Entry level Attire....

right…the one thing i forgot to write about was SHOES – pick up a good pair of very conservative black shoes (think captoe, with perforation optional). i think getting a good pair of alden or allen edmonds (like the park avenue or hale) is about as conservative and standard as you can get, and well in your price range ($300-350). you get a ton of wear out of these and they look good…and people on the street know them when they see them. definitely have to get a good pair of shoes as they can last you for years (and for multiple job promotions) and you will not get tired of wearing them also, good call by Young_Prof on askandyaboutclothes…don’t be intimidated because a lot of people there are pretty intense and knowledgable about all things bespoke, but you will learn a lot just by reading through the posts if you care about style

Dress like you deserve to deal with peoples money. That does not mean goign out and spending 4K on a custom Zegna but a $150 special from mens warehouse will definitly not do if you are serious about presenting a credible and respectable image. The one ething I have leared is that peopel are visual creatures and that first impressions count. How you look( within reason) plays an enourmous role in how seroiusly peopel take you and how they will remeber you. IF you look good and have your S&*T together you will really make an impression that lasts. This is shallow but use it to your advantage! If you are goign through job fairs, entry level job interviews etc the HR people will see dozens if not hundreds of people just like you every day. People like other people that are similar to them. If you are interviewing for financial positions it is a good bet that the person interviweing you and the person making the decison about hiring you will be wearing a good suit, shirt tie combo so invest the money and dress like them (familiarity breeds trust, trust leads to offers even if you stumble in the interview). Go to a reasonable mens wear store ( Harry Rozen/Jack Singer etc if in Canada, I know you are in the US but some CDN read here too) and tell the sales person your story. IF they are pros they will point you to a good but reasonale priced suit ( if they try to sell you the “armani” run!, you are dealing with an idiot) and ensemble. When you land the job, go out and pick up another suit and enough shirts and ties to ensure no one notices that you only have two suits ( white and blue are best). After six months get a third suit, one year from there another etc until you have five and thn when you buy your once yearly good suit ( expect to pay 1000 minimum), retire the oldest one in your closet. Remeber reasoale shoes, no need for prada etc rockport/ bostonian will do nicely if you care for them and buy a good belt lt it will last for 4-5 years. If you have freakishly long arms like me sometime lookign in China town for a shirt maker can be a huge find. You will have to take soe risk but a clean shop with contemporary fabrics is a good indicatior. —Just my bit—

This helps not > only in the office, but also on the subway when a > hot chick sizes you up (she either starts at the > shoes or the head, but it’s always 1-2 in order). > Trust me, wearing cheap or beat up shoes will blow > all credibiltity with both men and women, so don’t > do it. Next, I think there is sometimes too much > emphasis placed on brands. as a woman who regularly take the subway, i dont care about the shoes. a lot of people (guys included) leave a pair at their desk… especially for those bad weather days. however, it does irritate me to see a someone wearing brown shoes with a black suit and vice versa… no matter how nice the shoes are. i am a fan of a good looking guy in a good looking suit on the subway though. go for it. buy something nice that you feel confident in.

“however, it does irritate me to see a someone wearing brown shoes with a black suit and vice versa” i do hope that doesn’t include blue suit with brown shoes… who wears black before 8pm anyway?

I totally agree with you CCM. Last January I had an interview for my current job. (The job is in Bermuda by the way). The company was flying me down and paying for a nice hotel for a couple days to interview me. Being fairly young I didn’t really own a good suit, just one I had for special occasions that I had picked up for a few hundred bucks. So I went down to Harry Rosen’s (in Toronto) and told the Salesman about my interview. He hooked me up with a Hugo Boss Navy Blue suit that fit like a glove…cost me 1000 bucks though. The irony is that when I showed up for the interview the director of my department who was interviewing me was wearing shorts (some offices are very casual down here). Needless to say I felt a little overdressed but I did make a stellar first impression.

Turkish Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > “however, it does irritate me to see a someone > wearing brown shoes with a black suit and vice > versa” > > i do hope that doesn’t include blue suit with > brown shoes… > > who wears black before 8pm anyway? I second that. I only wear brown shoes with blue suits.

Brown shoes can be fine with a gray suit, although it depends very much on the shade of brown and the shade of gray.

PMwannaB Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I totally agree with you CCM. > > Last January I had an interview for my current > job. (The job is in Bermuda by the way). The > company was flying me down and paying for a nice > hotel for a couple days to interview me. Being > fairly young I didn’t really own a good suit, just > one I had for special occasions that I had picked > up for a few hundred bucks. So I went down to > Harry Rosen’s (in Toronto) and told the Salesman > about my interview. He hooked me up with a Hugo > Boss Navy Blue suit that fit like a glove…cost > me 1000 bucks though. > > The irony is that when I showed up for the > interview the director of my department who was > interviewing me was wearing shorts (some offices > are very casual down here). Needless to say I > felt a little overdressed but I did make a stellar > first impression. Hey PMwannaB, did you get the job in bermuda through Squires? or did you find it on your own? I would like to work don there for a couple of years ( 4% tax, warm weather) but i noticed that cost of living is VERY high (minimum $3000 month for 1 bedroom apt, etc) i’m sure there are many employers that offer subsidies though. What are your thoughts, and suggestions for someoen wanting to go down there, I mean what should be the minimum salary for it to be worth it.

