Men's Interview Clothing #3!

[tartandtangy]

Any thoughts on this tie? Is it too flashy? I am planning to wear a plain navy suit and either a plain white or lightly striped blue shirt. I'm looking for a patterned tie to break up the monotony!

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[ridethecliche]

What's the consensus on the cut and fit of the suit? I have two, one charcoal and one navy, both a slimmer, ludlow-style cut (https://www.jcrew.com/mens_feature/TheSuitShop/PRDOVR~A0536/99103268205/A0536.jsp). In fact the navy one is the suit linked. That's not too slim, right? I'm worried perhaps a more traditional fit is in order, but I don't have a more generously cut suit.

Fine but make sure the pants don't split when you sit.

I think its fine, its an interview, not a wedding. They won't pick on whether you wear a blutcher or an oxford, broguing or plain. Its not like most students have allen edmonds

I wouldn't wear wingtips to an interview. Austerity brogues...maybe, but probably not.

Tie width 3" or 3.5"? Reference: https://www.thetiebar.com/product/22109

As wide as your lapels.

 

[vantheman]

I have a navy suit that looks great with my brown leather shoes and belt. However, I don't want to look too flashy. Would it be more appropriate to wear black leather shoes and belt? Or does it matter? Thanks.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I have a navy suit that looks great with my brown leather shoes and belt. However, I don't want to look too flashy. Would it be more appropriate to wear black leather shoes and belt? Or does it matter? Thanks.

Brown is not flashy with navy.

Its the standard and appropriate.

Black doesn't look as good (but it really doesn't matter; we are talking style points not application points here).

 

[membername24]

any thoughts on double monks vs brouged shoes vs a classic cap toe? I'd love to get a pair of double monks but don't want to look unprofessional #menswear

edit: all brown with a navy suit

 

[Winged Scapula]

any thoughts on double monks vs brouged shoes vs a classic cap toe? I'd love to get a pair of double monks but don't want to look unprofessional #menswear

edit: all brown with a navy suit

Ugh no double monks please. You can wear them for more casual events.

Your shoes should have laces. Brogues are also probably too casual unless you go with quarter brogue.

 

[azzeh123]

.

 

[Oh_Gee]

It's not so much "conservative" as pleasing to the eye. A light shirt has more contrast with a dark suit.
Dark shirt and dark suit is too monolithic and reads a bit "gigolo."

what about a bright colored shirt contrasted with dark suit

 

[Winged Scapula]

what about a bright colored shirt contrasted with dark suit

You keep asking this - please show us what you mean by "bright".

Bright is not usually white or light blue (which has been stated as the recommended colors multiple times).

 

[Flashfan]

Colored shirts (bright turquoise, red, green, etc.) are not appropriate for a medical school interview.

 

[Oh_Gee]

You keep asking this - please show us what you mean by "bright".

Bright is not usually white or light blue (which has been stated as the recommended colors multiple times).

the one i have is slightly darker than this
http://www.express.com/clothing/men/extra-slim-1mx-stretch-cotton-shirt/pro/0306564/cat910028 (click on the bright purple one)
wish i could just upload a pic but my camera is out of commission

 

[gyngyn]

the one i have is slightly darker than this
http://www.express.com/clothing/men/extra-slim-1mx-stretch-cotton-shirt/pro/0306564/cat910028 (click on the bright purple one)
wish i could just upload a pic but my camera is out of commission

Bottle Blue: no.
Horizon blue: yes.

 

[Winged Scapula]

the one i have is slightly darker than this
http://www.express.com/clothing/men/extra-slim-1mx-stretch-cotton-shirt/pro/0306564/cat910028 (click on the bright purple one)
wish i could just upload a pic but my camera is out of commission

1) no stretch cotton
2) please no, not the bright purple one. Not even if yours is "slightly darker".

Like @gyngyn says, the only acceptable color is the Horizon Blue (and the white). For $60 a shirt, why not go to Brooks Brothers and buy 3 shirts for $229 which is just a touch more money and a lot more quality?

 

[Oh_Gee]

Bottle Blue: no.
Horizon blue: yes.

lol what about scuba?

 

[Oh_Gee]

1) no stretch cotton
2) please no, not the bright purple one. Not even if yours is "slightly darker".

