Brands to research for a smart casual capsule wardrobe
I need some advice on what brands to research to help build a capsule wardrobe that I can wear for my casual teaching job. I started out with the standard uniqlo polo shirts and trousers which was practical but it feels very static/boring and sometimes feels too formal.
I want to find items that can work in a teaching environment whilst also good for “off the clock” during the work week. I live in a hot & humid climate that usually stays around 25-35°c throughout the year, so need light and breathable materials, but don’t want anything with high maintenance (ie. a lot of ironing, as least ironing as possible).
In winter I have more opportunities to wear clothes that I enjoy such as flannels, wax cotton overshirts, corduroy, and mixing it with plain colour tees and carpenter pants or jeans with chelsea boots. In summer it’s too hot to wear those.
As it’s a capsule wardrobe I could consider having a budget of $200 AUD or less for each item.
Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I don’t need direct suggestions on items, just brands/styles/materials to research and find possible options.
32 Replies
do you have examples of fits (from #waywt or #inspiration or elsewhere) that you like that are smart casual yet suitably interesting yet would be appropriate for your workplace?
I’ll have a look, how do I tag them here?
you can just post the picture as an attachment or link the post itself
Cool, I’ll have a look, give me a few minutes
Some of these are a tad bit casual but can be easily adjusted I think for my workplace
And of course for a different climate
But those are the colour combinations and styles that I like
The third and fifth would be the most appropriate I think
As well as the last
from the pics and what you've described of your winterwear it looks like a pretty clear preference for workwear; the problem is as you noted the stuff tends to run hot
Exactly! It’s tough to manage
Despite working in an office-type environment, I like the versatility and flexibility that workwear inspired clothing provides
lightweight work pants - i'm guessing one of dickies or red kap ships to australia but they make clothes for mechanics to wear when under hot ass cars (what fabrics i am not sure, just look for lightweight stuff)
Uniqlo is great but often the clothing I have gotten from there is either nice but casual or boring business office wear
lightweight chambray shirts - the look of denim minus the weight (in 1 and maybe 6?); j.crew's are good
That’s probably what I need. I can mix that with some polos or a couple basic short sleeves button ups and make it work
I do like chambray, just often requires a lot of iron haha
have you considered any of their lightweight patterned button downs (plaid, stripe, etc); again, the visual of a flannel cpo without the warmth
see that's the thing; part of what makes workwear good at least imo is the wear and tear that comes with it
I have a few short sleeve button ups that could fit that mold, mostly with simple mid century designs
True
well see there you go
I’m also considering retiring my veja all black sneakers and swapping to some solovair shoes, either brown or black
in a broad sense any sort of wide chino will also work here (not like jnco wide but not skin tight); increased airflow makes things cooler
cross one bridge at a time imo
if you buy these new things it's worth wearing them for a while to see if the black sneakers make sense or if you really want solovairs
Also these are my gym/workout shoes which I often wear to the gym then work
i have no opinion on them other than if they're for working out i'd just have them as dedicated workout shoes
the more you wear them the faster they wear out
genuinely i think you could achieve very similar results as your inspo 100% from uniqlo. it will likely be your best option both within your budget and as a recommendation from what is primarily a NA server.
yeah you could legit find a chambray shirt, lightweight pants with some sort of texture (and maybe a lightweight overshirt like ripstop or something) all at uniqlo. might save a headache if you can't find The Best Chambray Shirt ykwim
That’s true, there’s not much in terms of up to date AU resources/community. however for non-US brands that’s less of an issue, I hope
Definitely, I can look there first
Shops like Maplestore and Subtype often get more unique options from European and Asian brands
So the main thing I need to find is lightweight workstyle pants, perhaps a cotton/linen blend
Olive would be an easy and appropriate colour, later could get a different colour to alternate
I don't know a lot of australian/NZ brands that do menswear, but kowtow is one that I like
Will have that workwear vibe
raid op shops looking for cotton chinos
Doesn’t need to be local brand, we have international brands haha
oh sure i know that, i just think it's way easier to buy online and return it when it's local
which is my usual methodology
I mean uniqlo obviously is easy no matter where you are but i've had a heck of a time returning some stuff from tinier european brands
consider looking at used ralph lauren on japanese proxy sites too. minimum shipping to melbourne is only like 30 bucks, it might be a bit more expensive to perth but should still be affordable
Iloveugly
I hear some decent things about them. Have any experience?
no
if it helps i am wearing a Wrangler shirt and Lee pants here, both of which you can buy for like $20
Didn’t exactly find workwear pants, but this is a nice nod to mid-century fashion which I often like for inspiration
https://www.iloveugly.com.au/products/kobe-pant-espresso
I Love Ugly AU
Kobe Pant - Espresso
Introducing the latest instalment to our Kobe Family; The Kobe Pant in Espresso. The Kobe Pant draws its inspiration from Japan's simplistic, yet sophisticated streetwear landscape, a design aesthetic of huge influence to the I Love Ugly creative team. The classic Kobe Pant silhouette maintains a cropped wide leg style
These were vintage 501s, an Abercrombie polo on deep discount and Wallabees, so it didn’t break the bank.
The polo is great, a nice change to take what is now so overdone (polos) and made them interesting again
And can’t go wrong with vintage 501s