<p>Make sure your kid knows how to shake hands properly with a firm grip and with eye contact–no dead fish for job interview. Too, don’t wear cologne or over powering perfume.</p>
<p>“And don’t forget the professional shine each time you wear them, by a professional shoe shiner.”.</p>
<p>And for God’s sake, make sure the chauffeur waxes the Bentley before you go to a job interview.</p>
<p>“But maybe in some settings, super-shiny shoes are important.”</p>
<p>Like if you are a tap dancer in Vegas or are guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other than those, I can’t think of any.</p>
<p>Do they still require spit-shined shoes in the military?</p>
<p>I used to shine my dad´s shoes for a quarter. I was the one who came up with using a bit of water with shoe polish in my family. My trick was also to clean the shoes well before putting the polish on. I showed H how to shine his shoes when we first got married, he polishes his own shoes and irons his shirts now.</p>
<p>In the military, most people wearing dressier uniforms wear plastic shoes that you just have to wipe off with with a wet rag.</p>
<p>[The</a> World’s Best Shoe Shine - YouTube](<a href=“The World's Best Shoe Shine - YouTube”>The World's Best Shoe Shine - YouTube) Watch the pros</p>
<p>There are many military shoe shine youtubes for the enlisted.</p>
<p>[The</a> Shoeshine Girls on Vimeo](<a href=“http://vimeo.com/15399541]The”>The Shoeshine Girls on Vimeo)</p>
<p>Shoe shining in Bolivia, the poorest country in the world, and the poorest workers in Bolivia.</p>
<p>Good tailoring and a nice lightweight wool in a neutral color, navy or preferably gray. I prefer 3 button and vented on my guys, but it’s really personal choice. Flat front pants have been the style for a couple of years. Really slender guys can still “get away” with pleats but they went out of style several years ago. I totally agree with Jos. Banks nice classic suits and a price point lower than Brooks Brothers and some of the others.</p>
<p>Any dress shirt, but make sure it’s dry cleaned and lightly starched…tell your son not to iron it himself it’s easy to tell the difference. Tie, just make sure it’s silk and not poly (and make sure he knows how to tie it.) My crew likes the Museum of Modern art ties. They are fun but not outrageous, not sure if they carry them anymore.</p>
<p>AAAARRRGGGHHH!!! I jsut got DS to agree to go shopping for dress/interview clothes and new shoes, and Syms closed at 7 tonight!! Didnt want to, but considered for a moment, kidnapping him and taking him to the mall…</p>
<p>Good grief to the advice given in the source Barrons linked to. It’s like a flashback to the 1980s and John Molloy’s Dress for Success. Thank goodness those days are over and things aren’t quite so rigid.</p>
<p>Agree with others who have gone the Men’s Wearhouse route – we have done the same. Got suits for ~$400, including tailoring.</p>
<p>Guys are still growing – if not in height, in other directions. S1’s shoulders got a LOT broader in college thanks to one of his hobbies.</p>
<p>For a young woman – she should be able to sit comfortably in the skirt (not too tight, not too short). Absolutely no cleavage. No 5" heels.</p>
<p>Jos. A. Banks is having a big sale right now. Just came home from getting my 6’5" slender son his first suit there (they do have xlong sizes but it was not in stock and had to be ordered but that was no big deal). They will ship it to the store near his college. Originally a $750 suit for $225 on sale.</p>
<p>This is something I’m actually pretty knowledgeable about. Had a pretty intense interest in fashion for a while and loved looking around fifth ave =P. Here’s a list of price ranges for various brands, descending. I’ll try to briefly describe my impression of each brand as well as far as body type, fit, reputation.</p>
<p>Of course, these will all be off the shelf suits, built from scratch is a whole different story. And of course, I will only hit a few brands in each category with which I’m most familiar. Assuming for men.</p>
<p>Very top of the line:</p>
<p>Brioni- $3000-$6000 per suit, $500-$700 per shirt, $100-$300 per tie
A larger, more conservative looking suit. Type of thing Donald Trump wears.</p>
<p>Kiton- roughly the same as Brioni, a little pricier sometimes.</p>
<p>Tom Ford- a litte less expensive than the other two, but I think it’s overpriced and overhyped.</p>
<p>Thom Brown- About the same as Brioni and Kiton, very strange looking suits (almost capri type suit pants)</p>
<p>Extremely High end:</p>
<p>Louis Vuitton- $3000-$5000 per suit, 400-700 per shirt, 100-300 for a tie</p>
<p>Styles that range from flashy and kind of crazy looking to modern/slim to conservative.</p>
<p>Very High end:</p>
<p>Gucci- 2000-5000 per suit, 400-800 per shirt, 100-200 per tie
Pretty flashy, modern/slim fitting suits, traditional options still available.</p>
<p>Prada- Same as Gucci, generally.</p>
<p>Dior Homme- My favorite, personally! Will be my wardrobe when I’m wealthyyy. I know these more specifically than the others.
