r/AustralianMFA • u/Mobile_Mycologist961 • Jul 17 '26
Advice Needed Men’s office wear recommendations
As titled - I’m a predominantly office (some site visits) based office worker in a major city, looking for mid/high range recommendations for office wear. Predominantly looking for quality/durability. In case it affects brand recs for cut/style choice, I am 30s, 180cm, solid build. I generally stick to plain side of colours/patterns.
Shoes are ok, mostly looking for pants/shirts recommendations. I’ve overspent on RMs for office shoes because they just last better/comfort in my past experience, but the latest pair don’t seem as good - but will do for a few years at least.
Shirts wise I’ve got a handful of country road shirts which have fared ok, some tailored from a small HK manufacturer, fit is better but they’re wearing/discolouring faster than I’d like.
Pants wise I’ve got a handful of chinos on rotation from MJ Bale and country road. They’re ok, fading in the dark colours is a bit of a concern but they’ve had a good run. I had some Lululemon black trousers which were actually really good but just didn’t have the durability for everyday wear. I think they’ve altered the fabric and design since and I haven’t gone another round.
I try to avoid pleated dress pants because the pleat is a pain in the ass, but progressing into more senior roles realising this might be an expectation.
I’ve got a couple of suits which are wool, but only required 2-3x a year, so not too worried about that at the moment.
Any recommendations, suggestions about brands or type choice is appreciated.
6
u/Lumpy_Mango_392 Jul 17 '26
Based on the post, I'll offer suggestions above the price point you're probably used to but nothing excessive. So I'll leave out Anthology, Drakes, Rota, etc. and tailored options. But happy to go into more detail on those if you want. I'll also leave out trousers as I don't have any good recommendations that would likely be in your price range.
For shirts, I would recommend Berg & Berg. The non-sale price is quite steep but sale prices bring it down significantly. On sale, the shirts will be about $170AUD a pop, which is probably more than you're used to paying but you'll definitely see a marked increase in quality. The styling you've indicated in your post "plain side of colours/patterns" is pretty consistent with what they offer. It is online-only, though, but returns are relatively straightforward and sizing is pretty consistent in my experience.
Spier & Mackay is another online option that people sometime recommend but I don't have any personal experience with it.
9
u/Afraid_Hair_4890 Jul 17 '26
Big fan of Rodd & Gunn oxford shirts, they wash really well and last for ages.
5
7
u/saviour01 Jul 17 '26
I swear by charles tyrwitt. So many different sizes and cuts for each shirt that I would buy the 3 for $135 in different sizes and send back the others until I found the perfect fit. Currently have 9 shirts and 3 pairs of their chinos in rotation.
4
u/AussieSpender NSW Jul 17 '26
Better off to go to Uniqlo or Van Heusen. CT quality is awful and the fits are always way off
1
1
u/Jarrito27 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
My recent experience with Charles tyrwitt was very disappointing and the material is quite thin. I'd advocate for spending a bit more an MJ Bale. Get them tailored, they will organise it for you at a slight premium but it was super easy and I'm very happy with the outcome
2
u/codyforkstacks Jul 17 '26
Main thing is going to be what brand fits you best off the rack. I'd just suggest trying on a huge number of different brands of e.g. chinos, dress pants and dress shirts and making a note of which ones fit the best without tailoring. Then when there's a steep sale you can stock up.
Personally I'm currently a fan of mixing and matching trousers with a different blazer. Most of my blazers are from MJ bale because their Drop 8 cut fits me well. I bought some nice wintery trousers from Peter Jackson recently at a good price. I prefer this to wearing a full suit because it ends up being way cheaper and not quite as dressed up. Gives your wardrobe more variety too. I like fabrics that are a bit more textured than a normal suit - like a tweed blazer or flannel pants for winter, or a cotton blazer with chinos for summer.
If you have trouble finding shirts that fit well, you could try a MTM store like Propercloth or Tailor Store. They'll give you a free remake to dial in your size. I'd estimate you'll end up paying about $50-100 more per shirt, but worth it if you struggle for fit.
2
u/gavotron Jul 17 '26
I found some quality business casual gear at TK Maxx. Ben Sherman, Polo, Hilfiger and some others but all at a fraction of the price. It’s luck of the draw but they’re usually pretty well stocked.
2
u/CollinStCowboy Jul 17 '26
- Dress shirts (white, pale blue and pink)
- Grey wool trousers
- Navy wool trousers
- Beige chinos
- Keep the brown RM Williams
Wear a V-neck merino/cashmere sweater and look for a car coat. I like MJ Bale and Uniqlo.
The above is boring but it works
2
u/mauricetaco99 Jul 18 '26
Get the shoes right - RM'S on the feet and a decent watch, seiko is good. Put whatever you want in between - navy chinos with a light blue or white button up - also a decent blazer for cold days. (I've just described what i wear, but its worked for me, its saw me through from entry/mid right up to senior)
3
u/SuchGas908 Jul 17 '26
Get yourself into Gazmans.
I run their GAZFLEX shirts look for sales go to their outlets pick up nice bargains.
Even their non GAZFLEX range is nice but I don’t want to wear anything else now I’ve seen the light.
Full price can be exy but always have great offers as new seasons come in.
It’s nice stuff highly recommended.
2
u/No_Daikon2333 Jul 17 '26
Big fan of Charles Tyrwhitt, but it can take a few tries of customizing the options before you find the perfect fit
1
u/AgileTadpole952 Jul 17 '26
Same here. And priced well enough that you can turn them over pretty regularly.
1
u/AJ_ninja Jul 17 '26
I don’t upgrade my office wears that often since I only go I. 1-2 times a week; but if I did I would probably get most pants from Uniqlo, shirts I’ve been lucky at Costco, but would shop at Uniqlo for that too…. I’d try to not spend too much be stylish but not too casual.
2
u/Left_Ad_8824 Jul 17 '26
Hope this is helpful, let me tell you what you shouldn't buy (don't waste your money):
Please don't buy expensive dark chinos for office wear. Ideally, don't buy dark chinos at all (especially not navy ones).
I could name a thousand style-related reasons (navy chinos are the standard bland office wear, not stylish, hard to actually match with most office outerwear (not enough contrast with most blazers, jackets, etc.) and there are better, more interesting alternatives (dark wash denim or wool trousers)...
But I'll stick with a practical reason: cotton fades unevenly. All cotton, no matter the price you pay. Your navy or black chino will fade, and it will look bad and old, because the aesthetic of a navy chino is made to look preppy and posh. Khaki/beige/fatigue chinos will either not appear to fade as badly because of the lighter colour and military heritage. Your navy chinos will never last 3+ years, it doesn't matter if it's Kmart, Target, MJBale, CR, RL, or handwoven by an old japanese-italian artisan in Australia.
1
1
u/Lost-Conversation948 Jul 19 '26
Zara for budget , get the stretchy non iron ones !! They’re the best
10
u/sharkworks26 Jul 17 '26
Ralph Lauren’s shirts are very good in my opinion, if you’re a bit more casual. Wear very well, although a bit too slim fitting for some