<p>My two guys say…for ties…get silk. The knot is much more compact and nice looking. Ties really are a disposable commodity these days. You can find them on sale just about all the time. Check out TJMaxx and Marshalls…or the clearance rack at Kohls (gee…you missed the “good buy of the day” at Kohls…ties for $3.40).</p>
<p>I’d also check to see where your son falls on the spectrum regarding the amount of clothes he likes having around at one time. Though there are a few who love having several walk-in closets worth of clothes to select from…most IME tend to fall more on the minimalist side…and I tend to be on the extreme end of that. </p>
<p>Back in high school, I tended to wear the same selection of 3-5 shirts every two weeks and tend to prefer keeping my shoe collection to a minimalistic 1 pair each of sneakers and formal shoes. </p>
<p>Though I use a larger number of shirts every two weeks nowadays, I still try to keep some minimalism to my clothes/shoes.<br>
Nowadays. I keep 2 pairs of formal shoes and 2 pairs of sneakers…with one that’s well past its replacement date that I wear when taking late night walks in my neighborhood or doing dirty computer work. Even most fellow male friends feel that’s too minimalistic. </p>
<p>Granted…I have a pair of timberland boots I got free from a dorm giveaway at a friend’s college has only been used 3 times in the last 15+ years…and I lived in Boston and NYC during some of the blizzards.</p>
<p>Kohl’s. They have slim fit dress shirts and khakis, generally on sale. </p>
<p>S1 went from 5’3" to 5’8" between May and September of 8th to 9th grade and from a size 8 to size 12 shoe.
S2 went from 5’8" to 6"2" between March of 7th grade and May of 8th grade and from a size 11 to size 15 shoe.
I went from 5’5" to 5’8" between August and September as I entered 8th grade. Mom had already bought my school clothes and there was not $$ to buy others. I wore highwaters for a year. Don’t let your kid wear highwaters.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t buy much of anything til August, and then, just enough for a semester when you may need to buy another size. Sorry, I’m relentlessly practical. I wouldn’t spend a lot of $$. You may be able to find tux stuff at an upscale thrift shop.</p>
<p>SteveMA, your S is even skinnier than mine! S1 is 5’11" and 124.</p>
<p>Boys grow typically 10-15 lbs per year. I say go ahead and buy the polo shirts, mens small. He will swim in them now but they will fit him fine until about 130 lbs.</p>
<p>Dress shirts are sized by neck circumference first and sleeve length second. Some have the option of “trim fit” or “slim fit” that would keep him from having to tuck in bunches of extra fabric. He is small enough that you are probably stuck shopping in the kids section, so about a size 16 for his height. Polyester blend is much more manageable for a kid than the straight pinpoint cotton I wear. Always wear a crew neck t-shirt under a dress shirt.</p>
<p>Belts match the shoes. Get decent belts, usually 1 black, 1 brown, 1 for jeans. They make some belts with very thin leather glued to stiff fabric that feel like real leather but won’t last a whole year.</p>
<p>Pants - get wrinkle free to avoid ironing. Quantity (this goes for polo shirts, too) depends on how often he gets laundry service. Usually about 6 pairs per week, depending on how long he has to wear them each day.</p>
<p>Boys’ feet grow about 1 size per year. Wait until the last minute to buy shoes, then buy them 1/2 to 1 size too large to get him through the whole school year. Teach him how to polish his shoes.</p>
<p>Ties - only a few, something basic with a pattern that would hide stains. Avoid anything cute; no footballs, fish, etc. </p>
<p>Socks match the pant color. </p>
<p>My son played in a youth symphony where he had to wear a tuxedo. We got it all at Men’s Wearhouse, medium weight wool. A clip on bowtie (assuming he needs one) is fine for a kid. I like the formal black button shirts, wing collar, better that the other options, but we see all kinds. Avoid anything too frilly. Black patent leather lace-ups would be best for a kid. Beware of the PVC upper cheap shoes. The other acceptable formal option, slipons with a grosgrain bow, would not be a good look for a skinny kid.</p>
<p>Menswear is easy. We wear basic things that won’t distract the attention from the women.</p>
<p>We just switched to a “uniform” school this year. My advice would be to purchase the bare minimum until he sees what other kids are wearing. For instance, at my son’s school they can wear any color pants, but all the boys wear khakis, primarily from American Eagle. He only wore his white dress shirt the first week, noticing that white wasn’t cool at his new school. I can’t imagine having a standard shoe. My boys have tough times finding shoes that fit right. We have found that our school is fairly lenient on the dress code, so if you followed it exactly, you might be considered somewhat of a geek.</p>
<p>My husband and sons each have a leather belt that reverses from black to brown. I think it is Docker’s brand, but I’m sure there are others.</p>
<p>cobrat…are you my husband’s twin separated at birth:)</p>
<p>He has two pairs of everyday casual tie shoes…one brown, one black, a pair of dress shoes (that get used so seldom that they will probably never wear out), and sneakers.</p>
<p>DS has one pair of brown casual tie shoes, one pair of sneaks, and a pair of dress shoes. He also has a pair of VERY comfortable black shoes he wears for work.</p>
<p>Zoosermom…is this a boarding school? If so, you have to have enough to send to the laundry and STILL have clothes to wear until they get returned.</p>
<p>Thumper, it’s not a boarding school, it’s a day school. I couldn’t bear to be away from him!</p>
<p>You have all given me such great advice and information. I knew very little of this and feel much more prepared now.</p>
<p>To clarify: I would definitely ask his opinion and value it, if only he would offer one! His eyes glaze over, he grunts and then he has to rest on the couch when I ask him what he would like, so I’m going to make my best guess and be grateful that he will probably not care at all.</p>
<p>When my S started his job I picked up several pairs of Calvin Klein khaki type pants at Costco for under $20. They were a slim cut that fit well.
