Help! How to outfit big/tall dh for a new (dressy) job?

[nabigus]

The great news: dh got a great job after a month of being unemployed.

The not so great news: he has to wear slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie every day to work! He's in the non-profit world, so he's worn jeans and t shirts to work for his entire career. Aiiiigh!

He's a big guy (6'4", maybe 270 lbs), so I can't just head to Marshalls and expect to find something that will fit. He's got a long torso, so he really needs long shirts and long ties. We don't need a ton, just enough to get him through for a bit for now.

Anyone have suggestions for where to start? I was just checking out Lands End, and while I'm sure their quality is top notch, $46 for an long tie adds up quickly. We're fine making an outlet trip (we're in NYC) or spending most of the initial splurge at one place, if there are good discounts to be had.

Thanks! Excited about the job, not excited about the wardrobe.

[elliput]

Casual Male XL (http://www.casualmale.com/store/en_US/index.jsp?cm_mmc=LinkShare*affiliate*text*generic&siteID=dwmLwfhd8NM-7YSyxDzV0r32tlDl0Zwlzg)- my DH need tall shirts due to his long torso also.

[jerigirl]

jcpenny.com or Macys.com

Here is a coupon I got from JCP
http://f.jcpenneyem.com/i/2/95827765/main_20100602.html

[newg]

I just got a coupon today for men's dress shirts and ties on sale at LE with FS. I think it takes most of the shirts down to $31..........PM and I'll give you my code.

DH is 6'5'' and 230 and has to wear a suit every day to work. He has found shirts and suits and dress slacks at JoS. A. Banks stores. They are a bit pricey, but if you can hit a sale, you'll get some great deals.
He also get suits, shirts and ties at a store called K&G superstore. They have a great B&T section and their suites and pants and shirts are cheap.

Not sure what size your DH wears.......my DH is a 36/37 sleeve and 16-16 1/2 neck. I have found a brand at Kohls that goes up to his size.......and at JCP. Van Heusen is the brand I think. Most JCP stores also have a Big and Tall section. I'll get DH's kahki pants there (he's a 38x36 pant).
He's never needed a special length tie. He wears regular ties and just has the inside a bit shorter than the average height person would..........I think they look totally fine.

[momtojack]

Check out Lands End's overstocks section. They have a few long ties for $25:

http://www.landsend.com/ix/overstock-liquidations/Men/Mens-Accessories/Mens-Ties-Pocket-Squares/Ties/Tie+Style=Long+Necktie/index.html?seq=1~2~3~4~5~6&catNumbers=1~105~106~2305&visible=1~1~1~1~1~1&store=ov&sort=Recommended&pageSize=72&tab=8

and tall dress shirts ranging from $20-$40:

http://www.landsend.com/ix/overstock-liquidations/Men/Shirts-Sweaters/Mens-Dress-Shirts/Size+Range=Tall/index.html?seq=1~2~3~4~5&catNumbers=1~8~9&visible=1~1~1~1~1&store=ov&sort=Recommended&pageSize=72&tab=8

[PearlsMom]

I dress my DH for work almost exclusively from Land's End - we both love the look and simplicity of their no-iron button-downs, and the variety of pant hem lengths. I'm always finding great deals on their overstocks/clearance; I never buy him full price shirts. Ebates also does cash back for LE.

I love that you can search LE by size so you don't have to spend forever clicking to find something in stock. Oh, and ITA about regular ties - my DH is tall w/ a long torso and he can make regular ties work just fine.

[Andi98989]

Casual Male XL, JCPenny online, and Van Huesen tall dress shirts from Macy's (DH buys through Amazon)

[nabigus]

Thank you all SO much! I've got like 20 tabs open on my browser.

Dh is a big guy, especially in the upper body (he's on a diet and exercise program, but that's a gradual thing, obviously). He's got a relatively big neck (like 18.5), he's very barrel chested, plus the super long torso. He can make a regular tie work, but the short end is realllllly short, and the knot is tiny, and the long ties he has works so, so much better on him.

Any opinions on plain-front dress pants? I'm looking at the Levis "Action Slacks" and the Palm Beach flat-front pants. In jeans, dh has to wear a baggy for a good fit (eg, the Levis Silvertab baggy jeans are his favorites). Most of the Dockers etc just don't fit him.

