How to get into "preppy" fashion
So I woulf like to get into "preppy" outfits a bit. Not super formal but like a suit nicr shirt nice tie. Is it possible to do that without selling my kidney for a suit? Cause thrifting or secondhand seems like a bad option. And tailormade is definitely too expensive
33 Replies
If you want to go into tailoring thrifting is a great way to do it.
eBay or second hand is the best bet. There are great deals on suits and sports coats if you know your size.
Yeah, the main entry barrier is learning your size
for that def shop in person. Either at your local thrift, or go to a department store, find a suit that fits, and measure its dimensions
Can I thrift something and bring it to a tailor for adjustment?
Best to know both your alpha size (ie 40l, 36r) and your actual meaurments (shoulder,sleeve ect)
Yes
Absolutely! Though some alterations are easier than others
And only like lenght of the sleeves or e.g. in the shoulders as well
I’m picking up a thrifted blazer at the tailors tomorrow (cost more to adjust than to buy probably)
Waist and sleeves are very simple and quite affordable as long as there is fabric
I would stay away from chest/shoulders
those are expensive and risky modifications
Key is to get length right and shoulder right. Sleeves can be lengthened (within reason) and waist can be adjusted (within reason)
But lenghtening is only possible if I somehoe have a bit of the exact same fabric rigjt
For sleeves and hem there is usually some extra fabric that is folded back inside that can be let out. Usual allowances are around an inch or so.
most suits have some fabrics hidden in the sleeves/waists for adjustments
Ohh ok nice
I guess I will look around for some stuff then
But I probably still shouldnt order from vinted or so to ensure proper chest and shoulder fit right
also, i recommend to find a good alerations tailor that you can trust. You can ask in a posh department store if they have someone they recommend, or in a curated vntage shop that specializes in selling suits, and unless they have in house tailoring services they will propably give you a good recommendation, but don't be afraid to try a few places.
Also when you have found an alterations tailor that is good, trust them and don't insert yourself too much into the process, they most likely know better than you how long the sleeves ought to be.
not from the getgo, no.
Once you know your size and measurement, vinted is a great place to get cheap high quality suits
but don't trust the tagged size, always insist on measurements and ideally ask them to send pictures of how they measured, bc some people are bad at measuring garments or do it wrong.
Also, even with measurements, likelyhood is that 50% won't fit right and the other 50% will need alterations. You should include having to re-sell the occasional bad-fit into your calculations. It will still be considerably cheaper to get suits secondhand than new
basically the cheapest new suit that is not complete trash will be something north of 600€. For that money you can basically get all but the most high-end suits secondhand, with a genuinely good but not super fancy suit sitting at roughly 100€
so even if you buy two and one is a dud you will still have paid a third of the cheapest non-trash suit for a much better one
I know one. Friend of my grandma
Do you have a guide on how to take measurements
There’s only one way and that is to enroll in prep school
i think it's also worth making the ddistinction between "preppy" and "more formal" as there are ways to dress preppy without wearing a suit or blazer (polo shirts, ocbds, chinos, boat shoes, etc)
Your posts are basically what inspited me lmao
Like this e. G.
that is very kinda, though that is on the far edge of how i typically dress, and that in and of itself took a while to figure out lol
Generlaly I see a lot of cool stuff involving suits from you lol
Wait in english, is only the top part of a suit called suit too
no
that specifically is a blazer (solid color, metal buttons)
Yeah I just stole 2 blazers from my grandmas house. They fit surprisingly well. Will take a picture
vs a sportcoat (usually patterned, usually not metal buttons) or suit (matching suit jacket/pant)
the best way to get used to wearing tailoring is trying it on and wearing it, and to see how others do so. the good thing is once you find your desired fit it's easy to shop secondhand for more
Ok these are the shittiest pictures ever
They are just blue and one is striped but I will try atound with them a bit. Also will look for second hand suits but in zurich even that is probably too expensive
So on the left thats called a sport coat?
yes - discord's compression did not help but it's a houndstooth pattern
the pics aren't great but i think they might be a little too big - best way to see it is wearing a collared shirt that fits and taking shots with your arms down if possible ie-
Ok. All my collared shirts are at uni
I will try this week
I also dont wanna wear like full on formal suit and dress shirt. Like thats too much for pretty much any occasion I have yk
true - every person is diff but i rarely wear a full suit jacket/matching pant/dress shirt/tie.
try some combos out, take pics and if you're not sure if it looks good or fits post them in a new thread to get a second take