Male Fashion Advice

I need new clothes but every time I go out 95% of what I see on offer is so bog-standard male. Solid earth tones, baggy one-size-fits-all, muted colors, work-wear adjacent, etc.

It's so hard to find stuff that's more, I dunno, "playful?" I'd like to have some clothes are that more of an expression of my personality but almost never do I see more unusual, expressive, colorful stuff in the brick-and-mortar stores.

To compound this, I'd also like it to:

1. not cost me an arm and a leg
2. be interesting but not clownish/overly ironic/jokey

This has mostly led me to buying floral shirts but a man cannot live on floral shirts alone! Does anyone know of retailers that might fit the bill?

I had the greatest pants ever. They were comfortable, looked professional at work, at had tons of pockets

Vertx no longer makes the "grip" pants, and i can't find anything with a similar pocket layout. Any ideas? I need a 34/36 waist and a 36 inseam

The old pants:

https://vertx.com/grip-pant

I've got a really nice Ubuntu sweater and I used to have some other high quality t-shirts from various open source projects (mostly Ubuntu tbh, but also other stuff). I like spending a bit of cash for stuff that lasts and is high quality/doesn't degrade in the wash. Anyone have good recommendations?

A wide ranging discussion on fashion from two thoughtful people.

I really liked what they had to say about counter-culture dress codes. I remember what that was like in high school and as a young man. It was really hard to break out of that grunge style.

I need some new shoes for every day work and walking. I basically only have one pair of casual shoes, one pair of running and gym shoes, and one pair of dress shoes right now, and the first one is falling apart.

I spend most of the day in slacks and collared shirts sitting at a computer, but my work site also involves multiple buildings about 10-15 minutes walk from each other, so that surprisingly the walking and standing can add up throughout the day. Plus, like I said, only got one pair of shoes right now, so I literally wear them all the time for almost everything.

So it would be nice if I could just wear them in normal life, too, so they look good hanging out with friends, going to an amusement park, or going on a stroll. Or maybe I just need to get another pair of shoes, so I can have some that are comfortable and some that look good when I go out to a nice bar or whatever lol.

What do you guys suggest? What shoes do you guys wear for the office or normal every day use? Just white sneakers or something else? What brands or styles?

EDIT: Loving all the recommendations so far! Keep 'em coming!

What do you all think?

What do you all think?

So today I stopped by two goodwills luckily. I managed to find my original intended targets though I saw suits there and yk always wanted one. Though for me like the one at DXL was 300-400$. So I went to the second store and found this a Lucelli Jacket!

I’ve been looking online for a little while and I guess they don’t have an official website. Though they have products out and due to research I heard branding on arms isn’t exactly normal and it’s also golden thread. So I’m thinking I scored big for only 8$.

If anyone can authenticate this to the best of your ability and let me know how much it’s worth please!!

Forget to mention materials match of other products!! So that is one step towards knowing!!

I'll likely just end up buying the same brand again, since they lasted me a good decade of frequent use, but what else is out there in the big and tall sizes that look great, have proper slacks closures and hems, use performance materials like microfiber/polyester, rayon, spandex, and have features like an expanding waistband. Synthetic fibers breathe well and keep you cook and dry and have superior stain resistance.

So what brands make nice slacks/dress pants out of performance materials with nice comfort features while still looking nice and stylish?

Ignore the messed up face!

I have been looking for below-knee cargo shorts that have a gusset. Every short I buy inevitably rips in the crotch, and I feel a gusset would protect against that.

I’ve seen someone in public wearing a gusseted below-knee pair of shorts, and I regret not asking where they got them (though guys don’t typically talk fashion).

I'm looking for something mid-weight and a little rugged. These look great, but a tad pricey.

Poofy tshirt sleeves are the worst. Is there a name for how the sleeves are cut? When my arms are at my sides I want the hem of the sleeves to be touching my arms, not shooting out at 45 degrees. Same for any short sleeve type shirt.

I just received an order for a few shirts from LL Bean. Right now, any brand's Large is just a tad tight on me but I'm trying to lose weight and expect to squeeze in soon. These shirts are HUGE.

I double checked their website's fit guide. By all accounts, it's suggesting I'm a large (5'6" 43 chest). The long sleeve shirt is one size too big, the short sleeves are at least two sizes, if not three, too big. The sweat shirt is a bit large but wearable.

My plan at this point is to take the nearly two hour drive (with traffic) to my nearest store to try the shirts on in person. Just wondering if I got a weird batch or if I'm a size small in LL Bean.

Or, should I be expecting these to shrink a lot in the wash?

UPDATE: So, I drove the store and confirmed my suspicions with the associate. “Traditional Fit” is two sizes bigger, “Slim Fit” is one size bigger, and “Signature” is about right, he said.
I didn’t like the signature sizing at all; it was oddly a little smocky and ballooned out at the bottom. And while the small traditional fit fit my width okay, I think it’s a little short, and I’m just 5’6”.

Have to get dress shoes, found some that seem decent, what is the consensus on them?

https://www.clarks.com/en-gr/mens/collections/smart-shoes/m_smart_eu-c

I've had some Clark's in the past, but never for dress shoes.

i am in shambles - I bought two Weatherproof Vintage short sleeve men's linen button down shirts last month from Costco, they were like $15 each, thinking little of it, oh these are probably going to be ok, normal big box store shirts.

but I've worn them, and slowly realized: these are the best shirts I've ever worn. they're comfortable, they fit perfectly, they feel absolutely perfect, the linen is perfectly breathable and feels perfect on my skin, they look very summery and nice, I've never enjoyed a shirt more than these shirts.

So I want more than the pink and blue that I bought, because that's only 2 days of the week. I go to the official website and the shirts start at $60. I am wrecked. I should've bought 15 of them at the store.

Costco themselves have a few left online, but only in obscure sizes and ugly colors. I am in shambles.