Middle aged men – what do you wear?

House of Fraser. Just don’t buy the younger set stuff but it’s obvious what that is.
M&S is for when you’re 60+ and have given up or the wife buys your clothes.

Just scrape in under 40 (6 weeks to go…). For work, it’s uniform, literally, no other choice. In terms of dress sense, my last partner (who is other side of 40) dragged me in to being better dressed, having said I physically looked about 10 years younger than I am (easy paper round) but dressed about 10 years older than I am, wearing White Stuff, Fat Face (sorry WS and FF fans, but in hindsight, I thikn she was right)… I also paid a visit to Hugo Boss, in the same vein as bikebuoy’s suggestion, to get the smarter casual look.

Outdoorsy slobbing about – well worn Levi’s 527, t-shirt, 5.10s, Yeti hoodie and/or Rab or Montane soft/hardshell, weather dependant.

Casual – Diesel or Jack & Jones slim jeans, Sambas or Converse, Fred Perry or Pretty Green polo or decent t-shirt, Fjallraven Skogso Jacket in green. For slightly smarter (eg. going on a date) blue denim Boss slim jeans, plain white v-neck Hugo Boss t-shirt and dark green cotton v-neck jumper and Dune baseball-style leather shoes, Barbour limited edition Union Flag lined International jacket.

In between up there and down there – couple of nice shirts in the wardrobe, generally Paul Smith (all underwear also PS, and paired, so sock patterns match pants – OCD), that can be paired with jeans, minus tweed, or will even dress the grey suit down (eg. if attending a wedding evening do).

Smarter – Boss jeans from above, TM Lewin slim fit shirt (tucked in!), Harris Tweed jacket and lace up, square toe, nubuck ankle boots (and not those blimming high heeled ones from earlier…!). Last worn in the Paddock at Cartmel races.

Much smarter – either of tailor made 3 piece navy wool pin stripe city suit or 3 piece mid grey marl wool suit with black or brown oxfords, shirt and tie of appropriate vibrancy/colour to suit the occassion, Jaeger dark wool full length coat over the top in inclement weather.

When the clocks change in the spring they change to BST (British Shorts Time) and it’s shorts and teeshirts till they change back in the autumn.

Amateur, I wear shorts May till December most years!

It’s all about context though, if you are a farmer who works most days then has the odd village pub thing and a country show/shoot/hunt, an IT worker in Middle England who has to habitually visit B&Q/harvester ‘restaurants’/out of town shopping centres/market town pizza chains or a nu-media hipster with a liking for Hoxton food pop-ups, BAPE sample sales in disused brewery spaces and secret cinema showings your attire requirements are going to be very different.

As I get older I don’t care much what people think. I just wear something comfortable and maybe some basketball boots. Some of you worry far too much about nothing.

Strong look.

I’ve read all the posts and produced an STW recommendation composite for what to wear…

Office wear / smart casual:

I tend to buy from Reiss and almost always when there is a sale on. Had the occasional Hugo Boss shirt Ted Baker suit.
Armani, not today thankyou.
Shoes – Jeffery West but again, only when there is a sale on. Clarks outlet in Kendal most of the other times.
House of Fraser has sales and they have quite a range of brands. TKMaxx is also good.
I have also formed a hardened opinion of M&S stuff. The ones (casual tops) I have got are ill fitting and shapeless.
Uniqlo for the selvedge jeans.
I’m 52 next week.

Great fun reading this thread, in answer to the original question, whatever the **** I want to! In fact, I once made a promise to myself never to have a job where I’d need to wear a suit, and I’ve got close to retirement age without ever owning a suit, let alone needing to wear one.
As Dibbs says, BST = British Shorts Time, pretty much March to November, with jeans or combats if the weather turns foul, shorts are nearly always camo cargos, Fracture skate shorts for some years, or any that flectarn.co.uk have going cheap, or baggy bike shorts, jeans are likely to be Howies or Oakley, bought in sales, or Uniqlo selvedge, absolutely minimal or zero branding, worn with band or bike tees, with Uniqlo flannel shirts over the top if cooler.
I’ve got a pair of cheap black jeans from a skate shop with no branding that go well with a smart black wool M&S jacket and black brogues if smartness is really required, with a lightweight flannel check shirt tucked in.
Footwear is usually black Vans ot Meindle Desert Fox combat boots, so damned comfy they’re like wearing slippers, outerwear depends on conditions, wet it can be a Belstaff Trialmaster, Barbour Stockman, U.S. Airforce Goretex camo coat, dry usually a Nomex CWU-45P pilot jacket, warm and comfy, work well with jeans and not bulky in the car, along with various fleeces, Uniqlo ultralight down, North Face Nuptse down, or combinations thereof.
Oh, and my Spyker leather bike jacket gets a look-in, black with white stripes down the sleeve and across the body, it looks pretty good with jeans and boots, with a plain tee.
No trend-setter, but, frankly my dear, I couldn’t give a shit. 😀

T shirts shorts and a fleece or hoodie do for me all year round .Don’t do dressing up as I have no need .Have loads of shoes but never wear them as they look wrong with shorts

sackcloth and ashes !

CountZero – Member
Great fun reading this thread, in answer to the original question, whatever the **** I want to!
…
[Seemingly endless description of what he wears]
…
I couldn’t give a shit

I think the lady doth protesteth (like many others who just so don’t care!)

My single most expensive item of clothing, and I still only paid less than 50% of the RRP; cost £150:

[/url]Untitled by Adrian Hillier[/url], on Flickr

I think the lady doth protesteth (like many others who just so don’t care!)

What, you think I secretly shop at M&S, and Man at C&A? 😆
Apart from my nice smart wool jacket, all I buy at M&S are socks and undercrackers.
C’mon then, what do you think I wear on a day to day basis? I wear what the hell I feel comfortable in, at 61, I’m way past caring what anybody thinks, especially you.
Currently wearing a pair of mottled green camo cargo shorts, a maroon Route One hoodie, and a Billy Bragg tour tee shirt and Aldi Crocs knock-offs.

Ooh, I didn’t know Adidas did leather jackets…

Work – Paul Smith suits and nicely cut patterned shirts
Casual – Levis (511 and 514) jeans or trousers, shirt with a collar. Good shoes.

M&S is for underwear, although the quality is now much poorer than it used to be.

48 and a BMI less than half my age 😉

I’m way past caring what anybody thinks, especially you.

You care so little that you must tell everyone!