7 Clothing Items Not Necessarily Worth Splurging On

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There's no reason that something whose purpose is to house your sweaty feet needs to be splurged on. Yes, you should have a variety of socks to cover every situation from no-show to formal event, but what is the purpose of dropping more than a few dollars a pair on this accessory? In the case of no-show socks, you should have one or two pairs of something a little pricer, like Falke's “Step Invisible” socks. The rest should come from your local fast fashion retailer.

For something that's sure to be covering more of your leg, stick with a plain pair of dark socks (which could be copped almost anywhere at any mall), a few bright options from labels like Stance or Happy Socks, rounded out by a pack of Hanes. That's all the variety you'll need, and your sock game will be set—from suited up, to sweat sessions at the gym.

We've talked at length on what to look for when you're buying underwear, and we have to stick by that advice. Basically, stick to the basics. Keep your color rotation in the realm of gray, black, or navy. You should also strive to keep your underwear stockpile high, but considering you can get away with buying a few multi-packs, this shouldn't be a problem for your wallet. Simple is best here, and with that as your chief philosophy, you shouldn't have to drop a grip on what's supporting you below the belt.

The way that you save a good shirt, is with a great undershirt. Remember, this isn't just a regular T-shirt either. This is the plain white tee that you have at least seven versions of, and wear under your buttondowns in any and every occasion. Realize that, while there are plenty of companies marketing high-end shirts for this purpose— and those are great if you have the spare change—this is simply going to be a T-shirt that absorbs sweat. For practical reasons, you're looking for a combination of durability and price that allows you to buy several tees, and still keep them in rotation for an entire season. Ironically, you don't need to sweat the small stuff when it comes to this product. Buy a couple five-packs of white v-necks, wash them frequently, and you should be sorted for the next three months.

Dudes have built entire brands on this rapidly growing wardrobe staple, but to be absolutely honest, you really don't need to drop that much on what's effectively a lounge pant. Sure, you can score them cuffed up and tailored, or you can cop them baggy and relaxed (we'd recommend the former, especially for a work environment), but at the end of the day, it's a pant made from something like a cotton fleece. We can respect the designer iterations, and surely the quality is bound to match the price tag (to an extent). But considering that sweatpants are something that's meant to be worn to the gym, or simply around the house, there's little justification for dropping much more than $100 on a pair. Being comfortable and looking dope are things we can support. But dropping a grip on sweats? We might have to pull back on the purse strings.

This is a two pronged problem. Naturally you don't want to look like a slob when you need to suit up and dress formally, but chances are you're not getting dressed up that often—unless you happen to work in a place with a strict dress code. Regardless, there's really no reason to pony up big bucks just for a white, spread collar shirt. Yes, there's an archive of great designers that have, and will continue to craft quality men's shirting. But if you're only suiting up for wedding season; a job interview; or the rare work event, then you shouldn't be spending that much on a shirt you're wearing three or four times a year, tops.

Regardless of your opinions on fast-fashion brands, considering you're not wearing this shirt more than a few times anyways, a clean white dress shirt from the likes of Uniqlo or Zara should do the trick. If you're the type who needs to wear a shirt and tie each day to work though, you'll get a pass for wanting to spend a little more to match your degree of use.

It seems like over time, guys (usually through gifts from family) acquire a massive stockpile of ties. Hung on hangars, stuffed in drawers, or on tie racks, it's an accessory that men definitely need in their closets, but it's not something they necessarily need to hoard.

As with dress shirts, there's plenty of reason to have a nice roster of ties, but considering that your “average guy” needs to wear a tie maybe four, or five times a year, there's no reason you can't cop a couple solid color (like in black or navy) and subtly printed selections, and call it a day. Considering that you can hit your local department store, find a couple options, and still keep your total under $50, there's no reason to keep more than a few options on deck. Even if you're the type of guy who needs to wear a tie to work each day, just keep your collection simple, and flexible for multiple occasions. It's ok if you wear a particular tie once every week.

Yes, this may seem broad, but look at it this way: whenever you go to the gym, what do you see people wearing? Of course there's the gym rat types in their high-tech gear from Nike, adidas, and Under Armour. But you'll also see plenty of dudes in non-branded sportswear, or simply old T-shirts they don't mind getting sweat on. That's the main point of working out, isn't it?

Sure, we're all about looking good at the gym, but wearing some destroyed relic that's posing as your favorite T-shirt from freshman year isn't the best choice. But as long as your shirt and shorts are clean, simple, and not covered in sweat stains, then it should be fair game. Besides, with plenty of stores making their own (notably cheaper) versions of the moisture-wicking, mesh-like technology you see at bigger brands, there's no reason you should drop $30 on a shirt that others sell for $15. Cop one or two gym essentials from the big names, and then save your money. Besides, it's just going to get dirty anyway.