have a question. I am a size 16 1/2 32/33 shirt which defaults to a large in virtually everything but I’m pretty much a medium/small with sweaters, shirts, etc. Can I alter a large down to fit me or will that look weird because of the shoulders? Would I be better off going with modern tailor or custom shirting? Mind you I tend to shop at almost the exact same stores u do because do the low cost (jcrew factory, target, jcpenny etc…) Right now I rarely wear ties because the neck is too tight on a medium even though the rest of the shirt fits fairly well. Really could use some expert advice on this as this is by far my biggest dilemma.
What about the cotton cashmere J Crew sweaters? Is that a good option too?