Conference quark::mennotes

    .0
    
    hi \foster,
    
    > dating a man typically who wears the exact same clothing every day
    
    when you mean he wears the same cloth every day, like, would not
    that like smell after a while? 
    
    or did you mean you mean he has more than one copy of the same shirt 
    and pants and he uses a different one every day?
    
    can you please clarify?
    
    thanks,
    \nasser
    

    	I have a very simple algorithm. Each morning I put on the shirt
    that is at the right-hand end of my wardrobe. My wife knows this, and
    somehow I always seem to end up with a shirt that she thinks is
    suitable for the occasion. Maybe your man has an equally simple
    algorithm and you just need to find it?

    Ren,
    	I tend to try to buy in bulk.  I get a whole bunch of identical
    items at the same time and wear them in rotation.  I also never thow
    anything out until it is worn out.  (One time at the recyling center
    the attendant tried to fix me up with a new wardrobe.)  The shirt I'm
    wearing right now is one that I had in HS (graduated in 65).  People
    also tend to give me stuff that they don't want anymore.  The only
    problem is that most of my friends are developing middle aged spread,
    so I have to buy my own pants.  I just wish that bell-bottoms would
    come back.
    						John
    

Didn't bell bottoms make a brief appearance last year or so?  Or was it just
for women?  John, if you care as little about fashion as you claim, what's
preventing you from wearing your old bells?

I knew a man who wore what seemed to be the same suit to work every day, for
many years.  (He actually had several suits all alike.)  It's very unusual
to do this - I can't think of anyone else I know who did.  I certainly
don't!

Men aren't taught to be clothes-concious in the way that women are, but
some are learning. (And some go as overboard about it as many women do!)

					Steve

    Al Einstein was a man like this. Had the same uniform, and wore on
    ragged sweater/sweatshirt to hang around in. 

    There are lots of folks like this, the are considered by many strange
    in their own manner. But then again, there are people who like travel
    in a rail at 200+mph, or like climbinv tall mountians, etc.

 I think a lot of men develop a style of their own and are usually comfortable
 with that clothing style throughout their lives. There are plenty of men who
 still wear double knit pants and polyester shirts and loafers or wing-tip
 shoes and probably will grow old with them. There are also the Blue Jean and
 Flannel shirt men who would'nt wear anything else if they could.

 Mens fashions don't seem to change or be as diverse as womens fashions either.
 If I look around the office area here at work It seems that two types of mens
 clothing dominate. Either Dockers pants with 50/50 cotton/poly collared shirts
 and boat shoes, or Blue Jeans, flannel shirts and hiking boots. In the summer
 months the flannels wear t-shirts and sneakers, the Dockers wear polo/golf
 shirts and no socks. The women however dress totaly different and sway from
 dresses one day to jeans and sweaters the next and any combination in between.
 There are the bussiness types who wear suits on a regular basis and women who
 always wear skirts or dresses but the overall majority opt for the casual look.
 Its no wonder why LLBean, Lands End, EMS and others have made casual 100%
 cotton clothing their main product line.

 Its 100% cotton for me and always has been. Now if they could just come up
 with a permanent press 100% cotton suit and tie I might even dress up
 sometime.

 Neil....

 I'd suggest some form of casual wear that would flatter a larger Man.
 Dockers and other similar loose fitting pants are very popular and
 are common in almost all social situations. Collared shirts either
 button down or pull overs are very popular. A casual sport coat in
 earthy colors like brown, grey or the old stand by Navy Blue tweed
 are a good choice for almost all occasions as well. The sport coat
 can be worn with the pullover shirt or button down with or without
 a tie. A V-neck 100% cotton sweater would also be a correct choice
 to wear out for dinner, a show or lounge around the house in. Next
 maybe acomfortable pair of Rockport or similar shoes would be to his
 liking. Take a trip to or look in LL-Bean catalogs and you'll get a
 good feel for what your 90's comfort conscious man could be wearing
 and fit in the mainstream of male fashions. Try JC Penny as well for
 a look at their line of comfortable clothes for your 90's male. Then
 teach him how to wash, fold or hang dry his new duds else he'll be
 wearing wrinkles and thats not attractive. I'm sure he like most of
 us won't want to do a lot of ironing.

 Neil....
  

I once worked with a guy who was well-groomed, but owned only one pair of pants.

    
    Thanks for all of the advice! (Nasser, he rotates clothes with the same
    look. He smells just fine, thank you.)
    
    We both agreed that a good tweed sports coat would probably round out
    his wardrobe... but they aren't in season. I will go hunt for an LL
    Bean catalog with my fingers crossed that they carry his size. Somehow,
    JC Penney seems more likely, especially since they're the only BIG
    catalog company left!!! 
    
    I'm still at a loss for what a large man might wear to night clubs and
    jazz sets, i.e. where jacket & tie are required. Again, maybe a catalog
    will give me more of a clue.
    
    More and more of the men that I run into are dressing up at night and
    doing it well. There are a lot of looks available, and many of them are
    quite classy. It's just that none of the men I'm seeing in these looks
    are large men. Tall maybe, but not much bigger than a 46-48" chest.
    Finding a look that hangs properly seems critical. Not all the clothes
    that look good on the rack work on the average human body...  
    
    If anyone else can suggest stores other than Casual Male or Trippi's,
    please do. I'd hate to think that the selection is so limited.
    