I went through Squires. You can get a one BDR for about 2000 +. It is very expensive down here. The salarys start at about 60K + bonus (almost tax free) for entry level in an OPS type role. If you are junior exec and above there can be living allowances which are generous. Most ex-pats here drive scooters so you don’t have a car payment. All in all the money is very good even with the crazy prices. 70K tax free is like 100K in Toronto. Expenses are higher but you are not blowing money on a car and going out for drinks is about the same price as dowtown Toronto. I haven’t really met anyone down here who isn’t happy with their decision to come down for a few years.

burgundy is the only way to fly with a navy suit.

Depends on the shop you are going to. At mine it’s mostly Brooks Brothers shirts, ties, and suits. If you’re looking for deals there, check out their Christmas and Fathers Day sales, 30% off. Additionally, if you live by an outlet mall you can usually pick up shirts for 3/150. The fabric is a little more thin, but they are still good quality. During their sale periods you can get a nice suit for ~680 tax included. I have several and have never had a problem. Shoes? Others have suggested Allen Edmonds, which I agree with. Johnston Murphy makes good shoes also, sometimes a bit cheaper, but don’t get any of their $100 shoes. Frankly, don’t get any shoe under $200. People think that’s nuts, but once you break them in you can resole them many times. A AE or JM resole is ~90-115, depending on the amount of stuff you do. They can completely refurbish and make them look brand new. A good shoe that goes through a cycle of 2 resoles, 1 refurbish, will last decades. Always remember to have a pair of rubber-soled shoes for when things are nasty outside. Otherwise, stick to leather soles.

I once saw a shoe description that pointed out: Shoes < $100: will last about a year and look old after 4 months Shoes around $200 will last about 4 years and look old after 2 Shoes >$400 will last a lifetime and never look old if well cared for. Good shoes are worth spending good money on, but don’t forget TO MAKE SURE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE. My most comfortable shoes are Cole Haans, which were not excessively expensive, look nice, and are several times more comfortable than any other dress shoe I have.

>Shoes? Others have suggested Allen Edmonds, which >I agree with. Johnston Murphy makes good shoes > also, sometimes a bit cheaper, but don’t get any I bought a pair of Johnson and Murphys, and the quality was crap. Wore like a Kenneth Cole Shoe. My favorite (and I don’t have the cash to drop crazy money on stuff) is a pair of Ferragammos. High quality build, very comfortable. They were about $300, marked down to $219 for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (Fall Preview Sale).

agree with dieselbp67, though to be fair i think j&m is still above kenneth cole. those things are pretty bulky and compared to a real dress shoe, they feel like bricks around your feet. i don’t own any j&m but they are a notch below AE and are visibly not as durable or well-crafted. for the conservative shoe even for an average budget, i stick to my recommendations for alden and allen edmonds. and definitely make sure you get fitted in the store, as the most important part of the shoes are the last and a good-fitting last should enable the shoe to fit like a sock. these will run you in the $300-400 range but you can find them on sale sometimes. either way, they are well worth the money and while you may not necesarily be wowed by the modernity of the fashion (you probably won’t be), you are interviewing for a conservative job so you shouldn’t have any qualms about the conservative look. i also like the ferragamo tramezza line if you are willing to spend more ($500-700)…they are a little more modern in their appearance and also have a respectable line of balmorals and bluchers as well.

I here ferragamo’s are HUGE in chelsea… I think John Allen’s is pretty popular there too…

IMHO - never ever ever ever buy a plain black suit. Black with pinstripes…thats fine. But straight up black…too funeral for the office. The BSDs over at ibankinoasis.com agree with me

I think I have a pair of hushpuppies on right now, but I’m not sure. That Kenneth Cole’s a little too rich for my blood

lol randall

Wow, lots of interesting advice! I come from an upbringing that pretty much considers $100 slacks, $200 blazers and the like more than enough- not that we are poor, but there are really no people in business in my family. But I am the exact opposite in my tastes. I do like to treat myself when I have the needs (which I don’t really have to a huge extent yet). I don’t care what I wear at home, but with this stuff I guess I am a little materialistic. So I appreciate the great amount of brand and selection advice on here! A lot I will go over again, but I did catch that Hugo Boss is made for bigger guys? I am 6-2, and 215. Would this fit my category or not so much? Thanks!

Well, I disagree with much the above advice. I work at an investment bank and would never spend more than $40 on a shirt - I buy my clothes on sale and am usually can find decent quality for around $25-30. I don’t even want to say how much my interview suit cost. IMO nobody cares what you wear as long as you look neat and presentable.