Men's Interview Clothing #3!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
JediOchoa said:
You have the body build of Cristiano? :eek:
Click to expand...

Most serious soccer players who are his height and do some lifting on the side have a buildlean muscle build. Like him. Except he does have a couple inches of height on me I believe.

And thanks guys! I was thinking navy suit with light blue shirt and dark tie
Members don't see this ad.
 
BlueLabel said:
Men aren't supposed to wear black to interviews. What exactly is wrong with grey?
Click to expand...


Nothing is wrong, light gray just looks more pretty when paired with pastels and stuff. Put the outfit on with a soft face you'll run the chance of looking like some Easter fashion catalog model instead of a med applicant imo but if you're ugly or rugged go ahead. I just threw that in since an issue a lot of Asians have to deal with is that we look too young and lighter colors make it worse so I told him to go with something darker. If he looks older/is older than it's not a big deal.
 
jaywhyy said:
You want a suit that is fitted. This, my friend, is a suit that is too small in nearly all accounts: shoulders too small causing divots, jacket too short making his hips look womanly, sleeves too short, and negative break of the pants. This type of cut is more on the side of fashionista Thom Browne rather than fashion-forward Neapolitan and should be avoided.
Click to expand...

Ya I saw that, thank u! I was referring to the color combinations however.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Deadlifts said:
It is a decent looking suit but it's VERY contemporary/fashiony. The pants have a pretty dramatic cuff showing ankle while standing which I wouldn't say is appropriate for a medical school interview. Coat is too narrow. Yadda yadda yadda. The problem with buying a very slim suit like that navy one you linked is they tend to go in and out of style whereas something a little more traditionally cut is going to stay wearable. This does not mean I'm saying get a boxy Mens Wearhouse wholesale suit (been there 3 times and never gotten a great fitting done, maybe it's my bad luck). I just wouldn't advise getting something so "fashionable" as your first suit.

_8102180.jpg


Here's some decent advice for buying off the rack: http://dappered.com/2011/02/the-suit-fit-priority-guide/

Above all else, shoulders should fit off the rack. The tailoring costs to fix ill-fitting shoulders is pretty prohibitive.



Reread the post. Ygg recommended charcoal or grey and said to stay away from black.
Click to expand...


looks good :thumbup:
 
I don't understand where people are getting the idea that black is "bad" for interviews. Black is the most formal color and you can never go wrong wearing black imo.

I assume schools are mainly looking at your professionalism and how well you can carry yourself in a conversation, not whether you know how to dress yourself like a movie star.

I haven't read any of the other pages of this thread, but I'd like to know why you guys think black is bad? Is it because black is the most common color and you want to "stand out?" If this is the case, I think having well thought-out discussion topics leave a bigger mark than looking unique. Sure, it helps, but it shouldn't be the first priority.

Stray too far away from the norm, trying to be unique, and you risk making yourself look foolish and desperate.
 
Black is not an acceptable color for a suit unless you are at a funeral or you are waitstaff. It's one of those universal guidelines. It probably originated in the fact that, generally, black suits wash out the person wearing them. Charcoal or Navy are the two colors that are standard for an interview.
 
Womb Raider said:
I don't understand where people are getting the idea that black is "bad" for interviews. Black is the most formal color and you can never go wrong wearing black imo.

I assume schools are mainly looking at your professionalism and how well you can carry yourself in a conversation, not whether you know how to dress yourself like a movie star.

I haven't read any of the other pages of this thread, but I'd like to know why you guys think black is bad? Is it because black is the most common color and you want to "stand out?" If this is the case, I think having well thought-out discussion topics leave a bigger mark than looking unique. Sure, it helps, but it shouldn't be the first priority.

Stray too far away from the norm, trying to be unique, and you risk making yourself look foolish and desperate.
Click to expand...

Black suits are NOT the norm in a business, let alone medical, setting. Black works for weddings, limos and funerals.

Black ACCESSORIES (shoes, belt, watch strap) are fine. A lot of the arguing (albeit pointless) has been about the versatility of brown vs. black as a shoe color.
 
Womb Raider said:
I don't understand where people are getting the idea that black is "bad" for interviews. Black is the most formal color and you can never go wrong wearing black imo.

I assume schools are mainly looking at your professionalism and how well you can carry yourself in a conversation, not whether you know how to dress yourself like a movie star.

I haven't read any of the other pages of this thread, but I'd like to know why you guys think black is bad? Is it because black is the most common color and you want to "stand out?" If this is the case, I think having well thought-out discussion topics leave a bigger mark than looking unique. Sure, it helps, but it shouldn't be the first priority.

Stray too far away from the norm, trying to be unique, and you risk making yourself look foolish and desperate.
Click to expand...

