Feb
2
2010
Having just completed a couple of rounds of interviews, I thought I’d do a quick post on proper attire. Conventional wisdom here is to dress for one level above the job that you want. This can be tricky though, so really tailor it to the job/firm that you’re applying to.
This was brought up in the power jeans article, in that some companies actually frown on suiting up for an interview. In an article over at Wetfeet, the author actually had a pretty solid suggestion if it’s local: go stalker and camp out at the office to see what the majority of the workers there are wearing.
I won’t tackle the outliers, and will instead focus on the more typical business environment.
The general idea is to strike a balance between not looking like everybody else, but also not looking like you’re trying too hard. Your appearance undoubtedly plays a large role in you landing that job (or else a dress code wouldn’t even be in the equation), so showing that you possess some taste and the ability to not be a lemming could go far. The interviewer may not jot down “killer suit & tie combo”, but subconsciously you’ve already made an impression – everybody likes pretty things.
The Interview Suit
A few comments:
- Do not wear a black suit
- Steer clear from pinstripes (a subtle chalk-stripe is ok)
- Go for darker colors
This leaves you with a dark grey or charcoal grey suit. This is one place you do NOT want to stand out. Let the fit of your suit and the shirt & tie combo do the talking.
Speaking of your shirt and tie combination:
- Stray away from french cuff shirts; a button cuff is more subtle
- No contrast shirts with the white collars
- Color is fine (in fact encouraged), just nothing that is blindingly bright; as with tequila, moderation is key
Business Casual Interviews
The first interview was labeled as business casual, with suits being optional. But, knowing the culture and the reputation as a firm, there was no way I was going in sans-suit. But, the key is to not overdue it. There’s a reason they said business casual.
I knew the majority of guys would opt for khakis (pleated) and a white or blue shirt with a gold tie. Or, khakis, white or blue shirt, and blue blazer.
My thinking is that I wanted to distinguish myself from the crowd, but not in a “hey, look at me” sort of way. The idea is to look different, but in a good, and almost more importantly, appropriate way. So, I decided to go with a suit but ditch the tie, and pair it with a nice sweater with a button down underneath.
I opted for a dark charcoal modern suit from Banana. A reasonably priced suit with a nice modern fit (the tailor was amazed how well it fit off the rack). I next added a dark navy, fine merino wool sweater, over a grey button down. The look was modern, and put together.
Arriving at interview day I was surprised to see that 50% of us were in suits (it was a group session), while the rest were exactly how I had envisioned them.
If you don’t own an interview suit, then nice trousers and a tie will go a long way. Just avoid the standard khaki + white/blue shirt uniform. You want to show your prospective employers that you can take the rules they’ve given you and appropriately make it your own.
Business Formal
For round 2, the dress code was business formal. This means suit up. I had the same motivation here, stand out, but in a good way. I knew that the majority of guys would be in charcoal suits with either a blue or white shirt, and undoubtedly with a gold tie. There was no way I was going to look like a 60 year old Republican Senator. I’m young and cool, and this is a big f-ing deal, so I needed something suitably cool.
This was a tough selection for me, because I knew what I wanted but the stores didn’t have exactly it. I ended up settling on a purple and white micro-check shirt (subtle thin purple lines), with a point collar, and paired it with a thin beautiful royal purple tie. I recycled my grey suit from the first interview.
I haven’t touched on collar choices, but go with a point or a spread collar for an occasion like this. This means avoid the classic button down collar. Historically button-down collars are more for casual wear, but regardless it is visually more appealing to have a nice point collar.
Take home: when going with a suit, it’s OK to go with a nice pattern shirt. Pair it with a tie in the same color family and you’ve got a very sharp combination.
Remember, it is your goal to be attractive to the company. Both from an intellectual standpoint (which your resume already provided) and a physical standpoint (why it isn’t a phone interview). So, put some thought into what you’re putting on.
Oh, and the combination of the patterned shirt + solid tie looked awesome. Heading to the airport that afternoon the crosswalk dude (yes, it was a dude…bite me), and the metal detector lady both complimented me on how I looked. And if that’s not success, I don’t know what is.
Nov
10
2009
A button down under a sweater is one of my favorite looks for fall. Done right, it looks clean and put together, yet not overly preppy. The layering allows you to combine different colors, textures, and patterns to put together a very unique outfit.
The key is of course in the individual pieces, and how they work together. To keep the look modern you want to keep the sweater from being too bulky, and you want to make sure the proportions are right. Casual occasion? It’s OK to keep the button down untucked (as long as the shirt is hemmed and not too long). Formal? Not so much.
Typically the go-to move is to pair a solid shirt with a solid sweater. Nothing wrong with that at all. But, switch it up and play with all the possible combinations of stripes, patterns and solids for both the button down and sweater.
Looking at the new offerings by JCrew, I was stunned with how good plaid/check looks under their sweaters. It’s a very cool and modern look. To emulate this look, just ensure that everything that you have on is suitably modern.
Things to keep in mind when scrolling through the photos (I’ll let the images do the talking):
- Notice the proportion of the shirt hem (the bottom of the shirt) with respect to the length of each sweater.