Like @gyngyn says, the only acceptable color is the Horizon Blue (and the white). For $60 a shirt, why not go to Brooks Brothers and buy 3 shirts for $229 which is just a touch more money and a lot more quality?

never heard of brooks but i'll check it out. on clearance and sales, i can get the express shirts for ~$25

 

[gyngyn]

never heard of brooks but i'll check it out. on clearance and sales, i can get the express shirts for ~$25

Stretch cotton? For a dress shirt? What has the world come to?
There will be many times that being well-dressed is expected, go ahead and get a few really good shirts.

 

[Oh_Gee]

Stretch cotton? For a dress shirt? What has the world come to?
There will be many times that being well-dressed is expected, go ahead and get a few really good shirts.

i don't really know much about clothes. what's wrong with stretch cotton

 

[XeqtR]

I have to second the above. I own a couple of stretch cotton shirts from Express, they look and feel great. I have worn them to multiple professional settings and received nothing but compliments. They cost around $30 a piece after heavy couponing which doesn't break the bank either. I don't know of any premeds that can drop $250 on 3 shirts. Maybe one day though! Anyway, what is the issue with stretch cotton?

 

[gyngyn]

I have to second the above. I own a couple of stretch cotton shirts from Express, they look and feel great. I have worn them to multiple professional settings and received nothing but compliments. They cost around $30 a piece after heavy couponing which doesn't break the bank either. I don't know of any premeds that can drop $250 on 3 shirts. Maybe one day though! Anyway, what is the issue with stretch cotton?

i don't really know much about clothes. what's wrong with stretch cotton

Have you sent it to the laundry, yet?

 

[XeqtR]

I get them dry cleaned for about $2 a pop and so far have seen no issues

 

[Oh_Gee]

Have you sent it to the laundry, yet?

only dry cleaned it...

 

[gyngyn]

only dry cleaned it...

That will get pricey fast. It also becomes kind of "greasy" after a while.
A well made cotton shirt will look good for years.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Have you sent it to the laundry, yet?

Its also a little too "adherent" to the body.

I know that >$200 sounds like a lot for medical students but BB shirts can last you years if properly cared for; the ones from Express will not. Given the investment in applications and interviews, it seems like a small price if you don't already have something suitable.

 

[fancymylotus]

Holy f*** express shirts are terrible.

They have that super gross "sheen" look to them. The purple one doubles down with black buttons.

They are also terrible quality.

You should not dry clean cotton dress shirts.

Brooks brothers non-iron slim fit dress shirts. End thread. Last years, low maintenance, professional.

Jo's Banks traveller line is a more budget friendly option, ditto Charles tyrwhitt (sp?)

I recently started upgrading to Ledbury, but understand if that's out of budget.

Type the BB rec in size 25 font bolded

 

[p0gono]

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nordstr...ran-_-081615-_-dtc_order_confirm-_-proddescr1

$38.90..... not bad!

 

[fiesta]

Thoughts on these shoes (minus the red lacing) with a navy suit? I'm concerned it might be too light..

 

[XeqtR]

Holy f*** express shirts are terrible.

They have that super gross "sheen" look to them. The purple one doubles down with black buttons.

They are also terrible quality.

You should not dry clean cotton dress shirts.

Brooks brothers non-iron slim fit dress shirts. End thread. Last years, low maintenance, professional.

Jo's Banks traveller line is a more budget friendly option, ditto Charles tyrwhitt (sp?)

I recently started upgrading to Ledbury, but understand if that's out of budget.

Maybe my tastes simply haven't developed since I am still just an undergrad who doesn't own a single shirt over $50 (nor has the financial means to), but my first thought upon reading this post is: who cares? I've never met anyone in real life who gave a **** if a shirt was Express, Brooke Brothers, or Versace. In my opinion, if it looks presentable, that should be all that matters. I understand the "durability" argument to be made for different brands of shirts (obviously you want a product that lasts as long as possible), but a Rolex will be far more durable than a standard Citizen or Timex watch, yet nobody says anything anything about that. Maybe one day if I ever become an attending and have the financial means to make such purchases I will, but for an interview where money is already so tight, there is absolutely no way I or any other premed I know can justify spending $250 on 3 shirts. Simply no chance in hell of that ever happening. If I comb my hair, shave my beard, put on a nice tailored suit, make every effort to look presentable and professional, and my interviewer still has the audacity to judge me negatively for wearing a $30 Express stretch cotton shirt, he can go **** himself. That's just some otherworldly level of pretentiousness.

