Why are mens clothes so crap?

Gaspode

Is it just me, or has anybody noticed that buying clothes is getting bloody harder!
Judging by some time spent shopping today, it would appear that men are expected to dress like gay 20-somethings, teenage thugs or grandads.

The clothes are so pink and androgynous, I had to go back out of a few shops just to check that they were indeed 'gents' clothes shops. I'm convinced many of the clothes belonged in the ladies section and just got misfiled. Zara was by far the worst offender for this, they even have a long long wollen jumper with a fake fur trim on the collar.

Pink shirts with puffy sleeves, bolero style tweed jackets, man-bags and dayglo pink Y-fronts (I sh1t you not!) seem to be the order of the day.

I particularly wanted to get some jumpers/tops. 99% of what I saw were hoodies with horizontal stripes.
After that the options consisted mainly of they type of jumpers you'd see in your local golf club on veterans night, or the type of v-neck jumper that scangers like to wear with no shirt underneath.

After several hours I came home with, yes you guessed it, a stripy hoody!

jor el

Pennys FTW!

Isn't Zara a woman's shop? No wonder you can only find pink fluffy jumpers.

Terry

Moved from AH.

Peyton Manning

Vintage shops ftw

Karl Hungus

It's true, the state of men's clothing in shops today is absolutely abysmal, and there's simply no variety whatsoever.

Hellm0

Too bloody right!
For a while now I've noticed this disgrace to mens clothing, teenage lads these days look like something out of that episode of southpark where "queer eye for the straight guy" was all the rage. Good clothes are a rare commodity these days, I've resorted to buying stuff in pennies/tk maxx just due to the fact that they have more selection. Personally I like plain stuff, without logo's and which, whilst having a good cut to it, doesnt make me look like a reject from fame.

Also note that this trend has spred into hairstyles. A walk down grafton street these days is a harrowing experiance of gender confusion. Hairstyles you wouldnt see in a bloody panto left right and centre!

Call me old fasioned but a good stint in the army would straighten this right out me thinks. Ireland needs to go to war I say!

Orange69

TkMaxx is the only place to get nice clothes these days..

Creamy Goodness

Orange69 wrote:

TkMaxx is the only place to get nice clothes these days..

too much effort,

and i've always wondered why shops always put the men's stuff either at the back or on the second/third floor.

don't they realise that men want to be in-5minutes-out-gone?

Gaspode

jor el wrote:

Pennys FTW!

Isn't Zara a woman's shop? No wonder you can only find pink fluffy jumpers.

They allegedly have a mens section. Believe me, I did check a couple of times that I hadnt strayed into the ladies secion by mistake.

Hellm0

Its to trap and confuse the man, but also to snag his gf should she be shopping with him. 5 mins quickly turns into 50 and bam your out 100 quid due to "the prettiest shoes" she's ever seen.

Stark

jor el wrote:

Pennys FTW!

Isn't Zara a woman's shop? No wonder you can only find pink fluffy jumpers.

Mens and Womens. Zara in Madrid is really good, but I imagine the Irish outlet is probably the crap that they couldn't sell in Spain. Same situation with many chain stores that come over here.

fits

I agree. I also have this hankering lately that men would dress a bit smarter sometimes.... but not in a camp way.
I mean jeans and tshirts and trainers and hoodies are absolutely grand, but its gone a bit boring.

meanpeoplesuck

Cremo wrote:

too much effort,

and i've always wondered why shops always put the men's stuff either at the back or on the second/third floor.

don't they realise that men want to be in-5minutes-out-gone?

It's because they need to compete in full view on the high street for womens attention. Topman in Jervis St are the only ones who seem to go against this.

Dunnes Stores new Home shop on Henry St is the worst!! You have to go up like 3 floors, including a journey through the lingerie department, to get to the mens section!

biko

Best place to get good mens clothes - Italy

the_syco

Ever see a straight male clothes designer?

Karl Hungus

And another thing... Men's shoes are for the most part awful now. It's become increasingly hard to even get a decent pair of Doc Martens these days.

SligoBrewer

Karl Hungus wrote:

And another thing... Men's shoes are for the most part awful now. It's become increasingly hard to even get a decent pair of Doc Martens these days.

converse ftw:D

Karl Hungus

SligoBrewer wrote:

converse ftw:D

They're alright, but definetly not great for all year round. Come winter, they're fecking useless in the rain and cold. Converse are ok for summer though.

doonothing

the worst is the scumbag fashion. id love to gather them all up into a time machine and take them back 5 years to the scumbags of that time who would absolutely kick the ****e out of them for dressin like that.
the pyjamas, the mullets, its all gone too far!

SligoBrewer

Karl Hungus wrote:

They're alright, but definetly not great for all year round. Come winter, they're fecking useless in the rain and cold. Converse are ok for summer though.

my pair atm are optical white..

cant wait for the winter!!:o

techguy

Why are mens clothes so crap?

OP.. What shops did you go to?? I have often found the same problem as yourself..all the shops like zara,topman,jack & jones, next etc etc all seem to be the very same kind of stuff.

