store recommendations for suits

[87138]

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Agreed. Don't listen to the salespeople regarding your shoulders. If they don't fit from the start, there's not a whole lot the tailor can do without messing up the rest of the suit. To alter the shoulders requires taking the jacket apart and those fees can be dramatic.

Always check the shoulders. Even if the suit's perfect everywhere else, don't get the suit.

What exactly does one mean by "check the shoulders?" Making sure it's wide/narrow enough for your shoulders? Or making sure you can reach forward and backward comfortably? Or what?

 

[nick_carraway]

What exactly does one mean by "check the shoulders?" Making sure it's wide/narrow enough for your shoulders? Or making sure you can reach forward and backward comfortably? Or what?

Make sure they aren't too wide/narrow. Make sure the jacket doesn't look like it's hanging off of your shoulders (too wide) and check that the jacket doesn't make you hunch your shoulders at all (too narrow).

Being able to reach forward and back has more to do with the shoulder blade area of the jacket and of the sleeves and armpit and those should probably be checked too. The area between the shoulder blades and the sleeves can be taken in however, so those can be more easily altered.

 

[nick_carraway]

Wouldn't grey or blue look kind of casual? What about black with stripes?

Well grey and blue would look MORE casual than black but in business wear, navy and grey have been the traditional suit colors. Few professional salespeople, for instance, would agree that black is a good interview color.

I have to say, though, young men tend to look better in black. Black with stripes is fine, I think. Beware of looking like Al Capone though.

 

[crash2500]

jos a bank suit separates all the way. that way if need a different size in ur jacket than ur pants u won't have to tailor the hell out of em. and they have a pretty good sale going on too. got mine on sunday. really good fit for tall slim people.

 

[ChristianJames1]

If this is the only suit you will own (and I am assuming this is true since you are buying one for the interview) I guarantee that you will wear it again (weddings etc.). Spend the extra money and get something you really like. Just a suggestion.

 

[desibhai]

a black suit or a black pinestripe suit = bad idea ? why ?

 

[MassTransport]

Black is generally only appropriate for funeral or dinner wear. If you're looking for something close, I'd recommend a charcoal suit. It ranges from dark to very dark gray.

I dunno about pinstripes. Sometimes it's tasteful, sometimes it looks like a test pattern.

 

[nick_carraway]

a black suit or a black pinestripe suit = bad idea ? why ?

Sometimes you risk looking like a member of the Mafia circa 1920. I agree that some pinstripe suits look pretty nice but I was afraid that whoever wears black will gravitate towards pinstripes since it's so in-fashion these days. Plus it just so happened that none of the stripe suits I tried on looked good on me.

Personally, I'm more of a fan of textured stripes. More subtle, more original. Check it out next time you look at suits. Some brands do it more than others.

I finally settled for a solid suit though. And no, it wasn't black. Black reminds me of salesmen. Next time you're at the mall, look around. Or at the hospital. You can spot a salesperson from a mile away. That being said, I think that young people typically look good in black so do whatever works.

 

[desibhai]

yup...i see your point, that makes sense. I was just wondering since I have this black pinestripe suit I always get compliments in (unless ppl are being sarcastic 😀 ) so i was thinking about wearing that.

 

[SigurRos]

Does anyone know if J.C. Penny of S & K's does in house tailoring and how much they charge?

 

[speedrazer]

Ok, I'll say right off the bat that I'm a young guy, let's say early 20's, but I know a few things about suits. First off, stripes of any kind on a suit wouldn't be advised for anyone going in for an interview at a medical school. Stripes have a tendency of showing status, that's why you see a lot of business men wearing it. As students, we don't have much. Navy blue and grey are good choices, but if you want to pull off a look that shows you know a thing or two about suits grey would be better, darker grey for the younger person. As for black, I've seen young people pull it off very well. I think black looks best for a younger person and grey looks best for an older person. Try to avoid any colors other than the traditional solid colors of black, grey, and navy blue... but some might advise not to wear black. American cut would probably be best, since we're in America, and cuff-links are a big no (they tend to say you have high status, but again, we're students). Worsted wool is best for year round, and try to avoid the seersuckers for your interview, too informal. And definitely avoid croc, gator, and ostrich leathers (if you can afford them).

