2008-2009 Interview clothing thread

[CancerKiller007]

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As if we do not have enough to worry about with the interviews itself, we have one more factor to worry about: look all professional.

I am sure all of us know what to wear and what not to wear for the interviews. I just wanted to start a thread that is similar to pre-allo (but they are crazy and are way side tracked).

I will start. I have 3 professional set of clothes. As most of the interviews are two days, I have two different suits and one blazer.

1) gray wool suit, sky blue cotton shirt, and solid silk red tie (My friends told me that I look like an old senator. Being close to DC and infatuated with politics, I am sure I am subconsciously influenced by their dress style...I hope I am not influenced by their ethics or I will be broke)

2) dark blue stripes, white cotton shirt, and solid silk blue tie

3) dark blue blazer, navy blue shirt, and gold and dark blue stripe tie

I am still in market for black shoes and black belt. We shall see if i can find a good deal.

I will post pics as soon as I get my suits back from the tailor next week.

So what are you guys and gals wearing to the interviews?

 

[Fabricationary]

My username is kinda gender-ambiguous, so I should clarify before I start that I'm a gal 😉.

I still need to buy a bunch of stuff, which I won't be doing until I have at least one interview invitation in-hand or in-inbox.

Planned outfits:
1) (still need to find, buy, and have altered if needed): new suit. black or very dark gray matching pants and blazer. Hopefully with some personality. One or two brightly-colored shells to wear underneath the blazer, if the suit does not come with its own. Pointy-toed dress shoes, either flats or with a small heel. Black professional-looking tote to carry along.

I *hope* to buy this whole outfit for $300 or under.

2) back-up suit (for extended interviewing). I've had this one since my senior year of high school. black pants and blazer, pinstriped. Lime green shell. Probably with the same shoes and tote I'll use for the other suit.

3) non-suit formal outfit (for dinners, tours, presentations, other non-interview events). button-down blouse or dressy top. dress pants. perhaps a more flashy shoe than with the suit. maybe with a blazer, maybe not, depending on the shirt/weather.

Planned additional clothing:
1) Cold-weather coat - wool or wool-blend long coat. I think I have one in black.

2) Lighter weather jacket (in case I have spring interviews in warmer weather) - lighter trench-coat-type. Will buy/scrounge up if needed. I got a bright red one on deep discount for under $10 at Sears, but it wrinkles easily, and I don't want to be mistaken for Carmen Sandiego, lol.

 

[jdeng87]

hey fabricationary! im a girlie too (represent! woop woop lol) and i thinkim going for a skirt suit (but will buy the matching pant as well just in case i decide that interviews in NY in the winter are too unbearable in skirt lol) . i heard that it is safer since our interviewers may be super traditional... so thats just a thought since you were considering something else. i am going for a light grey skirt suit... black heels and a colored (not like white or blue but maybe deep purple? idk haven't decided) shirt. i also have a long ivory color wool coat.. goes past my knees. my main problem is that idk what to get for the non-interviews. i guess i should have different things for tours v. on campus activity v. dinner/bar/whatever with the current students.

also with regards to shoes.. i found a really great pair of heels (pointy toe but not much) from ALDO.. about 70 bucks. not kitten heel but medium size.. super comfortable if you get the terry cloth inserts and definitely walkable! also if you have a store nearby.. you can go into the store and buy it directly (obv) or if they dont have something you can ask the store to order it to your house so you dont have to pay shipping!

also.. what do you mean by shell? ig uess since im a girl ishould know but i dont lol

 

[britishmafia]

I have two suits.. one black with thin pinstripes and the other dark blue with thin pinstripes. I have a few shirts.. blue, white, gold, red, and lavender.

With respect to ties, I have a purple tie, black tie with bold pink/blue/purple/gold stripes, faded green tie with gold/blue/orange stripes, and a baby blue tie with dark blue stripes.

My only shoes are black, which shouldn't be too much of a problem.