I presume from the way your talking you want to dress "preppy". In all the shops i've mentioned I often find a nice jumper, tee or whatever and at a glance I say "that might be nice" but on closer inspection it has been ruined by a random slogan like "university of xyz" or "xx academy of yy" plastered across the chest,back or arm..

It drives me mad and I have found myself shopping in the likes of BT2 and Tommy Hilfiger a lot in the past year or two. Have you tried BT2 for stuff?? I know that they have stuff which is pretty bent but also have nice plain, stylish clothes too..

Gaspode

Terry wrote:

Moved from AH.

Oops, sorry Terry!

What shops did you go to??

I went to Zara, Topman, Burtons, Dunnes, Pennys, Next, River Island Men (supposedly), Benneton and Marks 'n sparks.
Entered but very quickly retreated from The Jean scene - something about the clothes in there made me think of people generally referred to as 'the accused'!

I just wanted a top to keep me warm. I dont wear anthing that has the brand name splashed all over it (e.g. abercrombie, FCUK, Hilfiger, etc.). I dont want to look like a total skanger, but at the same time I'm not prepared to spend a ridiculous amount on clothes either. I was in BT2 once; I wont be back.

Sh1t you know, I think I'm just getting too old, I even heard myself complaining about the crap and ridiculously loud music in one shop, maybe its time to start dressing like me Da!

howaya

must agree with other posts here. I think that the clothes that best reflect most Irishmens' style is relatively expensive, and harder to find in Dublin. The trashy, garish, 'fashion' stuff is less expensive and more accessible to us. I think that this goes some way to account for how tacky and/or dull so many of us often look. We actually have bags more style and sense, but we can end up coming home from the shops with stuff that we're not altogether keen on.
Most of the good stuff is quite expensive. Of that, most of it of regular sizes is snapped-up within a short time on the shelves.
You could fill the piggy-bank, jot up a list of what stuff you want, and wait until you're somewhere bigger to do a bit of shopping.

red_ice

I know exactly what your talkin about. Even tho its pretty easy to find some of the stuff i like to wear at the moment in town, jeans and tops are a nightmare.

I dont like how shops think they can tell you what to wear. The best thing to do is to boycot the shops selling the crap stuff. Dont support them, they will have no choise if enough people forget they exist!

Rob_l

I agree with the OP but disagree with some of the other commentators that this is not the clothes other irish men want someone must be buying it clothes shops surely work on a supply and demand policy. yes no?

anyways I was planning on hitting the ****ty centre today for some new rags and just know it will be a dissapointing day for me. Money isn't the issue either I will pay for what I like but wont just buy crap becasue some shop is telling me its the fashion or because other tom tom tooligans are wearing it.

I want a new coat for winter, sadly its here already

Magic Eight Ball

Don’t forget your local Unique men’s wear store for all the best bargains on skanger wear.

MarkR

Dunnes and Penny's ftw. I picked up a load of gear last week and was good value too.

Black Swan

Some of the lads in GQ look grand!

anotherlostie

If you want preppy, out to Massimo Dutti in Dundrum. and I think some of the stuff in House of Fraser would fit this.

But to be honest, sounds like most of ye should be in the basement of Arnotts buying your wool knit sweaters and Farah slacks!

There comes a time when fashions move on, and we don't move with them. Like the mullet. Like the pyjamas. etc etc. As already said, it is comical that the gurriers of today are wearing clothes that the gurriers of five years ago would have described as belonging to 'faggots'.

Deflector

I find it odd that Zara is getting a hard time of it here - they're experts in the preppy 'neat' department. The thing is that they're a broad church; they cater for the uber-gay to much more sartorial and tailored, so by definition parts of their collection is not going to cater for everyone.

Generally speaking though they're a decent bet when it comes to 'neat' casualwear, and are fantastic for smart casual and formal. Indeed without them, menswear in this country would be a total disaster; at least they inject some sanity!

Grid.

the_syco wrote:

Ever see a straight male clothes designer?

Theres yer problem right there!!

Binomate

OP, are you gay? Serious question.

jesus_thats_gre

The only way to get decent clothes at a half decent price is to go to the states on holiday. Been there 4 times in the past 3 years and just spend a grand or so each time - thats clothes for the year covered.

Tommy, Calvin Klein, DKNY and Timberland jeans for $35 a pop, Timberland boots for $80, Football jerseys for $55 and god knows what else for a 1/3rd of the price they are here just can't be beaten.

Gaspode

anotherlostie wrote:

But to be honest, sounds like most of ye should be in the basement of Arnotts buying your wool knit sweaters and Farah slacks!

It does look that way doesnt it. Is there not some middle ground between fashion clothes and senior citizen clothes!

Binomate wrote:

OP, are you gay? Serious question.

No, but I'm flattered thanks!!

