<p>With job fairs and hopefully interviews in my son’s near future, I presume a suit is in order. So, a-shopping we will go. Any advice on color & style? Charcoal gray perhaps? Two button/three button? French-cuffed shirts too much (he loves the idea of cuff links for some reason…) He’s very tall (6’5"), if that makes any difference. Do most men wear over-the-calf socks (avoiding the offensive peek of skin when crossing leg)? Also, I’ve heard he needs a second suit for potential second interview? Gulp… two suits?</p>
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Just get a different shirt/tie you don’t need a second suit. I am tall also (6’3") and black works good. You also can’t go wrong with gray pinstripe. I wear over the calf socks all the time anyways, but I would definitely go with that style.</p>
<p>people -</p>
<p>I am in love with the last suit I got in terms of quality/looks/up-to-date fashion/price. It’s from Calvin Klein and is sold as separates. 100% wool and looks great. I like separates a lot because they allow me to get just the right fit in both the jacket and the pants and I can get it without waiting for tailoring. Also, the CK pants fit more snugly than most suits that require tailoring and gives a better look. I’ve never used these people at this web site: <a href=“eSuit.com”>eSuit.com; but these are the suits I’m talking about. And $300 is not a bad price, but I got mine a little less than that on sale at Macy’s.</p>
<p>For real professionalism, you can go with Brooks Bros separates (3-button wool), but that’s more like $600 or more. But the Brooks Bros suits are the only ones I’ve ever worn where people stopped me and asked what kind of suit I was wearing because it looked so good. (For all the fashion snobs out there who would look down their noses at a $300 suit or even a $600 suit: Hey, this is a first suit!)</p>
<p>I think it’s better to have one really good suit than several lower quality ones.</p>
<p>Also, ESPECIALLY since he wants to wear cuff links, he should get a couple of silk ties and learn how to tie a full windsor knot: <a href=“http://www.tie-a-tie.net/windsor.html[/url]”>http://www.tie-a-tie.net/windsor.html</a></p>
<p>One word of warning: the windsor uses a lot of the tie in the knot, and since he is so tall, he will need a longer length tie. Nothing looks worse than a tie that’s too short after it’s tied or one with the right length in the front, but the back piece is way short.</p>
<p>Anyway, good shopping and watch for the after Christmas sales.</p>
<p>Oh, and make it a solid black or charcoal or subtle pinstipes in black or charcoal. No blues, browns, or greens. And if he is thin, a little tailoring on the jacket will give a sharper fit.</p>
<p>The site I referenced before has some suggestions on what to wear to a job interview: <a href=“http://www.tie-a-tie.net/dress.html[/url]”>http://www.tie-a-tie.net/dress.html</a></p>
<p>fwiw, when I was at Stanford Business School where everyone was naturally mega-obsessed with job interviews, I never heard anyone suggest the need for two different suits for follow-up interviews. I think joev has it right (unless you are talking a fashion industry) - change the shirt and tie and that should do it.</p>
<p>disclaimer: dinosaurs still roamed the earth when I was there, but I’m thinking this particular issue hasn’t changed</p>
<p>i’m a girl obviously, but as far as business suits I have one black jacket with white pin stripes, and then i have plain black pants and black pants with white pin stripes. When I had presentations and stuff I would just Alternate between the pants. Same with Interviews if I had more than one with a company.</p>
<p>People
How did your Son get to this point in life w/o needing a suit?LOL
I have a short Son who successfully uses Macy’s for suit seperates on sale.My best friends Son,6’4" just needed a large infusion of suits for his first real financial analyst job…he was able to use Macy’s as well with the suits sold as seperates trick.Watch for those sales!!!
