Best chain store to buy an interview suit

I would really shop around, with sales, you can often get a great suit for not much money at a nice department store. Also check out places like the Men's Wearhouse, or Burlington Coat Factory. Spend the money though and get something decent - the suit will last you for a long time if you buy something fairly conservative (so the style won't change) and take good care of it.

 

jcpenny had a good suit sales. I got mine there. Lots of selections.

 

MACYs

No questions asked!

So many people buy cheap suits and they look like dorks during the interview, spend some money and you'll be happy. I'd rather have a really nice suit than two cheap suits.

My suit was from Macy's and it goes $500+. But they had some Labor Day presale and got it for about half with tailoring.

 

Salvation army. I found a Brooks Brothers suit there for $35 that fit perfectly and looked brand new after I got it dry cleaned.

 

I got mine at a Macy's sale too - $800 suit 50% off - and it looks great. It really does stand out as a better suit at interviews when you stand next to some guy in a cheap suit - I agree spend the money.

OH.. and one more personal pet peeve - wear decent POLISHED shoes. Wearing some $15 payless shoe-source black shoes that waiters wear is NOT appropriate. If you don't know how to shine your own shoes, find somebody that can, because there are a few of us old schoolers (maybe your interviewer?) that always look at how well a man's shoes are polished.

 

I have a love of J.Crew, the suits are really high quality and they have petites and tall sizes. Not that pricey either compared to some really high end suits.

 

What is the difference exactly between a cheap suit and an expensive one? They all look exactly the same to me, thought maybe that's because I have absolutely no interest in clothing. I just went to the Men's Wearhouse and said "I have a medical school interview coming up, what do I need?" and they handled it.

 

I would tend to stay away from J.Crew and BR for buying a suit. These suits tend to be very "stylish" aka - in 3 years, they will look dated. Also, the quality often leaves something to be desired. As if that wasn't bad enough - they are pretty expensive also. Plus, you will be tempted while in the store to get some uber-trendy shirt-tie combo that will look silly after you leave the store.

 

They wrinkle easy and look very light (sort of flimsy- if that could be used to describe fabric).

Interviews last a good 4-6 hrs and most of it is sitting down- you'll get wrinkles in even the best suit, but cheaper ones just can't hide them well.

 

The first biggest difference in suits is the material. If the suit makes noise when the fabric brushes together, or if water beads off of it when it rains, it is probably a noticably cheap suit. Assuming your suit passes these tests, then the next biggest observable difference would be longevity. You will notice that a more expensive suit will tend to significantly outlast some of the cheaper suits, and will survive more trips to the drycleaners before things start to fray. If you just need a suit for a few interviews, Todays Man, Mens Wearhous, Syms, Joseph Banks, etc. are the way to go. For more extensive use, try Brooks Bros, J. Press, Zegna, etc.

 

Cheap suits tend to be made with cheaper fabrics - when in the store, run your fingers over an expensive jacket, and then a cheap one - you will feel a difference. REALLY cheap suits won't even be lined. A nice suit will have buttons that aren't going to fall off. NEVER buy a suit off the rack - make sure you have it tailored to fit you (paying special attention to sleeve length and the fit of the pants).

Try on different styles of suits noting that there are three distinct vent styles (single, double, none) find the one that you are most comfortable in. For your interview, stick with a conservative color (darkest navy or black) If you are in doubt, try to dress the way a politician would dress. If you notice, you just DON'T notice what they are wearing, and that is the point. You want the interviewer to remember YOU and not to be distracted thinking "why did this guy get all dressed up and forget to polish his shoes?"

Also, make sure your socks are long enough that NO leg ever shows. Also, practice sitting so that you do NOT put your ankle on your knee... crossing your knees is fine, but the ankle on the knee is a no-no. Good luck!

 

Are you serious? I was doin' that during the interview

Nah, I just think its feminine for a guy to cross his knees. I think the ankle-on-knee works fine when you are chillin with other interviewees, but during the interview, you probably shouldn't be crossing any legs.

 

I cringe to say it, but there are dress shoes with rubber soles. That being said, I wouldn't get them. Dress shoes are SUPPOSED to have the "hard bottom" for reasons I describe below. The rubber soled shoes are designed for people that are supposed to look dressed up, but actually have to work while dressed up (eg people that stand up all day in their suits - think waiters).

One advantage to the "hard soled" shoes that you dislike is that you can edge dress the outer edge so that they always look nice and new (you do this when polishing your shoes - take them to a shoe shop if you can't polish and edge dress yourself). The problem with the rubber soled shoes is that you can't edge dress, and so the shoes eventually look worn, and less impressive.