For evenings, such as when we go out to dinner with other MD/PhD's, what do you plan to wear?

 

[Coolios]

I mean, I generally think of it in terms of the business formality tiers for men (all my *OPINION*):

Business Casual: Blazer or other sport coat (tweed or herringbone), slacks (maybe khakis if you want to go a little more casual), and either a white or colored undershirt. In terms of shoes, you can generally forego the hard black leather for something nice but a little softer, say a pair of Rockports or brown leather shoes (should still match socks and belt). Tie may or may not be optional depending on the situation, but if you have to wear one, you can get away with a wide range (solid, striped, dotted, etc, as long as it doesnt look silly). For an interview dinner or outing, I would stick to the business casual tier.

Business Semi-Formal: This is your traditional business dress. Suit and tie are the gold standard and should be rigorously adhered to in this setting. IMHO, a solid suit (always dark grey, black, or navy; other colors are probably too casual) is a little less corporate looking than pinstripes, but that's mostly personal taste. You also want to do two-button. Three-button suits were in in the 90s, but the general concensus is that they're out now. Not a huge fashion faux pas, but if you have the option, go two-button. Within semi-formal there are more- and less-formal options. For an interview, you always want to go toward the more formal end. I've been told that at an interview you always want to go solid white shirt. Colored shirts with a suit are fine for the more casual side of semi-formal (every day at the office), but you want to be looking your sharpest for the interview itself. You also want to make sure your shirt does NOT have buttons on the lapel tips. This is fine for business casual, but unless youre a southern colonel, should probably be avoided in the semiformal setting. Ties are a little more restricted for semi-formal. There's a lot of talk about the necessity of a "power tie." What a power tie is, according to most definitions I'm familiar with, is an either red or yellow-background regimental (slightly diagnonal but mostly horizontally striped) thick tie (european-style thin neckties have been appearing on shelves lately; eschew them). The traditional is red, but yellow has been making headway. I take this with a grain of salt; I think most any solid, striped, or tastefully patterned tie will work. Always silk, never polyester for the tie, and you can probably get away with either a full- or half-windsor knot. Shoes should be black and hard leather; belt and socks should match shoes.

Formal: This is black tie (tuxedo). Unless the med school is throwing a ball for you, you're probably not gonna run into this.

My interview outfit has traditionally been a solid charcoal suit (~$300 from men's wearhouse), solid white shirt ($16 from JCPenny or the local Van Heusen Outlet), my favorite bright red tie with regimental-pattern black stripes ($12 from...Macy's?), and Bostonian black hard leather shoes ($60 from JCPenny). Just a benchmark. You could easily put together an equivalent outfit for i'd say 275 or maybe even 250 total. If anything here was unclear please feel free to PM me. Men's fashion is something of a hobby of mine.

Stay classy, SDN 😎

 

[CancerKiller007]

What do you guys think? I was thinking about wearing a khakhi with dark blue shirt for non interview events such as MSTP dinner or tour of the city etc. Any thoughts?

BTW, Coolios thanks for the info. I am self-prescribed fashion offender. Hopefully, I wont make errors after reading your post

 

[CancerKiller007]

I have two suits.. one black with thin pinstripes and the other dark blue with thin pinstripes. I have a few shirts.. blue, white, gold, red, and lavender.

With respect to ties, I have a purple tie, black tie with bold pink/blue/purple/gold stripes, faded green tie with gold/blue/orange stripes, and a baby blue tie with dark blue stripes.

My only shoes are black, which shouldn't be too much of a problem.


For evenings, such as when we go out to dinner with other MD/PhD's, what do you plan to wear?

Britishmafia, for some reasons I thought you were female..may be b/c of the cat in your icon. It would have been a shock when I see you in Nebraska in December LOL!

As for the evening attire, I am thinking about sticking with dark shirt and slack (I am not sure if I could go with Khakhi) and blazer. No tie

 

[RapplixGmed]

Do you guys think a plaid suit could work?

