Tweed Jackets
Brogues
Suits in general
Patterns in men's clothing
These items are all items in men's fashion that used to be very popular waned and have started making a comeback
The reason I'm mentioning this is because of a reader's question:
“Antonio, what do I do with all this old clothing in my closet?”
As you can see from this article I really appreciate feedback from my readers and those of you who watch the videos on my Youtube channel.
Not only is this great for giving me ideas for the problems and concerns you have but if you have a problem or concern you need some help with the chances are a hundred other men are wondering exactly the same thing.
Click here to watch the video What to Do with Old Clothing on Youtube.
Click here to watch the video What to Do with Old Clothing on Youtube.
The Issue – What To Do With Men's Clothing That's Dated?
The whole question was:
Antonio, what does a style guru like you do with men like me who have to dress themselves with only the nice clothing they purchased long ago when they used to have money? That, Antonio, is a question I'd love to see you answer.”
This certainly is a good question and I imagine the gentleman's situation is that maybe he's a little bit older and doesn't have the high-paying job he used to and he's having to make do with the current clothing in his wardrobe.
For the rest of you readers you may be a bit younger and you're going into thrift stores and you find something that looks great and fits perfectly.
It also makes you look like you stepped out of the 1980s.
Or you're just heading out into the world and your dad or your favorite uncle gives you one of their suits they don't wear anymore to give you a head-start – but it looks like it's from the 1970s.
“Can I Pull This Off?”
1. Confidence & Menswear
The first thing to realize with this question is that you can wear pretty much anything if you're confident.
I've seen a number of older guys able to do this and they actually look like they're still from that time period. They may be wearing older hats or brown suits but they're able to pull it off.
Why can they manage this? Because this isn't a costume it's who they are.
You really have to immerse yourself into your outfit and this takes a little bit of strength of will. Some people will recognize the clothing as dated but most people will be commenting along the lines of:
“He's actually dressed better when he's got his own style.”
I had a friend who had a number of shirts and ties from the 1970s that his father gave to him. They were slightly wider ties and the shirts were psychedelic but Rob pulled that look off.
It was his own style because he made it his own and when it came down to it, despite getting the clothing for free.
To this day he's probably never watched one of my videos but Rob, if you're reading this it is dedicated to you.
2. Get Your Menswear Adjusted
The #1 Deadly Style sin in my free e-book 7 Deadly Sins of Style is a bad fit.
Before you wonder whether it looks good and whether you can pull it off make sure it fits.
No amount of confidence will help if your shoulders are too narrow, the sleeves of the jacket hang over your fingertips and the pants are so long you keep on stepping on them or so short they look like 3/4 pants.
This applies to your existing wardrobe as well since it may be that your body has changed and that's why you don’t feel that the clothing can be worn anymore.
Often when a man gets older he loses a bit of weight or a bit of muscle and then you have to take the clothing to a tailor and get it adjusted.
It may not even be the fit – A good tailor can make all kinds of adjustments like adjusting lapels that are too wide or too skinny.
Even ties can be adjusted. I had a company reach out to me the other day that were actually adjusting ties by making them slimmer. The company is called Skinny Fatties and if you have some nice ties that are a too wide be sure to have a look at what they're offering.
If you're brave or skilled enough you can even try it yourself: DIY Skinny Ties by Design Mom
By taking your clothing to a tailor (or even a seamstress) you can get something you have already have adjusted to fit you better for a lot less than it would cost to replace it.
3. Recycle Your Wardrobe
The final bit of advice I have is to take your old clothing and sell it on eBay or similar websites where you can get premium dollar for it.
If you've got a lot of clothing and it's still of good quality there are people who want it. One of the most interesting options is people in costume departments.
If you know how to take good pictures and know how to create a good description you'd be surprised at what you can get for used clothing.
There was a really interesting post on Quora about this exact topic. What are the best websites for buying/selling men's used clothing for everyday purposes (e.g. shirts, pants, jackets, etc.)? Even I was surprised by some of the suggestions.
Now take that money and go to a thrift store and engage in some arbitrage. As a rule a lot of thrift stores are not that great at pricing items and this holds true of men's clothing items.
One of my readers mentioned buying three suits at a thrift store for $16.00 and the store had a half-off sale for clothing that day so he only paid $8.00. Two of the suits needed to be adjusted but the last one was a really classic gray brand-name suit that fit perfectly.
It may take you a bit of weeding out and searching but for the money that you just sold your older clothing for you can go out there and build yourself a new wardrobe.
Hopefully these tips were useful, gentlemen.
I am particularly interested in hearing back from you on this topic. If you have a favorite place to sell your old clothing for a good price or a great place to find good quality clothing for a good price please let me know.
If we get enough feedback I could do a follow-up to let you gentlemen know about the best places to shop or sell on a budget.
Interested in more clothing related articles?
Click here to read 5 Tips To Build A Wardrobe On A Cheap Budget
Click here to read Is Your Fear Of Mistakes Sabotaging Your Style