 

[gyngyn]

Maybe my tastes simply haven't developed since I am still just an undergrad who doesn't own a single shirt over $50 (nor has the financial means to), but my first thought upon reading this post is: who cares? I've never met anyone in real life who gave a **** if a shirt was Express, Brooke Brothers, or Versace. In my opinion, if it looks presentable, that should be all that matters. I understand the "durability" argument to be made for different brands of shirts (obviously you want a product that lasts as long as possible), but a Rolex will be far more durable than a standard Citizen or Timex watch, yet nobody says anything anything about that. Maybe one day if I ever become an attending and have the financial means to make such purchases I will, but for an interview where money is already so tight, there is absolutely no way I or any other premed I know can justify spending $250 on 3 shirts. Simply no chance in hell of that ever happening. If I comb my hair, shave my beard, put on a nice tailored suit, make every effort to look presentable and professional, and my interviewer still has the audacity to judge me negatively for wearing a $30 Express stretch cotton shirt, he can go **** himself. That's just some otherworldly level of pretentiousness.

This is a thread where we discuss best practices.
Can you get away with cheap junk that won't last through interview season? Sure.
Is giving good advice to those who ask for it pretentious, I think not.

 

[XeqtR]

This is a thread where we discuss best practices.
Can you get away with cheap junk that won't last through interview season? Sure.
Is giving good advice to those who ask for it pretentious, I think not.

I was not implying that you or anybody else here was being pretentious, in fact, I am grateful that you guys all go out of your way to offer advice to the people asking for it here. My comment was a general blanket statement directed towards anyone that actually holds the beliefs I mentioned above.

 

[p0gono]

This is a thread where we discuss best practices.
Can you get away with cheap junk that won't last through interview season? Sure.
Is giving good advice to those who ask for it pretentious, I think not.

The advice is much appreciated, thank you!

With that said, I understood the poster to mean the interviewers who judge are pretentious, not the messenger of such judgment.

 

[gyngyn]

The advice is much appreciated, thank you!

With that said, I understood the poster to mean the interviewers who judge are pretentious, not the messenger of such judgment.

I guess this is a good point to mention that the interviewers are charged with judging.
Dress is but one of the many ways we present ourselves.
Knowing what is expected of us is an important aspect of this process.
Exploring what is expected in dress after spending so much time studying and perfecting the application only makes sense.

 

[XeqtR]

Exploring what is expected in dress after spending so much time studying and perfecting the application only makes sense.

So you're saying the "expected" form of dress for a medical school interview is a $98 Brooks Brothers shirt?

Edit: Really don't mean to sound argumentative, but the thought just blows my mind

 

[gyngyn]

So you're saying the "expected" form of dress for a medical school interview is a $98 Brooks Brothers shirt?

Not necessarily. But it should be clean, appropriate in color and texture, well fitting and if possible it should last you through more than two launderings.

 

[adev900]

I agree with everything up to the photos.
Just cut it for interview season!
A man-bun is acceptable for really long hair (at least on the west coast).
No scruff, ever (as noted).

 

[gyngyn]

How about trimmed/nicely lined up beards? I understand going clean shave is the safest option, but what if looks wise you go from a 6 to like an 8 or 9?

This is not tinder, it's a medical school interview.

 

[XeqtR]

No. But it should be clean, appropriate in color and texture, well fitting and if possible it should last you through more than two launderings.

Fair enough, I guess this is just a sore subject for me because I believe fashion sense should not play a factor in admissions decisions. I mean, I totally understand if one guy shows up wearing some ridiculous sweater vest like pictured above and gets judged for it. But if two people are wearing the exact same pale blue shirt, except one is a $100 BB shirt, and the other is a $30 Express shirt, chances are that it was financial means rather than "Knowing what is expected of us is an important aspect of this process" that was the deciding factor there.

 

[gyngyn]

Fair enough, I guess this is just a sore subject for me because I believe fashion sense should not play a factor in admissions decisions. I mean, I totally understand if one guy shows up wearing some ridiculous sweater vest like pictured above and gets judged for it. But if two people are wearing the exact same pale blue shirt, except one is a $100 BB shirt, and the other is a $30 Express shirt, chances are that it was financial means rather than "Knowing what is expected of us is an important aspect of this process" that was the deciding factor there.

You will then be delighted to hear that professional dressing is the opposite of fashion.
Even the poorest of applicants (as I once was), can research and find bargains for good quality clothes.

 

[username456789]

The thing is the express shirt is NOT the same.

You'd be better off witha $20 store brand JC Penneys shirt.

Express shirts look like some **** that belongs on a Jersey meathead in the club, not a professional on a job interview.

People have provided plenty of alternatives at a reasonable price point. I mentioned Charles Tyrwhitt which just this weekend was having a 3/99 deal.

