Men's Clothing
Buy and sell men’s clothing in Guatemala.
A man in Guatemala can need two wardrobes in a single day’s drive: a lined jacket for a frosty dawn in Totonicapán, and a short-sleeved shirt by the time he reaches Retalhuleu. Shirts, trousers, suits and jackets come up here new from shops and tailors, and pre-owned from someone’s own closet. Because imported second-hand American clothing is sold by the piece off the bale on market streets across the country, a used garment earns its price by being something those stalls rarely have: a suit in your size, a leather jacket that is real hide, a heavy wool jacket from the Momostenango looms.
Lined jackets and Momostenango wool for highland mornings:
in Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán and up in the Cuchumatanes, a jacket gets worn for months, not weeks. Casual jackets run from denim truckers to quilted, lined ones to full leather. Denim and casual ones are the cheap, hard-wearing end. Leather costs several times more and only earns that if it is real hide. Thick wool jackets woven in Momostenango are the highlands’ own answer to the cold, and heavier than most imported knits. On the coast, from Puerto Barrios to Champerico, none of that leaves the closet. There a man wears short sleeves, polos and light cotton trousers all year, and gym and running kit has its own place in men’s sportswear. Ties and belts sit in men’s accessories.
Suits, shirt collars and the slim-or-classic choice:
a suit jacket is labelled with the chest in inches and a length letter, so a 38M is a 38 chest in regular length and a 39L the long version. Trousers go by waist, with the hem left for a tailor to finish. Dress shirts go by collar size and sleeve length, and a buttoned collar should take one or two fingers and no more. Slim cuts sit close at the chest and waist; classic cuts leave room and suit a broader build. Try both before you buy used, because a slim jacket has very little cloth to let out. The shoes to wear with it are in men’s shoes.
Suit prices and the market-stall floor:
a new two-piece suit from a Guatemalan outfitter or department store runs from about Q1,200 to Q2,800. A used one loses more of that than anything else in the wardrobe, because it was cut for one body and the next owner adds a tailor’s bill on top. At the other end, everyday shirts and polos compete with the market stalls that sell imported used clothing off the bale, where most pieces go for under Q100. A plain used polo will not beat that. A branded shirt still with its tags, a suit in a common size, or a leather jacket that is still supple can.
A used jacket or suit, checked in hand:
start with the chest and lapels. Ripples or bubbles there mean the glued interlining has come away from the cloth, and no iron will fix it. Look for shine on the seat, knees and elbows, and hold wool up to the light to find moth holes along the collar and under the arms. Turn the trousers inside out: a wide seam at the back can be let out, a narrow one cannot. Shirt collar points and cuff edges fray first, and yellowed underarms rarely wash clean. On leather, bend the collar and cuffs and look for cracks; a cut edge with woven fabric behind it is synthetic. On a branded polo, the embroidered logo should be clean and tight, with no loose threads.
Listing a jacket, a suit or a stack of shirts:
lay each piece flat and measure armpit to armpit, collar to hem and shoulder to cuff, and for trousers the waist and inside leg. Once a tailor has been at a garment the label stops telling the truth, so the tape matters more than the tag. Photograph the front, the back, the label with the fabric content and any flaw up close, and say how much seam is left if it was altered. Then say where you are. A heavy jacket sells to someone who lives where it gets cold, and a buyer in Xela will take the bus across town for a Momostenango wool jacket that nobody in Escuintla would look at twice.