Buying a suit for interviews: OK to buy from banana republic?

[zinfamous]

I'd say button number depends more on your build. But if it's a conservative stuffed-shirt affair, probably best to go 2 button.

I buy a lot of stuff from BR (cheap when on sale), and overall I'd have to say that the quality is not that great. I tend to like how BR suits look on the rack, but I've never tried one on--mainly b/c I wouldn't want to spend that kind of money there, based on my experience with their quality. If you have a Sims outlet near you (or is it SIMS?), check that out. they have lots of great deals on some decent suits within your budget.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Tailored. Men's Whorehouse isn't bad. You can usually find a good combo deal to stretch the use of a single suit.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I hear Trump buys his suits at Banana Republic.

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I hear Trump buys his suits at Banana Republic.

rofl, yeah, sure.

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: rpbri2886
I buy all my dress shirts and suits at the Brooks Brothers outlet.

You can get some great deals if you catch them at the right time. I believe I got 2 suits, 3 shirts, and 3 ties from them for $600 last year.

The outlet stuff is of lesser quality. The fabric is usually lighter but if you look well enough you can find some awesome deals.

 

[dirtboy]

If you know your size, you can get good deals on nice suits from Overstock. Just have the pants hemmed after you get the suit.

 

[EvilYoda]

Originally posted by: dirtboy
If you know your size, you can get good deals on nice suits from Overstock. Just have the pants hemmed after you get the suit.

Pants hemmed, waist adjusted, crotch adjusted, sleeves adjusted and almost most importantly, the waist of the coat.

Tailoring a suit should not be a simple process.

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda

Originally posted by: dirtboy
If you know your size, you can get good deals on nice suits from Overstock. Just have the pants hemmed after you get the suit.

Pants hemmed, waist adjusted, crotch adjusted, sleeves adjusted and almost most importantly, the waist of the coat.

Tailoring a suit should not be a simple process.

I happen to fit off the rack quite nicely. And yes I've bought suits at high end stores and custom tailored suits, so I know what I'm talking about.

Which is why I said... "If you know your size..." He can still get it tailored to whatever extent you feel he needs regardless of whom he buys from.

 

[SoLiDus88]

All you need is four suits (if you have to wear one all the time): navy blue, navy blue pinstripe, dark gray, dark gray pinstripe.

 

[teddyv]

Brooks Brothers FTW

Second that - go to a Brooks at an Outlet, you can get a decent suit for $350. Brooks lets you buy the pants separate from the jacket to ensure the best fit and least amount of tailoring.

Absolutely NO on a black suit.

Go plain dark gray suit, white shirt, nice striped tie, and decent shoes. No cufflinks, no braces, no tie tacks, leave the jewelry at home. Nothing sticks out more than a cheap suit or cheap shoes (stop by the Bostonian store at the outlet and get a nice pair of traditional black dress shoes, the kind with leather sole and heal, for under $100.)

 

[LS20]

buy my brooks brothers gift card!

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: teddyv

Brooks Brothers FTW

Second that - go to a Brooks at an Outlet, you can get a decent suit for $350. Brooks lets you buy the pants separate from the jacket to ensure the best fit and least amount of tailoring.

Absolutely NO on a black suit.

Go plain dark gray suit, white shirt, nice striped tie, and decent shoes. No cufflinks, no braces, no tie tacks, leave the jewelry at home. Nothing sticks out more than a cheap suit or cheap shoes (stop by the Bostonian store at the outlet and get a nice pair of traditional black dress shoes, the kind with leather sole and heal, for $50.)

I love wearing nice cufflinks. I have the Tiffany Knots that my wife gave me on our wedding day, then my Bull and Bear ones she gave me for my bank interview. Cufflinks give you a nice look if you are interviewing for the right job, but a hack if not.

I wouldn't wear them if I was interviewing for any corp. finance job.

Agree on everything else. I am waiting for the BB christmas sale to pick up 2 more suits. 650 suits off of the 1818 rack!

 

[phatj]

Hey guys and gals,

This has been an extremely helpful thread. I think I'll go with a dark gray suit, white shirt, red tie... I'm a poor college kid, so I can't afford any nice jewelry, especially given the $$ I'm dishing out for this suit. There is a Brooks Brothers outlet about 45 min away from me, so perhaps I should check that out... same for men's warehouse. And I definitely need to get this thing tailored well - taken in at the waist, specifically - since I'm thin (6'1", 165lb)... Buying online would definitely save me some dough, but I am not entirely sure what size I wear (I know it's somewhere around a 40R/40L or 41R/41L, 32" waist... but I'm not sure enough to order online... especially considering that the jacket's shoulders cannot be adjusted much, from what I've read... so if the shoulders are too large for me, I have an expensive blanket).

