How to dress good with little kids/clothes that can be used hard
I have a two year old and a three year old. I like to wear tailored clothing for work and date nights, but that doesn't work great for going to the park and getting pizza hands rubbed on me. What would you wear other than gym shorts and junky t-shirts? I suppose work-wear stuff looks better with some wear and tear, but I'm not much of a work-wear guy. Help please. Thanks.
35 Replies
Hi @Zim--Zam! For better answers, include:
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There is an entire ocean between tailoring and gym shorts and junky tshirts
Jeans and a sweatshirt
Jeans and a chambray shirt
Jeans and a flannel
Fatigues and a sweatshirt
Etc
not much can beat white vinegar for odors, oxyclean for deep stains & heavy odors.
for durability just avoid loose knit/wide gauge knits because they can be stretched pretty easy.
but jeans, sweaters, flannels, all sorts of button downs etc are all made to be beat to shit.
Sorry, should have been more specific. I'm looking to develop a style I don't have. There is indeed an ocean, and I'm not sure where to start. Items that have a somewhat refined look but are not out of place at the park, tough, easy to launder and perhaps look decent or even better with some wear and tear.
Is there a sweater category that is easy to launder?
Hashtag menswear adjacent would be a field coat with lots of pockets for holding dad / toddler stuff
Could be a Barbour or country. Could be military m65 etc, or some more suiting adjacent like a safari jacket/ lapel
i think several people on mfad have small children; it might be worth seeing what they're wearing to see what you actually like. search
in:#waywt from:USER where USER is one of leisurelyloafing, kstocks, tv1313, franki9350, talbot4345, shrimp_my_ride, hotelsaladcotton is very solid for getting stains out of if thats a priority
on stop of the styles that zeo referenced, here are a few more that might work
xmdot
rawbertuh
briquebutale
.
zeometer
casbsp
circleframes
slrls
digdug04If you want I can keep going. Do any of the styles here capture what you're imagining? Its hard to strike a balance between refined + roughed up I'd imagine that something that uses some tailoring cues while being a more rugged fabric might be a good start think high waisted belted pleated pants but with more casual top or cotton button downs more casual pants and some loafers
big picture thought is your kids will eventually get old enough that you won't have to worry as much about cleaning; it's worth thinking about what you like independent of that
Thank you @Shrimp! Very helpful in searching for inspiration. Which, I guess is what I'm really looking for. Not sure if there is one that is a homerun for me, but collectively it is giving me some ideas.
@zeometer I am getting more comfortable with using my clothes and laundering them and not treating them all like collectible art pieces. And I look forward to not worrying so much about that as they grow. I still have a hard time feeling like myself (wearing something I like) and feeling playground appropriate.
Great to hear. There are always also a ton of outfits in #waywt-highlights , #waywt and #inspiration which might help.
No one of us can tell you how you want to dress. Can only throw more suggestions at you
Let us know if there is anything else we can do to help you get to where you want to go
Brown cords, fatigues and jeans paired denim workshirts, flannel or chamois, t-shirts and various jackets as staples in these cooler months.
Really, it's woolen trousers that are the problem. That's mostly what I own and they would feel so wrong at the park. So I wear sweats much more than I'd like.
if you have ig you might enjoy phil @ thefadedwoods https://www.instagram.com/thefadedwoods?igsh=cG03ZjEyN2pjMDRx
Phillip Julian | Menswear & Lifestyle (@thefadedwoods) • Instagra...
2,038 Followers, 1,125 Following, 295 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Phillip Julian | Menswear & Lifestyle (@thefadedwoods)
beyond that my gut is saying look for old prl corduroy andrews on ebay - pleating presents as more refined, corduroy can be seen as rugged, they're machine washable and they're relatively inexpensive (usually around $30) so replacing them isn't a death sentence
Love that blue linen jacket in the picture shrimpy shared of you above BTW.
funny thing that is an old lab coat i dyed; the wrinkles came from the heat but I appreciated the patina
Wow! It looks great
the intent was to be a french work shirt analog but people like casey (casbsp) and art (artvandelayexporting) often wear the authentic version
FWIW I also find wool sweaters, especially heavier ones, don’t tend to hold onto stains. Like you can get some pizza sauce on them and just wipe it off with no harm done. Whereas a cotton knit would stain easier in the same scenario.
You can’t just throw the wool sweater in the washing machine though obviously
That's good to know!