 

[magwi11]

Just to ease the panic a little, since I am a SUPER casual dresser and I was totally stressed out by this aspect last year (and FYI, I'm a gal):

While several of my interviews last year were more than one day, I was never required to wear a suit on more than one day. In all cases of multi-day interviews, there was one day where a suit was required, and the second day was more casual (I wore nice slacks from Anne Taylor and a sweater, all my interviews were in winter so it was chilly.)

Also: When there are night events, they were in general ACTUALLY CASUAL. On all of my interviews, there was at least one night when the students in the program took us out, no faculty, and every single one of them was wearing jeans to the bar/restaurant. I'm not advocating wearing your favorite worn out/held together by patches jeans, but I did wear nice jeans and a sweater or button down shirt, and I was not under-dressed AT ALL. When they tell you there's going to be faculty at an event, then obviously business casual is the way to go, but otherwise, you really can be comfortable. Remember, the students all went through this awful process, and none of them will blacklist you because you wore jeans to a bar on a Friday night.

In short: The people that run these interviews know that people stress about this, and generally they will make it clear what's expected. When in doubt, it is OK to ask, especially if they give you a student contact that's coordinating the whole thing. If they tell you that they expect business casual, they mean it, it is not a sneaky test to weed out the silly people that followed directions. If they tell you that a night out with students is casual, they mean casual, be comfortable so that you can focus on seeing if these are the kind of people you want to spend the next 8 years with.

Make sure you have a suit, you do need one, but there will most likely be no need to buy two. Make sure that you have another presentable outfit at the upper end of business casual (and girls, for this stuff, Ann Taylor is amazing, just watch for one of their truly massive sales where you get coupons for everything you buy and go to town.) And when all else fails, follow the instructions.

Really guys, you are going to be fine.

 

[sunshine8i8]

Okay, questions for the mudphud girls (so glad that you're out there):

shoes: pointy toe or round toe? I have round toed heels, but I'm worried they'll look to juvenile.
Also, stockings to go w/ it, probably should be nude/skin color?

(Guys are welcome to comment too)


Besides the quandary about the shoes, I have a black suit (both matching pant and skirt) and three different blouses (just in case I need three), a dark navy wool coat and a lighter black jacket.

Do we need to talk about accessories too? Maybe my bright pink umbrella will be too much.


Looking forward to seeing you all smartly dressed at interviews!

 

[magwi11]

I have big wide feet, so I am anti-pointy toe, because in pointy toes I look like the wicked witch of the west and my feet want to die... I think that if you have round toe shoes that are comfortable enough to make it through all the walking you should be just fine. (They accepted me, round toes and all)

Nude stockings for sure. Bring a (several) extra pair(s). I totally got a run in the morning of my second interview, and without that extra pair of stockings, I would have been very unhappy.

And seriously, if the only reason they have for not admitting you is that your umbrella was too bright, you don't want to go to school there anyway. 😛

 

[jdeng87]

Okay, questions for the mudphud girls (so glad that you're out there):

shoes: pointy toe or round toe? I have round toed heels, but I'm worried they'll look to juvenile.
Also, stockings to go w/ it, probably should be nude/skin color?

(Guys are welcome to comment too)


Besides the quandary about the shoes, I have a black suit (both matching pant and skirt) and three different blouses (just in case I need three), a dark navy wool coat and a lighter black jacket.

Do we need to talk about accessories too? Maybe my bright pink umbrella will be too much.


Looking forward to seeing you all smartly dressed at interviews!

hey! i went iwth pointy toe.. but not an extreme point. i tried one some round toes and it made me look like a middle schooler.. lol i decided to bail out on that one! for accessories im just going to wear a basic pearl necklace and earring, and my watch too.. but thats like an essential. for the umbrella.... im going to go with a basic blue or something boring. i look pretty young for my age as it is and i know something like a pink umbrella would send me back to pre-k .... unfortuntaely lol

where did you get your suit? i got an interview from CCLCM today (not mdphd but im still super excited since it is my first one! yay!) so i really need a suit now.

thanks!