Macy’s is great if they are already having a sale and you bring in a coupon. I have also had good luck scanning the clearance rack at Macy’s for dress shirts. With the added coupon savings you can do quite well price wise.
My S is now 22 and he still shops like Zoosermom’s S. It is not a pleasure taking him shopping. While he has at times voiced an opinion about something we have purchased he is happy to wear whatever is in his closet.</p>
<p>Just a note regarding the bow ties for tuxedos…get the kind with the litte strap that goes around the neck (under the shirt collar). The clip on bow ties do not stay on tux shirt collars very well…and the price is the same. </p>
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<p>We have REAL slim guys in our house. The Kohls slim shirts are oversize slims and look like clown shirts on our slim guys. Another place to check for reasonably priced slim cut shirts is H and M.</p>
<p>It can be hard to find dress shirts in the right size. I don’t know about your son’s arm length, but many young men are so slender that it’s difficult to find shirts with a small enough neck measurement.</p>
<p>Once you know his measurements, shopping online makes sense if it’s difficult to find his size in stores. You can find nice bargains online. Make sure the shirts are no-iron.</p>
<p>Wearing a plain white t-shirt under a dress shirt is the “proper” thing to do. Some young men might think it’s old-fashioned and not want to, though.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, my guess, based on substantial experience, is that at his present size, the smallest men’s dress shirts will be much too big for your son. Try a boys’ size 16 or 18. Given how skinny he is, I’d suggest a size 14, but the sleeves may not be long enough. My son is 5’ 2" and weighs about 115 pounds, and he wears a boys’ 16 dress shirt. (There isn’t nearly as much variation in sizing between different brands as there is with women’s sizes, but I do seem to recall that some shirts, like Brooks Brothers, run a little larger.) And, yes, a white T-shirt under the dress shirt is standard. And probably necessary in warm weather.</p>
<p>Macy’s online has a much wider selection of jackets, pants, shirts, etc., so once you know his size, it makes ordering year 2+ much easier. I often order two sizes and send back what doesn’t fit. You can return items to the store that were purchased online. My son has the same build as yours. We shopped for years in Macy’s boys section. They have a good selection of Nautica dress shirts and pants. Once he moved nto men’s sizes, it was much easier. For shoes we buy one brown (sperry topsider) and one black leather dress shoe. We have one very dark brown belt, but need black for music performances. macy’s has great sales on pants, shoes, belts, and jakcets at the end of summer. The sales will be online, too, so this is a time you might double order in two sizes and send back the non-fitting items. We always buy silk ties. The cheaper ones get pilly. Dark sock with shoes even when wearing a khaki pant.</p>
<p>Dress shirts: the most important part is that the neck fits. also, the jacket is the one piece that should be fitted as perfectly as possible. Too big makes the kid look smaller, like he’s swimming. Pants-make sure they are long enough. most boys like a full break, meaning the pant goes to the bottom of the back of the heel and the crease in front fully “breaks” when it hits the top of the shoe. Go for flat-front pants rather than pleated.</p>
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I always thought so. Recently I asked him to put a t-shirt on under a dress shirt for a performance and he came back with a t-shirt with a design on it under the shirt. So I thought I had lost my mind.</p>
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I’m telling you, one can learn about absolutely anything on CC. Most grateful!</p>
<p>Whatever else you do… as your kid grows, keep on top of the pants length.</p>
<p><em>Under no circumstances</em> allow the bottom of the pant leg to be more than half-way up the shoe before you re-hem or buy new ones.</p>
<p>I still bear the scars from having to wear “flood pants” because my mother was too cheap to buy me new pants.</p>
<p>Forgive me if this was already mentioned (no time to read the whole thread…)</p>
<p>Reversible black/brown belt is a must have! The buckle swivels around so that if you need black or brown, you have it in one handy belt. Belts can be pricey, so I love this feature. Found son’s at Kohls for 24.00, minus a 30 percent coupon. A bargain, and it has lasted over a year, and still room to grow.</p>
<p>On the parent swap suggestion. At my S’s private the school had a swap room. It was staffed by volunteer parents. The boys grow so fast (or most of them do) that there were always an abundance of fine garments at the first of the year. You might want to check out whether the school has this.</p>
<p>On the tie(s) issue. Ties get dirty. Try and find those (color and material) that don’t show stains as quickly as more silky clothe. I’d suggest letting your son go on campus (now) so he can get his own idea of what he might like as far as color, etc. </p>
<p>Some boys at age 13 will have an opinion on these things. It is a whole lot easier if they do, since there tends to be less struggle on the issue.</p>
<p>A word of suggestion on shoes. At the private my S attended, there were several no-nos related to shoe choices. Have they assigned you a “greeter family”? They did that at my S’s school. It really helps to have a veteran parent to discuss this with.</p>
<p>Here is an article on sizing ties.</p>
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Not yet. Over the summer he will get a “big brother” and the parents are supposed to mentor us.</p>
<p>THank you for the information about the ties. I was wondering about length after I checked out the zip ties site.</p>
<p>Here is a chart for shirt measurements. The chest measurement for size 14 was missing but I suggest that it is about 32".</p>
<p>Boys’ sizes Dimension/size 14 16 18 20
Chest ? 33½ 35 36
Waist 27 28 29 30
Hip 32½ 34 35½ 37
Neckband 13½ 14 14½ 15
Height 61 64 66 68</p>