 

[speedrazer]

Oh yeah, Khols has a good line of affordable suits. But, you get what you pay for. I recommend Jos A. Banks. If you're rich you should just custom make yours or go to Brooks Brothers.

 

[SigurRos]

I went to S&K's the other day and got a decent suit for 200 bucks. but they tried to sell me 180 dollars worth of ties and shirts!

 

[deleted103730]

I know SK does tailoring, but I don't know for how much. At least the store my brother got his suit from.

 

[Premed04]

I went to Dillard's and got my suit at a pretty good price. At the other stores I visited, the suits were too big for me. I got the tailoring done at a local dry cleaner's.

 

[SigurRos]

what is a reasonable price to pay for shirts and ties? I ask because I was offered 50 dollar shirts and 45 dollar ties! RIPOFF

 

[Jaymz]

Anybody have any recommendations for stores that are great for buying affordable but interview-wearable suits?

I can't remember the last time I bought one to be honest.

What is your price range? A store called Bachrach has absolutely terrific suits, for what I think are affordable prices. I bought mine for $250 from there and it is top notch. You really should check it out if you haven't already. Have fun 🙂

 

[caffeineaholic]

Any recommendations on how many buttons the suit jacket should have? I've seen suits with one, two, or three. I feel like I tend to prefer how the two button jackets look, but is any style seen as more appropriate for interviews?

 

[RPedigo]

Any recommendations on how many buttons the suit jacket should have? I've seen suits with one, two, or three. I feel like I tend to prefer how the two button jackets look, but is any style seen as more appropriate for interviews?

Two or three is fine. Anything with more or less buttons might be odd. Choose whichever (two or three button) suit you like better. I personally have a two and a three button suit.

 

[deleted103730]

just remember to not button the bottom button on the three button suit. button.

 

[midn]

Dillards is having a 50% off sale. I'm not sure if it is national. I got a charcoal New York and Roundtree (I think that's the name) suit with alterations for $244. The suit look damn good too. The guy who help me fit the suit was very meticulous with adjusting my suit. He found one of my arms was longer than the other and my spine is lightly crooked so one pant leg has to be longer than the other.

I squeezed into an athletic fit suit. I've put a few inches on my waist over the past year . Luckily the guy is going to have the pants loosened by two inches.

 

[LadyLightning20]

Sheesh, women aren't getting much on this thread!

That said, I agree that Ann Taylor has a nice line of petites - also try Ann Taylor Loft.

I'm not sure how national Hudson Belk is, but they have nice suits and their sales can cut the price by 60-70%, so I got a pretty sweet deal there. Don't know about alterations though.

 

[nick_carraway]

Dillards is having a 50% off sale. I'm not sure if it is national. I got a charcoal New York and Roundtree (I think that's the name) suit with alterations for $244. The suit look damn good too. The guy who help me fit the suit was very meticulous with adjusting my suit. He found one of my arms was longer than the other and my spine is lightly crooked so one pant leg has to be longer than the other.

I squeezed into an athletic fit suit. I've put a few inches on my waist over the past year . Luckily the guy is going to have the pants loosened by two inches.

Everyone (literally) has one arm shorter than the other. It's pretty typical to have one jacket sleeve altered more than the other.

 

[SketchLazy]

Please please avoid Men's Wearhouse... For very inexpensive suits, check out Target's Merona Premium Wool line (avoid anything with polyester), or Macy's Alfani line. Please go with solid charcoal or navy and not the ubiquitous (and inappropriate) black. If you're willing to spend a little bit more, a discounter like Ross, Marshall's, or Nordstrom Rack may be a good choice but it is sometimes difficult to find conservative cuts/patterns there.

I can understand a completely black suit as being inappropriate, but what about a more casual suit that has stripes? Would it be better to stay away from black altogether?

 

[speedrazer]

Three buttons are usually better for the taller person, and hence, the two button for shorter people. Also, you may not always want that $100 suit, you may get only so many washes out of it. There are fused (glued) and hand basted suits (sewn). The glued one is obviously the cheap one, and multiple washes will tend to screw with the glue and make your suit useless. Same for ties. $20 ties will be glued and will only get so many washes whereas a $70 tie will get you much more. But, beware, prices aren't always indicators of how the suit or tie was made.

