Feels like a stupid thing to post about but it’s been in my head for a few weeks now so figured I’d ask here

Three years ago i was the most junior person in the room and i bought whatever was on sale at djs because honestly no one was paying that much attention to me.

Things have changed quite a bit since then. I’m in client meetings now, i’m usually the one presenting, and I’ve got people reporting to me which still feels a bit weird saying out loud

what actually made me notice the suit thing was being in the lift with one of the partners last month. I caught us both in the mirror and just thought, oh. His suit actually fit him. mine kind of just hung there. It didn’t even look like it was cheap or anything, it just looked like i’d borrowed it from somebody and never got around to taking it back

And yeah, I know clothes probably shouldn’t matter that much, but in my job people make their mind up about you pretty quickly. I’m starting to feel like I still look like the junior guy even though I’m really not in that position anymore

So I’m thinking I’ll get one good one now and maybe add another in six months, rather than going out and buying a few average ones at once. Probably around $1500 to $2000 to spend. I’d be wearing it four or five days a week so it needs to actually survive that without looking wrecked

Where did you guys go for yours? Honestly I’m more interested in whether it held up and whether you ended up going back than whether the place has a nice website

Also for anyone who’s gone through the whole “got promoted and suddenly my wardrobe doesn’t make sense anymore” thing, how did you handle it? Did you replace everything gradually or just bite the bullet and do it all at once.

Where can I get tees, both short and long sleeve, that are flattering?

I’m a middle aged dad bod, and flattering for me means:

Structure through the body: fabric that has some weight to it and hangs cleanly rather than outlining your shape.
Neat, narrow sleeves: I have relatively slim arms.
Rich, saturated colours: Blues, especially a bright petrol or ocean blue, rather than navy, dusty blue or pastel. Charcoal, rather than black or light grey. Solid colours only, no prints or patterns or logos.

I used to have a favourite supplier. Every single shirt I own is from Pearler, other than collared shirts and exercise gear. In summer, round neck tees in charcoal and a range of blues and greens. In cool weather, a long sleeve Henley in oceanic blue that sets off my eyes so well I get comments. If you’ve ever had an attractive woman comment on your shirt and your eyes on first meeting you will understand why I rushed out and bought a set of them.

But Pearler stopped making the Henley, and the oceanic blue, because of course they did. And now their entire website has disappeared and they’re about to launch something different so I expect the tees are lost now as well. Some of my current shirts are starting to show some wear and tear. Those eye-catching long sleeves are only going to last so much longer.

Where do I go now?

I don’t wear suits to work, only weddings, and I have tried on the suits I’ve got and I honestly hate how they look now. Tapered leg that gives me war flashbacks to the skinny jeans era.

I bought these from Venroy but unfortunately the jacket is too small and they don’t have a medium in stock. Anyone got any suggestions of something similar? Doesn’t need to be THAT baggy.

Do I need to just get it tailor made or does anyone think there’s some off the rack I could pull trigger on?

Any advice appreciated 🙏🏻

I’ve got a couple of gala events coming up and need to buy a black suit.

Lately I’ve found Calibre fits my body shape really well off the rack, but I’m going broke buying from them all the time.

Politix has some decent discounts at the moment. I’ve bought linen blazers from them before and been happy, but haven’t tried their suits.

Who else should I be considering for a decent off-the-rack suit at a reasonable price? Happy to get minor alterations, but don’t want to dick around with made-to-measure or a custom suit.

For context, I also love SABA shirts, so Calibre/SABA probably gives you an idea of my taste. Based in Adelaide if there are any local recommendations.

Anyone tried both Calibre and Politix suits and can comment on the fit and quality?

Finally on top of the dad bod and now the arms and shoulders are starting to pop, back to my early twenties weight.

What are dads recommendations for fashion these days?

I feel like this market is totally missed. Country Road, Gazman are ok - but they are so boxy and you swim in them.

Does anyone recommend those online sites for tailored Tees and fashion?

I have some stuff from La Haute - which is ok.

Ideally would prefer a physical store. Not after the cheapest, just good quality - but not going to pay Calibre prices.

My husband has 2 tees made in Japan. They are heavy cotton, a nice beige off-white colour slightly wider cut than usual, and one has a sexy Egyptian art graphic all over inc across the seams (not disjointed by the seams) another has large rough kind of hand painted mushrooms on it. I know, crazy and sooo cool EVERYONE goes ‘cool shirt’ when he wears them. I’m sick of tees with the print in the middle that are boring. Help me find cool designer stuff. Willing to pay $150- $200 for quality. The brand he has doesn’t exist anymore.