<p>Something my husband still remembers from his days of being a poor student at an elite college is how he proudly got dressed up in his first new suit for a school event and was surrounded by guys in expensive suits. He didn’t know the difference until he saw the good suits. He worked an extra job to buy a good suit before recruitment began. If a kid will be doing corporate interviewing, really think about quality.</p>
<p>btw…I wouldn’t let my son take his good suits, shirts or shirts to college. Perish the thought! He has a black jacket and grey slacks that he has worn since age 15. And he has a grey wool suit that was part of his school uniform–and that has about 10 cheap poly blend white shirts that go with it.</p>
<p>Haha.</p>
<p>The good suit and shoes are for formal jobs.</p>
<p>I’m going to have to agree with UCgradmary. Successful men notice things like quality of fabric and cut. My husband who doesn’t know boo about any other aesthetic, can pick out a bad suit from 40 paces. </p>
<p>I don’t think interviewers expect to see a college intern interviewing in a $1000+ suit, but then a cheap-looking suit will not go unnoticed either. I’d look for good deals on quality suits; and regarding style and color, I’d take care to ‘blend in’ with the company standard.</p>
<p>Sales such as this one.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=418[/url]”>http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=418</a></p>
<p>Natural fiber and good cut is the key. Think Europe, not China. Come on Cheers, give the kid omne cotton shirt! J/K.</p>
<p>haha. He has five beautiful cotton shirts–two from Italy. They can go with him when he works–but not to college. Lots of poor sartorial decisions get made in college–decisions like–I think it’s a good idea to wear this jacket as part of my fancy dress costume for Halloween. Or, I think it’s okay to crumple this suit in my bag because the cleaners will straighten it when I get home.</p>
<p>Has been my observation. Your mileage may vary with your boy. </p>
<p>Once he’s working and taking shirts and suits to cleaners and paying for them to be starched and ironed–whaddya know–he takes better care of them and they come home in the nice hanging bag.</p>
<p>OTOH, you can get some amazing high quality suits in Hong Kong and Shanghai–and personally, I like the Japanese suits over anything American, esp Miyake and Yamamoto suits. But those are all in the $2000 category and not for boys to take anywhere.</p>
<p>You have an enviable problem. A kid that’s 6’3" and 170lbs is going to look
terrific in suits!!! Don’t know your budget, but a very inexpensive alternative is a charity or church yard-sale in an up-scale town. You may find good suits (many business wearers need to look very sharp and will get rid of a suit before it’s hardly worn at all.) If your boy does the bargaining, he will get a very good price.</p>
<p>Over-the-calf socks. Buy them.</p>
<p>Nothing ruins your image more than sitting down and having your bare skin showing or else having your socks bunched up because the elastic has given way…</p>
<p>I saw the title of this thread and thought it was about a brand-new lawyer. Guessed wrong again. Otherwise, there’s good advice here. I’ve found over the years that good shoes are worth it. I favor Eccos at the moment. </p>
<p>I need a new suit myself…amazing how long it’s been since I’ve <em>needed</em> one but it would be good to have as an alternate to jacket-and-slacks, my normal “dressy” uniform…this is SoCal, afterall. D has noted that SoCal dressy = Washington business casual.</p>
<p>Yes, isn’t it amazing that men who wouldn’t notice you in a Gucci gown notice each other’s suits? This is just another advantage an affluent kid has if it weren’t for those great second hand stores.</p>
<p>And for you HS moms talking about sending the suit to college, am I the only one whose son grows 3 inches each year?</p>
<p>Mine was 6-3 by the time he elft. No growth in college.</p>
<p>Apparently if your father didn’t grow much after high school-you won’t either.</p>
<p>Father is nowhere near 6-3 btw. In his dreams.</p>
<p>dress nice, but not inappropriately nice… I intern for a US Congressman and would never consider wearing my $1400 hugo suit, but the ralph lauren ones work well. If I was working in an investment bank, I might switch this around… just use common sense</p>
<p>Boy, I never felt as poor as I do on this thread! I feel like I’m in an alternate universe sitting next to Beau Brummell.</p>
<p>mythmom,
Now you know what it’s like going to college with some of these attitudes/opinions.</p>
<p>Doubleplay, I don’t think it’s about attitude, it’s about what the reality is at elite colleges and many others. When 40 plus percent have been educated at the world’s best private high schools, there are things the botton 25% in terms of income probably haven’t been exposed to that these kids take as the norm. The kid with the interview before you may well have been wearing designer suits since he was 2. The kid from Choate walking into the ibank interview may well have several advantage before the interview starts (connections) so we need to level the dress playing field.</p>
<p>This thread makes me laugh. It’s such a different world. My husband owns one suit which he’s had since 1979 and has worn, perhaps a dozen times at most. He and his colleagues wouldn’t know a good suit from a bad one. He got dressed up today because he had to meet with a group that had given him grant money - he wore a jacket and a short sleeve shirt with buttons. His usual summer uniform is t-shirt and shorts. </p>
<p>My brothers both went to a fairly well known New England prep school. One is a pretty natty dresser. The other doesn’t bother. The latter actually probably does better business-wise.</p>
<p>And we Californians think you NYC folk get dressed up nightly! Sex in the City isn’t true?</p>
<p>And no black if the suit will be used for interviews moms!</p>
<p>Black suits can be worn at interviews. It just depends on HOW he wears it. Make sure its tailored so it hugs his shoulders comfortably. Slim is in. If he wears it with a nice skinny tie, not only will it be fashionable, it’ll show interviewers that he’s serious about his self-image. Pinstripe suits are quite popular nowadays as well. You can get a Calvin Klein pinstripe at your local department store for under $225 and you can get an H&M one for under $100.</p>
<p>Hopefully, there will come a time when proper attire will not be so crucial and a person will get to the point in their career where they can call their own shots in more ways than just fashion. (My husband and his two partners run their own company…and they don’t schedule appts on Fridays; so, for them, that’s jeans and flipflop day. They are the ‘Michael and Elliot’ of the oil field…lol)</p>
<p>But UCgradmary makes a good point, when it comes to interviews and entering the workforce out of college it’s a different story. Whenever possible, level that playing field. Oftentimes, you can’t…but don’t pass up the opportunity when you can. If you can scrape up the extra money to step up the quality of a suit…do it. It is an investment that will pay off.</p>
<p>avant-garde - I’m going to have to disagree with you. There are plenty of locations and professions where looking like a male model in the latest thing (black suit or high contrast pinstripes) or placing too much emphasis on self image will be a huge negative. I’d say wear that stylish well cut black suit if you are interviewing in an East Coast city for an advertising job or the like. Do NOT wear that suit in Houston, Texas interviewing for an engineering position. Not only will be a turnoff…it’s likely to be the source (butt) of conversation after you leave. Spend money on a good quality, conservative suit instead.</p>