cheap winter basics
Hi all, looking for some inexpensive winter basics to wear this year. Don’t have a ton of money and planning to lose weight soon so I don’t want to invest too hard.. any suggestions?
150 Replies
Also pretty much only have 2 pairs of Levi’s jeans 501 that are slightly too long and that’s it lol
Don’t even have any tshirts that aren’t athletic type material which looks awful
I think a chunky textured sweater (like a fisherman sweater or an aran) can be a good idea. Aran sweater market has good ones at reasonable prices (https://www.aran.com/gents-sweaters)
Fisherman sweater, shawl neck | Aran Sweater Market
Official Aran Sweater Market, Inis Mór, Aran Islands - buy direct from the home of the Irish Fisherman Sweater, also known as the Aran Sweater. Our Irish wool sweaters are made in Ireland from 100% natural wool
A shetland sweater might be more versatile, but in my experience more expensive if bought new
Uniqlo’s lambswool sweaters aren’t terrible, either, imo, but much lighter than the above
I’m also a large guy so
Idk if that changes much
I should wear sweaters?
Why not? Just a larger sweater 🙂
chunky sweaters are a great investment imo
could find a more affordable shetland on ebay
This is how the pants fit lol
They need to be cuffed so much
Looks dumb?
looks good to me
take a pic uncuffed too
you can do a double cuff to lose the same amount of length rather than one big cuff
stacking is a good look and popular rn
Stacking?
Ok so those jeans
And what with it
like this tho they don't have to be cuffed. has to do with how far down it hits your shoes
I see
Yeah I have short legs
These are 30s
The shortest Levi’s 
you can take them to a tailor/alterations place and get them hemmed shorter, I think it usually runs in the area of $10 or $15, although someone US based will know better
nothing wrong with a cuff though if that's something you don't have the money for
yup i got jeans hemmed for $15
Yeah
Anyway ok jeans are done
They look ok?
they look good
The crotch folds?
You see that
Like a little pocket lol
if you hem them, ask for a full break imo. or you could also have them pin in place a cuff if you'd like (also have them do a full break)
True
Ok so what else
do you have a p warm winter jacket?
and what style of jacket do you gravitate towards?
I have like a tech jacket
What is your budget first off and how cold does it get where you are
Not a fashion jacket lol
those two things will be big deciders
he's in NJ
Yeah
so pretty cold then
?
Meh
Depends I guess
around freezing?
Yeah but that’s hoodie weather
it gets down to a bit under freezing in the winter here
No need for a jacket
💀
lmao
I wear a light fall jacket
Like a light down puffer
a jacket would be worth spending more on imo though it's also the type of piece that is more conducive to thrifting (which in that case could make it very affordable)
J.Crew
Wallace & Barnes blanket-lined denim chore jacket
Shop for the Wallace & Barnes blanket-lined denim chore jacket for men. Find the best selection of men mens-categories-clothing-coats-and-jackets available in-stores and on line.
what do you think of this jacket for example? Do you think it fits the style you're looking for?
If you search ebay for "Barn Coat" you'll see lots of examples similar to what Benji has shared above, some denim and some in canvas
but like Benji says it depends what style you think you want to gravitate towards
HeatTech from Uniqlo and sweaters from eBay.
if you’re planning on potentially buying new clothes after changes in your weight i’d highly recommend getting everything (within reason) secondhand for now! i agree with the comments above that the jeans look completely fine and thrifting (or using Ebay) for sweaters, barn jackets or a puffer is a good move.
i like it but way too pricy lol
will look for barn jackets tho
but i need more than just jackets haha
like shirts? sweaters?
shoes
A handful of long sleeve t shirts just for layering under sweaters n stuff imo
Flannel shirts would be the obvious category to take a look at imo. Search for Big Mac flannels on eBay
Also Wallace & Barnes flannels on eBay (I think the ones with the grey lining are the thicker ones). I have one I got for only $6
flannels hmm
any recs for the long sleeve tees?
i also need some short sleeve
have any fit pics of things youd rec?
@Benjiara
Search for Uniqlo U long sleeve tees on eBay
Idk could also just get Bella + canvas ones online or at a Michael's
J crew heritage ones look good
For short sleeves?
I’m chubby tho so idk how to size a shirt
Do I size it big
Or
Those are long sleeve options tho all of those also make the same in short sleeve
Uniqlo U is more relaxed
Same with j crew heritage
Idk about Bella + canvas, i'd look into it online
Short sleeves tees are.more.important I think because in the warmer months they are a more visible part of your outfit
Uniqlo U I was rec before
Never tried them lol
I mean I don’t usually wear long sleeve tees
I like long sleeve tees for layering under sweaters tho you can also wear one under a flannel (and a relaxed jacket over that in the winter)
I get hot in winter
And the sleeves bother me
I wouldn't get more than like 2-3 long sleeve tees
Yeah I won’t
So tees what colors
Black? White?
Grey?
