<p>You are aware that these “youth” suits that are made for both cut-rate and upscale dept stores are, for the most part, produced in the same overseas factories, using the same materials and the same patterns?</p>
<p>Another vote for blue blazer & khaki pants here. My boys have relied on them for everything from bar mitzvahs to informal dances to interviews. They all grew at different rates/ways so it was great to have the separates I could hand down instead of suits which wouldn’t have fit either top or bottom half, I’m sure. </p>
<p>(Except for the occasions when a tux is required, then he bought one.)</p>
<p>My son hasn’t worn the blue blazer and khakis since 7th grade Bar Mitzvahs! He does have a pair of dress khakis that he wears with a nice shirt and tie for some performances, but no blue blazer (now he’d say that look is too preppy).</p>
<p>He has a dark suit that was actually a hand-me-down from my H, who <ahem> outgrew it. He wears it many, many times a year, but in several of his ensembles, dark suits, shirts and ties are the norm.</ahem></p>
<p>You can buy a decent suit for a young man for well under $200. We bought a used designer tux at a resale place for $75, and it looks better than a $400 one. So, I’d look resale too.</p>
<p>Some of these are nice looking;</p>
<p><a href=“http://www1.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=17788&PageID=17788*1*24*-1*-1[/url]”>http://www1.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=17788&PageID=17788*1*24*-1*-1</a></p>
<p>A lot depends on what is close to your home, and how convenient the various options are.</p>
<p>I would definitely go used. When he sees how little use he actually gets out of it, he’ll be very glad he did.</p>
<p>Don’t get brown.</p>
<p>A few pieces of advice, as I recently brought my S his first suit. </p>
<p>Fit is all. There is nothing worse than an ill-fitting suit, so don’t buy where you can’t try it on, and make sure to get it tailored.</p>
<p>Make sure he wears the new outfit around for a day or two before he really needs. Nothing says “hick” as much as a man uncomfortable in his own clothes. A good salesman will let him know what all the pockets are for, which buttons should be buttoned when, etc etc. </p>
<p>I says get a good simple suit (black, navy, dark gray) that can double for interview purposes down the road. Add khakis, dark gray pants, even a nice pair of jeans, for less formal stuff. </p>
<p>He’s tall and thin. Get fitted dress shirts if you can so that they will fit. </p>
<p>Two shirts, one white, one pastel blue, pink, or yellow. Black if he wants that “gangsta” look at parties. </p>
<p>The suit must feel good. Cheap synthetics are the devil’s playground. </p>
<p>Without knowing the stores in TX I’d guess that paying $200 won’t get you very much. I’d bump it up a C note if finances permit, or wait until they do permit rather than buy cheap. (Unless you find a deal, of course.) Outlet stores are great to try BTW–any Brooks Bros. Nordtroms or similar outlets near you? Or off-price places like Filene’s Basement? </p>
<p>Consider it an investment. One day he will need to look as sophisticated, charming and at ease with himself as I am sure he is.</p>
<p>Doublevote for navy blazer/kacki pants.</p>
<p>My son worked in the capitol as a congressional page/messenger. The required uniform was: (GUESS!!) </p>
<p>Blue blazer, kacki pants, white shirt, tie, badge sewn above jacket pocket, nametag above that.</p>
<p>If it’s good enough for the highest levels of power…</p>
<p>While the blue/kacki combo may be BORING, it will never be unacceptable, overdressed, underdressed or embarassing. It’s comfortable and looks satisfactory in any business setting. It’s not Falcon Crest, but it’s perfectly fine for college men. For all-purpose business dress, go with the blue/kacki.</p>
<p>OTOH, go with Black (or whatever) for dressier wear- formals, weddings, funerals, whatever. HOWEVER, the blue/kacki would still get you through most of these, albeit it is not, as I said before, GLAM.</p>
<p>My husband just bought a Stafford 100% wool navy blazer for around $50 on sale. It looks great on him.</p>
<p>What the guys around here do NOT go for: Anything with a “sheen” to it.</p>
<p>Sorry but my H wears the suits he bought in 1983, 1986, 1995 and 2003. He wears them all. They all look great and all are still very stylish. Why? He ‘invested’–several times in Japanese suits. He will wear those until he is 75 is my guess.</p>
<p>Women shoould have it so lucky.</p>
<p>$1000 start-up investment is not bad. That makes the custom altered suit in the $500 range–and the shirts in the $75 range. It’s the shoes that are the deal breaker. Nice men’s shoes are very expensive. Again, it’s hard to get away with cheap. They don’t hold up. $1000 os for the whole package–not just the suit. </p>
<p>That said, we bought my son his navy Brooks Brothers suit for his six month internship/staff job on Capital Hill. He also wore his grandfather’s old suit–again a beautiful quality purchased in the 80s.</p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of ‘khakis’ but son did wear them on Fridays on Capital Hill. As for black shirts on a formal job–uh no. They look terrible, making the wearer an instant extra on the Sopranos.</p>
<p>When my son decided he wanted a suit (for dinners and more formal occasions in Boston), I took him to Brooks Brothers and Nordstroms, where he spent a fair amount of time with the sales people, who were kind enough to explain to him why their $1000 suit cost so much. He spent a lot of time listening to them. He then took that knowledge over to a mid-price department store where he found those qualities in a suit on sale, paid the tailor for the alterations needed (which he understood courtesy of those nice sales people at Brooks), and ended up with a great $300 suit.</p>
<p>$1000. :eek:</p>
<p>My son left for college his frosh year with his “cheap” Stafford. Upon visiting him in the spring, I noticed a totally different navy jacket (with pin stripes at that!) hanging in his room. I inquired and he dodged, embarassed, about somehow getting his jacket “switched” with a frat bro at some event. Later that spring, when he came home for summer, he once again had his Stafford back. With all that switching around, I’m glad we didn’t spend $1000. </p>
<p>:eek: again!</p>