 

It is not feminine in the least to sit with the knees crossed, and is actually perfectly professional if you are comfortable doing it (some guys just aren't comfortable that way). The ankle on the knee thing is not only unprofessional, but in some cultures, is considered hostile and rude.

 

If you get new hard soled shoes though make sure you distress the bottoms a bit before the interview -- like walk a few blocks on concrete. Otherwise new hard soled shoes on highly waxed floors tend to be really slick, and you have enough to worry about without taking a header during the tour of the hospital. Then again, if you hurt yourself, there's no better place to already be.

 

yeah its uncomfortable!

I actually don't mind being a little confrontational and hostile in front of the other interviewees.

Thanks for the advice tho.

 

wrong. i dunno about BR but jcrew's women's suits are very conservative and traditional. very nice. the wool crepe one i have never wrinkles either. my momma approved it and she's a dressmaker's daughter so she knows quality.

in my experience, it's only cheap suits that come in trendy styles. well, men's suits don't really have many trends i guess, but for women.

 

But yeah, i suggest getting a good fabric suit at either K&G or SuitMart. It should cost at least $200 and not look/feel like fake or crappy fiber...because it will most likely be made of that fiber.

This is true and is offensive to the person who the bottom of the foot is pointing to...its as if you are telling them that they are as significant as the bottom of your foot.

Its not so much confrontational as it is very disrepectful. I also suggest not doing this to interviewers who are from Asia (all over Asia...north, south, east,west).

 

I was speaking of men's suits, and there are indeed trends for men's suits, they are just a bit more subtle perhaps.

 

It is the equivelent in the middle east to flipping somebody off. I have to wonder BerkeleyMD why on Earth you would be hostile to other interviewees??

 

I was referring to the time spent with other interviewEEs, not interviewers (sort of a joke ya-kno! i guess its hard to get a feel for peoples true intentions on a forum).. But either way, I wasn't serious and dont like being rude!

 

Flop.. read my last last post.

 

Isn't flippin' someone off just as offensive in this country as it is in the middle east?

 

I picked up mine at a sick sale at Sears. They have fairly good stuff. I got a total outfit for less than $250 (regular would have been $400). As for the shoes, I have leather black dress shoes with rubber soles (Pierre Cardin, $120). I had a very long interview day and I thanked myself for wearing them. Very comfortable and it looked good.

 

Goodwill. Got a perfectly-fitting, pristine black DKNY suit there for $8.

 

I would actually steer away from that question. That just gives them an opening to rack up sales and tack on extra money to your bill.

 

Go for a Hugo Boss or a Canali suit. It'll last forever, and such classic designs. There are several things to look for, many have been mentioned here. Look at the seams too -- a lot of crappy suits are held together with glue in some areas, NOT good. I personally prefer Brioni, but it is just a matter of tastes since I think their suits look good on me. SB, 3 buttons (obviously only do up the top 2). If you'd like to be more stylish, are tall, and have a thin / lanky frame, go for DB.

One of my friends purchased all his suits at fantastic savings on ebay -- $50 or so, for $400-500 suits.

 

i'm so glad i'm not a guy

 

One a side note, I met a chick with a suit on. She had a black suit, thin black tie and a white dress shirt. She had on black leather high heels. Actually looked kinda hot.

 

i bought my suit from jc penney 2 wks ago when there was a sale, basically all the suits were half off, so i bought the pierre cardin $400 suit for $200, and i love it

 

Very true, and with everything else I do my research to make an informed purchase, but with clothes, I just do not give a crap and want to get out of there as soon as possible. All the prices were fairly reasonable though, and he always gave me a selection from different price ranges.

 

CONGRATULATIONS FLOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THAT'S REALLY COOL!!!!!
I JUST REALIZED THAT YOU WERE ACCEPTED!!

YOU SEE ALL TURNED OUT WELL FOR YOU!

I'm really really happy for you. Loyola is a grrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat school!

 

My brother just got a suit from Express for Men and it looks great on him. But I think you gotta be have the lean body type to wear those suits well.

I also think it probably wasn't too expensive because he's a cheap lil bro.

 

that's just how lil bros are

 

My God, that flop dude really loves his shoes POLISHED!

That being said, I'm at a top school and for my interview I bought my rubber shoes for about $25. No one cared as far as I could tell. In fact, my feet were hidden under a table for 100% of the interview, no one could see them anyway. The suit I got at Macy's, but since I hated wearing suits and only needed it for a few days I went back and returned it for the couple hundred it was "worth".

I would have to point out the guy who mentioned Salvation Army as giving the best advice so far.

 

kohl's

 

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