The general fashion/style/please dress me thread

What, are you thinsulted?

Because it's insulating without being bulky?

I've got a winter hat and gloves lined with the stuff. Fantastic for those really cold days here in Norway - keeps you warm without trapping moisture.

Yup me too - most common brand of gloves/hats are simply called Thinsulate. Of course that rhymes with the Danish word for tin soldier, so that's what everyone calls it.

I just got this coat in black, and it was quite affordable.

Also, I like it.

Oh hey, a merino coat. I like merino. Can anyone tell me the price? I just see "Sale! EUR undefined" on the webpage (good jorb, programmers!)

$129, regular $450. Jos A Bank are kings of awesome sales, never ever purchase full price from them. Their merino sweaters are great as well, but again, only get them when on sale. They also have cashmere sweaters

So tell me of a good store or chain that sells lovely ladies pyjamas and has a store in Vegas.

My wife wants a new pyjamas for Christmas, but since I'll be going to Las Vegas while the january sale is on, I won't be getting her one before that (even without the sale, US prices are like half of what we paid - my nice Calvin Klein leather jacket I found in a Las Vegas outlet store, it was 50% off from the regular Outlet price and a nice coupon gave me a further 20%... it basically cost me what a cheap pair of no name jeans cost here).

I know Victoria's Secret has some nice ones, but being sexy isn't the primary concern - it's for her, not for me. Feeling good while looking good is what I'm aiming for.

Thanks. Hows does one make sense of american sizing and get the correct one? I know there are differences 'cause I've received some things from the US and the sizes did not match what we have here at all. It's like the imperial vs. metric shit all over again.

Going somewhere like this and hoping for the best. Even if you discount translating between countries, sizes are a crap shoot.

Getting yourself measured and then converting metric to inches will also help, most catalog/web stores have a sizing guide.

Dress sweat pants. Dress sweat pants. This is pretty much the end of civilization as far as I can tell.

You must love pajama jeans.

I had a roommate that had a pair of those. Ugh.

Ninety bucks?

Just fyi, Jos A Banks is the king of misleading sales practices. Their "sales prices" are actually their regular prices...which you will only pay if they run a buy one get x free "sale". In the end, you end up paying the same regardless of what "sale" you happen to take part of. There have been a bunch of lawsuits filed against them for these deceptive trade practices. Like this.. They essentially admitted to this in their 2004 settlement with New York State. As a result of that settlement, though, their sales and marketing tactics in New York State are different than in all other states, which is amusing. Guess they're waiting to get formally caught in the other states.

That being said, I do like their stuff, and it's reasonably priced. Just don't go in thinking you're taking advantage of a sale...because you're really not.

I agree in principle, but the magnitude varies, since a lot of their 'sales' aren't even that good ("Buy 2 suits, get 1 for free!" or "Everything is 1/3rd off!"). I wait until one of their crazy sales ("Sweaters 75% off!") that happen every few months.

And their stuff at sale price is a much, much better deal than anything you'll find at Brooks Brothers or Nordtstrom's at the same price.

One thing Jos A Bank does, which very few (even high end) retailers do, is support odd sizes (e.g. 43 jacket). They also still sell suit separates, which can be difficult to find as well. And their target demographic -- pudgy middle aged men -- makes many of their options unavailable for people who are even remotely fit. They focus on sack suits vs. fitted stuff, last I checked they had a single "European" fit line, The Joseph.

Honestly, Victoria's Secret pajamas are among my favorites - it's not all lingerie. I have three sets of the flannel ones, and I'm going to buy myself some of these if there aren't any already under the tree for me. I'd avoid the satin pajama sets, though - they get really staticky.

Oh, forgot about this article.

Cracked.com's 7 Most Baffling Things About Women's Clothing

and

Plus Sized Clothes: Translating the Baffling Euphemisms

I was just in town last weekend visiting family for Christmas and saw that Hustler has a huge stripclub place in the south Strip/south I-15 area. Huge. Some of the large neon signs on there indicated that in addition they sell bed clothes and presumably some of it is regular and comfortable. Anyways I thought that might be a good idea, to give your wife a box with Hustler plastered all over it but then inside is a decent normal set of nightwear? VEGAS BABY

Goddamnit Liefield why do you ruin everything?!

What's the consensus on thumb rings? I'm thinking about getting a simple silver band for my thumb.

I think I will be getting one. I know with silver you're paying more for the jewelers time in crafting it than the cost of the silver so hopefully a plain enough one shouldn't be too expensive.

I have always felt them to be horrible. Every time I saw Anthony Bourdain's on TV I cringed. That's just my own opinion, but I also didn't like tramp stamps, tribal tats, and numerous conspicuous piercings, and all three of those were popular at one time.