[newg]

I think DH has pants from JCP that are Stafford or Haggard plain front. I think they look nice on him and he seems to feel very comfortable in them (even with his thick theighs and ghetto booty ;))

[vball4all]

JCPenney stores carry some Big & Tall items in their stores. It may very where you live - but worth checking out if you need something pronto.

[WolfpackMom]

This link is to my local Kohls ad, but if you go to their site you could find yours. They have a whole sale catalouge for Big and Tall...
http://kohls.shoplocal.com/kohls/default.aspx?action=entryflash&AdRef=frombuyonline

[nabigus]

Okay, shopping update: We braved the mall today, and had mixed results. He found a couple pairs of pants at Casual XL. Macys didn't have a big and tall section, *but* they did have a clearanced rack of suit pants, so he scored two great pairs of pants for $20 each. The best find of the day were huge pile of XL ties on sale for $10 each at Casual Male--and really nice ones, too. Score! Coupon for $20 off $100 at Casual Male (you have to click on the "print coupon"): http://tinyurl.com/24edhku JC Penny was a total bust. The only pants we could find were extremely tapered, and they didn't come long enough. We also found a great brand of dress shirt that he tried on today--the Geoffrey Beene sateen tall no-wrinkle--on sale at boscovs.com for $22 each. http://www.boscovs.com/StoreFrontWeb/Product.bos?itemNumber=18374
(15% off once it gets to your cart and free shipping automatically, too)

So more questions for you experienced dressy shoppers:

Anyone tried Eddie Bauer for dressy khakis? (He can wear nice khakis to the new job--phew.) They have a relaxed fit that might work. We don't have one anywhere near us, though. http://tinyurl.com/2g3heuz

What about short-sleeved dress shirts? dh is going to die of the heat if he has to wear long-sleeved in this weather. The only short sleeved shirts we found weren't meant to be worn with a tie. Anyone tried the Enro brand? http://www.casualmale.com/store/en_US/catalog/browse_sku.jsp?clear=true&catID=cat10019&prodId=84727&id=cat420189


Thanks!

[newnana]

My husband is your DH's same dimensions. He has made up his own uniform of all wrinkle free stuff that washes in the washer/dryer amazingly and doesn't shrink. We do not believe in ironing and these lines have never shrunk and seriously still have a crease after a year of being wadded up in the hamper and then washed 1/week every week:

Haggar black collection pants or Haggar Cool 18. We get them at the outlet, but they are also available at Kohl's.

Eddie Bauer wrinkle free XXL Tall shirts. Again, we seem to luck out at the outlet on these. They are infinitely less expensive than at the regular store and the quality is excellent. Right on par wtih the lands end ones if you are looking for variety. DH has not tried their khaki's because he loves the Haggar ones so much, especially with their comfort waistband as his weight changes up and or down.

Hands down these are the 2 brands DH swears by and is now all he will wear to work.

Definitely skip the Van Heusen wrinkle free stuff. They are not wrinkle free and shrink.


DH doesn't wear short sleeves with ties, so I can't help you there. Good luck!

[KimMae]

My DH buys almost exclusively from Jos A Banks. He is 6'2" and 215 with all his weight in the upper half about 38-40" waist. The sales are great. He is in suits almost every day but I know they have separates and various shirts too. He is a super bargain shopper and finds their high-end ties and shirts for great deals. There is a sale now: free shipping, shirts and ties b1g1.

I know it may cost a bit more but it looks good for longer. He has traveled extensively in the past - car and plane - and says the wrinkle free shirts hold up very well.

It is not worth DH looking bad or gambling on cheap clothes from misc places. Part of the job is looking good. Even ties wear out and look ratty. The better ties look good longer.

Also - really they wear short sleeves with ties???

[nabigus]

Also - really they wear short sleeves with ties???

That was my reaction. It's a job working with with teachers, so I guess a bit of nerdiness is expected? ;)

Thanks for the recommendations--I wish we had an Eddie Bauer outlet anywhere nearby. Wonder if they ship from the outlet like Hanna does. I can't find links on the webpage to outlets, darn it.