 

[URHere]

Okay, questions for the mudphud girls (so glad that you're out there):

shoes: pointy toe or round toe? I have round toed heels, but I'm worried they'll look to juvenile.
Also, stockings to go w/ it, probably should be nude/skin color?

(Guys are welcome to comment too)


Besides the quandary about the shoes, I have a black suit (both matching pant and skirt) and three different blouses (just in case I need three), a dark navy wool coat and a lighter black jacket.

Do we need to talk about accessories too? Maybe my bright pink umbrella will be too much.


Looking forward to seeing you all smartly dressed at interviews!

I actually went with square toe (I know, how's that for throwing your question for a loop? ) Honestly though, they are mature-looking, relatively painless, and they work on just about anyone. As for hose, I went with nude some days and black others, and I really don't think it mattered either way.

I did, however, have two suits for my interviews - three of my schools required two days of suit-wearing and I didn't want to show up in the same suit two days in a row. As a female, you should be fine just switching out the blouse or buying a suit that goes with both a skirt and pants if you don't want to buy two completely separate suits.

And as for accessories - keep in mind that you may have to haul your luggage to the school at some point, so that heinous pink duffel bag just may end up counting as an accessory (I doubt they judge you based on it, but your fellow interviewees may feel the need to taunt you if your bag is ugly enough )

 

[CancerKiller007]

Dudes and dudettes, tell me what you think? Thanks!

P.S. I will pop the collar back during the interviews. This was just a quick shot. LOL!

 

[CancerKiller007]

Or this one?

So tell me which one you guys think is better? The one with the red tie or the blue tie? Let me know! Thanks!

 

[ecoli]

I went to the Burlington coat factory and got a new black suit. I needed a new one anyway.

 

[Bcblazer]

Cancer killer, I'm a fan of the latter picture. That blue tie looks good with the white shirt and that suit.

 

[simlamblue]

Cancer killer, I'm a fan of the latter picture. That blue tie looks good with the white shirt and that suit.

+1 or maybe its your iPhone camera 😉

 

[CancerKiller007]

Thanks guys. I am leaning towards the white shirt and blue tie combo as the blue shirt and red tie combo makes me look like a clown (at least from far).

Appreciate the input.

 

[pazan]

Are you guys bringing 2 suits for the 2-day interview extravaganzas? I'm 22 and work in science... so I don't have a need for multiple suits, and probably won't for a while. Can I get away with just changing my shirt color and tie the second day or is it worth it to get another suit?

Cancerkiller: the second picture w/the white shirt is by far the better option -- much more professional-looking and adult.

 

[CancerKiller007]

Thanks Pazan. I agree. I am trying to find solid silk tie but bit darker (like navy blue rather than sky blue). No luck so far though.

As for your question, you could get away with changing shirt and tie. Just make sure you iron you slacks cuz they will be messy from the previous day. I do not think that schools care if you Armani or no brand or for that matter the same suits for the 2 days, but it is the presentation that counts. Wrinkles, and stains...big no no!

I think most schools will have only one day interview and one day of social events. They will let you know the dress code. For example, NYU is 1.5 day with 1 day of formal interview and half a day of social activities with MSTP students. For the social activities they have suggested casual dress code. I am gonna go as a smart casual (khakhi, dark blue shirt). I will my blazer handy just in case!

 

[OncDoc19]

Another girl from last cycle here to provide any help I can. I went with pointy toe shoes. I had one pair of flats and one pair of heel with me at all times. Try the Wilson's leather outlet for great leather totes for $50. I couldn't have lived without mine last year. In my opinion, a woman always wears a heel to an interview. However, the days get long and involve a lot of walking so flats are a must. Also for winter interviews don't forget to get nice outerwear accessories. Nothing looks worse in my opinion than a nice knee length wool coat with grungy mittens and a hat with your school logo all over it. I got some great rabbit-hair earmuffs, and professional looking scarf and gloves.

