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Isnt everything?
I get attacked by so many pre-meds when I say that they have to see medicine from a business aspect. I always get the "I'm not going into medicine for the money" response..🙄
Men's Interview Clothing #3!
Started by Geekchick921
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Isnt everything?
I get attacked by so many pre-meds when I say that they have to see medicine from a business aspect. I always get the "I'm not going into medicine for the money" response..🙄
Than what is it?
A hospital is not a business? Being a physician is not a profession? You are being trained to enter a specific career.
If you like though, black suits are never appropriate in a professional setting.
is this charcoal or is it more on the black side?
http://www.indochino.com/product/The-Essential-Charcoal-Suit
http://www.indochino.com/product/The-Essential-Charcoal-Suit
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Looks black to me. Be careful about Indochino though, they're really hit or miss. Some times you get an amazing suit, other times it's terrible and needs to be re-tailored and the money they provide you might not cover it all.
LOL look at the 'navy' then
http://www.indochino.com/product/The-Essential-Navy-Suit
Personally, Im going to get 2 suits, one from a store (important occasions) and one from indochino (wear this more often as needed).
Is a cow not an animal? Is a horse not an ungulate. - That's what your argument sounds like.
There are nuances and degrees which define 'professions' and 'businesses', which is why different words exist for them. Medicine, to me anyway, is much more than merely a 'business'. It is certainly not a 'business setting'. Either way, I tried. I neither gain nor lose anything by this. Kudos to you for knowing what is 'never' appropriate. Good luck with your 'business'.
sharkskin suits are more casual and thus arent considered proper interview suits... from what I have read.
Very wrong - in every way, for a medical school interview. For attending a wedding? Great.
LOL i wouldn't even wear that to a wedding.
Just out of curiosity, what makes this suit so 'wrong'? Is it the shine that is associate with sharkskin, the pick n pick weave, the color? Not a lot of fashion knowledge over here so I'm just curious.
Not the color. The most widely accepted suit fabric is regular worsted wool.
The shine and 1dark/1light weave pattern is not considered formal enough.
Color: Too light
Fabric: Sharkskin - shiny, casual, bit of a sleeze factor
Cut: Too tight
Shirt: Too purple
You refer to 'fashion knowledge' --
This is not about fashion. Let me repeat for clarity and emphasis: Fashion is not what you want. You also do not want: stylish, popular, up to date, modern, timely, trendy, current, hip, young, happening, different, unique, European, or whatever other adjective the hourly-wage sales associate tries to convince you you want. If you're not sure, ask the sales associate if you could wear the suit & shirt combo out for drinks after work. If he/she says "Yes - sure!" then it's the wrong suit. (The right answer would be "This? Not if you want any action.")
For your interview, you do not want the kind of suit that looks like something a stylish 20-something would wear. That's completely the wrong look. Medical schools do not want stylish 20-somethings. They do not want someone who breaks the 'conventional interview attire' rules because that indicates someone who will break other rules before they have the judgement or accumulated experience to know when it's OK to bend the rules.
You do want the kind of suit an affluent 40-something would wear. Something serious, conservative, solid -- yes boring. This is the suit you want for your medical school interview. Navy blue or grey, possibly with a subtle stripe. That's it. Not black. Not brown. Not plaid. Navy blue or grey, possibly with a subtle stripe -- that's the interview uniform.
I agree with this almost entirely. I am personally not a fan of stripes even if they are subtle, especially because most people don't understand what subtle stripes actually mean and end up with rather bold stripes. I think it looks a bit tacky.
I also think two areas you can break away from being conservative is your tie choice and getting a suit with darts. But thats just my opinion.
Interesting... I wore this suit (not saying it's right and I got it for ~$200) to one of my interviews and it looks like the Alfani one, but is 100% worsted wool; no mohair or silk which gives the 'sharkskin' suit its shine. The fit was perfect on me because I'm 5'10" and 135lbs, which made every other suit look like a giant garbage bag. Would this have been a better choice (again 100% worsted wool - so no shine) or is it really the pick n pick weave that makes it wrong?
I wouldn't say that *every* sharkskin is bad; I've seen a few that would work. But from an internet catalog shot, it's just not possible to tell. The fabric should say 'serious', not 'fun' or 'friendly' and lighter grays tend to be 'friendly' suits.