 

[SketchLazy]

Three buttons are usually better for the taller person, and hence, the two button for shorter people. Also, you may not always want that $100 suit, you may get only so many washes out of it. There are fused (glued) and hand basted suits (sewn). The glued one is obviously the cheap one, and multiple washes will tend to screw with the glue and make your suit useless. Same for ties. $20 ties will be glued and will only get so many washes whereas a $70 tie will get you much more. But, beware, prices aren't always indicators of how the suit or tie was made.

Washing suits???!?!?

 

[littlealex]

Stay away from really dark black suits. A dark grey is okay.

Also please don't get a boldly striped suit. It is too fashion forward and bold for an interview. If you must wear stripes, get a very subtle stripe. Like a previous poster had indicated, bold stripes tend to be for businessmen with power. Avoid that when you're trying to present a humble image.


A note on the shoulders mentioned at the top of the page: Don't get suits that are too big at the shoulders for you. Even if it is too large by a quarter of an inch, it does that weird protruding shoulderpad thing that causes a small fold just outside of your shoulders. It makes you look like you stole the suit from your roommate and it just doesn't fit.

 

[cruz21]

i wonder why there has been no mention of brown on this thread? is brown really inappropriate? because i definitely plan on wearing a dark brown suit😀

 

[etf]

Three buttons are usually better for the taller person, and hence, the two button for shorter people. Also, you may not always want that $100 suit, you may get only so many washes out of it. There are fused (glued) and hand basted suits (sewn). The glued one is obviously the cheap one, and multiple washes will tend to screw with the glue and make your suit useless. Same for ties. $20 ties will be glued and will only get so many washes whereas a $70 tie will get you much more. But, beware, prices aren't always indicators of how the suit or tie was made.

first of all, the number of buttons has nothing to do with height - they are just two different styles. 2 buttons suits are actually more conservative than 3 buttons, although it might seem otherwise since they are just getting back in style. and as for fused vs. canvassed, good luck getting a hand canvassed suit for under $1500, unless you hit the outlet stores. even at that pricepoint, only the lapels will usually be canvassed. for the sake of a med school interview it doesn't matter - buy something that looks nice and that will get you through 6 hours at a medical school.

 

[nick_carraway]

i wonder why there has been no mention of brown on this thread? is brown really inappropriate? because i definitely plan on wearing a dark brown suit😀

No my suit is dark dark brown. When I was matching a shirt and tie to it, the Nordstrom salesman called it "chocolate" brown. Looks nice and different, in my opinion. In the winter, it'll look even darker than it already does so I don't think it'll be too odd even outside of my beloved fashion-challenged California.

 

[nick_carraway]

Three buttons are usually better for the taller person, and hence, the two button for shorter people. Also, you may not always want that $100 suit, you may get only so many washes out of it. There are fused (glued) and hand basted suits (sewn). The glued one is obviously the cheap one, and multiple washes will tend to screw with the glue and make your suit useless. Same for ties. $20 ties will be glued and will only get so many washes whereas a $70 tie will get you much more. But, beware, prices aren't always indicators of how the suit or tie was made.

Agreed with your last point in particular. In Taiwan, you can get genuine Zegna ties for $5 US dollars. The same tie in the US would cost upwards for $90.

 

[etf]

Agreed with your last point in particular. In Taiwan, you can get genuine Zegna ties for $5 US dollars. The same tie in the US would cost upwards for $90.

i doubt it's genuine. in fact, even the store is probably fake.

 

[littlealex]

Agreed with your last point in particular. In Taiwan, you can get genuine Zegna ties for $5 US dollars. The same tie in the US would cost upwards for $90.

As an Taiwan native (lived there for 12 years), I just want to say the quality of the stuff you buy for cheap in Taiwan are horrendous. There's a reason people who can afford it still buy $50-$250 US dollar jeans and not the cheap stuff on the night market.

 

[nick_carraway]

i doubt it's genuine. in fact, even the store is probably fake.

Well they were from a department store in Taiwan with genuine Zegna tags on them so I say they're legit. I mean even on ebay in the US, you can get a brand new Zegna tie for $30 sometimes.