Residency interview attire for men

[dri]

Hi everyone,

I may be putting the cart before the horse (as I haven't actually gotten any interview invites yet), but I am in the process of buying a new suit for interviews. After looking around a bit, I think I've decided on having a custom suit made from Indochino.com. They seem to be pretty highly regarded and there is a perpetual 20% discount offered via Facebook.

In addition to hearing from folks who may have used this service in the past, I would also be very interested to hear everyone's thoughts on interview attire do's and don'ts. My personal preference is for a suit that is pretty "fashion forward" and so I think I'm going to have to rein in my sartorial impulses.

Topics I would be particularly interested to have people weigh in on are:

Two-piece vs. three-piece suits
Patterned shirts and/or ties
Pick stitching
Contrast stitching around buttonholes and the boutonniere
Thoughts on lapels (currently I'm leaning toward a slim, peaked lapel)
Flat-front vs. pleated pants

Anyway... I realize this is not the most important topic, but I need to figure out what I'm going to do and hopefully it will be an interesting discussion.

Thanks!

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[Xinlitik]

Hi everyone,

I may be putting the cart before the horse (as I haven't actually gotten any interview invites yet), but I am in the process of buying a new suit for interviews. After looking around a bit, I think I've decided on having a custom suit made from Indochino.com. They seem to be pretty highly regarded and there is a perpetual 20% discount offered via Facebook.

In addition to hearing from folks who may have used this service in the past, I would also be very interested to hear everyone's thoughts on interview attire do's and don'ts. My personal preference is for a suit that is pretty "fashion forward" and so I think I'm going to have to rein in my sartorial impulses.

Topics I would be particularly interested to have people weigh in on are:

Two-piece vs. three-piece suits
Patterned shirts and/or ties
Pick stitching
Contrast stitching around buttonholes and the boutonniere
Thoughts on lapels (currently I'm leaning toward a slim, peaked lapel)
Flat-front vs. pleated pants

Anyway... I realize this is not the most important topic, but I need to figure out what I'm going to do and hopefully it will be an interesting discussion.

Thanks!

Two piece suits generally look better. I would stick with a plain white shirt. Ties can be patterned but don't go crazy. Visible stitching is fine but don't go for anything flashy (e.g. white stitching). Peaked lapel should be fine. Flat-front plants look cleaner, but I doubt anyone would fault you for wearing pleated.

 

[PCIOL]

Mostly agree with above, however a light blue shirt will also be acceptable and ale you stand out a bit from the sea of navy and white. Also, would stay away from pleated (you don't even have to be fashion forward to know those are a mistake) and don't get a black suit to interview in.

I've had decent results Indochino and Black lapel, both are online MTM suit companies. Keep in mind they take a few weeks and many others have not been so lucky. They both offer up to $75 reimbursement if you need to take it to your local tailor for further alterations which could take another 1-2 weeks, depending on your tailor. If you're going to go this route, I suggest jumping ok it soon.

Finally, if you have a Suit Supply nearby, I've heard nothing but great things about their materials, craftsmanship, in house tailoring and cuts. The Napoli line sounds like what you're looking for. Prices are comparable, perhaps a tad more.

 

[ophthope]

I bought a banana republic suit and got the pants tailored. I don't think anybody cares about most of the finer points being discussed here as long as it looks good. $800 for these semi-bespoke suits seems like way overkill to me. The attendings you're going to interview with aren't fashonistas and they'll probably be rocking JC Penney suits themselves if they're in suits at all. I almost never wore a white shirt and if I did I wore a bit more flashy tie. If you can manage to stand out without looking weird or crazy, it's a good thing. If you don't think you can ride that line with your attire, stick with white shirt and nice tie. But to others looking here, you don't need a suit as nice as the ones on the sites named above to match your #1.

