Getting a New Wardrobe

[DriftingCrow]

I've been thinking about what kind of male clothes I want to get once I am able to go shopping. Years ago I threw all my male clothes away, so I'll be starting completely from scratch (except for two pairs of cargo shorts, one very large T-shirt and some boxers). I think I've gotten past my baggy T-shirts and jeans phase, and I want to start getting a more sophisticated look. I think the '40s and '50s were the height of fashion for both men and women, so I am planning on getting a bit of a retro appearance with the exception of a few pairs of cargo pants/jeans and T-shirts for when I am just lounging around the house, hiking, or going to Wal-Mart. 

In women's clothing I am US sizes 0, 2, or sometimes 4 depending on the maufacturer. I've been buying most of my clothes at target where I am a 2, and I buy suits at Express where I am a 0. Stores like Kohl's, macy's, etc. I have to shop in Juniors. So, as other small guys here probably know--it's hard to find small clothes outside of the boy's section. I really would rather avoid getting boy's clothes, because they're not made with the same quality as adult clothing, and I'd rather not be out wearing Angry Bird T-shirts.

I looked around target today just to see what they have available, and the smallest pants I could find were a 30x30 and a 29x34, both of which would swallow me and would not give me the look I am going for. They have some nice dress shirts there that are supposed to give a slim look--I'll check them out once I get a binder, but I fear they may be too baggy around the arms for me. There's only so much that a tailor can do to resize pants and shirts.

For all the small guys here, where do you buy clothes that fit? Does Express have sizes for small guys?

I am thinking that I may just have to go to a place like Men's Wearhouse where they have salespeople who actually measure you and know what looks best on people of your frame. It's just a bit expensive there, so I'll have to go when they have sales.

[tekla]

GQ  it's clothing porno for guys.  Cargo shorts are great for roadies and campers, and even then...

[DriftingCrow]

Thanks for the suggesting, but I know what type of clothes I am going to buy; I just need a store that sells small sizes.

[supremecatoverlord]

Thanks for the suggesting, but I know what type of clothes I am going to buy; I just need a store that sells small sizes.

Look at us.topman.com
The clothing can be a little expensive at times, but they do come in very small sizes with a more retro feel to most of the apparel.

[Darrin Scott]

Target seems to sell a lot of good stuff. I shop there all the time and I don't wear too much baggy stuff. If you have access to Target of course. Maybe an outlet mall if you're near one? I find pretty good deals from there too. Buying clothes online is ok, but I'd much rather try on the clothes before I buy them.

[insideontheoutside]

I was going to suggest top man as well. Also Urban Outfitters often sells pants in smaller sizes (I think I've seen down to 27 at least).

I would definitely budget for alterations. If you're a size 0 - 4 in women's you're going to have a hard time locating off the rack mens wear that fits.

[tekla]

Well remember what the girls say...that very few men can be trusted to buy their own clothes   Any trip to a mall will confirm that.

[PixieBoy]

H&M have small sizes. They're cheap, but maybe they don't really have what you seek. Might be worth a try, though.

[DriftingCrow]

Thanks for the suggestions, I've bookmarked the topman webpage. I'll also check out Urban Outfitters and H&M.

I would definitely budget for alterations. If you're a size 0 - 4 in women's you're going to have a hard time locating off the rack mens wear that fits.

Yeah, I am going to ask my local tailor how much it would cost to do alterations and add that into the price of everything. Luckily, I can do some alterations myself, but I know I am not skilled enough to do some of the more advanced things.

[aleon515]

I'll give a shout out for boy's in the larger sizes. It's kind of hit or miss for me and they may not be made as well. But there are exceptions. Size 20 husky jeans fit me nicely though the pockets are a little small. Also I've found some nice button down shirts in 18-20 boys.

--Jay

[Simon]

I'd rather not be out wearing Angry Bird T-shirts.

*looks down at his Angry Birds Star Wars T shirt* I'll have you know I bought this from the men's section, lol.

You make me feel like a giant, lol. I wear XL shirts and 38x30 pants. I'm actually about average though.

You might be able to find some stuff you like at American Eagle, The Gap, and Aeropostale. I'm almost certain The Gap has stuff for small guys.