Agreed with this. Express shirts are uniformly terrible. That's not to say you can't get solid shirts for as much or less. You just have to have a sense of what is appropriate, which is what this thread attempts to help you with.

Hell, I'm one of the biggest menswear snobs on here, but a decade ago when I was applying to medical school I wore Chaps brand suit separates and a light blue Van Heusen shirt I got from Kohls. The shirt sleeves were too long and the suit jacket was at least one size too big. The pants fit around the waist but made me look like MC Hammer. Looking back, I probably looked like most other applicants, and it certainly didn't seem to hurt my application as I had quite a few acceptances. But that's not to say that I wouldn't have done things a bit differently if I could go back.

 

[XeqtR]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I was confused at why the Express shirts were looked down upon; I thought it was just because they were cheap, but it seems that the actual reason is that they are just not appropriate for interview attire. Thank you all for clarifying that.

 

[username456789]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I was confused at why the Express shirts were looked down upon; I thought it was just because they were cheap, but it seems that the actual reason is that they are just not appropriate for interview attire. Thank you all for clarifying that.

The Express shirts are gawdy colors (those bright neon or oversaturated hues are very poor choices for any type of dress shirt) and the fabric almost has a metallic sheen. The fit can be nice for people with slim or athletic figures, but they (Express) get almost every other single part of the shirt wrong.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I was confused at why the Express shirts were looked down upon; I thought it was just because they were cheap, but it seems that the actual reason is that they are just not appropriate for interview attire. Thank you all for clarifying that.

It was not the price at all. Work wear doesn't have to be expensive.

As a matter of fact, I wore a cute shell from Target to the office on Friday.

The Express men's shirts are inappropriate for interview but we were making sport of them for lots of other reasons.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thoughts on these shoes (minus the red lacing) with a navy suit? I'm concerned it might be too light..

View attachment 195423

The color isn't the issue here.

The welt is too big, giving it a casual look.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I was confused at why the Express shirts were looked down upon; I thought it was just because they were cheap, but it seems that the actual reason is that they are just not appropriate for interview attire. Thank you all for clarifying that.

Oh and it doesn't have to be new. If you know your size and have a good tailor, you can pick up some used items on line. @ridethecliche has a seasoned eye for menswear and has found many "preloved" items which became work wear appropriate with some tailoring.

 

[jaw93]

I know that the dominant wisdom is charcoal gray or navy. I have read a lot of the recent suggestions and was wondering what the thought of a blue-gray suit like this one? I really, really want to wear something like this instead of navy
http://www.josbank.com/joseph-slim-fit-2-button-cotton-suit-with-plain-front-trousers-3JRD

 

[fiesta]

The color isn't the issue here.

The welt is too big, giving it a casual look.

Thanks for the response! Slowly learning the basics of formal dress.

 

[jaw93]

Color is likely fine but the cotton wool blend will (a) look more casual and (b) wrinkle super easy

Thanks for the reply! I double checked and realized I posted the wrong suit. The one I'm looking at is 100% wool and slightly more gray. Here's the link: http://www.josbank.com/joseph-slim-fit-2-button-suits-with-plain-front-trousers-3EPV

I just can't decide between black or brown leathers. Brown would look so good in my opinion, but black is obviously the more conservative choice

 

[jaw93]

Brown

Thanks for the help!

 

[ridethecliche]

Thoughts on these shoes (minus the red lacing) with a navy suit? I'm concerned it might be too light..

View attachment 195423

I would not wear saddle shoes. Too casual.

Oh and it doesn't have to be new. If you know your size and have a good tailor, you can pick up some used items on line. @ridethecliche has a seasoned eye for menswear and has found many "preloved" items which became work wear appropriate with some tailoring.

You need to know your size for this or have a jacket that fits.

Google how to measure a jacket and look at the link that pops up on ask Andy.

 

[whitemagic]

Maybe this has already been addressed elsewhere on this thread, but thoughts on tie clips? Are they okay or are they in the same group as handkerchiefs/pocket squares?

 

[DokterMom]

I know that the dominant wisdom is charcoal gray or navy. I have read a lot of the recent suggestions and was wondering what the thought of a blue-gray suit like this one? I really, really want to wear something like this instead of navy
http://www.josbank.com/joseph-slim-fit-2-button-cotton-suit-with-plain-front-trousers-3JRD

Also their tagline "Our slimmest suit yet!" is an indication that the cut is unlikely to be appropriate. (Unless you're really, really thin and 'the slimmest suit yet' fits you like a regular suit fits an average-shaped body.)