Thumb rings are popular? Wut? Although I wouldn't notice if they were. The last time I wore a ring was 14 years ago, and that was a silver Nike ring someone bought for me that I wore with the Nike bit hidden.

What's wrong with thumb rings? I get the feeling your ideal woman buys all her clothes from Nordstrom and Ann Taylor, and god forbid someone want to look more interesting than that. You give good menswear advice for a certain type of outfit, but you seem to be against anyone who doesn't dress exactly the way you like. I like women in biker boots a lot more than women in twinsets. *shrug* Each to their own, but try not to make such blanket statements about women's fashion.

Switch, you quoted his post but seem to be reacting to something other than what he wrote. "I have always felt" and "That's just my own opinion" read to me as disclaimers that he's talking about his own personal taste rather than fashion rules. I don't think it's fair to take those statements and assume that BTG is 'against' anyone who doesn't dress in a particular way. I think his posts in this thread have been fairly free of personal opinion and any judgement when he's actually giving fashion advice.

In fairness to Switch (and me) I would never have thought of putting thumb rings in the same category as tramp stamps and tribal tattoos (or the conspicuous piercings of which we were given no clarity about. Them widening socket things I don't like, but nostril, tongue etc, I do like..)

Edit: And in fairness to Neo who posted a few seconds before me.

I'm trying to work more accessories in, and have re-discovered my small collection of scarves. Problem is, I have no idea what to do with them other than wrap them around my neck and let the ends bounce off my front (not really my ideal configuration, since that area doesn't need emphasis or bulk). Suggestions? I have some square silk ones and some long rectangular ones. Today I did this: http://www.scarves.net/how-to-tie-a-scarf/shrug.htm just to try something new.

I'm not fashion-conscious at all, nor am I a woman, but I've read most of BTG's posts in this thread as educational about certain fairly timeless realities of dress and fashion, having to do with how colors and patterns work together, the role of contrast and 'pop,' and so on - not as blanket statements about what people should or shouldn't wear. More like "If you want to look more X, try Y" or "If you really like A, it could work well with B." (I haven't reviewed everything he's written here, though, so maybe there is more of that than otherwise and I just missed those.) Also, FWIW, he never mentioned anything looking trashy. He just said he didn't like those three things and that they were all popular at a certain time. I don't think that's meant to be insulting to those with tribal tattoos or copious piercings, though it might mean that BTG won't be attracted to you. :)

It almost sounds like you guys are bothered by the fact that he injected personal opinion into this thread rather than keeping his objective fashion consultant hat on. Is that the problem? (I'm just curious, no sarcasm or bitchy tone intended.) I just don't think he's somehow "against" anyone, and I'm sure he's aware of the fact that we all have different tastes.

BTG is more than capable of speaking for himself (and my apologies to everyone for interjecting; clearly I can't speak on his behalf) but again, I didn't read that as "these are all equally awful choices and anyone who has any of them is empirically ugly."

It's more that Tramp Stamps are horrendous, tribal tattoos can be pretty awful, and I don't think thumb rings are.

For whatever it's worth, I don't personally think so either! My crush here at work has worn a thumb ring as long as I've known her, and she's dreamy. She also has a teeny nose piercing. No tats, though. Certainly no tramp stamp, or at least not last time I was in a position to notice.

Thumb rings always seemed silly to me, as the thumb isn't as visible as other digits when displaying a ring. But so long as they're not ostentatious (there is never a cause for gaudy or ostentatious jewelry unless you're attending a jubilee or it's Halloween) they should probably fall under the same rules as anything else worn on the hands/wrists: don't overbalance yourself, don't wear something that gets in the way of your daily activities, and remember that the point of jewelry is to draw the eye to a part of the body you want noticed. If you've got nasty claw fingers, wearing a big shiny ring is only going to ensure that people look at them all the time.

I honestly find thumb rings to be nothing remotely resembling my personal style preferences, but then again, my style hews more towards the types of things that BTG generally is a proponent of. My style has changed somewhat as I've both grown older and moved to the East Coast.

Speaking of Bourdain -- here's his opinion on the ring, why he had it, and why he discarded it.

I don't have a single tattoo or piercing and never wear jewellery of any kind and I read the post like you two (and of course that reading is based on having read a lot of his other posts on the subject).
Bacon definitely reads like he knows a lot and care about fashion, but it's just not a style I personally care that much for. And while I'm rather boring myself and not too keen on tramp stamps and tribal tattoos, I don't mind girls with interesting piercings, tattoos or jewellery.

Different taste and all that, but you do sometimes come off as if there's only one right way, and you know what that is.
(I'll still never wear a tie or shirt unless somebody paid me to)