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publius
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suit for interview 14 Mar 2007, 14:23
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Even within the US there seems to be subtle differences in the way people dress (Eazyb81 - this is the ghey stuff you're talking about right?), for instance in the Northeast it's all pretty straightforward basically dressed like news anchors, but then the southern guy might wear something that looks a little more country club chic like I saw this one guy interviewing that was from Georgia, and he didn't wear a suit, he wore dark slacks and a tweed jacket.

West Coast guys might be more inclined to wear something like a shiny tie or something a little more "advertising".

These are all generalizations of course, but there do seem to be some subtle differences across the country no?

Doesn't the South accessorize their burlap suits with a 12 gauge and a pig on a leash?
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Bah! Your post reveals the kind of ignorance we Southerners have found amusing for years.

Here's where you went wrong:
1) Camo is infinitely more fashionable with the younger, professional crowd. Burlap is strictly 50+, dude.
2) 12 gauges are for wimps. Real Southerners use assault rifles.
3) No mention of NASCAR driver ties and cuff link accessories. In fact, no mention of NASCAR period.

Also worth mentioning:
1) Bass Pro Shop hats are coming back in a big way. I saw two on a recent trip to a top-50 MBA program. Rich, trendy Southerners even put them on the leashed pig as well, but frankly, I think that's a little over the top.
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suit for interview 27 Jul 2007, 08:22
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Bump.

NDHLP and I are going to the wedding of my self-proclaimed JAP (jewish american princess) friend. I made her go shopping with me to buy the dress - if she approved it, I can't feel bad about it.

As for ndhlp, she said "even a sport jacket would be ok." Yeah, he's a microbiology grad student. He has never owned a sport jacket. So we figure it's time to get a suit, as he'll also have interviews coming up.

From what you all said, it'll be navy or charcoal, depending on what we find.

Here's the other piece: he's a pretty small guy. Not skinny, really, he's all in proportion, just small-boned. That makes the selection less than stellar, as you can imagine. And makes me ask several questions:

1. Pleats. I think they make him look even smaller -- they just come out as baggy. We found a very nice navy Jones suit, but haven't tried the pants yet. The saleswoman said the cut was quite trim and the pleats would be pretty subtle. Thoughts?

2. What about the break? Ndhlp wears a 7 1/2 shoe. It seems a full break might look sloppy - just too big in relation to the rest of him. What do you guys think?

Oh, and I found this, which might interest some of you: https://members.aol.com/mbastyle/web/suits1.html

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suit for interview 27 Jul 2007, 08:51
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aaudetat


From what you all said, it'll be navy or charcoal, depending on what we find.

Here's the other piece: he's a pretty small guy. Not skinny, really, he's all in proportion, just small-boned. That makes the selection less than stellar, as you can imagine. And makes me ask several questions:

1. Pleats. I think they make him look even smaller -- they just come out as baggy. We found a very nice navy Jones suit, but haven't tried the pants yet. The saleswoman said the cut was quite trim and the pleats would be pretty subtle. Thoughts?

2. What about the break? Ndhlp wears a 7 1/2 shoe. It seems a full break might look sloppy - just too big in relation to the rest of him. What do you guys think?

Oh, and I found this, which might interest some of you: https://members.aol.com/mbastyle/web/suits1.html

cheerio
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Let me try . . .

Navy = more youthful look; charcoal = more mature look (My go-to suit is charcoal, but I'd prefer a navy pinstripe)

Pleats/double breast/patterns(windowpane and such, not stripes) add mass, it doesn't make you look smaller. But pleats are a thing of the past. All my pants are flat front. If you're thin enough to pull it off, go with flat front. It has a cleaner, youthful look.

Break . . . Since he wears a 7.5, I'm going to assume he's not very tall. In this case, it is all the more important to have a full break to give the illusion of longer legs. Short and medium breaks (of free flowing fabrics) tend to cause the bottom of the pants to get stuck inside the back of your shoes. Also, if the pants are flat front, go with no cuffs.

Also, pleated pants tend to be baggier, which is a no-no for the smaller footed male. So I suggest slimmer pants that have a smaller leg opening. But the oxymoron here is that slimmer pants deserve no break in pants (think lead singer of the Killers). But personally, nothing looks geekier than no break in your pants. Especially when you sit and cross your legs and expose your leg hairs.

Conlusion: I suggest a navy suit w/subtle patterns, if any. Go with a non-baggy flat front pants with a full break. Make sure he's not stepping on the pants when he walks.

