Ask HN: What should I have in my wardrobe? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What should I have in my wardrobe?

5 pointsgolmedo8 comments

Hi, I've always had issues with my wardrobe. Always had too few clothes, which resulted in using the same stuff a lot (with the logical consequences: bad looks and wore down clothes). I think the main problem is that haven't put much thought into what to have and what to buy, resulting in buying clothes only for urgent situations. I'm moving to NYC in 1 month and would like to have a more logical set of clothes for everyday. I am a man, 32, work in an office every day, casual (I work in tech). Any recommendations? A link to a spreadsheet would be great :)

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- I advise against a full wardrobe makeover. Finding your personal style is a trial and error process and you will waste a lot of money trying to knock it out in one go. Take it slow and incorporate key pieces into what you already wear. Please do not follow a spreadsheet, infographic, or God forbid, a Reddit post.

- With that in mind, you should have some sort of direction. Is there an actor, musician, or other past/present public figure who you think looks good? Try to work backwards from there. Even if it's something extreme. You can't go to work in full punk/goth regalia, but you can take inspiration from it and dress it up.

- There's nothing wrong with wearing nice shoes, outerwear, or pants over and over again. If they're versatile, nobody will care, so I'd focus on quality over quantity. Shirts you'd have to change up more of course.

- Take items to the tailor.

- Things are generally trending to a looser fit now. Avoid anything skin tight or overly tapered.

- As a 32 year old man, you'd do better avoiding hoodies, activewear, baseball caps, and sneakers. Not a hard rule, but none of these things should be a staple of your work wardrobe even if your colleagues are wearing them. Favor button up shirts, sweaters, jeans, trousers, leather shoes/boots, and proper coats. You will not look tryhard or overly formal in NYC of all places.

- Blue, green, white, brown, gray, and black are the easiest colors to work with.

- Shave.

- https://www.mrporter.com is probably still a good overview of normy fashion for professional men. You gotta sift through some overpriced garbage though. Deals can be found on Outnet, Markkt, The Real Real, and Grailed, though the latter is a bit dodgy.

This advice actually changed the way I thought about this. Thank you so much!

I'd echo almost everything you said, except for:

> As a 32 year old man, you'd do better avoiding hoodies, activewear, baseball caps, and sneakers.

I'm not sure why there are still so many people around that look down on casual wear as office attire. A tech worker these days in an office surrounded by others doing the same isn't going to stand out. Save the dress shirts and Italian leather shoes for big events and fine dining; they're not going to impress anyone at the office. Gone are the days of everyone wearing a tie and jacket to sit at a desk for 8 hours.

I'm not sure I look down on it, but having a personal style and taking pride in your appearance means standing out, so I would avoid what other developers are wearing. If you are consistently put together in a non-pained manner, it absolutely impresses people professionally and romantically.

It’s a matter of personal taste. Nevertheless I would have told my 30 year old self to buy these.

5 dress shirts in white and shades of blue. Buy the pricey ones from a department store. They are worth it. You want a blend of cotton and the latest artificial fabric. They make the shirts last forever. For casual Fridays, replace the dress shirt with a T shirt.

Buy 5 pairs of dress pants in shades of black and blue. You want blends of wool and the latest artificial fabric. You don’t need name brand for pants. Whatever looks good to you.

Buy two pairs of dress shoes. Look for the ones that give your feet support and look not too bad.

Buy 5 pairs of merino wool dress socks. I like the Vermont Darn Tough with their lifetime guarantee.

Buy a pocketable rain jacket that you can shove in your backpack. I like the Columbia brand.

Buy three Uniqlo heattech undershirts to keep out the NY winter.

Buy a black wool classic trench coat for the winter. They look classy, keep out the rain, and last forever. I had one for 20 years before I had to replace it.

super helpful, thanks a lot!

Someone once gave me a good bit of advice: try to buy colors (that you like) that go with multiple other colors. That way you can wear the same pants with different shirts, so you end up with more combinations.

Thanks a lot!

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