edit: Temporarily stickied for the interview season. Hi, I am interviewing at UCLA soon (and hopefully at Haas in a few weeks). I am a software engr and haven't worn anything besides jeans and T-shirts (and old t-shirts of Rush and Iron Maiden, at that!) for 8 years. I guess I need to buy a new suit and tie. Amongst the GQ crowd here, can anyone give me some suit advice? For the suite -- what color and fabric, color of tie, etc.? I'm Indian, and think a light-blue shirt goes best with my dark skin. Striped suits are out since I am thin and will look like a scarecrow in one. How much should I expect to spend, and do you know a good place to buy a suit (I live in the SF bay area)? Of course I don't want to bust my son's college fund! For the well-groomed -- here's your chance to show off your knowledge! =) Thanks, DF

p.s. Go Man U! https://kassiesa.com/uefaclubs/images/Manchester-United.png

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kryzak

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17 Dec 2007, 20:58

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yeah Avi, pimp suit != formal wear... :wink:

aviroop

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17 Dec 2007, 21:04

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The white pin stripe suit shall be mine.. and you will yield to the pimp side.. kryzak.. :wink:

cbreeze

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17 Dec 2007, 21:17

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My brother works at a Wall St. hedge fund and he confirms almost everyone (who works in Wall St. ) wears black suits (including black with pin stripes)

kryzak

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18 Dec 2007, 00:40

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thanks cbreeze... ok, so I'm not color blind or crazy...

btw, river, congrats on your 1500 post and "CEO in training"... woot! :-D

casbroker

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18 Dec 2007, 07:45

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I'm loving this thread right now. Hopefully we can all agree that the "rules" are different (or nonexistent) in different places. New York City is different than Northern California which is different than Europe.

The bottom line for interview dress is that as long as you don't offend and make some effort to look decent and polished, you're fine. It sort of like a decent GMAT score - a good score doesn't get you in but a bad one can keep you out. A great suit won't get you into school, but showing up in shorts and a ratty t-shirt will probably keep you out.

lumone

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18 Dec 2007, 16:10

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Hi there,

I've been thinking about buying clothes in the US, but online (ebay for instance). I am in Europe and given the current USD/EUR rate, I would probably find some good deals. Or maybe even better deals in Asia...

My "British" (I live in Ireland) size is a 42L. Would that be the same in the US/Asia? Would you recommend any particular store/brand to order to? Has anyone of you bought clothes online? Any good/bad experience?

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18 Dec 2007, 16:19

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lumone

Hi there,

I've been thinking about buying clothes in the US, but online (ebay for instance). I am in Europe and given the current USD/EUR rate, I would probably find some good deals.

My "British" (I live in Ireland) size is a 42L. Would that be the same in the US? Would you recommend any particular store/brand to order to? Has anyone of you bought clothes online? Any good/bad experience?

i have no experience and frankly would never want any. A well tailored suit makes the man. period. Women get MAC, peep toes, LV bags, and tennis bracelets, we get...none of that

On top of that, different designers cut their clothes differenetly. I'm a 52 coat in Kenneth Cole, but a 48 most other places, and I can't fit into a 52 Clavin Klien to save the free world.

Find a place close to home, try on lots, and do not get a floral tie to go with your pin striped suit, I don't care what they wear on ESPN, it still looks like crap.

zakk

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18 Dec 2007, 16:20

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lumone

...My "British"...

p.s.

Go Man U!

raptr

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18 Dec 2007, 20:19

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Glory, glory, Manchester United!
:)

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20 Dec 2007, 09:19

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lumone

Lumone, 42L will also be your size in US brands, but the Italians are roughly +10, so look for a 52L if you go Italian.

SierraTradingPost.com is great for finding awesome suits for cheap. I got a $1700 suit for $400 about a month ago for my UNC interview. Not sure about how their overseas shipping rate is, but that exchange rate should help regardless! If you find something you like, send me a PM; I can usually find a code for another 20% off their already reduced prices.

riverripper

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20 Dec 2007, 09:37

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I am lucky there is a hickey freeman outlet 5 miles from my house. Also a burberry outlet a little further north, I was thinking of getting a nice overcoat...gonna need that in the winter where ever I end up.

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31 Dec 2007, 23:22

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Here`s a question... I have an interview upcoming... what should i wear? The interview is over SKYPE with WEBCAM!
Suit-wise,i am sorted. Just had 4 suits and 7 shirts tailor fitted and made whilst i am in Vietnam... Italian Cashmere Wool, so all good quality. at approx $300 altogther

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01 Jan 2008, 12:02

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togafoot

Professional on top, party on the bottom.

