Thank you all, so much. The GRIN on his face, when he looked in the mirrors, you would not believe. He looked really sharp, while still authentically himself and comfortable.
I wish I knew how to post finds via iOS device; I'd love to post what the SA had him try on.
http://m.shop.nordstrom.com/s/.....ncolor=INK
http://m.shop.nordstrom.com/s/.....RY%20KHAKI
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/pe.....VIO%20BLUE
http://m.shop.nordstrom.com/s/.....%20LEATHER
http://m.shop.nordstrom.com/s/.....RO%20BROWN
I *really* wish I could post pictures of him in the outfit, but he didn't want me even to show pictures to close mutual friends.
*K. Period.* "Good, interesting shoes or boots" will have to supplant the current jogger-style shoeniform, often in neons. I liked the brown chukkas on him; they seemed authentically him rather than just playing dress-up.
*Liz* His shirts are too small around the belly. But a bigger size would, you're right, just be a tent around his shoulders and chest.
*Colette* !!! Thank you for posting those. The SA had him try on exactly these pants.
*Kaelyn* Something sleek: yes, the jacket worked this way, as did chinos and shoes. Good point!
*Sally* Here's to the "hopeless (fashion) case" SOs, and all their redeeming qualities.
*Joy* Alas, he's recently renewed his (every 10 year) jeans supply, 6 pairs of some kind of Levis. They ...are certainly an improvement over the now-retired last-surviving pairs from the previous installment. Personal hygiene, per se, is probably fine; but some outerwear seems to have mold issues, and there might be general accumulation of perspiration in synthetic.
*Bijou* "Unfortunately some guys hang onto clothes well past their use by date, so encourage him to get rid of items that are old and worn for a nice fresh start." This is very much the case here. I have no idea how to address it.
*Barbara Diane* You might not need to get your DH into a store. If there's a Nordstrom near you, their return policies make it easy to pick up several sizes and styles, have him try them on at home, then return. Mr. Min went through a long time with zero minutes to shop, but we were able to schedule times for him to try on things I'd picked up. He's now 2/3 converted to flat fronts, without ever setting foot in store or ordering on-line; the spirit was willing but the calendar prevailed.
*rachylou* He's got a scant 5'7" height, yes is "generally slim except for the tum," and yes, "his conversational quirks lean toward Big Bang Theory quirkiness," with a strong dose of making-up-statistics-and-probabilities-while-countering-whatever-was-just-said. (Yes, no matter what was said, including a woman talking about her own experience.) We're talking a date wardrobe, yes, but perhaps it's worth a general shift overall, in case there's a potential date encountered in the course of an average day.
*Ledonna* Two out of your four verbotens are part of the current uniform. Perhaps rachylou would be interested?
*Traci* He cut his own hair in preparation for the outing. It's better than the entirely-unaddressed situation had been. One day, perhaps soon, perhaps not at all, I'll get him to a professional.
*Jenn* This man's jeans are long enough! See, he gets a few important aspects of fashion consistently right.
*La P* Underpinnings. I brought that up today, in presence of Mr. Min. They both didn't think it's that important early in the dating process. Neither of them is the race into bed type, and they didn't buy my argument that women may well pick up on what kind of underpinnings you're sporting even if we can't *see* them.
*JAileen* No torch; I'm not his type. Among other things, he prefers ambitious (=using all earned degrees and professional credentials) women who, something about enthusiasm for certain hobbies and something about initiating activities like hiking weekends.
As for looking his age, I didn't mean that in an ageist way; I suppose that in context we all look our ages, don't we? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say, he looks like 50 did in our grandparents' generation, or in a different region, or in a different socioeconomic class than he is. We live in an area where many mature, family-oriented mid-50s men are also washboard-abs fit and have a youthful energy about them. Those gentlemen might not be this man's actual competition when dating, but many people around here remain single in part because they believe themselves to have options such as the many ultra-fit, vibrantly youthful people they encounter.
*Chris987* Wonderful idea on taking pictures, perhaps including of his usual outfits. Mr. Min and I have both taken pictures of him for use on dating sites, but we've kept them as flattering as possible. Outfits out of focus!
*Staysfit* Shirt fit is really a challenge. The SA put him in a slim cut, which looked good around the shoulders but pulled very distractingly (to my eye) across his belly. And YES to machine-wash, although I'm wondering if the washing machine in his building isn't perhaps part of the mold-smell aspect the body odor issue.
*RunCarla* That sounds like a wonderfully constructive shopping day with your son! Thank you for the boxers tip, which I suspect Mr. Min will use long before this friend does.
*elpgal* I kept it even simpler and just went to Nordstrom, where a lovely SA did all the collecting. (Cologne/aftershave would be viewed as socially insensitive in this region: lots of people find that synthetic scents give them migraines or other unpleasant symptoms. Here it's very bad form to wear scent anywhere others can't escape it immediately.)
*Traci* No spandex shirts; there's something else going on with the weird fit issues, possibly posture. And the smell is probably a complex, compound issue.
Thank you all for your support; I was very worried going in. It turned out as well as it possibly could have!
This friend is such a solidly GOOD person with *so* many solidly positive traits, and would make an exceptionally kind, giving, and understanding partner for the right woman. I find it sad that superficial things are likely getting in the way of his quest for love and someone to build a together with.
