Interviews, Presentations and attire

Question

OK folks - this thread will benefit from a seriously quick flow of answers for me, as I have to phone a guy back tomorrow, and as an International I don't  really  know how the US side will be on things like this.

I am in need of suits. I have one excellent one, and one ill fitting, a bit worn one. I have deal with the tailor for two more - the deal for one more was unattractive. They are bespoke, because appearance is everything.

Or is it?

Do you folk expect that through Presentations, Interviews, Internship and all that - for a job in an IB (S+T, if that helps any) as an Intern you will be wearing suits all the time, and that presentation is critical?

It is a fair sum of money you see. The suits are excellent, look excellent, but I would be really p*ssed if I found out that I never wore them that much through school. I see it as a potential critical investment to make sure I have every chance of the job, but am uncertain on it.

What you reckon?

3underscore · Answer

I should add "bespoke, because appearance is everything" is me being a bit sardonic. Sure it is, but these are a bit of a deal and are the price of a nice suit.

I am not your dude from the NYTimes article in style, I promise!

johnnyx9 · Answer

From what I've heard, if you're interviewing for Wall Street you need to look the part, so I'd say get some expensive suits.

bherronp · Answer

I'm an IT guy, so I don't even know what that means. I have 2 suits, and I have only ever worn one. I'm probably going to need to get some new ones next year though assuming I get in somewhere :-D

baer · Answer

bespoke = custom made

bherronp · Answer

Ya, I went and looked it up so I was no longer uneducated. Sounds very expensive. What would a suit like this cost?

3underscore · Answer

heh. My friend got four for £2000 ($4000). I am not looking at as expensive as his, but still pricey. They work out about $1000 a suit with two pairs of pants. But there is also bits thrown in.

Considering a Boss suit is £400 minimum with one pair of pants, I am kind of onto a deal here. I already have one, and it is really pretty nice.

But, it is still a load of money. Johnny - you echo my thoughts on this move.

I thought rhyme would be all over this one...

lepium · Answer

If you are targetting Wall St., you'll need to look the part. 

Not only will you need custom - made suits, you'll need trendy ties, quality "pointy" shoes (preferably Italian made), the right scent (perfume - cologne), handcuffs, tie holder (or whatever it's called), the right haircut and an ultra-thorough shave. You'll also need to look fit, have all your hair still in place, not be too short and not even dream of a beard or a goatee.

The paragraph above is kinda of funny, but I'm sure I'm not that far off, at least from what I've heard and read about Wall St types.

L.

baer · Answer

$1,000 per custom suit is insanely inexpensive. If you are getting true custom, where they take all your measurements and create a custom, paper pattern then it should start at around $3,500 going up to $6,000 on the top end. Price at that point is determined by fabric choice. 

 I'd just stick to buying suits ready made, on sale if your a student. You'll look fine if you put in a bit of effort.

baer · Answer

Wall St. guys have no style, and they all dress the same. If you want to follow the look, here is what to get. It's pretty easy: 

Hermes tie
Ferragamo or Gucci loafer
White shirt, no french cuffs unless VP and above
Zegna suit, dark 
clean shave, short hair

3underscore · Answer

London tailors can vary drastically in prices. Obviously the number of fittings, the fabric and all come into things.

Obviously, corners are being cut here, but they fit 20x better than any other suit that I have bought.

That said, I could get you a suit bespoke on Saville Row for $1600 - easy. Guess I will be sticking with British tailors.

baer · Answer

Wall St. guys have no style, and they all dress the same. If you want to follow the look, here is what to get. It's pretty easy: 

Hermes tie
Ferragamo or Gucci loafer
White shirt, no french cuffs unless VP and above
Zegna suit, dark 
clean shave, short hair 

Do not deviate or swap brands from the above. If you do, it will lead to ridicule and possible questions about your sexuality.

3underscore · Answer

That is a very leveraged sell out take on the world.

As it stands, I a still a little uncertain. I know that these fit me well though, so it stands to reason to be a good buy, and half of the value in this all comes from buying two suits and bargaining quite a lot.

I hate to make decisions that aren't fully informed though. We'll see tomorrow.

rhyme · Answer

I for one wouldn't even think twice on this issue. 

As long as the suits fit you properly - and, by any measure, if custom made, they should - then I'd buy them. There is a noteable difference between a properly tailored Zegna or Loro Piana suit accented with an Hermes, Ferragamo or Yves Saint Laurent tie and Ferragamo shoes (my standard getup) and the average off the rack mens warehouse suit. 

They just dont look the same. At all. The sheen of the fabric, the quality of the cut and fit, the lightness of the suit, etc. I used to wear these to work when everyone wore TJ Maxx or some such ****, and I often got complimented on my look. I'd walk into a room and people would take note of me. The same couldnt be said of the guys who walked in with improperly tailored JC Penney crap.

Long story short, my view is very simple:

You will need suits for - 

Cocktails
Mock Interviews
Real Interviews
Dinner functions
Formal events on campuses (not recruiting related)
Mock Cocktail receptions
2nd round visits
First day of new jobs where they haven't specified what to wear

etc etc etc

I have several suits. Of the ones I have....

1 fits well (a little tight in the waist)
1 fits perfectly (tailored a month ago)
2 fit ight and theres nothing to do about it (no slack left)

I'm already seriously considering going to get another suit for recruiting season. I just haven't done so primarily because of expense. 

Anyway - my vote is simple. If you only have 1 good suit right now, I'd buy another one in a minute. 

I intend to have 3 good suits in my armory by the time I hit recruiting season. The reason is simple - 1 suit for the pre-interview dinner out (you dont want to come in the next day stinking of cigars and smoke and such do you?), 1 suit for the subsequent day (interview day), and 1 backup suit if something happens (for instance, one is at the dry cleaners or one is wrinkled from traveling or whatever ).

At $1000 each, I'd even think about flying to London and having them made for me there. (though at that point I might as well just go to China) . 

Get a nice tie too - Ferragamo, or hermes are good choics. Decent shoes are a must .

riverripper · Answer

Everytime I go to NY its amazing to see how similar a lot of the bankers look. I think its the fact that the people feel they need to look like clones of their bosses to move up. I am sure if someone working at a hedge fund was doubling everyones money each year no one would care if they were wearing sweat pants and a tshirt everyday but thats not going to happen. To get that first job your safest best is to look the part. Going too far out there isn't going to help in a conservative field. You are better off being in advertising or media if you want to have a style other than something that involves a suit everyday. Though some people love to dress up for work and look like they are ready to attend an awards show or some fancy affair.

Oh and if cheap out and you dress in something that is subpar there are people that know and will judge you on that...its all about having a professional image. Its tough to break the mold when you are just entering and everyone else fits it. Though I do have a friend who works for a bulge bracket bank and has tons of tattoos. Its hard to picture him in a suit but everyday he dresses up in clothes that cost a fortune and covers up to look the part. He is good at what he does, likes it, makes tons of money for the bank...but he fits the image while at work and says when everyone else rolls their sleeves up (literally) he never does cause all the old timers would judge him too much...this is part of the reason IB is not for some people.

dukes · Answer

Definitely get another suit. 

I'm no expert but a bespoke suit for $1000 seems dirt cheap so my natural reaction is to be skeptical about the quality.

I got a new suit (off the rack) a few days ago and am actually not that happy about how it turned out after the store tailored it. I should have just paid the extra money and taken it to the guy I usually go to.

I'll be spending some time in Asia (Insead's Singapore campus) before recruiting season heats up, so I'm thinking about getting a couple bespoke suits and shirts while I'm there - probably my first not-off-the-rack suits.

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