As to your build, that's a real issue for slender young men. Most of the suits that are specifically cut for men with a slim build tend to be cheap. (Poorly made cheap, not necessarily inexpensive cheap.) The other trouble spot is the 'Euro-trash' look which can happen with even expensive Italian suits. (They're cut slim, so tend to fit better - but they're wrong for med. school.)
Your best bet is to go to the very best 'rich old man's' suit store you can find (Brooks Brothers, Burberry, not an Italian designer) and pretend you're planning to spend $1,000 for one investment grade suit. (If you can spend that much or your parents will spring for one, that's exactly what to get, and bring Mom or Dad so you'll be taken seriously.) But spend an hour there getting educated. They will have a few (very few) really good suits that will fit you reasonably well off the rack. Ask the sales associate to explain about the fabric, the cut, the styling details. Really look carefully and see how the suit fits when the sales associate pulls the waistline in and adjusts the sleeves. See the drape of the shoulders.
Then head over to Macy's and do the best you can... Alfani is a good brand to look for there. They're cut well for slender guys and look good for the money. Stay out of the mall stores that cater to young men.
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Good advice... but I hate window shoppers sooo much..
You are correct. A med school interview calls for a more conservative approach than a business intervew. Black is not appropriate for either, and your MD/PhD friends are bemoaning an era they misunderstood entirely. This isn't Reservoir Dogs.
Think of it this way: wearing a black suit "won't hurt" you in the same way that getting that B- in Gen Chem 1 "won't hurt" you. It'll be tolerated and overlooked as an artifact of a period of your life during which you were ignorant of what was being asked of you - provided your whole package is otherwise intact more or less. No interviewer will ever criticize a quality, well-tailored charcoal or navy suit ie "Gosh I liked him but couldn't he have worn black? That suit was hideous!" - no. Traditional interview attire gets the A. The same cannot always be said for a black suit.
I believe black suits became acceptable in this setting because they are probably the most forgiving of serious errors in fit or tailoring (ps the most serious error in tailoring is failure to get it done). What kind of a lousy standard is that?
Otherwise: Both of those Indochino suits are in a good color. Many good fabrics are quite dark without being black. My navy interview suit is damned dark and has been mistaken for black by people who didn't look closely enough. But yes Indochino has had QA problems in the past, don't know about more recently.
Sharkskin is not OK for interviews. Too shiny, in a bad way, in a way that photos on the internet don't really demonstrate. I pretty much agree with everything DokterMom has said in here lately, especially the remarks about "fashion." I do not believe however that "boring" is what you guys should be shooting for.
And if you want a decent suit, Brooks Brothers is having a sale right now. 30% off many good styles, (not that that's great but if you open a credit account with them that's another 15% off your first purchase. Chuck in some shirts and ties and then you're talking real money.)
was your navy suit from Indochino? I just want to make sure both those suits are discernable from black before I submit the order request.
Navy or grey suit. Most people who know a thing or two about suits say 'get navy as your first suit' since it's by far the most versatile. Since you'll need a suit again, get something worth investing in. This means canvassed or at least half-canvassed. Cheaper suits include suit supply (half-canvas) and Benjamin Sartorial (fully canvassed). Be aware that you'll want to go with something that isn't overly-trendy (narrow lapels) because again, this is an investment. If you've got money to splurge, the Brooks Brothers 2 for $1500 is a good deal. This is a bit much for a student. I avoided most stores like saks, nordstroms, and the outlets. Their affordable suits are low-end crap that carry the brand name but are pretty much in no way affiliated with the designer and the actually decent stuff is super overpriced.
Tailoring should be $50-100 and make sure they know what they're doing.
Brown shoes can be worn, but black is more conservative. Allen edmond park avenues or Johnston & Murphy for affordability. Both are shoes that can actually be resoled so they are investments. Shine them.
White shirt. Period. Collar depends on personal taste
A nice tie that doesn't complicate the suit. I like the half-windsor knot, as it's more formal than 4-in-hand but not as bulky as full-windsor.
Easiest bet is to match the socks to the pants, NOT the shoes, as matching the socks to the shoes gives the 'boot' effect. If you're a bit stylistically inclined, you can match the socks to the tie or the suit handkerchief if you have one.
You can wear a watch if you want, but it's not necessary. Something that isn't tacky, like all gold.
Tailoring should be $50-100 and make sure they know what they're doing.
Brown shoes can be worn, but black is more conservative. Allen edmond park avenues or Johnston & Murphy for affordability. Both are shoes that can actually be resoled so they are investments. Shine them.