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01 Jan 2008, 12:18

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riverripper

Burberry contracts out a lot of their production to Hickey Freeman

kryzak

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01 Jan 2008, 13:48

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togafoot

Oh man, I'm adding Vietnam to my list of countries to visit this spring... to get suits!

How long did it take to tailor make those suits?

togafoot

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02 Jan 2008, 06:03

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Hoi An is the place for tailored suits... give it upto 3 days. They do the suit in a day, but you want them fitted so it can take a couple of times to get it just right.

To get to Hoi An, you can fly to Da Nang and get a taxi there. Its a lovely place.

kryzak

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02 Jan 2008, 13:16

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thanks for the tip!

MeddlingKid

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Updated on: 03 Nov 2008, 13:02

Originally posted by MeddlingKid on 03 Nov 2008, 12:15.
Last edited by MeddlingKid on 03 Nov 2008, 13:02, edited 1 time in total.

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I am having some issues picking a suit and hoped you guys could chime in. I currently have three four suits to choose from:

Gray 2-button w/subtle (barely visible) square pattern: Just bought this weekend and have not yet altered. Purchased it with the intention of wearing a blue micro check shirt with a burnt orange tie. It looks good, but I’m not sure it’s business school interview appropriate. Furthermore, I already have three suits, one of which will probably get the job done. I may return this suit as it has not yet been altered.

Black 3-button w/pin stripes: This is the suit I am leaning toward. The pinstripes are visible, but don’t make me look like a 30s mobster or anything. The first downside to this suit is that I purchased it when I was less informed, picking up a 3-button (I am about 5’10 and somewhat slender). I had planned to wear this with a simple light blue shirt and a dark blue tie. The second downside to this suit is that it has a TINY (slightly larger than the size of a pin head) tear in the rear of the pants. 99% of people would never notice it unless I pointed it out. But, I’d hate to have somebody notice and wonder why I didn’t have it fixed. Again, it’s so slight, they might just think it’s a speck of dust or something.

Charcoal 3-button: I bought this suit and had it tailored, but it still seems to look a bit too big for me at times. The collar and shoulders aren’t as tight as I would prefer, but I am probably just being overly picky.

Black 3-button: This suit is more of a tapered cut, and is by far my least conservative suit. It’s one that you could wear to work with a tie, or out to a club with an interesting shirt and some funky shoes. I suppose I could go this route, as the right shirt and tie choice could work.

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03 Nov 2008, 12:17

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Go with the Charcoal 2 button.

jb32

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03 Nov 2008, 12:21

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MeddlingKid

I am having some issues picking a suit and hoped you guys could chime in. I currently have three four suits to choose from:

Gray 2-button w/subtle (barely visible) square pattern: Just bought this weekend and have not yet altered. Purchased it with the intention of wearing a blue micro check shirt with a burnt orange tie. It looks good, but I’m not sure it’s business school interview appropriate. Furthermore, I already have three suits, one of which will probably get the job done. I may return this suit as it has not yet been altered.

Black 3-button w/pin stripes: This is the suit I am leaning toward. The pinstripes are visible, but don’t make me look like a 30s mobster or anything. The first downside to this suit is that I purchased it when I was less informed, picking up a 3-button (I am about 5’10 and somewhat slender). I had planned to wear this with a simple light blue shirt and a dark blue tie. The second downside to this suit is that it has a TINY (slightly larger than the size of a pin head) tear in the rear of the pants. 99% of people would never notice it unless I pointed it out. But, I’d hate to have somebody notice and wonder why I didn’t have it fixed. Again, it’s so slight, they might just think it’s a speck of dust or something.

Charcoal 2-button: I bought this suit and had it tailored, but it still seems to look a bit too big for me at times. The collar and shoulders aren’t as tight as I would prefer, but I am probably just being overly picky.

Black 3-button: This suit is more of a tapered cut, and is by far my least conservative suit. It’s one that you could wear to work with a tie, or out to a club with an interesting shirt and some funky shoes. I suppose I could go this route, as the right shirt and tie choice could work.

I would take back the gray suit and get a navy blue 2-button with side-vents. It's the most classic business look and the most important suit in your wardrobe. EVERYONE should have a navy suit in their closet before they go out buying striped, black or anything else.

Not sure how much you paid or are looking to spend, but here is a link to a thread where we discussed much of that recently. It should give you a few good pointers. https://gmatclub.com/forum/108-t68877