It's not about dressing like a movie star, or really, looking unique. It's about adhering to the conventions of standard business dress, i.e. not dressing like a maitre d' for your interview. Black may be the most common color but that's only because premeds don't know how to dress. Plenty of them may get in, sure, but why knowingly flout convention? Wearing a more conservative color like grey, charcoal, or navy is clearly the better option. Why do we have to rehash this debate every few days...

Educate yourself bro
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/black-suit-061713
http://www.dapperdemeanor.com/2010/09/why-you-dont-need-black-suit.html
http://putthison.com/post/1205036805/q-and-answer-whats-wrong-with-a-black-suit

Q and Answer: What's Wrong with a Black Suit?

Aliotsy writes to ask: I was wondering: what's wrong with black suits?

There are times and places for black suits, but they aren't what some men think they are: an all-purpose basic. In fact, they're one of the less-useful suits. A few reasons:

They look bad on almost anyone. Better on people with high-contrast coloring (black hair, light skin), but even then they tend to make the skin look sallow.
Black is a color for evening. That's why tuxedos are black. Most men are buying basic suits for daytime wear.
Black is the color of mourning. Unless you have a black suit-specific job, you would only wear black during the day if you were going to a funeral.
You will look like A) a waiter, B) a priest, C) an undertaker, D) a dork trying to look like a Quentin Tarantino character or E) some mix of the above (undertaker dork?).
Black is not complimentary to almost any other color and is thus quite difficult to wear.
The real key: almost anything that you can do in a black suit, you can do in a dark gray suit, and that suit will have none of the problems listed above.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I agree with everything above, obviously black isn't optimal..

I simply don't like hearing people say "oh my god don't wear black to your interview!!! Go out and buy a new suit ASAP."

It isn't BAD, yes wearing another suit would be optimal, but it's not going to kill you to wear black.

I just took the liberty of asking a few doctors around the office who conduct interviews for physicians applying for fellowship. They looked at me, chuckled a little bit and said it doesn't matter. One said "just make sure you don't try to be flashy."

Moral of the story: Yes, it's good to have a non-black suit but it's not something to stress over or make yourself feel even more nervous / uncomfortable if you don't have anything else. A good looking black suit is fine, no one is going to reject offering you a spot in their school because you wore black.
 
Womb Raider said:
I agree with everything above, obviously black isn't optimal..

I simply don't like hearing people say "oh my god don't wear black to your interview!!! Go out and buy a new suit ASAP."

It isn't BAD, yes wearing another suit would be optimal, but it's not going to kill you to wear black.

I just took the liberty of asking a few doctors around the office who conduct interviews for physicians applying for fellowship. They looked at me, chuckled a little bit and said it doesn't matter. One said "just make sure you don't try to be flashy."

Moral of the story: Yes, it's good to have a non-black suit but it's not something to stress over or make yourself feel even more nervous / uncomfortable if you don't have anything else. A good looking black suit is fine, no one is going to reject offering you a spot in their school because you wore black.
Click to expand...

You "agree with everything above" and yet you posted asking us why we don't think black is appropriate (why wouldn't it be obvious if you already understood?) and remarking "you can never go wrong wearing black"?

Nobody on here is saying you can't get accepted with a black suit. But the point is the whole process is easier when you make the best decisions. That's the point of this forum and the point of this thread.
 
Dropped quite a bit of money yesterday on a solid full Hugo Boss suit!:):naughty:
 
Got myself a HB the other day as well. :rolleyes:

Sent from my SGH-T889V using Tapatalk 2
 
Members don't see this ad :)
1cor1311 said:
Ok my skin tone is more like this guys. What would be some good combinations for someone with a skin color and body build like this guy .
64830.jpg
Click to expand...

You have a body like Christiano Ronaldo? Jealous.
 
I'm debating about ties:

Slim or full? NOT a skinny tie...those are lame. I bought a slim fitting suit...
 
ChemEngMD said:
I'm debating about ties:

Slim or full? NOT a skinny tie...those are lame. I bought a slim fitting suit...
Click to expand...

Keeping it simple, you should match the widest part of your lapel to the widest part of your tie with a little wiggle room, ala a 2.75" lapel with a 3" tie.

As you said, a super slim tie is a bad idea.

There's also more advanced factors like a previous poster asked about regarding body and face size, shirt collar and overall fit of the suit.
 
jram2323 said:
would this be too forward?

custom-made-new-purple-suit-two-button-wool.jpg
Click to expand...

Dope suit. Way too much for an interview though haha. I think standard convention is to not go outside of the navy blue or charcoal realm...plum would definitely make you standout though haha (probs not in a good way)
 
jeffc614 said:
What do you guys think about these two pairs of shoes? I'm not trying to shell out the money for Park Avenues at the moment. Going with a navy suit FYI.

http://www.6pm.com/florsheim-schiller-brown-leather

http://www.6pm.com/johnston-murphy-cardell-saddle-oak-full-grain
Click to expand...