I would go with black/charcoal gray.If a stripe,make it real subtle.</p>
<p>I would also ask around a bit about the industry and area of the country in which your son is interviewing. Different industries expect different types of dress. California is different from New York, etc.</p>
<p>Son has had a black suit for a few years, that we got at Nordstrom’s. It is not terribly stylish but it works. He wore it for his (successful) interviews for an applied finance internship (investment banking firms, primarily) for the coming winter quarter. </p>
<p>Then, I had to find out what “business casual” meant, because a couple of the events involved in the program required that. (Googling that term yields a wide range of possibilities!) Now we are looking for a good navy blazer. I am thinking J. Crew, although my well-heeled friend from NY insists it must be Armani…but for a college student? And, third to the idea of different shirts and ties. We bought a couple of nice combinations at Macy’s.</p>
<p>Next question: what kind of shoes? (and remind the boy not to wear white socks ;)</p>
<p>One idea for alternate looks is to get a black suit and then get one other pair of slacks (black w/stripe or pattern) that will coordinate with a black jacket.</p>
<p>We have crossed this bridge with DS because of the many, many Bar Mitzvahs he attends. Also, he works as a videographer and if it is a formal affair, he needs to look sharp. You just don’t want to spend too much on a 14 year old because they grow SO FAST. (From ~5’5- 5’10 in the last year.)</p>
<p>We found great slacks at Ross for about $20. We got the black suit as a hand-me-down. 2 shirts & 2 ties; 4 looks.</p>
<p>If your kid has stopped growing you can go to a higher tier of quality and expense. A classic Armani blazer can last a decade or more, but crummy quality will dies much faster.</p>
<p>I suggest very lightweight wool for the most wear throughout the year.</p>
<p>Go find a reputable men’s shop and tell them why you are buying the suit. They should steer you in the right direction.</p>
<p>Thanks, all! Yes, he’s made it through this far with just a casual sport jacket to wear with slacks, and his tux for music performance. Strikes me as rather odd that the kid got a tux before a suit, but… here we are. The last business communications course professor had the whole class in a panic about this suit thing, since he indicated if it’s the wrong color, not properly tailored, and NOTHING but a fine silk tie, they might be serving fries the rest of their career. Geez…<br>
Digmedia, your links are very useful! A long tie is definitely in order to avoid the dorky look. Perhaps we’ll swing by Men’s Warehouse first, and there’s a Jos A Bank at the mall (sounds pricey there, though).</p>
<p>Cannot go wrong with Brooks. Real quality shows. Don’t forget a good pair of black shoes. Spend $1,000 on everything and you’ll shine like a million.</p>
<p>I think Jos A Bank is having a sale right now. And those suits will also make a great impression.</p>
<p>Okay, argument is underway - I say he should shave off his goatee, however neatly trimmed. Opinions? How much of a turn-off in interviews is any sort of facial hair?</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a factor at all today, as long as it’s neatly trimmed. A wild ZZ-Top-type beard would cause some comments… :)</p>
<p>I think for a job fair/first foray into interviewing situation, off with the goatee! Especially if it’s a more conservative industry. If he’s targeted a specific company or two, and knows that they have a culture that is fine with facial hair, maybe. If the person who is interviewing you has facial hair, okay. If you don’t know who is interviewing you or what the culture of the company is, go conservative. Unless maybe he has a truly weak chin:)</p>
<p>But there is always time to grow that fuzzy stuff back once he has the job.</p>
<p>personally, I don’t like black, and much prefer a dark navy suit which can go anywhere, anytime. Also, a nice charcoal grey with small pinstripes works well. Either can easily be worn with a white shirt (get new, since they easily start to grey after a few cleanings), or blue button down shirt for a little more casual look. </p>
<p>Two button or three jacket depends on personal preference – just make sure your son knows which ones to buttom, or not. LOL If son is slender, than side vents (on more designer labels) look great; otherwise back center.</p>
<p>For a real formal look, go double-breasted and french cuffs. But, double-breasted jackets can appear more formal, and are less flexible for other uses. Thus, I would not recommend for first suit, unless interviewing on Wall Street.</p>
<p>Finally, be aware of fabric heaviness, which changes for the season. (A full wool suit would be way too hot in the summer.) </p>
<p>Never worn over-the-calf socks – Gold-toe fluffies for me. (Just be careful crossing legs, but not something recommended in an interview.)</p>
<p>good advice from Barrons – a great pair of leather shoes, properly shined, makes a great look.</p>
<p>When my son wanted a suit, we blocked out half a day at the mall. We started at Nordstrom, where he asked many many questions about how to tell it was a good suit, worth the $700 (!), how to recognize fit, etc. Then we went on to Brooks Brothers and asked the same questions. Both places he tried on suits.</p>
<p>Then we went to Macy’s and he tried on several suits there until he found one he liked, on sale reduced from $550 to $275. He had it altered (which cost another $75 because the alterations weren’t free because it was on sale) according to the instructions he’d gotten from Nordstrom and Brooks Bros, and it looks great. Suits go on sale right after Christmas. He then went back and bought two shirts on sale–one from Nordstrom and one from Brooks Bros.-- and thanked the salesmen. </p>
<p>His suit is charcoal grey. He looks great. I think classic styling–three buttom suit–is important, because it’s been the same for thirty years.</p>
<p>Jos. A. Banks is always having sales, and you can sign up for some kind of discount too. My H has been pleased with the things he’s bought there, and they have pants that actually fit my son.</p>
<p>I think a neatly trimmed goatee will not be a problem, unless, of course, he’s interviewing with George Steinbrenner. Even Johnny Damon has to shave off his beard and cut his mop of hair! I guess it’s worth it, though, for $52 mill. :)</p>