Could do 2 long sleeve tees in classic colors (like heather gray and white) and a waffle thermal long sleeve t
Aside from invisible layering for warmth and under a flannel, another option would be to wear a short sleeve tee over a long sleeve tee (Y2K coded but cool imo)
Then just do short sleeve tees
Go to Uniqlo and try on tees (they have Uniqlo U which is heavyweight, Uniqlo supima which is mid weight, and they also have a half sleeve oversized tee which is midweight) and j crew (the broken in tees are lightweight and the heritage ones are heavier). If those are too expensive (you prob want to buy them during a sale), then look at Bella + canvas and maybe Hanes
There's also secondhand tees
I don’t think I’d buy second hand tees
They are like underwear in my mind lol
Second hand outerwear is more understandable for me
No I agree lol
Ok good lol
Unless it’s some vintage thing
And shoes
Like nb 574 lol
And what about like a boot
For snow and stuff
Do you have hiking boots
574s are cool
I have hiking shoes
Not very good looking tho
And not waterproof
i'm still figuring out what boots i want as well (or if I even need boots versus other footwear). footwear is an important part of your outfit. do you have any idea of the style you'd like to go for with boots?
there are some classic mass produced boots that you can't go wrong with imo like timberlands though it depends on what style you like
Decent boots can be pricey. Red wings are like $3-400.
But they should last literally forever if you take care of them and get them resoled.
Not sure what i want to go for
Need some options
That’s way too expensive
lol
MFA recommends Blundstones
You can also find Allen Edmonds on sale if you are patient. I got a pair of AE Chelseas for $120
I don’t think id want to walk in snow in any of those
Those seem like fashion boots
You really need to provide what your budget is for the items you are looking for and some rough idea of what style of boot etc you want
Then stick to your hiking boots. Looking cute in the snow is advanced MFA, IMO. Beyond my skill level anyway.
I don’t have any boots for hiking
I hike in trail runners lol
I have no clue, and like $100 I guess
More concerned about the clothes rn
I guess hoodies aren’t the
nothing wrong with a good plain hoodie, lots of hoodies in waywt that work with layering
for example a plain grey hoodie could layer well under a barn coat
go well under a denim jacket etc
Ahh
I need to get a barn coat
only if you like them, just picked it as an example because they were mentioned earlier in the thread
I love barn coat kind of style
I’m trying to lose weight tho so I don’t want to invest too heavily
Anything worth getting at Costco?
T shirts or something
their store brand boxer briefs are good
what's your shoe size? there's a store in NYC selling a pair of red wings for a lil over $100
from what i've seen repeated here a few times the kirkland white tees are supposed to be pretty good
I bought these lmao
I’m a 8.5 lol
Oh too bad it's not in your size
Oh 😦
Wanna help me eBay lol @Benjiara
Find a barn coat
And some cool shit
you sure you want a barn coat specifically? there's also chore coats, utility coats etc
barn coats search up vintage j crew, ll bean, wrangler big ben (there's other brands too)
Oh u have no idea what I look up those options too?
I am not about the like
Peacoat look
Or anything like that
look up those options too?
I am not about the like
Peacoat look
Or anything like that
Like this?
Yah
I like the llbean ones best
Carhartt too for barn coats but I bet the vintage ones are overpriced nowadays
Yah the ll bean ones are a classic
They have the olive too
I look good in olive generally
Matches my eyes
Should I buy new or
Well its $170
Vintage will be a lot more affordable
L.L.Bean
Men's 8" L.L.Bean Boots: The Original Duck Boot
Find the best Men's Bean Boots, 8" at L.L.Bean. Our high quality Men's Boots are thoughtfully designed and built to last season after season.
Whatcha think about the bean boots?
Bean boots are cool @Benjiara
Could be a good footwear option then, pricing is affordable for a well made boot
should i buy it new @Benjiara
i find cheap barn coats and chore coats all the time on poshmark in canada, i bet you can find them easily. i'd be more inclined to go vintage for coats and new for footwear.
Yeah footwear if it lasts long I’d go new
Coat yeah I could get on eBay
I don’t want my feet where others stinky feet have been
For footwear my long term strategy is to buy used now to understand what I like, then buy new as budget permits. So far I have two new pairs of boots, the rest I probably won't replace for a long while. But it's personal preference.
But like you said, footwear gets walked to destruction and also has feet in it. Overcoats on the other hand, and other outer layers, see almost no skin contact, virtually no sweat, and if made well will outlast a lot of people. "BIFL" shoes are almost impossible if you wear them often, but you can get a "BIFL" overcoat that someone else already wore for 30 years and get another 40 out of it.
Makes sense to me
Yeah
Thoughts on this.
It’s not fully buttoned. Just want thoughts lol
It’s a little snug but I might wear it open
Or is that not a thing I should do
@Benjiara what u think
Too small. You can see it pulling around the buttons
It’s not buttoned
All the way
But yeah ur right
Ok I won’t wear it
shirt itself looks good though, just need to jump up a size
Or wear it open?
If it's a shirt you already own then yeh you could wear it open
looks like it still has a tag on though so returning for a size up would let you wear it open or closed
Where'd you get the shirt?