Good luck, and post a pic of your result!
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suit for interview 27 Jul 2007, 09:01
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I am going to have to do some suit shopping in the coming months. One advantage of where I live is there are factory stores a bunch of companies everything from Hickey Freeman to Ralph Lauren to Brooks Brothers. My wife spent a crazy amount on her wedding dress which is in a box maybe I will get myself a nice Hickey Freeman just because haha.
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suit for interview Updated on: 30 Jul 2007, 00:11
Originally posted by pelihu on 27 Jul 2007, 09:38.
Last edited by pelihu on 30 Jul 2007, 00:11, edited 1 time in total.
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"That's all we needed, a Druish Princess." - Lone Star

I think some European cut suits work well on smaller guys, maybe Helmut Lang or something. They are narrow through the waist and hips. Of course, with a European cut he might look too stylish for a biology grad student.
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suit for interview 27 Jul 2007, 09:48
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pelihu
"That's all we needed, a Druish Princess." - Lone Star

I think some European cut suits work well on smaller guys, maybe Helmut Kohl or something. They are narrow through the waist and hips. Of course, with a European cut he might look too stylish for a biology grad student.
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Yes, the Europeans are not quite as horizontally challenged as their North American counterparts.
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suit for interview 29 Jul 2007, 20:08
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Hmm,
So, I have the formal aspects of grey, black and blue covered. I also have an entire arsenal of vendor logo golf shirts. What lies in between? i.e., what do you wear when the instructions specify "business casual". Salesmen keep suggesting either sloppy or "miami vice."
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suit for interview 29 Jul 2007, 20:14
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helpslip
Hmm,
So, I have the formal aspects of grey, black and blue covered. I also have an entire arsenal of vendor logo golf shirts. What lies in between? i.e., what do you wear when the instructions specify "business casual". Salesmen keep suggesting either sloppy or "miami vice."
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Yep, this was a common discussion item. It's rough for men...
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suit for interview 29 Jul 2007, 20:15
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For business casual I always envision a button-down shirt and khaki pants. Dockers pretty much built their brand on business casual, so their style is a good starting point. If you go with darker slacks, you will look more formal. A dressier formal shirt will make you look more formal still. If it's hot, then a polo shirt is fine for most situations. I'm not sure what you mean by "vendor logo", but a Ralph Lauren or Lacost logo is fine; the logo of some company usually isn't as good. I'd recommend not waring anything with a company logo unless you're going to a company party or something. A short-sleeve dress shirt will make you look like a schmuck.
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suit for interview 29 Jul 2007, 21:01
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Business casual = corporate minus tie

OR

a dressy looking polo shirt -- not the typical pique polo, but rather something more sleek looking. I'd prefer to go with no logo.
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suit for interview 29 Jul 2007, 23:00
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pelihu

<snip>
I'm not sure what you mean by "vendor logo", but a Ralph Lauren or Lacost logo is fine; the logo of some company usually isn't as good. I'd recommend not wearing anything with a company logo unless you're going to a company party or something.
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Right, company logo is what I meant.

pelihu

A short-sleeve dress shirt will make you look like a schmuck.
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Yes, why do they make short sleeve dress shirts ... and where is it ok to wear them?
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suit for interview 29 Jul 2007, 23:35
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I'd stay away from wearing company logo shirts; they look like walking advertisement. I suppose it's alright if you work at a company that has a really rah-rah attitude, but I think it's a mistake if you have any sort of client contact, must deal with peers from other companies or hope to ever make it to the corner office or executive board room.

As far as short-sleeve dress shirts, well I think that's a good look if you want to work for HP...in the 1950s. Maybe if you want to get a job at Area 51. They go great with some wire-rimmed glasses and a nice pocket-protector. Might as well get yourself a slide-rule to complete the ensemble.

Here's a note from GQ on the subject:

https://men.style.com/gq/fashion/styleguy/shirts/458
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suit for interview 29 Jul 2007, 23:37
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helpslip


Yes, why do they make short sleeve dress shirts ... and where is it ok to wear them?
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They go great with short sleeve suit jackets.
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suit for interview 30 Jul 2007, 13:39
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Quote:
As far as short-sleeve dress shirts, well I think that's a good look if you want to work for HP...in the 1950s. Maybe if you want to get a job at Area 51. They go great with some wire-rimmed glasses and a nice pocket-protector. Might as well get yourself a slide-rule to complete the ensemble.
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My dad, an engineer, is king of the short-sleeved dress shirt, pocket protector, Buddy Holly glasses look! And why yes, he does still use a slide-rule on occasion, why do you ask?

Also, is aaudetat the only other girl here? If you guys think that business attire is hard for you, try being a girl! First there is the skirt suit or pants suit dilemma. Then, if you decide to go with a skirt, should it be knee lenght or mid-calf length? A-line or pencil? Also, nude-colored panty hose or dark colored panty hose? Button-down shirt, camisole or other underneath the jacket? And hopefully any female who has gotten to this point in her life knows that open toed shoes are a huge no-no for interviews.

One of the most eye-opening experiences regarding the cluelessness of most college students about what constitutes "business dress" occurred my junior year of undergrad. You see, I was about 3 years older than everyone else since I had been working full-time (for a very conservative lobbying organization) and going to school part-time. One of the requirements for graduation in my major was to take a "professional development" class. So, basically I had to take time out of my full-time, professional job, for which I had to network, write a resume and cover letter and interview, to take a class to learn how to network, interview and write a resume and cover letter!

