I like gourmetmom’s list too. If Brooks Brothers has a good sale they may be worth checking out.
He needs to know how to tie a tie.
@calicash I believe this kid is a college senior. That is what I based my list on. If he is a HS senior, I would skip the suit…for now.
My DS had a suit, but he is a musician…otherwise he would not have needed that in HS.
If a HS senior, I would suggest khaki slacks (something like Dockers), a navy blazer, some nice button front Oxford cloth shirts (my kid had yellow, white and light blue), a couple of ties, and the shoes.
Sperrys are considered casual shoes around here. They would not be worn with a tie and sports jacket usually.
For interviews, a nice sport jacket, slacks and tie would suffice. A suit would only be necessary if you were interviewing someplace where suits are always worn…where would they be these days??
^^ Pretty much anywhere near NYC. As teachers, both my husband and I wear suits to work on a fairly regular basis.
Avoid black suits…look too formal or mortuary.
dk gray suits are very versatile.
Hmmm,
My son and 2 friends went to a wedding in South Beach today. My son wore a gray suit, but the other 2 young men had black suits. But I agree that gray would work for about everything.
Cole Haan outlets sell first quality shoes at a significant discount. The outlet stores are located up and down the east coast.
I have also had luck at the Brooks Brothers Outlet for suit, navy blazer, and shirts, but worth watching for a sale. They have salespeople who will advise on fit, style, etc. BB makes great no-iron dress & sports shirts. The only other no-iron brand I have tried is J. Crew and they emerge from the dryer wrinkled. I do not know what BB puts in their shirts, but they retain the no-iron feature for years.
Coach outlet sells nice men’s belts, in both traditional braided leather and flat polished for suit.
(Can you tell I shop at the outlets?)
I would add a basic black wool topcoat, assuming he lives in an area where he will need one.
My boys wear suede bucks in the summer. They are now sold in fun colors, but I cannot convince my boys to move beyond the traditional tan.
Agree with @scubadive about the button down shirts worn untucked over khaki or colored shorts with boat shoes, but in a faded tan instead of the dark brown color we all wore growing up (boys and girls both, but we called them Topsiders then).
Although we like shopping at Nordstrom, I would also suggest looking at Jos. A. Bank and Nordstrom Rack.
Nordstrom’s no iron shirts beat Brooks Bros, IMO. There is a line made for the Rack - great quality and does not drain the wallet:
Our S bought a black suit as his primary suit and wears it for drive say work events as wellnas dressy social events (eg sf opera). Dark grey or navy are good choices too.
Jos. A Banks suits are too boxy for young men, even their slim line. Shopping for med school interview suits this year we found good things at Macy’s, Nordstrom’s and the J.Crew suit was nice.
As a senior, DS has been upgrading his casual wardrobe as well. His fraternity tees have been replaced with plain neutrals and jean with flat-front pants in gray, olive and other neutrals.He really is not a polo shirt kind of guy, and that look is prevalent at his school. He looks less college and more like his friends in grad school and med school. He has upgraded his shoes to loafers instead of tennis shoes and Tom’s.
To clarify he is 21. He literally owns nothing nice, much to my chagrin. I’m starting at nordstrom because they have a personal shopper and the store we’ll go to in NoVa has a big selection. He has limited shopping patience. He is a cs major with no idea where he’ll end up but he is going to some job fairs through his school in DC and he is going to savannah for a job lead. I know comp sci is not a suit industry but job fairs I think are suit events. I also have friends who he is meeting for coffee to help him, he needs something that isn’t jeans and tshirts.
I appreciate the help. Starting from 0 is overwhelming.
The job fairs could easily be a sport jacket, nice slacks, shirt and tie affair…not a suit affair.
By making use of the personal shopper, you are teaching your son that down the road he can do this alone by setting up an appointment with a personal shopper near where he lives. I would set a time limit so that this is a good experience for him. i would prioritize his needs. This is bound to be overwhelming for someone who hates shopping.
I’m not sure of the climate where he is, but he may need a coat. Even in the conservative NE, men wear Patagonia. Also, does he have a portfolio to hold his resume for job fairs and interviews. This could be useful.
I’d also take him out to a nice meal after the appointment, where he can debrief and have food he loves. A time limit is certainly a good idea. Personal shoppers will also bring things in to the dressing room in his size and per his tastes so he doesn’t have to hunt them down.
On my kids’ campus, it seems like a lot of young men wear a dress shirt, slacks and a nice zip sweater at business casual events.
Here’s an example: http://www.josbank.com/signature-pima-cotton-half-zip-sweater-6FNP
Jos A Bank is not high quality. I’m a firm believer that you’re better off buying something more expensive that will last a long time.
S1 who is 24, 2 1/2 years out of college and fairly stylish loves Bonobos. It is an online store but they have stores where you can “try stuff on” (we have 2 of those stores near us). Their returns are very easy so even if you can’t try stuff on, it’s not a hassle.
They have a wide selection of clothes and all very young “Millenial” looking - casual but stylish. We bought our 21 year old, soon to be college grad some Bonobos stuff for Christmas!!
FYI - that brand (Bonobos) is sold at Nordstrom:
http://m.shop.nordstrom.com/sr?origin=keywordsearch&contextualcategoryid=0&keyword=bonobos
My S started work a couple of years ago so we did a similar large scale wardrobe upgrade at that point. He does have suits but even though he is a CPA he has yet to wear a suit to work even one day. Many places are business casual. I’m not sure where you live but we went to Lord & Taylor armed with coupons for all but the suits (where we did Men’s Warehouse) and got great buys.
So I’d suggest :
- One suit – Personally, I like solid navy suits or solid grey suits as I think they are very versatile – they can look different when paired with different shirts and ties. If your S gets a job where suits are required, then you can buy more at that time. We make a mistake and over-bought here.
–A couple of nice ties (red, burgundy, striped, subtle pattern)
–The requisite blue blazer
–Dress pants in a few colors – maybe 2 khaki, and 1 each of a couple of other colors like navy, grey, black.
–Button down shirts (white, blue, stripes)
–Polo shirts (long and short sleeve)
–A couple of nice sweaters
–And a pair of dress shoes (my S has a black and a cordovan dress loafer) and a more casual pair like topsiders
–Nice jeans (my S has blue jeans and a pair of black jeans) and a more causal, non-dress pair of khakis
–Remember the accessories such as a couple of nice belts etc.
–Decent looking coat.
–For causal wear my S also eventually upgraded as well and bought some t-shirts and casual stuff that were not gross.
Have fun with this and enjoy your S as he enters a new phase of his life.