[JMoon]

I just started wearing Levi Husky sizes. They are just like the adult versions. Same quality and everything.
I just posted a topic about it.
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,131514.0.html


I tried Express shirts, I like the colors. They fabric felt really cheap and the arms were way too long. They cater more for skinny tall people.

[DriftingCrow]

*looks down at his Angry Birds Star Wars T shirt* I'll have you know I bought this from the men's section, lol.

You might be able to find some stuff you like at American Eagle, The Gap, and Aeropostale. I'm almost certain The Gap has stuff for small guys.

Lol, I have nothing against Angry Birds; I've never played the game.

I'll check those stores for more casual looks and things like dress shirts and sweaters.

I am going to be spending most of my money probably on things like suits, so I'll be ready once I come out at work. According to Antonio at the Art of Manliness http://artofmanliness.com/2010/04/16/how-to-build-a-manly-wardrobe-1/ the "Constant Professional" should have at least 6 pairs of suits in his wardrobe, along with some sport jackets, blazers, 15+ ties and dress shirts, etc. I might wait to buy most of this stuff, just a few pairs that I can wear in a pinch, beause I want to get on T and I hear people's sizes change after they've been on it for a few months.

I'll give a shout out for boy's in the larger sizes. It's kind of hit or miss for me and they may not be made as well. But there are exceptions. Size 20 husky jeans fit me nicely though the pockets are a little small. Also I've found some nice button down shirts in 18-20 boys.

I'll have to take a closer look next time I go to the store. I saw some dress shirts, but they were all way too small. I'll go to a department store and look in young men's or juniors.

[mangoslayer]

Are you on T yet? If you aren't and plan on starting soon I'd suggest not going crazy with shopping since your clothing size will most likely change. Now I know my results arent exactly typical but I went from wearing smalls and extra smalls to wearing larges and extra larges. Just something for you to keep in mind.

but on your original topic, i know you said you don't really want to shop in kids sections, but places like kohls, old navy, and JC penny have good dress clothes in the boys section. Albeit, I actually was rather young when I shopped in the kids sections there, but they are pretty good quality and I think they'd look a lot better than over sized mens clothing.

Those are just my thoughts. I can't really offer that much advice considering I'm still only 17 and dress like your typical 17 year old and I'm not very small anymore.

[DriftingCrow]

Are you on T yet? If you aren't and plan on starting soon I'd suggest not going crazy with shopping since your clothing size will most likely change. Now I know my results arent exactly typical but I went from wearing smalls and extra smalls to wearing larges and extra larges. Just something for you to keep in mind.

but on your original topic, i know you said you don't really want to shop in kids sections, but places like kohls, old navy, and JC penny have good dress clothes in the boys section. Albeit, I actually was rather young when I shopped in the kids sections there, but they are pretty good quality and I think they'd look a lot better than over sized mens clothing.

Those are just my thoughts. I can't really offer that much advice considering I'm still only 17 and dress like your typical 17 year old and I'm not very small anymore.

I am not on T yet, but even if I do get on it and grow some, I'd still have trouble finding clothes just due to my height (or lack of it). I am not going to go crazy before getting on T, but I will still need some male clothes, especially for work, since I'd proabably come out as male before starting T. At my job, I have to wear suits to work, so no matter what I'd be stuck spending some dough. I'd get less expensive suits pre-T, but a cheap suit can be $200 for just the pants and jacket together. Wearing a suit four days a week (Friday is casual at my firm), I'd need to spend at least $800 for cheap stuff*. I am probably going to look at thrift shops for suits and get them altered if I find any close to my size to save on some money.

I don't know when I am going to start T, since I haven't yet spoken with a gender therapist yet, and I also don't want to start T until I get divorced, so it may be many months before I do. I don't want to keep living as a women until it's all over; I want to come out maybe in March so I'd still have time to find another internship if it proves to be too awkward at my current job to continue. So, I'd probably be wearing whatever I buy for quite awhile.

