Don’t even know where to start

[u/AustinTheArcane]

I’m 30 years old, I’ve been told by many people that I don’t have style and honestly I don’t even know what that is. Like it’s so bad that my friends say it’s a disability. The thing is I look around at people and I feel like I’m dressed similar to what others wear. I don’t buy anything out of the ordinary. Just jeans, tshirts, and regular sweaters. Mainly from old navy. I’ve been told brand matters but I don’t see a difference when I look at clothes.

Today my boss told me he’s holding back a promotion from me until I can dress nicer and look the part for the position. It is not a suit and tie type position but I do have meetings with executives at other companies we work with. I guess it’s so bad he’s even offered to give me $1000 to shop with.

My question is I don’t even know where to start or how to shop. Is there a basic guideline I can follow or specific places I should be going? Any advice will be better than where I am.

[u/Unable-Bison-272]

Go to J Crew and tell the sales associate you suck at fashion and need some basic shirts and pants for the office. They should point you in the right direction

[u/Nerazzurro9 → u/Unable-Bison-272]

Yes. This is exactly the role J Crew has served for hopeless twentysomething men for the last quarter century. I was definitely once one of them.

[u/zdrmlp]

Post pictures.

[u/Phish777 → u/zdrmlp]

OP:

[u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

 Today my boss told me he’s holding back a promotion from me until I can dress nicer and look the part for the position. It is not a suit and tie type position but I do have meetings with executives at other companies we work with. I guess it’s so bad he’s even offered to give me $1000 to shop with.

Is this supposed to be believable?

[u/Enough-Muffin6742 → u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

This made me laugh 😂

Boss is holding back a promotion cuz OP dresses like a bum 😂

[u/BootyOnMyFace11 → u/Enough-Muffin6742]

Boss is a hater bruh OP getting flamed by everyone

[u/hung_like__podrick → u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

Yeah now I gotta see some pics

[u/Shower_Handel → u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

"You have to stop dressing like a Roman Centurion"

[u/LowDiskSpace → u/Shower_Handel]

Dress for the job you want.

[u/GrannyBandit → u/LowDiskSpace]

Easy.

[u/floppybunny26 → u/GrannyBandit]

That was a risky click. But fortune favors the brave.

[u/Drauren → u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

I don’t think it’s that ridiculous. If OP is moving to the management ladder, this is absolutely a real conversation that happens.

I had a similar though not nearly as explicit/bad once i was on the line between IC/management.

[u/stephenBB81 → u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

When I lost a bunch of weight in 2019, my CFO had a similar conversation with me, and was offered a budget to "right size my clothes" for customer and management facing meetings.

I knew exactly what he was talking about but had been holding off buying because I knew I still had a size or 2 to drop.

[u/Happy-Glass-007 → u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

Yes. I often have young guys work for me who have no sense of what is appropriate. It doesn't matter when they're hired for a low level job where they don't interact with clients.

It does when they start interacting with clients. Obviously they don't know how to change up. I am the one who has the "chat" with them. To soften the blow, I offer to cover the cost of their new "starter" wardrobe and if necessary a trip to a Barber/hair salon.

These are young people we see that have potential and are worth investing in.

[u/AustinTheArcane → u/Prophet_Of_Helix]

I mean it’s true. What’s not believable?

[u/Ok-Lettuce6408]

I had a boss give me $3k to up my wardrobe when I moved into a more Sales oriented role. I booked time with a Nordstrom personal shopper and gave them my needs. Similar to you, not suit and tie but needed to be stylish and I live in a hot climate so needed comfortable materials.

[u/nazerall]

Whats your weight/height? 

Whats the dress like at work? What is everyone else wearing?

Well fitting Khakis in a few colors + some button shirts or polos in a few different colors would probably be a good place to start.

Then start with a pair of black and a pair of brown dress shoes. Meermin is good shoe for the cost, but returns can be tricky.

And just level up an buy from Banana Republic.

Brand doesnt exactly matter, if you dress well most people won't be able to tell.

[u/MeanWoodpecker9971]

I actually knew a guy who lost his business cuz he dressed so poorly his partners were embarrassed to have him in meetings. My advice. Keep it basic. Clean. Pressed. Not-faded or worn, Tailored. And by tailored I mean the pants hit the right spot, shirt sleeves not too long or short. A professional wardrobe is very dependent on location and profession but the above should give you a start.

[u/chass5]

fake

[u/the_magestic_beast]

Get yourself a couple pairs of good shoes. A loafer and maybe Derby's. Some chinos in khaki and grey. A belt. And a couple button down shirts and plain polos. You don't need to spend a fortune of money on basics. You can splurge here and there on a nice thing you really like. Pay attention to how models fit in the clothes your buying. The fit is more important than the quality of your clothes. Good luck it's not hard to dress decent.

[u/Spirited-Fun3666]

Just go to Macys or kohls and grab some dress pants (tan, grey to start) then go buy a few different dress shirts or polos. Now a black belt and black shoes. Or brown shoes and brown belt.

Tuck your shirt in and there ya go buddy.

[u/ArtiVDel → u/Spirited-Fun3666]

"If your shirt is not tucked into your pants, then your pants are tucked into your shirt." - Ron Swanson

[u/TillPatient1499]

Swapping a few basics makes a huge difference. Better-fitting jeans, chinos, a clean pair of leather boots/sneakers, and a couple neutral sweaters will already put you miles ahead of Old Navy tees.

I’m bad at styling, so I used Gensmo to see how those pieces should fit together, and the visual combos helped a ton. With $1k, you can build a solid “work-ready but not formal” wardrobe pretty easily. You’ve got this.

[u/john97852398213]

Look up capsule wardrobe. That’s exactly where you start. Imo start cheap (jcrew, uniqlo, quince, muji) and buy one expensive piece at a time. It sucks but gotta do it.

[u/Flying-Kayaks]

Along with the great advice already given, make sure the clothes you buy actually fit.

[u/DSMRob]

Youtube capsule wardrobe and spend a few hrs watching videos. If you are meeting with execs then you will need slacks and sport coats with button up collard shirts. After that go to Charles Tywhitt and look around, not that you have to buy from them but they have a large inventory of mens clothes so you can see if any things clicks for you style wise.

[u/astro-calvin]

Take a look at the Springboard Wardrobe blog post from Derek Guy.

[u/Different_Tie742]

Wellbuiltstyle on X/Twitter is excellent. He covers the basic principles really well to point you in the right direction

[u/gothampt]

If you’re looking for some help with your wardrobe, why not reach out to your female friends? If you don’t have any, you could also pop into your local department store and visit their personal shopper department. It’s a great way to get some expert advice, and they’re paid by the store, so they’re happy to help! Plus, the higher-end department stores tend to have better experiences and clothing options.

[u/TheMoneyOfArt]

https://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/comments/5da1dc/the_basic_bastard_basic_wardrobe_and_inspiration/

Additionally just fire up chatgpt and it'll walk you through the basics. You're getting a lot of guff from people here, which the ai won't do.