<p>Why the suit instead of the khaki and blazer? You know the saying–dress like the next guy up the food chain. Dress like the higher up you wanna be, not like everyone else. Most places I’ve seen the top guys are not wearing khaki and blazers, but I guess this depends on yr workplace.</p>
<p>Big Daddy,
I’m assuming this question was asked in the context of what a college student needs (especially a freshman). It probably also depends on where you live/go to school. </p>
<p>We live in Florida. We’re VERY casual down here, even in the workplace. A person would look like an a** walking around Gainesville in a designer suit. Also, you’d pass out from the heat. You want to wear something that you can take off the jacket most of the time and still look good. I think that’s the reason the guys stay away from black pants/white shirt.</p>
<p>About the workplace,
My H works for an engineering company. It’s considered a faux pas to get all dolled up, especially if you end up outdressing the customers when they come for a visit. That is, in the engineering and marketing ranks. It might be different in the PR/Human relations/business administration ranks.</p>
<p>If you’re going to buy a suit, you want to get a nice one. This is something your son will have for several years and will be worn to places where he wants to make a statement. I’m 22, and have two suits that I wear to my job. One is a Ralph Lauren suit that was about $490. it’s black with some thin, modest pinstripes. The other is from Hugo Boss and was quite a bit more. I’m going to disagree with most of these posts and say that if you’re going to spend $300 on a suit, you might as well spend $500 because it will last longer and look MUCH better.</p>
<p>Wow! You leave for a second and come back to a whole lot of wonderful input! I’ll leave it to the boy to decide but will share all this info. My guess is that he will choose a black suit (his first choice - and, since he’s paying…). He can always go to Goodwill and find a navy blazer pretty cheap, and he already has khacki’s, so he is covered in the formal-yet-casual department. Like I said, there are no frats, and he will be walking around in t-shirts and sandals most of the time. This will be for formal night events, and (sad to say, but Great Grandma is now 103) funerals and such.</p>
<p>anxiousmom,
Some of the longest debates have occurred about dress!!!
Do you remember/did you ever see the tux/prom thread? Geez, it was…what kind of lapels are acceptable, how many buttons, tails or not…???</p>
<p>Anyway, in light of what you have said, I’d consider whether you think the “investment” is going to survive four years of college. Same reason I wouldn’t gift my son (or recommend he invest in) Ethan Allen furniture for his college apartment, I don’t recommend he invest in an expensive suit for college. Simply because there is a chance it might get damaged. But you know your son better than I do.</p>
<p>However, I do want him (and he does too!) to look good, which is why we go the department store route and have it tailored to fit. When he is nearing the end of college, that is a different story…</p>
<p>To suit or not to suit is indeed a function of a particular workplace. Still, I’d say for the first time out be conservative, then see what coworkers and higher ups are wearing before deciding on how much further to go. I realize this is a college student, I’m just thinking of buying as little as possible to do as much as possible–for the dressy college occassion, the funeral, the interview as well as a first step into the working world. </p>
<p>As to the heat, there are plenty of cool blends to choose from and in fact, these might be more within OPs budget. </p>
<p>Still, my biggest piece of advice–make sure it fits well and the kid is used to and comfortable wearing it. Self-confidence and style can often make up for the lack of a designer name.</p>
<p>For dress pants go to Costco. They have right now some really nice microfiber dress pants. They are under 20 dollars. They also have nice dress shirts. Pair the Khaki color with a navy blazer and he will look nice.
My son has at times worn his Costco pants and shirt with a tie and no jacket. (we are coastal town so that is consider formal wear).
I sew and fabric is important to me. I can spot a cheap suit a mile away. The sheen alone usually gives it away. Alot also depends where you live. You could not find a 200 dollar suit or 50 dollar blazer for miles around in my part of Ca.</p>
<p>just a mention of S’s freshman yr experience.He owns 2 suits and took one with him down to U S Carolina from NY (yes,black…)Never needed it.
Took two pairs of khaki colored khaki’s and one pair of black khaki’s (Dockers) never wore the black,wore the other two pairs alot…Every time he worked a department function in Sports Management they needed a provided “branded” polo and those khaki’s.When they had guest speakers,or a function from his Honors College or reception from his named scholarship program,they needed the khaki’s.
Wants to return next fall with you guessed it…what everyone is saying…a blue blazer.He took a travel class involving meeting baseball management in various locales…the khakis were all he needed with a button down shirt or even a collared polo (in more southern locations).They wear them there with boating type shoes.
The two suits he does own came from Macy’s where you can buy seperate pieces,they tailor for you and if you time it right the sales prices can be excellent.We probably paid around 250 for each on sale.They got lots of wear in HS as he was an officer in a state organization that required formal dress.They still look great and will be in style unless he gains a sophomore “15”!!</p>
<p>If you are sure you want a suit:
Don’t buy a second hand suit, don’t buy a Penney’s or Sears suit (sorry if I offend anyone), don’t buy a black suit. Buy a new suit ON SALE or at substantially reduced price from a Syms or a Polo outlet store - if there is one in your area - in dark blue or medium to dark grey or a like quality discount store. You want a suit that looks like a Brooks Brothers suit at a lower price. Go for quiet and not unusual looking. A navy blazer and wool grey dress slacks will look almost as good for most occassions - better for informal ones. $200-300 will be a reasonable price for either choice.</p>