<p>A good fit is at least 50% of what makes a good suit, for either gender. </p>
<p>Go with the basic light weigh wool, dark blue, get a good tailor and you cannot go wrong. For young men a 100% cotton shirt underneath with a 100% silk tie. For young women a cotton or silk shirt.</p>
<p>There’s a little luck too involved in getting a good suit at a cheap price. My dad last week bought a Hart Schaffner sportcoat at a Dillards dept. store clearance center in Tampa for $29.95 which had an original price tag on it for $795! The same store had nice conservative business suits marked down to $100-300. When you stumble on deals like this, grab 2 or 3 suits.</p>
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<p>Hugo Boss is the “brand of choice” for my HUSBAND…but I can tell you first hand…even at the outlet, you won’t be getting a Hugo Boss suit for a reasonable price. I just got DH a shirt and tie…well over $100 WELL OVER (but well worth it if you are really a slim fit guy or gal). Nordstrom carries Hugo Boss and they have outstanding tailors…for a price. Even Hugo Boss suits might need to be altered. Actually Nordstrom may alter for free.</p>
<p>Agreed that natural fibers…wool, etc are a good choice. NO POLYESTER…it’s shiny and doesn’t “hang well”.</p>
<p>We bought DD and DS their first suits…and they were both light weight wool…DD’s fit like it was made for her. DS’s needed to be tailored but we have an outstanding tailor who did the alterations for him…fits him to a T. We did NOT spend $750 on a suit for either of them. IF they get the job on Wall Street…they can do that themselves!!</p>
<p>Hugo Boss is very nice but their suits do not come with a pleated pant (at least not at Nordstrom).</p>
<p>I might suggest trying to find a good sale at Nordstrom or a similar store. Otherwise, I do think that if the goal is just to get one decent looking suit but not necessarily an investment suit, that Mens Wearhouse, Syms or Jos A Bank should be fine. I think there’s just an entirely different philosophy if you’re looking to actually invest in a fine suit versus just have a suit on hand for interviews and occasions.</p>
<p>Absolutely second what Thumper, oldfort and Kate said about interview looks. It is all about the cut, fabric and fit. Brand name is secondary. Hugo Boss’ stuff goes on sale twice a year at Nordstrom. My H got a terrific Boss suit for $450 that got rave thumbs up from his co’s marketing people (and they are surely well versed is “suitology”). Nordstrom Rack is a great place to look for dressy clothes for men. Shoes and bag are very important. They have to look spotless, with no scuffs, scratches or creases.</p>
<p>If you watch CNBC, you can quickly get some ideas on what Wall Street wears.</p>
<p>Please, do NOT buy pleated pants for a young man!! It will make his outfit look dated.</p>
<p>Wow lizard! You need to post that in the “good deal of the day” thread!!</p>
<p>If one is really, truly on a budget, there are lots of deals to be found (as many posters here can attest) at consignment shops, Goodwill, etc. If the alterations are not significant (hemming pants or sleeves not involving cuffs, etc) perhaps a family member can od this themselves with a sewing machine or by hand. I hem most of my own clothes, but for bigger alterations, I take them to a local alterations person. </p>
<p>The cost of a nice suit can easily be less than the cost of a camera lens.</p>
<p>"Please, do NOT buy pleated pants for a young man!! It will make his outfit look dated."BB#26</p>
<p>Nothing dated about my kids in their pleated pants. Being comfortable is always more important. I suppose a fat, out of shape person may look dated, but these are extreme athletes in the best of shape.</p>
<p>parent, I stand by my advice. The reason why I used the word “dated” is because until a few years ago, it was impossible to buy flat-front pants in the lower to mid price range US stores, therefore, a kid in poorly tailored pleated pants would look like he borrowed them from an older relative. Geneally, skinny, under 6 ft tall kids rarely look good in pleated trousers (they look like they are swimming in their pants!). Pleated pants do work for certain body types, like your tall, athletic kids, but the problem with pleated trousers is that most people who buy them use pleats to mask poor fit, and the result is a fashion disaster! And if the fit and fabric are right, flat-front pants are not uncomfortable (just ask my DH who would not wear anything that makes him uncomfortable). </p>
<p>Here is a great piece of advice on what to look for in a pair of pants:</p>
<p>[Men’s</a> Pants: Pleated vs. Flat-Front](<a href=“http://www.internships.com/eyeoftheintern/onthejob/fashion-onthejob/pleated-flatfront-pants/]Men’s”>http://www.internships.com/eyeoftheintern/onthejob/fashion-onthejob/pleated-flatfront-pants/)</p>
<p>Lunch time break.</p>
<p>I am glad to start this thread here. The people who fed me the information definitely are in another world. One just spent over $10K for whole wardrobe for their D, saying they really did not go anything fancy. Oldfort, they did mention about a bag of somesort. So a computer bag is out of the question. </p>
<p>I have also read on line that someone spent $3K for one winter coat for their freemen D to have an intern interview. These are not “rich” people as far as I know.</p>
<p>Clearly there are a lot home work to do. Many thanks to all.</p>
<p>PS. PG, I think we could only do one set. So the intend here is to get a really good one.</p>
<p>I used to work at a law firm in New York, and had to wear a suit every day. Having enough decent suits to do that cost a few bucks. But are there many jobs left where people wear suits every day?</p>