 

[PCIOL]

I bought a banana republic suit and got the pants tailored. I don't think anybody cares about most of the finer points being discussed here as long as it looks good. $800 for these semi-bespoke suits seems like way overkill to me. The attendings you're going to interview with aren't fashonistas and they'll probably be rocking JC Penney suits themselves if they're in suits at all. I almost never wore a white shirt and if I did I wore a bit more flashy tie. If you can manage to stand out without looking weird or crazy, it's a good thing. If you don't think you can ride that line with your attire, stick with white shirt and nice tie. But to others looking here, you don't need a suit as nice as the ones on the sites named above to match your #1.

Yeah..... About that. I have two MTM suits, one indochino and one black lapel. Both were around $400, two years ago. Indochino lists their standard navy suit at $450. Not sure where you got $800 from. I expect my suit to last me a long, long time and was happy to spend a hundred or so more.

In terms of looking good, having a suit that fits you well is key. Very rarely will an off the rack suit fit you all that well. Either you can get that done with a made to measurement suit or take it to a tailor. You're paying a bit more either way.

 

[HereEyeAm]

My fiancé has bought 3 suits from Indochino and he has never been disappointed. They look much more expensive than they actually cost.

 

[DrZeke]

I bought a banana republic suit and got the pants tailored. I don't think anybody cares about most of the finer points being discussed here as long as it looks good. $800 for these semi-bespoke suits seems like way overkill to me. The attendings you're going to interview with aren't fashonistas and they'll probably be rocking JC Penney suits themselves if they're in suits at all. I almost never wore a white shirt and if I did I wore a bit more flashy tie. If you can manage to stand out without looking weird or crazy, it's a good thing. If you don't think you can ride that line with your attire, stick with white shirt and nice tie. But to others looking here, you don't need a suit as nice as the ones on the sites named above to match your #1.

I also rocked the banana republic suit. Ultimately it depends on your build. Their suits don't look cheap and if it fits you well, why not? you can get it tailored a bit in case it's not just right.

 

[Bluesclera]

brooks brothers all the way. try to pick 100% wool.

 

[ophthope]

I also rocked the banana republic suit. Ultimately it depends on your build. Their suits don't look cheap and if it fits you well, why not? you can get it tailored a bit in case it's not just right.

Well I matched my #1 so it worked for me! If you want to spend a bunch of money on a bespoke/semi-bespoke suit or can find one for cheaper go right ahead. Otherwise I'd still say the Brooks Brothers / Banana Republic / Express - chain store suit with alterations as needed is okay. Most other applicants will be doing exactly this, and most other applicants look like they're wearing suits that fit them just fine. As someone on the other side of the interview process, the most this might get you is "I really liked that one guy's suit" and it will affect your probability of matching exactly zero compared to the dude that got his suit at Brooks Brothers but really could have used 1/4" off of his sleeve length to make his suit fit perfect.

 

[DrZeke]

Well I matched my #1 so it worked for me! If you want to spend a bunch of money on a bespoke/semi-bespoke suit or can find one for cheaper go right ahead. Otherwise I'd still say the Brooks Brothers / Banana Republic / Express - chain store suit with alterations as needed is okay. Most other applicants will be doing exactly this, and most other applicants look like they're wearing suits that fit them just fine. As someone on the other side of the interview process, the most this might get you is "I really liked that one guy's suit" and it will affect your probability of matching exactly zero compared to the dude that got his suit at Brooks Brothers but really could have used 1/4" off of his sleeve length to make his suit fit perfect.

Honestly all that matters is that it fits you and you look clean and professional. Just don't stand out in a bad way. Like weird shirt tie combos. And just FYI. I distinctly remember 3 really dumb suits that looked cheap and ****ty. Those 3 ppl matched...

 

[dri]

Thanks for all of the comments everyone! I'm probably going to go the Black Lapel route after looking at their selection and prices... which are quite reasonable. Actually, what I'm looking at will be less expensive than a lot of the offerings from Banana Republic (and significantly less than Brooks Brothers). I think my main concern when I posted this was that I didn't want to look too "flashy" if I had a somewhat unconventional suite, like a gray glen plaid. From what I gather, as long as I don't dress like Lloyd Christmas or wear something outside of the navy/charcoal/gray family I should be OK.