I need new clothes

[afan]

Ties: eBay. Usually you can find 100% silk in bulk for under $3 each, including shipping and tax. Paying more is a pure waste of money. Or thrift shops.

Dress shirts: Land's End. Pick your collar and sleeve length. Pick your fit. Pick up a few new shirts when needed in about 10 minutes of your time, all from the comfort of home. Some are essentially always on sale. I get white or light blue solid, which are less often on sale, but I doubt I have paid more than $30 each. They last a long time. I find that even new-appearing shirts from thrift shops or EBay wear out too quickly.

Shoes: depends a lot on your preferences. If you like traditional leather soled shoes, the kind that last long enough to be resolved several times over many years, prices new for decent quality can be under $200 for Allen Edmonds seconds. I buy used on eBay. For the price of a second from Allen Edmonds, you can get lightly used vintage Florsheim shoes. Built like tanks. Last forever.

Suits: EBay. If you are lucky enough to have a good thrift shop convenient, then that is an option. New suits depreciate outrageously. Like 80% when you walk out the door.

[xraygoggles]

Lululemon has very comfortable attire for men - athleisure. It's pricier of course, but the comfort and form-fitting nature is very nice. Highly recommended.

There is also a 25% discount for healthcare workers, which will likely be permanent going forward, but it can only be applied in store, not online.

[Random1]

Judging from the recent family photos , I must still be wearing shirts from college days.

I stay away from any name brand clothes only because I dont like buying any clothes with little symbols on them.

[8arclay]

I wear scrubs at work, and have a dozen or so identical black v necks to go under. Its great, I spend zero seconds during the week thinking about what to wear. Golf attire makes up the vast majority of my wardrobe otherwise. Outside of that, 90% of the rest is either second hand or Costco.

[Kamban]

Shirts

I find Costco shirts to be high quality. At around $18 they are fairly inexpensive and don't require special washing instructions or dry cleaning. And you can always buy a couple of them after two or three years if you feel like it. Plus if rd wine spills on the front, you won't be dismayed.

I also find that high end Hilfiger, Pierre Cardin shirts to be well made ( not the cheap $20 ones you find in department stores). They cost $75-100 but when they are marked down to $20 for clearance I pick them up. Usually in outlet malls. They last a long time.

[Marko-ER]

Costo; I wish I was kidding but I am not (and I think there are plenty of others on this forum who agree). Feels really uncool, but good quality brand name clothing at value price. Plus it sounds like you need to buy quite a bit, and (surprise !?!) they offer volume discounts -- buy 5 get 20$ off; buy 10 get 50$ off.

[VentAlarm]

+1 for biggly

Beat me to it.

[Lithium]

Isn’t one of the benefits of being a high income professional that you can just buy the shirt without waiting for a sale? Or are you worried about delaying FI by a day or two?

It’s not that I can’t afford nice clothes. The psychology is complicated. The problem is that I don’t know how to shop. To be more specific, I don’t have confidence that anything that I buy will last, for a variety of reasons. Something I buy could be ruined by a stain I can’t figure out how to remove (had this happen several times on minor stains of unknown origin). I don’t have confidence that I can pick something out that’s in style - or what’s in style can change in 2-3 years. Finally, considering the stress of the medical profession and the poor high carb high fat cuisine that is ubiquitous in the clinical setting, maintaining a specific size is not easy.

considering all these factors, how much sense does it make to spend mid four figures on a new wardrobe?

I may just allot $100 a month on a clothing budget and call it a day.

[pierre]

Isn’t one of the benefits of being a high income professional that you can just buy the shirt without waiting for a sale? Or are you worried about delaying FI by a day or two?

[jfoxcpacfp]

I don’t like clothes shopping, in general. I still wear some of the same BB shirts & trousers from med school. If you like brooks brothers for professional wear, they have an excellent sale on Dec 26. Shop before 10 or 11am that day for best sale discount. Yes, Nordstrom half yearly sale, which should be coming up, is excellent. My spouse enrolled me into trunk club, which is the online shopping service from Nordstrom’s. It can get expensive, so I’ve cut back on frequency of Trunk Club biggly….like once in past year. Also, +1 for Charles Tyrwhitt.

+1 for biggly

[tomato14]

I don’t like clothes shopping, in general. I still wear some of the same BB shirts & trousers from med school. If you like brooks brothers for professional wear, they have an excellent sale on Dec 26. Shop before 10 or 11am that day for best sale discount. Yes, Nordstrom half yearly sale, which should be coming up, is excellent. My spouse enrolled me into trunk club, which is the online shopping service from Nordstrom’s. It can get expensive, so I’ve cut back on frequency of Trunk Club biggly….like once in past year. Also, +1 for Charles Tyrwhitt.

[jhwkr542]

I've come to mostly dressing business casual at the office since I don't actually see patients. Polos, comfy pants, etc. I'm a big fan of the active go dry Old Navy stuff, which is pretty much the only pants I wear anymore because of how comfy they are and easy to clean (non-iron). I have a few of target's all in motion shirts and half zips. These have a slim fit, which may suit you if you've lost a bunch of weight! I also have a few golf polos from cutter&buck. Most of my nicer, button down shirts and dressier pants are BR.

[CordMcNally]

The most important factor in clothing isn't necessarily the price. It's quality and fit. Those typically come along with a higher price tag, though. I look much better in a well-fitting thrift store shirt than I do in an un-fitting Gucci shirt.

[Huggy]

Out of all the ways to save a few bucks, I've never understood skimping on one's professional wardrobe. As MPMD pointed out, spending a small amount on professional clothes can be a worthwhile investment. I probably spend more than anyone I know on my professional wardrobe, yet I've probably only spent maybe 3-5k over the past decade which pales in comparison to what others choose to spend their money on. I consider my spending an acceptable investment given that I truly enjoy getting dressed every morning and all of my garments are incredibly comfortable, professional and fit great (still room for improvement as it has become somewhat of an addiction working towards the perfect fit). I also find great joy in taking care of my garments and shoes so all of my purchases look nearly the same as when I purchased them as much as 10 years ago. I will say that menswear has become a hobby of mine and I do spend more time than most would enjoy spending on the topic.

My preferences for clinic attire:
Shoes: Carmina, cheaper option - Allen Edmonds Factory Seconds
Socks: Viccel over-the-calf
Trousers: Luxire
Shirts: Proper Cloth, cheaper - Charles Tyrwhitt as previously mentioned
Ties: Sam Hober

I will agree with those that have stressed quality > quantity and to stick with the essentials. Think mostly solid white or light blue shirts, brown/black shoes with matching color belt, mid-grey trousers with matching color socks, and navy/burgundy solid or pindot ties.

[CordMcNally]

When I was a med student one of my rotations with was with a neurologist who wore the same tie every day for the whole month. Me and the other students are trying to guess if he had different versions of that same tie or if it really was the petri dish we thought it was.

I'll never leave my opinion that ties have no place in medicine. Bow ties, too, for all the neurologists here.