I'd return it if it's too small
I've seen a lot of thin mall brand flannels by the way, I don't recommend those
It’s an old shirt
I have had it a while
Never wore it
I feel like placing a order at uniqulo
Do the U tees run true to size?
they're a bit big but i'd take your normal size
Ok
Damn they are $20 each?
They have them on sale for $15 every so often from what I remember
The women’s ones are $9 rn
Any other T suggestions jsut to have something that’s not a althletic type material @Benjiara
My tees are Uniqlo and J Crew. I've been waiting for sales and trying to build up a variety of colors
I see
The U series ones?
you can try like bella + canvas or hanes but keep in mind the cheaper you go then may have to buy them in packs where you can't really try them on beforehand/return
Yeah I have some white Hanes ones I think
could try bella+canvas 3091 for a heavier tee like uniqlo u
i don't think it's as relaxed a cut tho
this model is boxy: https://www.bellacanvas.com/product/3010/The-Boxy-Tee.html
The Boxy Tee | Mens Streetwear | Fast Fashion | Mens Wholesale Clot...
Wholesale mens streetwear heavyweight t shirt perfect for custom printing. Mens T Shirts, tanks, polo shirts, hoodies, fleece, tri blend, and Heathers in all popular colors.
Is boxy what I want?
The Uniqlo U ones are fairly boxy. Prob best to own a handful in different cuts, they all have a use
Well anything tight cut on me won’t look good
Yeah, but boxiness is different from size.
I know
i love the non half-sleeve uniqlo u tees. boxy, not as oversized as the half-sleeved but still loose, and a nice heavyweight feel.
does the US site not have measurements on it?
It does
I see them now
they have a few uniqlo's in NJ where you can try them on too
Ok I’m back
So can someone help me make a basic list
If what I should have
Feeling overwhelmed
And insecure
well, what do you need?
Well
Let’s start with what I have?
I’ve got altheltic material tee shirts in many colors
I’ve got plain white tee shirts
I’ve got one Columbia quarter zip sweatshirt
I have 2 pairs of Levi’s 501s
And I have a pair of black and white vans and some running sneakers
That’s it
And some basketball shorts and stuff
OK, I've got two recommendations already. 1) Uniqlo has some nice, inexpensive flannel shirts. I think they are on sale right now. 2) For sweaters, eBay is your friend.
I could do flannels
I almost never wear anything with buttons like that
Unless it’s a dress occasion and I’m wearing a suit
Ok so flannels and sweaters, any examples of those?
UNIQLO
Men's Casual Shirts | UNIQLO US
Browse stylish and comfy casual shirts for men from UNIQLO US. Shop flannel, long-sleeve shirts & more in a wide range of colors for casual looks.
For sweaters, look for a wool crew-neck sweater in a color/pattern that you like.
Building A Basic Wardrobe v7.0
Version 7 of the classic MFA post
Hmm ok
I will look in a bit
Also need shoes and pants and jackets
eBay could be good for flannels too
Big Mac, Wallace & Barnes etc
Vintage ll bean
it would also be super helpful to see some photos of outfits / styles you like! that will help ppl tailor their recommendations to you ☺️
Ok since Uniqlo U isn’t on sale
Any recs for a basic tee
I need to get rid of these altheltic material shirts
I hate them
I feel like I look so ugly in them
do you have any tees that fit you in a way that you like? i’d measure the pit to pit and length and then pick up some tees with the same measurements! Gildan, or Comfort Colors, or Carhartt / Dickies pocket tees won’t break the bank
i also love factory seconds / imperfects for basics like tees because they’re way cheaper and you can’t tell the difference
https://www.supercasuals.com/irregular.cfm
($10 carhartt pocket tees in various colors) ☝️☝️☝️
I don’t have anything that fits well
Costco has some carhart tees
But they have carhart logo which I don’t like
for sure. if you’re not sure on fit i think your best bet is to go into a store irl and try on a few different tees to find your size / ideally measurements (if possible)
Kirkland tees are good too i’ve heard (from Costco)
Yeah but they only have white
What colors would I look for
Haha, depends what colors you like to wear! to cover your bases i’d say in addition to white pick up a black tee, i also like heather grey.
can’t really go wrong with some basic white and black tees and then you can always branch out from there in the future
https://www.hanes.com/collections/beefy-tees-for-all.html
Also heather gray is great
good shout, Beefy tees rock
Cheapest place to buy them would be tj Maxx or Marshalls if they have them
I got Hanes ribbed tanks at TJ Maxx and they were cheaper than anywhere else
Which type of Hanes
Beefy?
Yeah
Ok hmm
No colors?
Like blue! Green?
Up to you on that. If You're going for a less neutral color think about how you'd style it
Yeah
I mean I don’t want to just dress neutral all the time
Well neutral tees go with a wider variety of other outfits
I'd say white and heather gray are key colors to start with, and to a lesser extent cream and black
A lot of times the non neutral colors in your outfit will not come from the t shirt but from another piece of clothing
i think white, black, brown, navy and olive are safe
personally i don't like heather grey. makes me feel like i'm in gym class.