In Shape, But Where To Buy Clothes?

Reader:  So I’m a year and a half into the fitness game now, have lost 20 lbs overall body weight and gained 15 or 20 pounds of muscle. Bodyfat is now in single digits with some visible abs. Test level is great (had it measured). Time for the clothing makeover.

Tossed out the stuff that should have gone out a long time ago. I want to go more upscale than jeans and tees but not formal wear everywhere. Trouble is I can’t find any upscale casual wear that fits properly. Pants don’t show off the glutes I did all those damn squats to get, and the thighs are too wide and look loose and have pleats. With shirts, everything that fits my long arms has the billowy white boy waist (you know what I mean I would guess) and it’s cut for the typical American white guy with a 30 pound gut. Worse still, a lot of it isn’t even sold in real measured sizes, it’s just S/M/L/XL and I can’t tell what the hell it’s going to look like on me after a few times through the laundry.

This is a problem. And it’s not like I’m freakishly proportioned. I’m now 170, 16.5 inch neck, 35 sleeve, 33.5 inch waist. Why is it so hard to find anything other than formal wear in the stores that’s cut fitted?

So I naively buy a couple of good casual shirts I like except for the waist, and take them to a good tailor. No dice. In addition to being stitched, the seams are glued, and the tailor says he can’t modify them properly. Apparently it’s more complicated than just that one side seam, he explained why to me but I forget.

I don’t know what to do now. I hear you dress down yourself, but has anyone else been through this before that you know of? Who sells tailored or tailorable clothing in styles other than dress shirts and business/formal stuff? I’ll look at websites, whatever, just don’t point me toward yet another place selling cellophane wrapped dress shirts, I’ve got plenty of sources for those.

Toss this question to the peanut gallery if you so desire. I’m lost in the woods here, appreciate help anywhere I can get it.

Got my first motorcycle a few months ago and got licensed too. It’s been good progress so far but I’m kicking this thing up to the next level. This is a multi-pronged campaign and I’m in it for the long haul.

Athol:  This is an area that I struggle in myself. 

Peanut gallery, you’re up…