Dapper on the cheap: The ultimate budget shopping guide for men
If you flip through the pages of most lifestyle magazines, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the only way to be fashion relevant is to don wallet-shredding one-off haute couture, but that's just not true. If you are smart about your choices and purchases, you too can feel the rush of walking down a high fashion ramp, even if it is crossing a muddy overbridge of Farmgate at rush hour. The recurring mantra for the budget dapper guide is "Sale"; so always be on the lookout. So, let this everyman guide you into the world of cheap and cheerful fashion, along with special "30+ tips."
CASUAL AND INFORMAL
T-Shirts
Nothing defines casual than a cool and comfy t-shirt. Depending upon the colour, size, and design (or lack thereof), this can really lend to a fashionable carefree look. Also, especially during winter, pairing the right t-shirt with your sweater/jacket/scarves is all the more important.
If you want to score a good deal, head on to Doja market, and the surrounding shops there. Tonnes of t-shirts with really great designs are available for the picking. There are also various Facebook pages/Marketplace listings that holds great deals.
Price: Anywhere between Tk 150 – Tk 400 depending upon designs or just plain solid t-shirts.
Tip: if you are over 30, be careful with the designs; there is no grace in a thirty plus year old wearing an orange and dark blue t-shirt in Dragon Ball Z fashion. Also, regarding fit, unless you are built slim, its best to avoid tight fitted t-shirts altogether.
Polo Shirts
Another important staple in your wardrobe is polo shirts. Be it for casual wear, or tucking in and throwing on a blazer for the evening informal wear, polos are unrivalled in terms of versatility.
While you can great deals on Doja market, the quality honestly won't be that great, and more importantly, if you are someone who chooses any size over L, getting the right size will be tricky. A better option for picking up polo shirts is Aarong, as well as numerous Facebook pages.
Price: Tk 250 – Tk 350 if you are shopping at Doja or shops near New Market. If you are looking into Aarong or other Facebook pages, the price goes up to TK 500 – Tk 700, but are worth the extra.
Shirts
Possibly the most important aspect of your wardrobe is undoubtedly shirts. Be it full sleeve formals or half sleeve casuals, any man's wardrobe collection can be considered invalid if there is an absence of shirts.
However, they do come with a certain caveat. If you want the absolute best results, and in a good budget too, getting it tailor-made is the only way to go as that will ensure the best fit. Having shirts tailor made also means you are free to choose your preferred material and design, something you don't always get with readymade options.
If you want to get the best bang for your buck in terms of fabric, your best bet will be Islampur, as you can score some great fabrics at a very good price. However, if the idea of going to Old Dhaka seems too daunting, places like Top Ten, Belmonte, and Raymond also has good fabrics, although their prices will be higher compared to Islampur.
As for tailoring, Top Ten and Belmonte offer their own tailoring services you can use, along with other dedicated tailor shops such as Western Tailors or Reid & Taylor.
Price: Fabrics can cost anywhere between Tk 300 – Tk 800 depending upon where you buy them from and the quality of the fabric itself. Tailor charges are usually another Tk 600 – Tk 750.
Panjabis
A staple for every Bengali man's wardrobe, the versatility and sophistication of a panjabi cannot be understated.
Whether you don the simple white no-frills style, or modern colours and shapes, panjabis can be a hassle-free and comfy way of looking fly. Another benefit panjabis have is that they make the generously sized gentlemen look much more toned down.
With the way panjabis are, picking up readymade ones is a safe bet regardless of your size. As for where to get good deals, Aarong is a decent choice, but it won't be cheap. But if you really want a bargain, check out Lili Market (beside Mouchak market), and shops leading up to New Market. If you want to go the tailor-made route, you can grab your fabrics from Islampur or Chadni Chawk and have them tailored there, although, do know that the tailoring route can be expensive.
Price: If you are looking at shops in Lili Plaza or new Market, you can get them from anywhere between Tk 450 – Tk 1500. If you are looking at Aarong, you can expect prices to start from TK 2000 and only go up from there.
Trousers
While no words are needed to emphasize its importance, it is however the easiest to get on the cheap without needing to compromise on anything. The best place for jeans and gabardine, by far, is Doja market. Make sure to ask for "plain design" jeans of whatever fit suits your fancy, as these places have a lot of faded/worn style of jeans which they will try to unload on you, so unless you are only about that torn/worn/faded life, avoid them at all cost.