<p>I especially like ccmom33409’s advice, post #15, last sentence. A good suit requires good fit and fabric and you don’t need to break the bank. Lots of great advice here.</p>
<p>Make sure the suit is ironed.</p>
<p>Overstock.com has some very nice all-wool suits in slim cut for young men. You just take the suit and the kid to a good tailor, and he’s set.</p>
<p>Again - is this suit for a son or a daughter? D just finished her summer accounting internship (and was offered a permanent job upon graduation) at a firm where it was pretty much business-professional-dress every day.</p>
<p>Before the summer began we bought her two suits - one charcoal, one black - at Banana Republic and Nordstrom (Halogen). Both were in the $250-$400 range. Both fit very well.</p>
<p>To me, it wasn’t the suit itself that was expensive - it was the blouses and the shoes and the handbag and the accessories and the new raincoat and the occasional slacks. (On “casual Fridays” they were allowed to wear pants and cardigans instead of suits.) It was a pain but it was worth it. During her exit interviews, one of her seniors commented on how professionally she dressed.</p>
<p>I agree - I don’t think you can go wrong buying anything at Brooks Brothers, especially if your son is seeking a job in a conservative field.</p>
<p>I always say men have it easy - just buy all your good clothes at Brooks Brothers and all your casual stuff at LLBean, and you’ll always look great and be in style. Women have a lot more to worry about, unfortunately…</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Jos A Bank just had a sale. $750 suit for ~$300, and the you can get a second suit for an additional $70. You might want to check it out; it might still be going.</p>
<p>I am piling on, here. There is no need to spend anywhere near as much as $750 for an interview suit, much less more than that. Men’s Wearhouse would be fine, Nordstrom’s sale a little better, Jos. Banks completely reliable. Brooks Bros. is perfect, but too expensive, and their cheap stuff looks really cheap. On-site tailoring is great, but not indispensable, since you can go elsewhere for tailoring. Tailoring IS indispensable. (The on-site places build it into the price of the suit, of course.) Remember that the tailoring means you have to wait a couple of weeks to get the suit. </p>
<p>I would go with charcoal grey, by the way, plain or with a really muted pinstripe, which could include a color. Better than navy blue, by a little. All wool. Do not consider anything else.</p>
<p>You should be able to get decent shoes for $100-$150. They are black. Johnston & Murphy is a good brand, or shoes that look like that. I would not wear Ferragamo on a first date. The shoes should have laces, black leather ones. I am certain there are lots of loafers on Wall St. now, but you aren’t going to be marked down for wearing oxfords, and you could be for not wearing them.</p>
<p>Get a dress shirt from whoever sells you the suit. Take the salesperson’s advice, but don’t pay more than, say $60, and have it be white or light blue. All cotton. Pay attention to the tie, too. It should look nice, but if you notice it too much get something else. After you get the job, you will have a better sense of where the line is between ties that express individuality and elan and ties that look stupid. The precise location of that line varies a lot from place to place, so don’t go near it for an interview.</p>
<p>No one expects a middle-class college kid to walk into an interview wearing a Hickey-Freeman suit, or Armani, or anything else with a comma in the price. If he gets the job, and survives to the point where looking like a million bucks starts to become actually important, there will be plenty of time (and plenty of disposable income) to upgrade his wardrobe. </p>
<p>Most interviewers will barely notice what a (male) kid is wearing, as long as it isn’t weird. The few who care as much about clothes as some of the the posters here will peg immediately what he has, and they won’t be impressed by anything below comma-grade. And if they ARE impressed, they will wonder what the heck the kid is doing wearing a suit like that, unless it’s obvious that the kid comes from real wealth. You don’t necessarily want to outdress your interviewer.</p>
<p>What is the function of an interview suit, anyway? The point is to show that you aren’t clueless about workplace norms, that you have some awareness of the social conventions of that job and are willing to meet them, and that you care enough about the job to make yourself presentable for it. None of that requires breaking the bank, and in fact I think breaking the bank sends the wrong message. (Unless, of course, the message you are TRYING to send is “Don’t even think about managing Dad’s next convert issue unless you hire me.” But then you had better be ready to back it up.) Fundamentally, you want to look like someone who needs their training, and whom they will enjoy training, not someone who thinks he already knows it all.</p>
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<p>I would not recommend buying anything very expensive that you would have a hard time parting with for a person under 25. Their bodies are still changing, and unless the change is so minor that a few small alterations can take care of the fit, you might end up selling the clothes on Ebay soon (unless it is a Chanel bag that you would be selling, don’t expect to get the money you paid back).</p>
<p>"I would go with charcoal grey, by the way, plain or with a really muted pinstripe, which could include a color."JHS #38</p>
<p>I will say my kid is drop dead gorgeous is his CHARCOAL GREY Hickey Freeman suit.</p>