Building A Basic Wardrobe v7.0
Version 7 of the classic MFA post
Introduction
If you have no idea how to dress and want a simple basic wardrobe guide / shopping list to get started, this post is for you.
Alternatively, for those of you who want to start traversing beyond the basics, I've included some baby steps that are perfectly safe to incorporate in almost any beginner's wardrobe, but offer a little bit more interest and creativity than the most basic of the basic.
Disclaimer: This guide is targeted toward more traditional clothing styles (essentially, a safe blend of workwear, Americana, and prep). It is not the only way to dress well! If these clothes simply don't appeal to you at all, that's totally okay. Consider looking into other styles, and reading stuff from a variety of fashion communities - for example, see if things appeal more to you in r/streetwear, r/malefashion, r/navyblazer, etc.
The Basic Wardrobe - visual guide HERE
Tops
Plain crew-neck t-shirts in neutral colors - white and gray are most versatile, but other neutrals such as navy or beige, or simple patterns (e.g., stripes) can be nice.
Button-front shirts - oxford-cloth button-downs (OCBDs) in white and light blue, flannel/chamois shirts in plaids or solid neutrals
Baby steps: Try out graphic tees, OCBDs with university stripe patterns, chambray shirts, or a polo shirt (short sleeve or long sleeve). For cool weather, heavyweight shirts in twill, flannel, chamois, denim, or moleskin can keep you a bit warmer, while in warm weather, linen or seersucker shirts can keep you cool.
Avoid: Graphic tees with meme references, jokes, etc. These are inherently unfashionable.
Bottoms
Straight fit jeans in dark indigo, black, and/or medium wash
Straight fit chinos in tan (khaki), caramel, and/or olive
If you want to wear shorts, 7-9" chino shorts in khaki, olive, or navy
Baby steps: Try corduroy pants, cargo pants, linen pants, fatigues, or double knee pants. If you're interested in tucking in a shirt and wearing a layer on top, try looking for pants with higher rises (~11"+). If you're in a "sky's out, thighs out" mood, try getting a pair or two of short shorts with a ~5" inseam.
Avoid: Chinos with a synthetic flatness and luster. Avoid black chinos, which can look a little formal.
Mid-layers
Crew-neck sweater in gray, oatmeal, navy, mustard yellow, or maroon. Keep an eye out for brushed Shetland wool sweaters for some added texture.
Crew-neck sweatshirt or hoodie in gray
Baby steps: Consider an overshirt, cardigan, fair isle sweater, turtleneck sweater, or a chunky cable knit/Aran sweater.
Avoid: Anything too tight and slim. Sweaters and mid-layers are meant to have a bit more space to allow for layering underneath.
Outerwear (as needed for your specific climate)
Light jackets such as a trucker jackets in indigo/black denim or tan/olive cotton, chore coats in olive/brown, or field jackets in olive/brown/gray.
Raincoat in olive, gray, or black, although vibrant colors can work too.
Warm jacket such as an overcoat or parka in dark neutrals (gray/brown for overcoats, olive/gray/black for parkas).
Baby steps: There is a whole wide world of jackets out there, both light and heavy, so look into several different varieties to figure out what you like.
Avoid: Trying to skimp out on jackets if you live in a cold/rainy climate. Being too cold or getting soaked is miserable!
Shoes
Casual brown leather derbies and/or loafers, blucher mocs, or boots
Baby steps: Try chunkier athletic sneakers or chunky leather shoes if they appeal to you.
Avoid: Brown minimal sneakers and these sorts of hybrid dress sneaker abominations. Avoid cheap (or faux) leather, which degrades fast and wears in poorly. Avoid wearing shoes two days in a row - they need to air out between wears. Instead, rotate your pairs and use shoe trees to improve longevity.
Casual tailoring (optional, if needed for a job/event or if you like to wear it)
Wool trousers in various shades and textures of gray and/or brown
Baby steps: Try a sport coat with some texture or pattern, such as a brown houndstooth or gray tweed herringbone. Try a pocket square in a puff foldto accessorize with your blazer or sport coat.
Avoid: Wearing blazers or sport coats without getting them tailored. Make sure they're long enough and that they fit properly (not too slim, not too loose). Read this.
Semi-formal tailoring (optional, if needed for a job/event or if you like to wear it)
Navy or charcoal suit, tailored
Oxford dress shoes in black or brown
A belt that matches your shoes
Simple dark tie (e.g., burgundy grenadine)
Baby steps: Unfortunately, there's not much room to experiment with semi-formal or formal clothing. Your best bet is to stick to the basics unless you really know what you're doing.
Avoid: Black suits, unless you're specifically dressing for a funeral. In general, it's recommended to avoid wearing vests. Don't wear your oxford shoes with less formal outfits. Avoid dress shirts in black or saturated colors. It's generally best to avoid wearing a tie without a jacket or top layer. Avoid skinny ties - stick to ~2.75-3.5" (or 7-9 cm) width. For beginners, avoid bow ties unless 1) it's a black bow tie with a tuxedo (at a black tie event), or 2) you're dressing for prom (go crazy!) Finally, while monkstrap shoes had their moment, that moment has since passed.