Both would be okay, but the Florsheim's are not true Oxfords. Oxford has drifted from its original Balmoral style to almost be interchangable with "dress shoe" when in fact it refers to a different style of shoe. That first Florsheim shoe is a blucher/derby, not an oxford. More traditionally minded suit wearers will say you wear only balmorals to interviews but honestly a good-looking pair of blucher/derby dress shoes should be fine.

Personally, I steer clear of the brogue styling on a lot of shoes but that's a personal preference.
 
Last edited:
yggdrasila said:
How wide are you? if you're skinny then slim if you're wide then wide
Click to expand...

The width of the tie's widest point should match the width of the lapel's widest point for balance. Body type is irrelevant except for the fact that a skinny lapel/tie will not flatter a large build.

jram2323 said:
would this be too forward?
Click to expand...
lol yes

jeffc614 said:
What do you guys think about these two pairs of shoes? I'm not trying to shell out the money for Park Avenues at the moment. Going with a navy suit FYI.

http://www.6pm.com/florsheim-schiller-brown-leather

http://www.6pm.com/johnston-murphy-cardell-saddle-oak-full-grain
Click to expand...
The first is a blucher (open lacing); the second is a saddle. While the rule of thumb is that a suit should be worn with a balmoral (closed lacing) and not a blucher, the rule is now often broken, most people will not know the difference, and nobody will care. A saddle shoe, however, is a bit too casual, as those are almost never worn with suits.
 
FearAndInsomnia said:
Is it OK? No, not really. Loafers are for . . . loafing, aka not working. However, almost all young business professionals do it.



French cuffs are perfectly fine to wear.

Navy over the calf socks are what you are going to want to go with.

A lot of people say this is the one place to get creative. But I tend to agree with Patrick Johnson who said:

"With the exception of the occasional pleasing colour pop that can be achieved with the well thought out use of a simple pair of plain bright socks (ie. Red), stick to socks within the grey, navy or black family. Don’t wear bright striped socks, they won’t make you look like a dandy, they’ll make you look like a **** whose girlfriend bought his socks."


As far as a tie goes. I'd stay away from my suggestion of a repp stripe as I think it would look bad with the pinstripes. A navy with white repp dot would look fine. I think small floral print tie can look good as well. Really though just pick something out your self. Keep it simple navy, dark green, and dark red should all look good with a navy suit and white shirt.

Italian-necktie-IFT-3b.jpg



This is from Sam Hober


203NAV_sm.jpg



Mountain & Sackett


Both are handmade in the US and cost less $80.





+1. AEs are great shoe for the price. Also, check out Ask Andy About Clothes Sales Forum. Those guys love their AE's and a ton of them pop up that board.
Click to expand...

can someone tell me what stye tie that is in the second image?
 
Thanks to everyone for posting a ton of useful advice. I already own a tailored charcoal suit, but it has pretty thin lapels (2.5 inches). Do you guys think this will come off as too trendy? I'm 6'1", 150 pounds soaking wet, with a build like Jack Skellington, so wide lapels look fairly stupid on me.
 
Reckoner said:
Thanks to everyone for posting a ton of useful advice. I already own a tailored charcoal suit, but it has pretty thin lapels (2.5 inches). Do you guys think this will come off as too trendy? I'm 6'1", 150 pounds soaking wet, with a build like Jack Skellington, so wide lapels look fairly stupid on me.
Click to expand...

2.5" is fine. It's thin, but not overly skinny. 2" is probably where I'd set the threshold.

I'm 6'0" and 140, so I'm skinny like you, but 3-3.5" lapels flatter me more than my jackets with <3". Thin lapels slim my body so I look even skinnier, while larger lapels look imbalanced.
 
Reckoner said:
Thanks to everyone for posting a ton of useful advice. I already own a tailored charcoal suit, but it has pretty thin lapels (2.5 inches). Do you guys think this will come off as too trendy? I'm 6'1", 150 pounds soaking wet, with a build like Jack Skellington, so wide lapels look fairly stupid on me.
Click to expand...

I don't see why it should be a problem. Just be sure to get a slim tie (not skinny) who's width is close to the lapel width.

I just came back from an interview. More than half of the guys were wearing black and one had square toe shoes.
 
Dam 6'1 and 150?
Im 6'3 and 215. Now I feel fat.

Sent from my SGH-T889V using Tapatalk 2
 
ToldYouSo said:
I don't see why it should be a problem. Just be sure to get a slim tie (not skinny) who's width is close to the lapel width.

