I've been walking the shops for hours just trying to buy a " normal" pair of jeans and some shoes that don't make me look like I should be carrying a skateboard!
It's so hard! All the men's jeans are these new skinny type leg jeans that make you look like you should be on a mini bus wearing a crash helmet.
Shoes?? Try and buy a good plain pair of black sneakers! No bells no fluro colours or pump up soles , good luck!
I just want a plain pair of jeans and plain black sneakers.
I've given up now and I will just have to buy off eBay and hope it fits.
Maybe better in Sydney,but here the choice is flulo colour pump up sneakers or cow boy boots like woodie wears. There's a snake in my boot!

Pete

It's hard to believe but people actually show up for job interviews in acid-wash jeans with holes in the knees or that skinny type you mention, which forces the wearer to have the crutch of the jeans down between their knees. I just think to myself - 'you cannot be serious!'. Needless to say, such people do not get the job when I am the interviewer.

This might sound old fashioned but there isn't a job where I wouldn't either wear a suit to, if it was a new employer, or the class-A version of my work uniform if I wanted to just go up the ladder a bit.

I have three Trent Nathan suits - all have only ever been worn to job interviews and one funeral.

Oh no ,I don't wear suits anymore.
I had a terrible day wearing a suit once, so came home and put the suit ,shirt , shoes and Tie in the Garage bin and I'm promised myself never to buy or wear one again.
That was 8 years ago and I will never wear one again no matter what happens.

Pete

I wore suit and tie to work for some 30 years and would have 6 or 7 woolen suits in the wardrobe at any time. Woolen suits were expensive but they were lighter and cooler in summer. I always bought two pars of trousers with each suit as they would wear out pretty quickly. These days I have only one suit for the very occasional times that I need one.

I used to keep my ties up with the fashion, but these days just putting one on makes me feel like I'm back in harness.

I buy jeans direct from the manufacturer's website. I dislike going into shops to buy them because, as Pete says, the shops are stocked for a different demographic.

I used to buy shirts in bulk online from that crazy Rivers mob before they went broke and were taken over by someone who now limits the range, and prices them like retail shops.

I've never been a big fan of wearing a tie and got into strife at school a lot for wearing it like a boy scout's scarf.

Yes as Vintage Pete says it can be difficult to get reasonable clothes in larger sizes. I'm 50 years past being 18 and having worn out my knees with all the running, jumping and standing still (on parade) in the Army, I cannot do much vigorous exercise these days. Like many of my age group, my waist line has increased over the years. I have the added problem of not being able to tolerate synthetic materials particularly in the hotter months, so I have to find wool or cotton trousers. However supposedly "Nobody wants those anymore!" as I am told in the usual shops when I ask for anything in a larger size and/or not made of plastic. I used to be able to get good cotton jeans from Fletcher Jones but they don't stock the same style anymore. Where I have found cotton casual trousers is in the places that sell work wear in particular King Gee 'Hard Yakka'. They are meant for tradies but are quite presentable (and comfortable in hot weather).

Another possibility for Vintage Pete is Moeys Menswear in Gundagai which is not too far away and the right side of the border.

Relay automatic,
Yep it's really hard to get clothes. Grace brothers use to be good ,But it's gone now .
I also read that Levi's jeans is on the skids.
Imagine that !
What hope would a small business have then?

I have bought some clothes from an odd place you may not think of when it comes to clothes..... All tools ! Yep, great wool sox and shirts.
I will check Gundagai

Pete

Pete.
If you have a Lowes store there $30.00 jeans have normal legs and are a comfortable fit.

Hi Jim ,, yeah I went there,, No stock ,everybody here is in the same boat with empty shelves ... I bought 2 pairs on ebay and all I can do is hope they fit , I guess its all hard to get due to the virus and borders closed , Containers are all sitting down at the Docks not getting unloaded .etc etc...Im not really clothes person and mostly I only ever have a few shirts and 2 pairs of Duds ,,Just how I am .

Pete

I am the same Pete.
Not the fashion conscious man about town. Our dog has a similar view on fashion. We were at the Nowra show a few years ago it was dogs day out people and dogs everywhere anyway along comes this country squire type with a very nice designer lable dog he was dressed to the hilt in all the expensive stuff right down to the immaculate highly polished boots our dogs said Gday to each other as they do,then our dog checked out his boots ,lifted his leg and peed all over them. The guy was ok about it thankfully as soon as I got away from him I just burst out laughing ,I could not contain myself I know this is not a good trait of mine but I still find it amusing.

Hahahah Got to love Dogs !

Pete, I just buy "work" style pants from ebay, the ones that have about 6 pockets.
I buy by waist size, I'm a 34 but get 36 size, you can always pull the belt tighter.
The legs are always too long on the "fits all size 36" type.
Simple, I either turn the leg bottoms up, thus starting a new fashion, or , hand them to the seamstress who fires up the Singer and they come out of that with correct length legs.
DO NOT buy any "fashion" style pants, your nuts get pushed up into your mouth!

Re the holes in Girls pants knees, I genuinely felt sorry the first time I saw a lass with holey knees.
Then Barbara made me look at one of them booteek shops in Paramatta shopping center and the bigger the holes were, the larger the price tag was!
What a marketing triumph. You root the fabric, tear holes in the legs and leave bits of thread hanging out everywhere and then convince the little dears that is desirable. I should start a shop, get all the holy pants, tee shirts, jumpers out of the Vinnies rag bag and make a motsa.
There is the label name! "Rag Bag de Toongabbie", just cannot miss!
Anybody want to put up a lazy100k startup for me?

Fred.

I find it very hard to by a windcheater which hasn't got a hood and Everlast or similar plastered all over it.

I don't want to be a moving billboard for the company, I just want a comfortable pullover.

Also try buying one in winter when you actually need it cause the shops have all the Summer gear on display!

I am not a good or patient cloths shopper but I occasionally get dragged there kicking and screaming by my wife.

As far as shoes go I buy the black leather Asics ones which are comfortable for my arthritic toes and can be polished up with black nugget just like the old Bata Scouts.

I am not fond of the clothing labels on pullovers either. Most of the brand names are foreign and I don't buy for the latest fashion, just to keep warm, etc.