Tip: You will also find three quarter pants of various materials at Doja, but a word of warning; please leave these kinds of pants for vacation wear ONLY. Wearing these anywhere else is just a no-no, especially if you are past 19.
Price: You can score good gabardine pants from anywhere between Tk 500 – Tk 700 depending upon the fabric, fit, colour and so on. Jeans, on the other hand, are anywhere between Tk 650 – Tk 800, depending upon quality and fit.
Footwear
Footwear is probably the one place where I would say not to be a penny-pincher and splurge as much as necessary, as these are absolute essentials and a wrong purchase means being stuck on perpetual discomfort, and even injury.
However, if you are still trying to shop on the cheap, refer to the dapper on the cheap mantra; be on lookouts for discounts, as most popular shoe stores offer massive discounts nearly every month. If that is not enough, there are tonnes of shoe stores in Elephant Road Bata Signal where you can end up with nice shoes without breaking the bank. My advice; try those shoes on and make sure it fits well, and does not hurt or chafe the foot.
FORMAL WEAR
"What would you do if you had to choose
Between your suits and a pot of gold? Suits."
— Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
Nothing screams formal and sophistication more than a suit. And in all honesty, nothing suits a man better (pun intended). That's the whole reason why Barney Stinson had a whole song about them. Be it a three-piece (with a waistcoat), or a two-piece (traditional jacket only), no other piece of clothing in a man's arsenal has the cool factor quite like suits.
Before you buy your fabrics, you need to choose which style you wish to don; three- or two-piece. The traditional, and possibly the safest choice, depending on your physique, would be the two-piece. This is the jacket and trouser combo that everyone knows and loves. But if you are all about pushing the boundary, nothing will look as cool as a three-piece. This combo adds a waistcoat under the jacket, letting you experiment to your heart's content with print, colour, materials, etc.
The golden rule for suits is that it should never ever be off the rack. It has to be bespoke, meaning you have to source the fabric, get it to the tailor, get measured and have it made to your specifications only. Let's start with that first bit. You can get fabrics from any of your preferred locations, or even from abroad if you really wanted to. If you are unsure, you can also choose the fabric from locations listed in this article, such as Islampur or Top Ten etc.
Once that's done, you can start to think about tailors. My personal opinion is to skip legacy tailor brands, as their designs really aren't up to modern cut and fit standards. Popular tailor choices like Ferdous, Fit Elegance, Dapper Bespoke are also not exactly budget friendly, even if their work is very modern. If you want modern designs and a good deal, head on down to tailor shops around Elephant Road Bata signal, such as Reid & Taylor.
Price: Fabrics are tough to list out, because depending upon where you buy and what you buy, it can be as cheap as Tk 2000 and only go up from there. For tailoring, assuming you end up in Reid & Taylor or a similar tailoring store in the Bata Signal area, a traditional suit should not cost more than Tk 6000 to tailor. If you go for the three-piece option, you are looking at Tk 7000+. Also, you can buy readymade waistcoats separately from plenty of other stores to mix and match with any other suit, and those cost anywhere between Tk 2000 – Tk 3000.
WINTER
With Bangladesh's weather on the cusp of switching to winter, now is the perfect time to discuss winter attire. The three essentials in any man's winter wardrobe should be a shawl, sweaters, a coatee and a form-fitting jacket, preferably leather.
Shawls come into their own when you are out or attending a function that dictates wearing a Panjabi. Another way to elevate Panjabis to formal wear, or just a unique look altogether, is to pair them with a coatee. Sweaters can be paired with shirts for a clean elegant look, or with t-shirts/polos for a carefree informal look. Finally, jackets bring simplicity and cool factor to any outfit.
While there are plenty of great winter wear to be found in Doja, and even in Bashundhara City, I would personally avoid buying anything now, and simply make do with whatever you have, provided they are sufficient. The trick to the winter budget shopper is to buy for the next winter i.e., buy at the end of this winter, to wear for the coming winter. The reason for this is simple; massive discounts, meaning you can shop from wherever and not have to overpay on anything.
The key thing to remember when shopping on the cheap to keep an eye on quality, because 'the dapper on the cheap guide' does not equate shoddy quality. Hopefully, this guide helps in elevating your wardrobe game without putting you in the poorhouse.
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Model: Emon
Makeup: Suman
Styling: Sonia Yeasmin Isha