Men's Interview Clothing #3!

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JB50 said:
Got a fresh pair of these along with a nice new suit for my birthday.
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Nice shoes. Not sure if I'd wear on interview day (though truth be told, I doubt the interviewers at my school would care because people show up in bow ties all the time and get in without a fuss), but they would be perfect for white coat ceremony or standardized patient interactions.
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Atom612 said:
Really enjoyed this post right up until the end. Most fashion forward people agree that regardless of how much you spend on them, monk straps are considered informal wear. I would skip them for shoes that have laces.


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Thats why I prefer oxfords, but this guide is for the uninitiated. I doubt a medical school interviewer would judge them for monk straps. They would however be judged harshly for wearing laced shoes or as I said "black pleather" sneakers.
 
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Unless you are a waiter at Chili's,
do not wear these.
 
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I love oxford shirts. I'll wear one with a suit to a presentation, conference, lecture, or other semi-formal event. I wouldn't wear it to a professional interview however, but that just might be me.
 
I'm sure someone could pull off chukkas with a suit, but I wouldn't do it for an interview. They certainly dress down the formality

JustAPhD said:
I love oxford shirts. I'll wear one with a suit to a presentation, conference, lecture, or other semi-formal event. I wouldn't wear it to a professional interview however, but that just might be me.
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Likewise here. Oxfords are a different level of formality from a suit. Could someone pull it off, probably. Certainly wouldn't do it for an interview
 
Is there a consensus on what shades of blue are considered appropriate for a medical school interview? (serious question, obviously I'm not talking about the trendy looking royal blue or shiny suits)... Some of these navy suits I'm looking at are so dark, it truly is difficult to see that they are even a shade of blue and not just black. On the contrary, there are some very sharp looking suits that are more of the sharkskin color, but I was concerned about them being "too blue" for a lack of a better term.

For example, this suit (LEFT) is the one I've been looking at the most and it fits well also, but it is a much darker color in person and is hard to tell it is even navy without a well contrasting shirt and tie. Would the suit on the right still be an acceptable option or is it teetering on being too light? I believe they consider it to be sharkskin in color with the left one just saying navy.
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El-Rami said:
Glad to see another AE and Alden lover. The cost is worth it because I can wear the same shoes for white coat days for 2 years and have them look nice (almost brand new) compared to some cheap Polo Ralph Lauren shoe that's gonna look like crap in the same time frame. If you buy from AE, you can get good dress shoes (full retail being $400) for $250-300 when they go on certain annual sales (think there's one going on right now). Alden shoes cost more like $500-600 and don't have good sales. I have some pairs, but the quality isn't really enough of a difference to warrant purchasing them over some standard AE shoe that you can get on sale.

In a similar vein, it may also be worth spending more on a quality necktie, too. Due to the devaluation of Sterling, you can get high quality grenadine ties from certain British manufacturers for about $100-130 (normal price being close to $200). I think people are more likely to notice better looking shoes than a high-end necktie, so I would definitely invest in the shoes first.

EDIT: As far as the allegation that they look like "old man's shoes," I can say from experience that AE has a lot of models that are more modern looking (i.e., look sleek and flatter your feet) yet are very conservative in taste. Alden has less models that I'd honestly be comfortable wearing as a young guy, but they do have some pretty sweet shoes. You really just need to see some of them in person. None of my shoes look out of place as a medical student (they just look nicer in terms of quality than what most students wear). They make me look more mature (in a good way).
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Crockett & Jones can be had for less than Alden right now with the weak GBP.
 
Allergic to Toradol said:
Is there a consensus on what shades of blue are considered appropriate for a medical school interview? (serious question, obviously I'm not talking about the trendy looking royal blue or shiny suits)... Some of these navy suits I'm looking at are so dark, it truly is difficult to see that they are even a shade of blue and not just black. On the contrary, there are some very sharp looking suits that are more of the sharkskin color, but I was concerned about them being "too blue" for a lack of a better term.

For example, this suit (LEFT) is the one I've been looking at the most and it fits well also, but it is a much darker color in person and is hard to tell it is even navy without a well contrasting shirt and tie. Would the suit on the right still be an acceptable option or is it teetering on being too light? I believe they consider it to be sharkskin in color with the left one just saying navy.
3105768_fpx.tif
3847031_fpx.tif
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Both look fine. Navy is tough because those two could literally be the same color but because of lighting they appear different.
 
username456789 said:
Crockett & Jones can be had for less than Alden right now with the weak GBP.
Click to expand...

I went to their website because I wanted a pair of black Norwich shoes (the ones worn by James Bond in Spectre), but they still show the price in USD as if the GBP was still like it was pre-Brexit at about 1.65:1 ratio... Where are you looking? I want those shoes so bad. Haha.
 
Allergic to Toradol said:
Is there a consensus on what shades of blue are considered appropriate for a medical school interview? (serious question, obviously I'm not talking about the trendy looking royal blue or shiny suits)... Some of these navy suits I'm looking at are so dark, it truly is difficult to see that they are even a shade of blue and not just black. On the contrary, there are some very sharp looking suits that are more of the sharkskin color, but I was concerned about them being "too blue" for a lack of a better term.