Also, I want to say something about being casual at the nighttime activities. In my mind I don't think jeans are appropriate for anything besides the plane when it comes to an interview. I think that it's best to present yourself as a classy and professional person at all times, which for me means I am in a skirt or dress at all times unless it is prohibitively cold outside. We all subtly judge other people in part based on their appearance so I think it's best to always look your best.

 

[mudphudwannabe]

Just my 2 cents - I think that bringing 2 suits is a safer bet (for both men and women) if you have 2 days of interviews, unless they specifically tell you you don't need to wear a suit on the 2nd day. You could definitely get by with 1 suit as long as it doesn't stand out too much (dark color, no fancy details), but if you spilled something on it that could be a major source of stress for the next day. As others have said, you don't have to have anything expensive. But, I would pay the $10-15 to get the pants hemmed to the right length. Nothing looks more unprofessional than the back of your pants dragging on the ground.

For the ladies (I am female), shoes don't matter much - round, pointy, square, whatever. Just avoid anything that looks too flashy or trendy - beyond that, I would go with what is the most comfortable, because you will be doing a lot of walking. Absolutely no short skirts (I'd say more than an inch or two above the knee is a no no), no tight clothing, no cleavage, no excessively dangly jewelry. I only say this because on some of my interviews, there were girls who looked like they were dressed to go out to the clubs. I'm not saying that you can't look pretty and professional at the same time, but try to keep in mind the question, "What would my mom/grandma/other older relative think of this outfit?" Your interviewers are coming from an older and generally more conservative generation. This is a good time to bring out your pearl necklace (no one can tell if it's faux 😉).

Good luck to everyone who is interviewing! Don't stress too much about the clothes - just use common sense and err on the conservative side, and you will be fine.

 

[pyf]

Alright, so dressing up usually scares me a lot. If anyone can help with advice I'd really appreciate it.

Do you guys think that wearing a solid grey suit (it's kind of a lighter grey, not deep charcoal) would be okay?

And can I get away without a belt or tie? I feel more comfortable without both and kind of like the look with a white shirt (think Adrien Brody in Darjeeling Limited sans contentious belt), but am not sure if that's dressing it down too far.

Er... and then for business casual situations... I haven't bought a sport jacket or blazer, etc. since high school. Can I go with an noticeably small-ish navy blazer with chinos? Or should I buy a new jacket and light-colored slacks. I mean I have some brown plaid BOSS slacks I picked up from a thrift store for $12 (!) that are awesome, but they're also pretty distinctive/might clash....

Anybody more knowledgeable about this than me who can help?

 

[Neuronix]

Do you guys think that wearing a solid grey suit (it's kind of a lighter grey, not deep charcoal) would be okay?

Why wouldn't it be? Nobody cares what you wear as long as it isn't outrageous. It's a suit right? Ok dok.

Er... and then for business casual situations... I haven't bought a sport jacket or blazer, etc. since high school. Can I go with an noticeably small-ish navy blazer with chinos? Or should I buy a new jacket and light-colored slacks. I mean I have some brown plaid BOSS slacks I picked up from a thrift store for $12 (!) that are awesome, but they're also pretty distinctive/might clash....

We're scientists, not fashion designers. Again, nobody is going to notice or care unless you really don't fit the bill somehow. I don't see anything wrong with jeans for the casual events, btw. As if the students, PhDs, and MD/PhDs won't be in jeans anyway. If anything I tend to get along with the people who are most casual and relaxed. I, and I think most other scientists, get sick of the rehearsed and stuffy and prefer the laid back and conversational.

While we're at it, nobody will notice if you wear the same suit two days in a row. Especially if they're pretty typical suits. Sorry, but you all blend in anyways.