    There are several places on Route 9 in Framingham to check out
    for the Big & Tall man.  I think that the Marshall's there has
    a section for this type man.  You could also check the yellow
    pages and sometimes Filene's Basement in Boston would help you
    save MONEY!

    justme....jacqui

    I have often wondered why there is so little selection in men's
    clothes.  Go into most clothing stores and notice that over 70% is
    dedicated to women's clothes.  Men's clothes on the other hand can
    categoriezed as:
    
    Upper torso wear: Shirts, sweaters and jackets
    Lower Torsoe wear:Pants, short or long
    
    That's it!  So which is it? Does men's interest drive the selection of
    clothes avaiable on the market? Or does the lack of selection drive
    men's lack of interest in clothes?
    
    I once heard it said:  Men dress to be alike.  Women dress to be
    different.
    
    As for me, the greastest waste of time is shopping for clothes. I can't
    understand why women do it?  And then not purchase anything, to boot!  
    Put me in a good lumber and hardware store and I could spend hours,
    however.
    
    Paul
     

    No one I know fits your description except Matlock.
    Did you ever think that you'd be dating Andy Griffith? ;)
    
    		-Jim-

    re .0:
    
    My favorite catalog for casual wear and nightclubs is Bachrach. 
    *Really* nice stuff.  A bit pricey, but worth it.  Not as stuffy as
    Bean/Crew/American Outfitters/Land's End, but not "far out" like
    International Male.  And not quite as starched as the usual Wallach's
    stores in the malls.

I've always worn different clothes, so nobody suspects that I never change them.
But they have always had the same look, usually from the same store.  Used to be 
Sears, now it's Land's End.

After years of effort, my wife has persuaded me to wear shirts with stripes
and the occasional silk jackets.

I don't go to the clubs, so I can't help much with the original question.

.12>    That's it!  So which is it? Does men's interest drive the selection of
>    clothes avaiable on the market? Or does the lack of selection drive
>    men's lack of interest in clothes?

Men's lack of interest drives the clothes easily available.  I know there's 
a lot more out there, because my wife buys GQ and the NY Times Magazine Men's 
Fashion issue and she leaves them around the house.  My guess is that you could 
really buy that stuff if you went into stores I would never stick my face into.

I think it's cultural.  Probably learned on the playground.  As far as I can
remember all the comments boys got on clothes were negative.  "Yer mutha 
dresses ya funny."  And all the comments girls got were positive.  So boys
learn to dress in ways that avoid comment.

>    I once heard it said:  Men dress to be alike.  Women dress to be
>    different.

Pretty close.  I think most women want their clothes to be noticed.  Most
men don't.  There are exceptions, both sides.

RE: *.0

Being of a stout and hardy genetic pool myself, I have found that most 
department stores are not the place to go for clothing. I would suggest to 
the base noter, that 
you will have better luck via mail-order shopping for the base noter's SO. 
JC Penny's has a BIG and TALL catalouge as does KING Size, I have had most 
of my luck with JCP, I found that the B&T clothing looks like something my 
father would wear. I have found that most of the "big and tall shops" tend 
to cater to a real young, gangster-rap crowd and sell some very loud and 
unwearable clothing. However, I have found some really nice T-shirts in a 
range of colors, and my latest ski parka came from one of these shops as 
well.  I did notice that LL BEAN, has started to offer some of their 
clothing in sizes other than pee-wee, girly-man, and shrimp.  I have the 
option locally for a few good Men's speciality stores for items like suits 
and shoes which are the hardest and most expensive items to purchase.  
Variety and colors always seem to be a problem for me and I hate shopping 
from catalouges, I would prefer to touch and try clothing before I buy! At 
one time Sears did have a special section in the Men's department, but 
locally they have phased out this area. I do know that the Sears on RT 9 
has some items in larger sizes, but don't expect to find the variety that 
you would for the other sizes. 

I would suggest an unconstructed Linen jacket/suit, sometimes called City 
Casuals, for you Jazz Club outings. These are basically a good quality suit 
without the stiff lining of most business suits. I saw these being offered 
both by JC Pennys and King Size. You can pick up the JC Penny's catalouge 
from the Catalouge Pick-up area of your local store or by calling the 800 
number for the regular catalouge. 

    Just found out there's a catalog called the "King Size Catalog" you can
    order by calling 800-231-5300.  It's got all the popular brand names.

    
    Done! Thank you!
    
    They ask for the height & weight of the person the catalog is for...
    
    Kinda embarrassing, but hey, freebies always have hidden costs.

    re: .10
    
    My choices for a jazz show/night club would be something like
    
    a silk or silk blend jacket - try Filene's Basement, the Boston store
    frequently has selections in the size range that you mentioned, tho'
    it may require more than one trip to find something that you like
    
    dark silk shirt, plain  color or patterened - try TJ Maxx or
    Marshall's.
    Structures is also a good choice, tho' I don't know that they will
    carry the size that you need.
    
    coordinated slacks - pleated for room and comfort. My preference is
    woo or a cotton blend. Again, Filene's Basement usually has a good
    selection, though you might want to try Country Road (their fabrics
    and construction are great, prices a bit high, sales always
    worthwhile).
    
    And, if you're just going to get one great outfit, if splurging is
    a possibility, or just for fun, look in Barneys.
    
    Further, serious suggestion, is to try second hand stores - I look
    for dress-up things for my children there, and find some truly
    astounding things.
    
    			- Joe

    I finally found out from Bruce Davidson that the decision to have 
    'TYDTWD' or 'take your child to work day' is made at the facilities
    level by the HR management. For PKO please email your vote to 
    Sherry Ryder, for status quo or for a change. 
    
    

Keep in mind you'll also have to convince your local school districts to 
allow the boys to skip school that day (and perhaps have the girls be presented
with educational material on the ways men are discriminated against in
society)

				Steve