The 5 Menswear Items I Always Steal From My Dad and Brother's Closets

While most people tend to borrow clothes from their sisters or mom, I tend to do quite the opposite. Whenever I'm in a fashion slump but want to avoid shopping, I make my way over to my brother's and dad's closets to borrow pieces that catch my eye, and almost always I end up finding something that makes for the perfect outfit, and might even end up keeping. (Sorry not sorry.) From doing this (a little too often), I've also realized that men's clothing is just more comfortable and have even found myself sifting through the men's section when I shop, ditching buying certain basics from the women's section almost completely. Additionally, a variety of menswear trends seem to come down the fashion week runways almost every season, so why not borrow from the boys?

I'm not sure if it's the more relaxed fit or simplistic designs, but there's something about certain pieces that just seem to fit and look better than the similar products offered in the women's category. If you're curious which ones, I've listed the 5 items below that I prefer shopping for in the men's section so you could create your own borrowed-from-the-boys ensemble.

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Knitwear
(Image credit: @thatgirlyusra)

When the sweater vest first started to come back, I immediately took a trip to my dad's closets to find one. Even growing up, his sweaters were my favorite to pair with leggings because of the loose fit. Also, is it just me or are the prints on the men's selection just cooler?

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T-Shirts
(Image credit: @thatgirlyusra)

Men's t-shirts are often thicker and less form-fitting, so they work better for wearing under cardigans and jackets. Plus, they're often less expensive.

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Sweatshirts
(Image credit: @thatgirlyusra)

Brands are just now starting to sell women's sweatpants in more looser silhouettes, but for a while, I only owned men's sweatpants because of the comfort they provided.

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Button Downs
(Image credit: @thatgirlyusra)

I've tried tons of different button-downs for women, but I keep going back to borrowing from my dad and brother because they're more thick and durable.

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Sweatshirts
(Image credit: @thatgirlyusra)

This is a no brainer because men's sweatshirts are usually longer and roomier. Plus, most streetwear brands offer more options within the men's category. 

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Associate Fashion Editor
Yusra Siddiqui is an editor who resides in New Jersey but bounces between the suburbs and NYC. (She's a Jersey girl at heart.) After interning at Who What Wear in 2019, she found her way to the team after graduating from LIM College in 2022 with a fashion media degree. She's also spent time writing and working for publications such as Fashionista, Coveteur, and Nylon, but she always knew that Who What Wear was where she was meant to be. When she's on the job, she's perusing runway shows, analyzing the latest thing fellow Gen Zers are up to on the internet, and sharing what she can about the modest-fashion market. You can also catch her dabbling in entertainment, talking about the costume choices of the latest Netflix series or diving deeper into how the plotline affects the viewers in a myriad of ways. Lastly, she likes to create content for Who What Wear's TikTok. Her personal time is spent doing similar but also different things—deep diving into almost every new TV show (Bridgerton, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things are favorites), planning her next local getaway (whenever that may be), and reading the latest Emily Henry or Sally Rooney novel in one sitting.