White shirt. Period. Collar depends on personal taste
A nice tie that doesn't complicate the suit. I like the half-windsor knot, as it's more formal than 4-in-hand but not as bulky as full-windsor.
Easiest bet is to match the socks to the pants, NOT the shoes, as matching the socks to the shoes gives the 'boot' effect. If you're a bit stylistically inclined, you can match the socks to the tie or the suit handkerchief if you have one.
You can wear a watch if you want, but it's not necessary. Something that isn't tacky, like all gold.
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It was not.
Both of those suits are not black to anyone who's paying attention.
That's only because the majority of adult males have absolute **** for fashion sense, and physicians are some of the worst offenders.
Here's the other thing....that 'fact' doesn't make black suits any less wrong.
I just ordered my Indochino Essential Navy Suit.
Hopefully it fits right and the quality of the material is good.
If it doesnt, Im going to Nordstrom and picking up another suit.
Hopefully it fits right and the quality of the material is good.
If it doesnt, Im going to Nordstrom and picking up another suit.
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On the other hand, if we refused to admit applicants who wore black suits on interview day we'd be looking at having about six matriculants this fall.
On the other hand, if we refused to admit applicants who wore black suits on interview day we'd be looking at having about six matriculants this fall.
But six matriculants with an awesome fashion sense..
But six matriculants with an awesome fashion sense..
And the next thing you know, they'd be asking to replace the patch pockets on their white coats and narrow the lapels (or widen them), and change to a double vent in the back. 🙄
Personally, I think the fitted lab coats are a better option than the super-baggy white coats that some schools have that I've seen..
I wonder if you have any stories about some wild interview attire that you've seen some applicants in.
I got a suit from Indochino and I'm very happy with the quality and fit. You know they'll give you back $75 to have it tailored if it doesn't fit like you want, so try that before you drop cash on an additional suit.
Conservative has nothing to do with how a suit fits.
It goes without saying that every suit should be tailored to fit well on the wearer's body.
👍
Yea I know about that deal. My suit should come in towards the end of july so Ill decide then.
👍
I think conservative has more to do with not wearing random colors/ slimmer lapels/ jetted pockets/ skinny ties/ etc.... not the actual fit
Indochino is probably the worst MTM company out there, but with the greatest marketing by far. Their fabrics are crap, the shoulders are always bumpy and ugly, their makers have no sense of balance, etc etc. I went through 4 iterations of suits from them before I gave up (thankfully their money back guarantee is actually pretty good).
For the same price range, Suit Supply definitely craps all over Indochino but is not MTM...although unless you have a truly weird body it usually isn't a problem as SS has so many models.
For the same price range, Suit Supply definitely craps all over Indochino but is not MTM...although unless you have a truly weird body it usually isn't a problem as SS has so many models.
You're one of the few that is not happy with Indochino...
Maybe you just have a weird body type?
Regardless, they sent me a sample of their fabric that arrived today and it feels quite nice...
Plan on needing at least one remake with IC.
Actually, if you head over to StyleForum, you'll see that quite a few people have bad experiences with Indochino (but plenty of people have good ones too, myself included).
I perused it many times. Usually most of the major alterations were years ago. More recently, the issues have just been with sleeve/pant lengths. These issues I can have my tailor fix for under their $75 guarantee.
Actually, fashion sense is a matter of opinion. Many people look great with traditional lapels than they would in skinny suits/ties.
For example, most models have a thin figure and look good sporting skinny suits. However, if you have the figure of an NFL linebacker, you will look like an idiot...
Showing up looking like Heidi Slimane will not do you favors. You don't seem to understand that you are there to prove you can assimilate into a culture that is completely new to you, and which has a conservative dress code. Once you're accepted, wear all the wacky **** you want. Show up for your interview looking like a well dressed accountant.
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Not sure why you quoted me in your post.
That said, being stylish has nothing to do with being fashion forward.
+1
Wear what you want if you think anyone is trying to take away your individuality, but dont expect that the previous generation of conservative physicians/professionals will applaud you for your 'fashion sense'. If anything, it might deviate from their image of a professional applicant.
IMO, skinny suits and trendy formal wear is best used for casual/business casual events, not the interview environment. But to each his own.
Depends on what you mean by skinny.
I've seen many people refer to any suit that actually fits as being skinny because in the US we like to wear giant bags of cloth and call them normal suits.
by skinny suits, I mean the ones with very narrow lapels and shoulders coupled with skinny ties.
I have attached a pic for reference.