For example, this suit (LEFT) is the one I've been looking at the most and it fits well also, but it is a much darker color in person and is hard to tell it is even navy without a well contrasting shirt and tie. Would the suit on the right still be an acceptable option or is it teetering on being too light? I believe they consider it to be sharkskin in color with the left one just saying navy.
3105768_fpx.tif
3847031_fpx.tif
Click to expand...

sharkskin is a fabric with a two tone weave, not a color. The color of both of those suits is fine. Sharkskin fabric, like navy color, is hard to comment on without seeing it in person, pictures can be deceiving
 
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El-Rami said:
Glad to see another AE and Alden lover. The cost is worth it because I can wear the same shoes for white coat days for 2 years and have them look nice (almost brand new) compared to some cheap Polo Ralph Lauren shoe that's gonna look like crap in the same time frame. If you buy from AE, you can get good dress shoes (full retail being $400) for $250-300 when they go on certain annual sales (think there's one going on right now). Alden shoes cost more like $500-600 and don't have good sales. I have some pairs, but the quality isn't really enough of a difference to warrant purchasing them over some standard AE shoe that you can get on sale.

In a similar vein, it may also be worth spending more on a quality necktie, too. Due to the devaluation of Sterling, you can get high quality grenadine ties from certain British manufacturers for about $100-130 (normal price being close to $200). I think people are more likely to notice better looking shoes than a high-end necktie, so I would definitely invest in the shoes first.

EDIT: As far as the allegation that they look like "old man's shoes," I can say from experience that AE has a lot of models that are more modern looking (i.e., look sleek and flatter your feet) yet are very conservative in taste. Alden has less models that I'd honestly be comfortable wearing as a young guy, but they do have some pretty sweet shoes. You really just need to see some of them in person. None of my shoes look out of place as a medical student (they just look nicer in terms of quality than what most students wear). They make me look more mature (in a good way).
Click to expand...
Just every AE shoe I have seen in person looks either too ornate or too Old manish. I wonder if it is the cut of the shoe that is giving me this impression. The quality seems to be there based on looking at the stitching and stuff but I have yet to find any that would look sharp under a modern suit. Perhaps my tastes are too plebian. Any particular AE model you reccomend?
 
El-Rami said:
I went to their website because I wanted a pair of black Norwich shoes (the ones worn by James Bond in Spectre), but they still show the price in USD as if the GBP was still like it was pre-Brexit at about 1.65:1 ratio... Where are you looking? I want those shoes so bad. Haha.
Click to expand...

So you have a few options. You can go to U.K. online retailer sites like Pediwear and order through them, or you can contact C&J directly via email (choose their London branch, not US) and order via email with them. If you order directly through them, you will pay either by faxing your credit card information, or they can send you a password-protected document into which you can type your info and return it to them. That's what I did when I bought two pairs of C&J. The prices listed on Pediwear are generally the same as what C&J will charge you directly. Note that if you're in the US, the price in pounds is "ex-VAT", which should be listed on the Pediwear site. For instance, a shoe might be 400 pounds, but 340 ex-VAT. Shipping is usually 30 GBP and is super speedy (like 2-3 day shipping from London to your US address). So you can end up with a shoe for 370GBP (~$450) with shipping included, or go pay like $600-700 for the same shoe from the US C&J store.

Hope that helps!
 
libertyyne said:
Just every AE shoe I have seen in person looks either too ornate or too Old manish. I wonder if it is the cut of the shoe that is giving me this impression. The quality seems to be there based on looking at the stitching and stuff but I have yet to find any that would look sharp under a modern suit. Perhaps my tastes are too plebian. Any particular AE model you reccomend?
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Their Strand model looks rather nice (I have navy leather, walnut, and brown suede/white rubber sole versions of this). I also really like their Rogue shoes (dark chili). Future models I want are Exchange Place (chisel toe shoes, very nice looking in person) and perhaps their St. John double monkstraps.

I have a pair of CXL PTB made by Alden as well as a CXL chukka boot made by AE. I wear all of these (including the suede Strand) in more casual outings where I want to dress up just a little bit (wearing nice jeans but dress it up a bit if that makes sense) just to impress the ladies.
 
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gyngyn said:
Please tell me you are joking.
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Lol you're going to give Gyngyn an aneurysm after he's spent this much time giving you guys advice on suits.
 
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username456789 said:
So you have a few options. You can go to U.K. online retailer sites like Pediwear and order through them, or you can contact C&J directly via email (choose their London branch, not US) and order via email with them. If you order directly through them, you will pay either by faxing your credit card information, or they can send you a password-protected document into which you can type your info and return it to them. That's what I did when I bought two pairs of C&J. The prices listed on Pediwear are generally the same as what C&J will charge you directly. Note that if you're in the US, the price in pounds is "ex-VAT", which should be listed on the Pediwear site. For instance, a shoe might be 400 pounds, but 340 ex-VAT. Shipping is usually 30 GBP and is super speedy (like 2-3 day shipping from London to your US address). So you can end up with a shoe for 370GBP (~$450) with shipping included, or go pay like $600-700 for the same shoe from the US C&J store.