I am not entirely opposed to shopping in the kid's sections, I'll probably have to do it no matter what, and usually kids clothes are a bit cheaper so that'll be fine pre-T. But, once I get on T and get established in a job somewhere once I pass the bar, I'll need to get nicer suits, so I think I'd want to start slowly building up a wardrobe of nice clothes once I get on T and figure out what my size is going to be. I want good quality stuff that's going to last a decade.

*These prices are based off of what I saw when I last bought female suits; there are cheaper suits but they don't look decent or they come in strange colors and fits. I need something very traditional for where I work, so I am stuck spending a little bit more. I am assuming the prices will not be drastically different for male suits in the same clothing store where I bought my female suits.

[Simon]

I am not on T yet, but even if I do get on it and grow some, I'd still have trouble finding clothes just due to my height (or lack of it). I am not going to go crazy before getting on T, but I will still need some male clothes, especially for work, since I'd proabably come out as male before starting T. At my job, I have to wear suits to work, so no matter what I'd be stuck spending some dough. I'd get less expensive suits pre-T, but a cheap suit can be $200 for just the pants and jacket together. Wearing a suit four days a week (Friday is casual at my firm), I'd need to spend at least $800 for cheap stuff*.

I think I'd buy a basic black suit jacket, three or four different shirts and ties, and two pairs of pants. Guy's suits usually look all about the same. The shirt underneath and the tie is more noticeable.

[aleon515]

I think 18-20 would be considered young men rather than boys, they are XL boys in sizing.
I have never heard it referred to as "juniors". But I have seen other names for it. I don't usually go to dept stores, unless you think of target or TJ Maxx as dept stores.

--Jay

[insideontheoutside]

You might check out this guy's blog as well: http://putthison.com if you like "classic" style. There's a ton of information on there (including info on how to spot good stuff at thrift stores, how to take care of leather shoes, etc.)

I would imagine you also have small feet, which believe me, is a total problem in men's shoes. Try finding really nice ones in size 6 or under (and men's 6 is a women's 8 I believe)! I think they pretty much view men's size 5 as "childrens". However, there's plenty of more masculine shoes in women's. I have about 50/50 mens/womens shoes.

[DriftingCrow]

You might check out this guy's blog as well: http://putthison.com if you like "classic" style. There's a ton of information on there (including info on how to spot good stuff at thrift stores, how to take care of leather shoes, etc.)

I would imagine you also have small feet, which believe me, is a total problem in men's shoes. Try finding really nice ones in size 6 or under (and men's 6 is a women's 8 I believe)! I think they pretty much view men's size 5 as "childrens". However, there's plenty of more masculine shoes in women's. I have about 50/50 mens/womens shoes.

Yeah I have small feet. I wear sizes 5 1/2 or 6 in women's. It's even hard to find women's shoes in those sizes sometimes. I used to wear male shoes, and I 'd always just have to go to the boys section.

[AdamMLP]

I'm a UK size 5 (US 6 I think) fortunately I don't need smart shoes other than for work, and there I've just got the cheapest pair of black shoes from the kids section of the cheapest shoe shop around here because I reckon it works out cheaper to buy cheap shoes every so often than expensive ones because they need replacing when the bottom gets worn so I don't go sliding around the kitchen (my employer should supply safety footwear but he doesn't.)  For casual shoes I either wear boys shoes or my assault boots.  When I need a new pair I'll probably get a pair of Vans because they're pretty gender neutral so it doesn't matter whether I buy from the 'womans' range as long as they're not in purple or something (and because I almost stole the ones I brought for my girlfriends birthday instead of giving them to her )

Clothes... don't even go there.  I've a couple of trousers that I can't wear because they're too big for me.  I could wear them if they weren't quite so baggy in the rear, they'd just look stupid unless I wore them up around my ribs and that looks stupid in itsself.  Some 27" jeans do just about fit me even though they are a little long.  13 year old boys clothes are just about a perfect fit for me though, so I'll stick with those.  Charity shops are a pretty great place to get clothes from and they quite often have suits in (I got my suit for prom for £2 in one).  My teachers have always had 2 suits,  3 at max., so you don't necessarily need 4 suits which will keep costs down if you just buy different shirts and ties.  Some of my teachers only ever seemed to have 4 ties, except the one who had over 300.

Short cis guys have problems getting suits that fit, so it's not just something related to being trans at all.