Again, AWESOME thread for anyone looking to buy a suit.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: phatj
I was close to buying a suit from Banana Republic this weekend... All black, 100% wool. However, a couple of friends I was with insisted that department stores will have higher quality suits that will wear better...

I don't know anything about buying suits... but I'm assuming a few of the thousands of ATOT'ers out here do. So do you have any tips?

The suit at BR was about $200 out the door (jacket and pants). I found a niiiice one at Brooks Brothers, but that was way out of my budget.

Thanks!


edit: I should add that I'm pretty thin, and the thing I liked about the BR suit is that it fit really well - but of course, I could always get the suit tailored.

PS: 2-button or 3-button for conservative interview?

imo jos bank suits a pretty nice esp if you can catch them in a sale. usually 199-230 get you a nice suit but alterations cost too, sadly

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: tanishalfelven

Originally posted by: phatj
I was close to buying a suit from Banana Republic this weekend... All black, 100% wool. However, a couple of friends I was with insisted that department stores will have higher quality suits that will wear better...

I don't know anything about buying suits... but I'm assuming a few of the thousands of ATOT'ers out here do. So do you have any tips?

The suit at BR was about $200 out the door (jacket and pants). I found a niiiice one at Brooks Brothers, but that was way out of my budget.

Thanks!


edit: I should add that I'm pretty thin, and the thing I liked about the BR suit is that it fit really well - but of course, I could always get the suit tailored.

PS: 2-button or 3-button for conservative interview?

imo jos bank suits a pretty nice esp if you can catch them in a sale. usually 199-230 get you a nice suit but alterations cost too, sadly

I haven't heard anything good about the longevity of JAB suits. Most say they wear faster, look worse faster, and are generally not made to stand up to time. What's your experience?

 

[Chryso]

Originally posted by: phatj
Thank you everyone! Just to reply to everyone's post.. my budget is $300 MAX... I'm a broke college student... and yes it needs to be black (interviewing for very conservative position, not funeral director though).

jb

Really? Black? I would go dark gray or navy.

 

[udonoogen]

Originally posted by: Chryso

Originally posted by: phatj
Thank you everyone! Just to reply to everyone's post.. my budget is $300 MAX... I'm a broke college student... and yes it needs to be black (interviewing for very conservative position, not funeral director though).

jb

Really? Black? I would go dark gray or navy.

dark gray. or black maybe with subtle pinstripes.

 

[daniel1113]

Never EVER wear a black suit for a job interview. I don't care what job it is.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com

Read up. You have much to learn.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Never EVER wear a black suit for a job interview. I don't care what job it is.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com

Read up. You have much to learn.

Please. Talk to a recruiter, they don't give a shit WHAT you wear as long as it's presentable and in-line with company expectations.

Grey/Black/Blue. You think wearing a black suit instead of charcoal grey is going to stop you from getting a job if you're adequately qualified?

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Never EVER wear a black suit for a job interview. I don't care what job it is.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com

Read up. You have much to learn.

Please. Talk to a recruiter, they don't give a shit WHAT you wear as long as it's presentable and in-line with company expectations.

Grey/Black/Blue. You think wearing a black suit instead of charcoal grey is going to stop you from getting a job if you're adequately qualified?

Have you ever talked to one? I have been placed at 2 Fortune 20 companies and a large international i-bank (one of the top 10 banks in the world), by high-end recruiters. While all knew that I knew what I was doing, all reiterated that I shouldn't wear anything but a dark grey suit.

It shows a lot that you can dress correctly in the appropriate environments. Making good decisions about how to present yourself conveys correct impressions. You get one time only do make a first impression and adhering to the common acceptable practices of the situation.

 

[CptObvious]

I would go with the $200 BR suit over any other suit in that range. I believe they normally run about $475? I've comparison-shopped at Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, S&K Men's Wear, Brooks Brothers Outlet, and all the department stores (Macy's, JCPenney's, etc.) and nothing under $500 holds a candle to the BR suit. Not that the BR suit is that great, but at least they make an effort to make the jacket wear like a modern suit jacket should (waist suppression, higher armholes, thinner shoulder padding, etc.). I'm not a fan of the BR suit pants (cut too baggy IMO), but even then they are cut slimmer than most department store suits I've seen.