I just came back from an interview. More than half of the guys were wearing black and one had square toe shoes.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that was my plan.

jaywhyy said:
2.5" is fine. It's thin, but not overly skinny. 2" is probably where I'd set the threshold.

I'm 6'0" and 140, so I'm skinny like you, but 3-3.5" lapels flatter me more than my jackets with <3". Thin lapels slim my body so I look even skinnier, while larger lapels look imbalanced.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know what you mean. I think I'll shoot for somewhere around 3" on my next suit.
 
Skinny people, where are you buying your dress shirts from? 5'10" 130ish here... I bought a 'slim-fit' shirt from Macy's, but it billows out from my body when I tuck it in. It seems that if something fits me in the arms, the body will be large... but if something fits me in the body, the arms are way too short.
 
GoPelicans said:
Skinny people, where are you buying your dress shirts from? 5'10" 130ish here... I bought a 'slim-fit' shirt from Macy's, but it billows out from my body when I tuck it in. It seems that if something fits me in the arms, the body will be large... but if something fits me in the body, the arms are way too short.
Click to expand...

You can always buy a quality shirt and get it tailored, or buy something off a made to measure site like Modern Tailor or Proper Cloth. The Extra Slim 1MX shirts from Express fit me really well off the rack.

PS Modern Tailor has a deal where first time costumers can get a white shirt made for like 20 bucks
 
GoPelicans said:
Skinny people, where are you buying your dress shirts from? 5'10" 130ish here... I bought a 'slim-fit' shirt from Macy's, but it billows out from my body when I tuck it in. It seems that if something fits me in the arms, the body will be large... but if something fits me in the body, the arms are way too short.
Click to expand...

Extra slim fit from Brooks Brothers fits me well OTR. Express, H&M, Zara and the like will all work for fit, although I don't recommend them for their fabrics (stiff and/or synthetics). You can also have darts added to your shirts or have your shirts taken in by an alterations tailor or go made-to-measure.
 
GoPelicans said:
Skinny people, where are you buying your dress shirts from? 5'10" 130ish here... I bought a 'slim-fit' shirt from Macy's, but it billows out from my body when I tuck it in. It seems that if something fits me in the arms, the body will be large... but if something fits me in the body, the arms are way too short.
Click to expand...
http://www.blacklapel.com/

I'm 5'11, 130 with 16.5'' shoulders, so mtm was a good option for me. I bought a navy suit and light blue shirt from these guys and after 1 set of minor alterations I have an outfit that fits me perfectly. The shirts are expensive, but the fit is close to perfect and the fabric is good imo.
 
GoPelicans said:
Skinny people, where are you buying your dress shirts from? 5'10" 130ish here... I bought a 'slim-fit' shirt from Macy's, but it billows out from my body when I tuck it in. It seems that if something fits me in the arms, the body will be large... but if something fits me in the body, the arms are way too short.
Click to expand...

J Crew.
 
Similar problem to the above - my arms/shoulders and sometimes chest can be straining at shirts that fit my midsection, and when they fit my upper I look like I'm wearing maternity wear. Suggestions?
 
Any thoughts on earth tone colored suits? I have a traditional navy suit, which is what I plan to wear. However, I have 3 interviews in a row one week and am just thinking about a backup, just in case. My other suit is a conservative, earth tone. I have seen plenty of comments on navy, grey, and black but not much on this.

Thanks for the help!
 
Marine to MD said:
Any thoughts on earth tone colored suits? I have a traditional navy suit, which is what I plan to wear. However, I have 3 interviews in a row one week and am just thinking about a backup, just in case. My other suit is a conservative, earth tone. I have seen plenty of comments on navy, grey, and black but not much on this.

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

That's because brown is usually ugly and makes you look old. If you have to wear it, it's not verboten like black is (particularly if the suit fits well), but it's not ideal
 
GoPelicans said:
Skinny people, where are you buying your dress shirts from? 5'10" 130ish here... I bought a 'slim-fit' shirt from Macy's, but it billows out from my body when I tuck it in. It seems that if something fits me in the arms, the body will be large... but if something fits me in the body, the arms are way too short.
Click to expand...

Try the Nordstrom trim fit shirts. I had a similar problem
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

atriablack
Interview Set Up + Clothing PSA/Tips
Replies
1
Views
594
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
A
3+3 Accelerated Primary Care Program: Worth it?
Replies
7
Views
1K
cj_cregg
cj_cregg
viralhiker
Men's virtual interview attire
Replies
5
Views
3K
dindjarin87
dindjarin87
P
Grad level science gpa only 3 credits
Replies
2
Views
149
premedhelp123
P
E
Letter of Intent "Top 3/Top 2"
Replies
12
Views
2K
Emh_omega-323
E
Top