Hope that helps!
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That's awesome! Thanks for the info.
 
gyngyn said:
Please tell me you are joking.
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JustAPhD said:
Lol you're going to give Gyngyn an aneurysm after he's spent this much time giving you guys advice on suits.
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Sorry it is a bit intimidating going through 80+ pages of posts. Ok, to bring it back to something reasonable. How about this?
upload_2016-10-12_20-8-23.png

That blue tugs at my heart strings though.
 
libertyyne said:
Sorry it is a bit intimidating going through 80+ pages of posts. Ok, to bring it back to something reasonable. How about this?
View attachment 209825
That blue tugs at my heart strings though.
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Interviews are not time to walk the runway. Pick something appropriate and conservative. A suit for an interview should not draw attention to itself, it should merely make you look well put together. Charcoal, navy, lapels that aren't super skinny w/tie to match, complimentary shirt, no pocket square, pants with some degree of break, dark brown or black oxfords, done. That suit is still way better than the blue one though
 
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You need a dark suit (charcoal gray or navy), and it'll be okay.

Also, this lapel pin would be a nice addition:

caduceuspinf19f.jpg

As far as ties go, literally all you need is:
Navy/Burgundy
Solid/White pin dots/White regimental stripes
Tie width 3-3.75"
 
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El-Rami said:
You need a dark suit (charcoal gray or navy), and it'll be okay.

Also, this lapel pin would be a nice addition:

caduceuspinf19f.jpg
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I think this might be problematic.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190767/


"In contrast Hermes, also a Greek God and his counterpart in Roman mythology, Mercury are patron Gods of commerce, trade, merchants and a protector of tricksters and thieves. More importantly Hermes is a God of transitions and boundaries, and moves freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine and guides departed souls to the underworld. The staff of Hermes embodies cunning machinations and death, hardly the connotations an emblem of healing should evoke."

This is what it should be!

upload_2016-10-12_20-30-55.jpeg

Wouldnt it be in bad taste for a pre-med to wear one any way.
 
libertyyne said:
I think this might be problematic.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190767/


"In contrast Hermes, also a Greek God and his counterpart in Roman mythology, Mercury are patron Gods of commerce, trade, merchants and a protector of tricksters and thieves. More importantly Hermes is a God of transitions and boundaries, and moves freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine and guides departed souls to the underworld. The staff of Hermes embodies cunning machinations and death, hardly the connotations an emblem of healing should evoke."

This is what it should be!

View attachment 209828
Wouldnt it be in bad taste for a pre-med to wear one any way.
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You ruined my joke. I wanted to see some pre-meds show up to their interviews wearing the Caduceus on their lapels. I do want that lapel pin you posted, though.
 
@El-Rami why wouldn't you wear AE's? My suit was like 2k I'm gonna wear those shoes considering they contributed about 20% of the suits cost.

I think they look sick
 
libertyyne said:
Just every AE shoe I have seen in person looks either too ornate or too Old manish. I wonder if it is the cut of the shoe that is giving me this impression. The quality seems to be there based on looking at the stitching and stuff but I have yet to find any that would look sharp under a modern suit. Perhaps my tastes are too plebian. Any particular AE model you reccomend?
Click to expand...

Really? I think you can't go wrong with the typical Fifth/Park Aves in a conservative color. Not sure at all what you mean by "old manish"... dress clothes are designed to make you look mature...

EDIT: one word of warning with AEs is they typically run large a size. If you live near a store it's worth going to try them on. Also I think they're having their big sale now so I'd jump on it. $250 for a lifetime quality shoe is pretty hard to beat.
 
JB50 said:
@El-Rami why wouldn't you wear AE's? My suit was like 2k I'm gonna wear those shoes considering they contributed about 20% of the suits cost.

I think they look sick
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I'd wear the hell out of them, but there are people that believe you should only wear oxford shoes in an interview. At my school, it probably wouldn't be a huge deal, but I can't say the same for other schools. If you can afford it, maybe use this as an excuse to grab a pair of black Exchange Places or black Park Avenues from AE.

If you can't afford another pair of shoes, just go for it and wear those shoes to your interviews. As long as you can get as close to "perfect" as possible, your outfit won't hold you back. I've seen people wear light gray suits with peak lapels and bow ties who still get accepted. The thing is, you just look better with the dark suits, conservative ties, and dark oxfords. Otherwise, it looks like you are dressing for a wedding or something.
 
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I think you might be over thinking it.
 
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@kingslanding That shoe will work. I wore a similar shoe to my interview.

@IlDestriero Is it me or is literally everything Hermes makes gaudy and unseemly?
 
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