Well, for our last class, we got extra credit if we came to class in business dress. I, of course was already in business dress since I would be going to work right afterwards. I wore a just-below-the-knee black straight skirt, a black suit jacket, some variation on a striped-button down (for color), nude pantyhose and black mary jane shoes. Amongst the guys in the class, I saw variations on khaki pants and button downs or polo shirts(no suits) and I can't even tell you how many of the girls were wearing khaki skirts (several inches above the knee), polo shirts or just some other kind of shirt, no pantyhose and sandals. And they all thought that this was perfectly appropriate attire for a job interview! Yikes! Needless to say, our professor asked me to come to the front of the class to pose as an example.
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suit for interview 30 Jul 2007, 13:54
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Nah, there are some other chicks lurking in the locker room; I just tend to be the loudest, especially now that EconGirl seems to have found other ways to waste time.

I come from a job where the only dress rules were no tears, no stains, nothing you'd wear to the gym, nothing overtly sexy. Oh, and no perfume.

Luckily, I spent some time on the speech team at my college, where I learned how to dress like a banker while rambling dramatically about sex, politics, marriage, cancer, and whatever other piece i was working on at the time.

The thing that I am confused about - I guess because I don't spend much time in business dress situations - is where the lines are drawn. I'm good at the power suit - that's not hard, after all. But I get a little lost on the stuff in between. I see a lot of business casual that looks more like, "sexy, but classy." Short skirts, open shoes, etc. I guess I prefer to be a little more "you'd better not be looking at my tits - screw you, mr p***s-haver, I'm smarter than you are and apparently better at keeping my head in the game" when in a work situation. I want to look put-together, not cute.

The short skirts come out later, after work.
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suit for interview 30 Jul 2007, 14:11
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Another girl lurking here. I work in tech, so as long as I don't have client meetings, I usually show up in jeans and heels. Why heels instead of sneakers? I'm short and I'm fairly young here, so I should at least try to dress up somewhat.

For customer-facing events, I go all out with the suits...except I hate wearing button-downs with suits (the collars get all bunchy) so I have some thin sweaters, vests, and blouses to wear.

The only suits that I've found that fit me are from BCBG. However, they're not cheap, so I try to get them on sale and by both the pants and skirt for more versatility. I live in California so my legs are pretty tan. I skip the nylons because I don't work in a super conservative environment. That may change after bschool as I get older and higher up.

My business casual tends to be slacks/skirt with sweater. And heels. Always heels. And in this situation, I still hate button-downs. I hate tucking in my shirt. Luckily, California has some pretty relaxed rules when it comes to dress.
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suit for interview 30 Jul 2007, 14:14
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I think the ability to dress in suits comfortably is a factor of not gender so much as career. My wife dresses professionally everyday for her job so for her to pick out something that would work in an interview is second nature...maybe a little dressier than her normal but still along the same lines.

On the other hand where I work the only issue is cleanliness concerns for our equipment. So its actually easier to wear a t-shirt or something without buttons because god forbid you lose a button into the reactor vessel. Everyone wears jeans except for management and they usually wear dockers and a shirt and tie. The only people who wear suits are interviewing for promotions or to get hired.

I went to a military school so I wore a uniform all the time but never a suit...choker whites are not the same as a suit even though they are both dressy. I was trying on suits this weekend and I still don't have a clue how one is supposed to fit since to me they are all uncomfortable if I do anything but stand still. So for me to go buy a suit is not an easy task I know what it should look like but damn they suck to wear.
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suit for interview 16 Dec 2007, 19:33
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Ask the interviewer. if it's adcom => suit. If it's alum, ask the alum specifically what they prefer. If the have no preference, then go by which company they're working for. Banking tends to be suits. Tech companies (like Yahoo, Google) tend to be business casual.
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suit for interview 17 Dec 2007, 08:11
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Finally, an area where I can lend some advice. I wear a suit to work everyday (except Friday) and have 7. First word of advice - do NOT wear a black suit to an interview. If you need a first, everyday suit, purchase a charcoal gray without a pinstripe (or a very faint one at most). Buy gray socks and wear them with nicely polished black shoes. If you don't dress up too often, get a white shirt (that fits - if you're slim, get a slim fit shirt so you don't look like you're wearing a blouse). A simple rep tie finishes the look.

The most important thing to remember when buying a suit is that it MUST be tailored. Try to show 1/4" of cuff when your arms are relaxed at your side. Whatever you do, carry yourself with confidence. It isn't about how much money you spend but how you feel wearing it.

Check out https://www.askandyaboutclothes.com for discussions on all things sartorial. The forum members there have classic (read: expensive) taste but will give you good ideas.
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suit for interview 17 Dec 2007, 13:50
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What is wrong with a black suit? Wear it with a colour tie and you will not look as if you were going to a funeral.

Second thing: what do you guys mean with a tailored suit? Do you actually go to a tailor who takes your measurements and then builds the suit or do you buy a suit at a normal store and have it arranged by a tailor?

And finally, what's wrong with going to a store and get a suit that is your size? They usually have a wide range of sizes and I find it easy to get one that fits.
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