MFA Suggestions at Various Price Points
This is a truncated and modified version of the MFA Best of Picks for the items recommended in this guide at various price points. These are not the only options, and if you want more suggestions, I highly recommend asking for recommendations in the MFA discord (don't forget to include a budget!)
FAQ
What do these clothes look like when actually worn?
Check out the Simple Someone album for tons of examples (all MFA users)!
How should my clothes fit?
Exactly how things should fit you can be a little tricky, but if you're starting out, there's a few broad guidelines:
Regular fit tops and straight fit / regular fit pants the most recommended for beginners on MFA at the present; however, trends do change with time. If you're reading this guide several years from now, it's possible that we would recommend a different fit. You can always ask in the discord if you're not sure.
Shoulder seams should hit around your natural shoulder (note; this can vary, and drop shoulders are a thing).
Pants hems should generally be somewhere between a full break and a no break (note; this can vary, and cropped pants / stacked pants are things).
Untucked button-front shirts should be about mid-fly or slightly shorter in length.
T-shirts should hit just below the belt line.
Tailored jackets should fit according to this guide, and the bottom of your tie should hit your belt.
When I'm buying clothing online, how can I be sure it'll fit if I can't try it on?
To check whether something will fit you, it's best to measure clothing that fits you well and compare it to size charts online (available at most retailers, or listed / given upon request by good secondhand sellers). Read this guide for pants and tops, this for suit jackets / sport coats / blazers, and this for dress shirts (also helpful for casual shirts that are sold in neck-sleeve sizes instead of alpha sizes).
What colors go together?
There's a lot of ways to approach color, but if you have no idea, you can keep it simple by sticking to basic, neutral colors.
White, gray, navy, black, and oatmeal are great colors for tees.
White, light blue, gray, and pink are great colors for button-front shirts.
Khaki/tan, caramel, olive, gray, and charcoal are versatile colors for non-denim pants and shorts.
Dark indigo, medium wash, and black are great colors for jeans.
Leather shoes in brown are versatile, but if you like to wear black jeans most days, you might get more use out of black leather shoes.
Sneakers that have white or gray as the primary color are most versatile. Colored accents don't take away from their versatility.
If you wear indigo jeans a lot, you might want to avoid navy jackets.
How much should I buy at once?
Focus on one or a few items at a time. Definitely don't try to buy a whole wardrobe all at once, and don't buy the same article clothing in multiple different colors (unless, say, it's a plain tee and you know they fit you well).
A clothing item you recommended doesn't work for me because of my body type. I'm too short / too tall / too big / too skinny / thighs too massive / shoulders too narrow / ears too square. What should I do?
We hear this all the time. A lot of men have insecurities about their bodies. It's possible that you're just not used to how something looks on you because you haven't tried it. Give it a shot, and post a fit pic in the discord for feedback if you're still unsure. I guarantee you that there are no body types that the clothing in this guide doesn't work for.
I don't like a clothing item you recommended. Do I have to get it?
Of course not. But, if you're not sure what to get instead of that clothing item, consider asking in the discord.
I don't like any of these clothes, I like totally different stuff. What should I do?
That's totally fine. Consider browsing inspiration albums to see what you do like.
Your recommendations, even at the lowest price ranges, are out of my budget. What should I do?
Try buying secondhand! I wrote a big guide about it here:
Secondhand Shopping: Guide, Motivation, and Inspiration
This guide comprises three parts. The first part, the practical side, will talk about the various ways to buy secondhand, specific recommendations, and general tips to find great pieces. The second part, the philosophical side, will talk about the benefits of buying secondhand and the various reasons that it's a great option. The third part is an album …
Your suggestions aren't available in my country. What should I do?
Sorry about that. Try asking in the discord, and mention what you're looking for, where you're located, and what your budget is.
I'm trying some of these suggestions out, but I still feel totally lost. I feel like nothing at all is working for me. Help??
That's totally fine. This is a process, and it might take a while before you're satisfied with your wardrobe. Everyone on MFA has bricked a fit many times - it happens. You may go through several styles before finding what you really like - again, go slow. Ask a lot of questions in the discord, even if it's something like "I'm not feeling this fit, what's wrong with it?"
If you find out you don't like some clothes you bought, you can always resell them on eBay/grailed/depop/etc. to recoup some money out of a bad purchase. But, again, I recommend going building your wardrobe slowly so that you don't sink a lot of money into clothing that you end up not liking.
How do I develop my personal style after I have the basics down?
This is a great question, but there's no right or wrong answer. The Developing Personal Style post has some tips. Try looking at inspiration albums, or even putting together your own personal inspiration albums. Try browsing (or posting!) in WAYWT. Try looking through brand look books, or asking for similar brands in the MFA discord. This is a journey, and not a fast one.
Do you want to support MFA?
This is absolutely not a requirement, and we will never paywall any articles or guides. The money from this will go directly into improving the Substack and Discord server (e.g., paying for bot server time, hardware, or paid bot services) - not to the mods directly.
Thank youu
In what world J Crew considered cheap? A 770 or 448 cost like 90 bucks per pants