Having a suit jacket tailored, esp. something major like having the waist taken in, is not cheap. I was quoted about $80 just to have the sleeves shortened. Not only that but it's going to throw off the original shape of the jacket.

Either 2 or 3 button suit is fine. 2 is probably slightly more traditional for business but 3 isn't going to deny you a job offer.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Lets talk shoes here folks as you have beat up the suit enough:

Ensure your belt matches your shoes. Ensure your belt is newer and not cracked or deformed. Ensure your shoes are well shined, please wear lace ups, not loafers. I'd prefer you go with a leather soled shoe but your budget is limited.

Can't go wrong with black shoes & black belt with either nickel or gold buckle.


Wearing a quality suit that is well tailored will give you a confidence boost! Not a bad thing to have at an interview.

Oh, and I agree. Either charcoal grey or navy blue suit. White shirt on a first interview is a must as well. Conservative tie, no crazy patterns.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: LegendKiller

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Never EVER wear a black suit for a job interview. I don't care what job it is.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com

Read up. You have much to learn.

Please. Talk to a recruiter, they don't give a shit WHAT you wear as long as it's presentable and in-line with company expectations.

Grey/Black/Blue. You think wearing a black suit instead of charcoal grey is going to stop you from getting a job if you're adequately qualified?

Have you ever talked to one? I have been placed at 2 Fortune 20 companies and a large international i-bank (one of the top 10 banks in the world), by high-end recruiters. While all knew that I knew what I was doing, all reiterated that I shouldn't wear anything but a dark grey suit.

It shows a lot that you can dress correctly in the appropriate environments. Making good decisions about how to present yourself conveys correct impressions. You get one time only do make a first impression and adhering to the common acceptable practices of the situation.

Yeah I have. So you're telling me if you could (theoretically) bring another company 5m in revenues a year, they would NOT hire you because you wore a black suit instead of dark gray? Please. Stop now.

I would dare say that the following would more likely preclude you from employment

- poor social skills
- poor critical thinking skills
- saying something completely retarded
- being underqualified
- being an asshole
- not shaving
- being late
- eating like a pig
- nervous habits
- poor self confidence
- being overqualified

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Jos bank are pretty decent. I have not looked at BR suits in a while, but they are usually a more euro cut, which is bad for an ultra conservative interview (like a bank or a law firm).

If you want to be 100% safe, get a hugo boss on sale at Nordstrom or Bloomingdales. There are usually HUGE sales around Black Friday if you can wait that long.

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis

Originally posted by: LegendKiller

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis

Originally posted by: daniel1113
Never EVER wear a black suit for a job interview. I don't care what job it is.

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com

Read up. You have much to learn.

Please. Talk to a recruiter, they don't give a shit WHAT you wear as long as it's presentable and in-line with company expectations.

Grey/Black/Blue. You think wearing a black suit instead of charcoal grey is going to stop you from getting a job if you're adequately qualified?

Have you ever talked to one? I have been placed at 2 Fortune 20 companies and a large international i-bank (one of the top 10 banks in the world), by high-end recruiters. While all knew that I knew what I was doing, all reiterated that I shouldn't wear anything but a dark grey suit.

It shows a lot that you can dress correctly in the appropriate environments. Making good decisions about how to present yourself conveys correct impressions. You get one time only do make a first impression and adhering to the common acceptable practices of the situation.

Yeah I have. So you're telling me if you could (theoretically) bring another company 5m in revenues a year, they would NOT hire you because you wore a black suit instead of dark gray? Please. Stop now.

I would dare say that the following would more likely preclude you from employment

- poor social skills
- poor critical thinking skills
- saying something completely retarded
- being underqualified
- being an asshole
- not shaving
- being late
- eating like a pig
- nervous habits
- poor self confidence
- being overqualified

It depends, what's the competitive environment? How do I distinguish myself? Do I want to look out of place? Am I otherwise just as skilled as everybody else, but I walk in as the only person with a black suit?

There's a lot of questions there, one thing can differentiate you from the rest of that pack. If that one thing is a black suit and everybody *KNOWS* you aren't supposed to wear one, you end up looking like a dipshit.