I believe I have my Christmas miracle! My son has agreed he has no appropriate clothes. He went through a 3.5 year grunge phase. I suppose after a lifetime of school uniforms I get it. He has a year left of school, technically a senior but 2 classes shy to graduate in May. He knows it’s time to step it up. He’s going to job fairs and traveling to a southern city to meet with people about some opportunities. He’s open to moving anywhere for a job.
His wardrobe consists of jeans, tshirts that are too tight and small and black sneakers. I buy him clothes for Christmas he never wears.
Thanks to the woman jeans thread I made him an appointment at nordstrom with a personal shopper. He really can’t be trusted on his own and I need the help of a professional.
I know he needs a suit. What would you say are must haves to make sure he gets a good base of clothes to build a wardrobe?
It depends…but the basics…some nice button down dress shirts, a couple of ties, dress slacks, and business casual slacks, a suit, a nice versatile sports jacket (navy is the standard), black and brown belts.
But don’t forget SHOES. He will need a pair of comfortable black dress shoes for,the suit, and some other decent leather shoe for his more business casual look.
Khaki’s and Sperry’s for more casual dress. The south is very preppy!
I wouldn’t exactly recommend khakis and Sperry’s; they’ll make him look like an eighth grader. I agree with @thumper1, though.
For casual wear. I live in the south and men wear these clothes. I’m not saying going to an interview with Khaki’s.
Ah. I live in a suburb of Nashville and nobody outside of middle or high school wears those clothes. I guess it’s different in other places, then.
Obviously so. This young man needs a wide gamut of clothes because employers are all different. Lot’s of interviewers don’t necessarily want you to be dressed in a suit. Some are more relaxed and some are more formal. It just depends. Dress shoes and a more casual pair of shoes are needed.
Khakis are pretty universal casual wear around here (Deep South). Sperrys not so much.
He should have a dark suit that fits well - Nordstrom is a good choice because they will make sure the fit is correct. Hugo Boss is a good brand for younger guys - a bit more tailored and a good price. He should also have a navy blazer - NOT with bright brass buttons, but a tailored fit, not boxy. IMO, this blazer will be worn more often than the suit. Purchase along with the blazer: flat front slacks in light gray, tan, and dark gray - all will work well with the blazer (the John W. Nordstrom house brand of wool crepe pants is terrific quality at a reasonable price). They will hem the pants for him. He should have shirts in white, light blue, various pale stripes and a few checks for casual wear - all my guys also have pink shirts, which I love, but not for everyone. He should have a mix of button down collars and spread collared shirts - the button down is more casual.
He should have at least one pair of dress shoes - a black leather oxford (tie) and a slip on loafer. I also like a brown suede oxford for a more casual look. If only one, buy the black oxford. Cole Haan (sold at Nordstrom) makes a good quality shoe at a good price point. He should have a few ties - stick to colors and patterns with a lot of navy - will go with everything else he has and he won’t need as many because no one will really notice them. If he ends up wearing a tie everyday, you can add more interesting colors and patterns. Buy him a very good quality belt that is reversible - black on one side and brown on the other. Also, purchase some undershirts to keep the button downs in good shape - Nordstrom house brand undershirts come in a well priced three pack.
Flat front pants no pleats. And boxy suits are out of style. Slim cuts are what’s in style. Pick brand of shoes that fit his feet well. If you are on a budget, however it does not appear so, I would also look at Men’s Warehouse for slacks as some of the stores sell some better brands and have good deals. I wouldn’t necessarily just stick to Nordstrom’s but that’s just me, I’d look at Bloomingdales or some other high end department stores as well for sales. I also would look at the Sak’s outlet. Proper shirts can also be found just about anywhere including Marshalls, Nordstrom’s Rack and Off Fifth for less money. You can always bring it to Nordstrom’s to have it tailored.
Khaki pants are very popular in the south for males of all ages. I’ve been on enough southern campuses to know what boys are wearing:
Khaki shorts (no cargo style and no pleats)
Khaki pants
polo shirts
button down shirts
slip on shoes and shoes with few lace holes (see link)
dress shoes for suit
dark suit
nice jeans
flip flops
This brand is very expensive, but you can see the style for ideas
http://www.southerntide.com/men/
Remember, this kid is still a teenager. He will need to have clothes to wear outside of work. He will need to have 3-4 pairs of jeans (not the skinny kind). He should also add some pants that aren’t blue or black. He should start shopping at H&M and get a nice pair of charcoal chinos, dark green, and maybe deep wine chinos.
http://m.hm.com/us/products/men/trousers/chinos?page=1&viewItems=true
My go-to Nordstrums person is a saleswoman in men’s department. I like her energy, so use her as sons shopper.
We did get a black Hugo boss suit, a navy blazer, pants, white, light blue Boss shirt, pale green ( son’s choice) , shoes, belt. This was the first real shopping outing.
Only in recent years has my son started wearing plaids. He also loves cashmere sweaters. Our shopper, Maria, pulled aside a black/white tweed cashmere sweater, on sale for less than $80.
Eyemamom, have fun!!!
In the south men do wear Khaki’s, my son and husband and everyone else around here. Popular casual men’s clothing brands for young men in the South: Polo, Southern Tide, Southern Marsh, Vineyard Vines. Button up shirts with shorts is common for casual wear with those 8th grade Sperry’s.
I think a black suit maybe too formal for a job interview. That’s just me.
I agree about black. We got my son a dark gray suit.
Gourmetmom has a great list! I’d add a few sweaters:
http://m.shop.nordstrom.com/s/baldemario-sweater/3978099?origin=category&BaseUrl=BOSS
http://m.shop.nordstrom.com/s/t-erasmo-reg-fit-sweater/4107141?origin=category&BaseUrl=BOSS
AAnd then maybe some nice jeans and stuff for casual wear.
CaliCash, the young man is 1 semester and 2 credits short of graduating from college. He is of legal drinking age, I assume, and not a teen. 
Gourmetmom’s list is good. I recommend looking at Ecco shoes in addition to Cole Haan. For shirts, John W. Nordstrom brand no-iron dress shirts in tailored cut are great for the price. I am not sure about a navy blazer, because they are not that popular here in the PNW, but the personal shopper will be able to suggest what kind of less dressy sport coat he might need.
Some of this all depends on what industry he plans to enter and where geographically this young man lands. At least for men suits can be had, for women its major headache as I have discovered.
Even with a casual work environment a young man needs dress clothing. There are weddings, funerals and other occasions that call that call for nice clothing. I like gourmetmom’s list.