Traditional black two piece suit- about 2000
White/Black/Blue shirt- about 450
Tie- about 190</p>
<p>Known for their slim fitting stuff, it’s so nice.</p>
<p>Burberry- They have a bunch of different lines, all of which suck in my opinion. In my opinion: overpriced garbage. Prices vary wildly.</p>
<p>High end:
Brooks Brothers- 1000 to 2000 per suit, 200-300 per shirt, 100-200 per tie. Very conservative look, but more modern and slim becoming more available. I think BB is really nice for their suits.</p>
<p>Premium:</p>
<p>Banana Republic- 500-600 for a suit, 80-100 for a shirt, 50-70 for a tie
I think their suits are boxy and poorly made.</p>
<p>Hugo Boss- similar prices as BB, a little less for the shirts and ties</p>
<p>Theory- similar to Hugo for pricing (a little more) but I like their stuff better</p>
<p>Good quality, less expensive:</p>
<p>J. Crew- 300-700 for a suit, 50-70 for a shirt, 30-40 for a tie
I like J. Crew a lot and go there relatively frequently myself.</p>
<p>Ok quality, relatively inexpensive:</p>
<p>Zara- 100-250 for a suit, 40-60 for a shirt, 30-40 for a tie
not the greatest stuff, but you can find good stuff there every once in a while</p>
<p>H&M- 90-175 for a suit, 20-30 for a shirt, 10-20 for a tie
about the same quality as Zara, to be honest…Zara just presents their stuff better</p>
<p>Of course, for every single brand on this list, you can get their stuff 50-70% off if you look in the right places. If you’re anywhere near NY, I’d take a trip to Woodbury Commons and look at their awesome outlets. It’s unbelievable how much of a discount they’re able to give. e.g.: a brand may discount everything 50% for end of season sale, then send it to the outlet. after another season, if nobody bought it, it may be discounted another 50%, and then even another 20-30% for a seasonal sale, and it’s not bad stuff either. even the very top brands do that.</p>
<p>but first, I would go to a high end department store’s (barney’s, saks) men’s section and get someone to help you find a good suit that fits well. you don’t necessarily need to buy it, but then you’ll know what you’re looking for when shopping the less expensive brands.</p>
<p>can’t comment much on shoes, but once again visit a really high end department store and do the same thing.</p>
<p>In order of importance when buying a suit in my opinon (brand name deliberately left out):
- Fit is absolutely paramount. Find a good tailor. A fantastically made suit can look like not so great if you buy even a size too big and a poorly made suit can look pretty good if tailored well.
- Color and style. I have to agree in opposition against the pleated pants. Don’t get pleated pants. Some people can pull them off ok I guess, but don’t risk it. Can’t go wrong with gray, pinstriped, or navy. Navy is probably the most versatile. Be careful buying an all black suit unless your job title begins with “Special Agent.” Lapels shouldn’t be too big or too narrow, notched lapel is safest. Also be careful with double breasted suits. Sometimes they look great, other times they make you look like a tacky mobster.
- Fabric. Seasonal/personal preference thing.
- Knowing how to wear everything. Make sure you’re not violating any of the various shoe/suit combo rules. Avoid a busy tie with a busy shirt unless you really know what you’re doing. Tie should fall about half way on your belt. No clip on ties, it’s not that hard to tie a tie. Button only the top button on a two button.</p>
<p>My impressions about suit fit, not an expert so could be wrong, a good tailor will know:
Pants should fall just above shoes.</p>
<p>When buttoned, mid section should dip into your ab area but not wrinkle the fabric.</p>
<p>I can’t describe how the shoulders should look.</p>
<p>Sleeves should fall about 2/3 way on the wrist cuff of your shirt.</p>
<p>hope that helped!</p>
<p>PG-In NYC IB the kids are still expected to dress well. Even our non-IB NYC office is very dressy. Now in Seattle–not so much. I threw out all my work suits around 1995.</p>
<p>**thought about it, pinstripes can be tricky too. less difficult than a doubles breasted though</p>
<p>
BB for Banana Republic (500-600 for suits), I don’t think so. They are usually 750+.</p>
<p>Joseph Abboud makes pretty good suits for a pretty good price… Don’t know specifics though.</p>
<p>My idea of a well-dressed man is Cary Grant in North by Northwest. When I see many current fashion shots of young men, their suits look too small. They look like if they actually moved around, the armpits and crotch of their suit would rip out. </p>
<p>I realize this makes me hopelessly outdated, and I would never presume to give anyone fashion advice. Except my own son, whom I would like to have look like Cary Grant.</p>
<p>I think Hugo Boss is much more expensive than Banana Republic. My 20 something shops at Banana Republic on a very small salary. BUT he cannot afford Hugo Boss at all…not at full price. BR has better sales…HB at Nordstrom, once a year they have a sale after Christmas…when everything is pretty picked over.</p>