And just to prove it can someone please tell me wtf 'preppy' is??

phasers

you obviously were in women's shops

you can't go into any shop, womens or mens, without finding gorgeous thin wool jumpers and shirts

the whole geek chic thing is a staple in high street fashion right now

Gaspode

geek chic? Whats that then?

unreggd

Our shops over here are sh1te for mens clothes

H&M in London and Madrid are class

Theres a whole floor of mens clothes, and they're mostly nice clothes

The one at Jervis is a joke

and yes, absolutely no variety

Penney's is great, but only if you go once a year

The main places I shop at would be

Jack Jones
D2
H&M

usually get cheap jeans from Motion Pictoor or Unique

and shoes, shoes are gank!!!!!!!


we shud start a Boards shop, with noyce clothes

dclifford

I too agree with OP. I had 350euro in vouchers for Arnotts. I have been in the shop two weekends in a row and still come home empty handed. A couple of years ago I used to like shopping in River Island, but it is gone really bad. I don't like clothes shopping anymore.

event

Pull & Bear FTW

Creamy Goodness

dclifford wrote:

I too agree with OP. I had 350euro in vouchers for Arnotts. I have been in the shop two weekends in a row and still come home empty handed. A couple of years ago I used to like shopping in River Island, but it is gone really bad. I don't like clothes shopping anymore.

but surely if you go to the same shop within a 7 day period they'll have more or less the same stuff, fashion doesn't change week in week out, it's normally seasonilised. :P

dclifford

Who said I was looking for clothes, I only said I was in the shop 2 weeks in a row.
But it is a pity that the last fashion season didn't end quicker.

phasers

deswalsh wrote:

geek chic? Whats that then?

fitted jumpers, shirts and chinos mostly

it's in cause of all the nerdy guys on American tv lately

Gaspode

phasers wrote:

fitted jumpers, shirts and chinos mostly

it's in cause of all the nerdy guys on American tv lately

Fitted jumpers? Perhaps not for me so - the old ned kelly is beginning ito make an appearance nowadays!!

Still waiting to find out what preppy is. It makes me think of the guy Lisa Simpson marries when she is shown her future - kinda rich collee dude - cravats, lambswool jumpers in pastel colouts, soft leather shoes, college scarf. Is that it?

EDIT: I feel I've gotten in over my head here. The only thing I know about fashion is that Caroline morahan from off the rails is **** hot!

Deflector

The fact that you're not even sure what preppy is Des, makes me wonder as to what it is you're looking for or being critical of. How can you be disparaging towards everything if you don't know what is what?

Pretty much every style and type of clothing has been singled out for criticism on the thread thus far - what exactly are people looking for? Forget what others are wearing or deem to be fashionable: what is this utopian style that shops are so lacking?!

Delganys Finest

2nd hand shops ftw.
at least you can buy a load of stuff and get something going for very little:D
takes a bit of trawling to find decent stuff though,you can usually find deadly runners in tk maxx
most of the big stores have a very narrow range of gear.it's all kinda boring

johnnyskeleton

deswalsh wrote:

Still waiting to find out what preppy is. It makes me think of the guy Lisa Simpson marries when she is shown her future - kinda rich collee dude - cravats, lambswool jumpers in pastel colouts, soft leather shoes, college scarf. Is that it?

Did you ever watch saved by the bell? Slater used to call Zack "preppy". I assume your answer is in saved by the bell somewhere. It might be something to do with the 80s.

Pennys are the best place for clothes. I do a 2 yearly shop and it's usually a nightmare, but pennys made it a good bit easier by having jeans in one place, t-shirts in another, and jumpers in the 3rd. I got 2 years worth of clothes for €69, which is pretty good. The only better place to get cheap clothes is the last day of Glastonbury music festival.

stovelid

The problem isn't crap men's clothes, just ****, cliched male dressers.

anotherlostie

A lot of men's clothing is very unforgiving if you don't have a lean or toned frame, so perhaps you need to thing about shedding the belly, and then your choice of the current clothing range will increase.

One example of a preppy guy is the character Seth in the OC. Google him and you will see for yourself. Remember google is as always your friend when trying to find out about things like this but limiting your searches to Ireland and UK will help.

blow69

Sure, blame The O.C.
Likes it the cause for the crap selection out there

Gaspode

anotherlostie wrote:

A lot of men's clothing is very unforgiving if you don't have a lean or toned frame, so perhaps you need to thing about shedding the belly, and then your choice of the current clothing range will increase.

One example of a preppy guy is the character Seth in the OC. Google him and you will see for yourself. Remember google is as always your friend when trying to find out about things like this but limiting your searches to Ireland and UK will help.

Definitely dont like the preppy look if thats what Seth has; bit too geeky for me.

TBH I'm not particularly interested in a look or style. I dress to be comfortable and to hide my dangly bits mainly not to present an image of the type of person I want people to think I am. I'm not a teenager anymore.
However, the feminisation of mens clothes (as I see it) dismays me and that's what prompted this rant.
I know I'd get clothes I like if I was prepared to hunt long enough, but I dont have the patience in me really to do that.
Deflector above is close when he says I dont know what I want - I do however have a clear idea what clothes I dont want, but the shops are full of that stuff!!

omb0wyn5ehpij9

johnnyskeleton wrote:

I got 2 years worth of clothes for €69, which is pretty good. The only better place to get cheap clothes is the last day of Glastonbury music festival.

Holy crap....I would only get 2 t-shirts for that!!!