- Notice the color choices. The cool thing with this look is that you can pretty much put any plaid shirt under any sweater. But, in case you want more structure just follow their lead as to what looks good:
– blues and greys
– blues and blues
– greys and deep reds
– greys and blacks
- This look is versatile. Each outfit can be dressed up with some nice chinos/dark jeans, or dressed down with a worn pair of jeans.
Oct
7
2009
Again, muchos apologies for the intermittent posting, but I’ll strive to continue to keep up a few posts a week while I balance my day job, drinking, drama, and darts.
It’s much belated, but I’ll begin once again to highlight particular outfit ideas. Rather than for going out, these will be targeted for wearing to work so that we don’t run into the problems that I recently outlined .
The rules are the same as for the previous posts: all the pieces are from the same mass market retailer and I’ll work within a budget. Let’s extend it to $300 since I was over budget virtually every outfit.
The first outfit will be the most casual of business casual. A place of work where wearing chinos is perfectly acceptable, and wearing dress trousers and a tie would be seen as a tad odd.
Pants
As mentioned before, we’re going to update your khakis, both in the fit and the color. I’ve chosen a nice pair of grey flat front chinos that are clean and very stylish. The unique color will help to get you out of the khaki rut, while the fit brings your look up to date. Reviewing the fit rules for pants: flat front and precise fitting are the biggies. These come in several different colors, but I like grey the best. It’s different and more modern.
The image makes it look like the pants are a little bit short, so I’d go with a longer inseam and just get it hemmed.
Shirt
Now, finding a shirt that matches, and isn’t blue, is a bit tougher. I’ll admit that blue would work very well with the chinos selected above (blue and grey go well together), but instead I chose a grey and white striped dress shirt. I know from the image that the shirt by itself looks very muted and sort of bland. But, the key is to imagine it as a piece in the rest of the outfit.
The rich grey color of the chinos will help to bring out the positive qualities of the shirt. Also, we’re keeping it in the same color family which is modern and cool. The stripes add a bit more style than the typical solid dress shirts, while keeping everything professional. And, we’ve avoided blue completely.
Just because you’re not going out, doesn’t mean you can ignore the fit rules. This shirt is cut slimmer to avoid the bagginess of most office shirts. This is a good thing. Embrace it.
Shoes
I’ve mentioned this previously, but JCrew’s Fall shoe offering is a bit sparse on the dressier shoes. But, that’s OK, because office wear should be slightly muted stylistically. Regardless, we can fall back on our (my) favorite shoe the wingtip. The wingtip is a heftier shoe that will anchor the entire outfit.
Here is a brown version of their wingtip (it comes in black). Don’t let the grey of the pants and shirt frighten you away from wearing brown. The contrast of the grey with the deep brown is very stylish. You can get a bit of a hint from the photo of the pants above, as the model has on a (lighter/weirder) shade of brown, yet it still looks great.
Bottom Line
Pants: $60
Shirt: $55
Shoes: $170
Total: $285
Not bad for an entire outfit. This of course is just an example of what you can do. Swapping out the shirt (while keeping the same pants) will give the outfit a completely different look (yes, you can go with blue, just go with a different hue than light blue). Also, you can opt for a patterned shirt to mix it up a bit.
You may be thinking that this outfit is startling similar to some of the other outfits that I’ve highlighted for going out. You’re right. Since this is the most casual, it will be very similar to previous outfits. However, you’ll find that even the dressier outfits bear more than a little resemblance to outfits I’ve selected for going out. This is because the fundamental rules typically don’t change from occasion to occasion. Things that do change are the details. For instance having your shirt pressed, choosing more muted fabrics and colors, and wearing polished shoes. Cumulatively, these subtle changes will completely alter the look of the outfit.
Sep
21
2009
I’ve been struggling with putting together the last outfit from JCrew. It’s supposed to be the dressiest outfit, which is an issue because JCrew has moved to the more casual/traditional end of the style spectrum. They execute this particular brand of style very well, but it’s also not a polished and shiny look (unless you go with their suiting), which may not go as well with the typical uniform seen in a super trendy club-type atmosphere that some may frequent.
However, it’s my job to give you outfit ideas that are different and cool. Sure, you can throw on a suit or dress trousers and a dress shirt, but what if you want something with a bit more style?
The outfit below would get me in to just about anywhere I want to go: 5-star restaurant, new trendy bar, etc. I wouldn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable with how I’m dressed. But, in Texas we’re a little bit more laid-back than elsewhere, so this may not be a universal truth. Plus, my mood has been more of a masculine, vintage coolness which this outfit definitely falls into.
I did cheat a little bit on this particular outfit by taking the articles from last time’s outfit, and just throwing in the sport coat below. But, this serves to illustrate an important point: versatility of your wardrobe. I know most guys don’t have, or don’t want, to spend a ton of money on clothes (hence PG not highlighting high fashion designers). However, you still want to look good. So, the key is to buy a few quality items that fit you well, but also can transition to many different events by just swapping out (or adding) elements.
As mentioned previously, the key to properly pulling off sport coat and jeans is to keep the look modern. This is especially true when the sport coat is made out of a material with traditional and stodgy connotations that tweed tends to elicit. So, you must be extra vigilant on the fit and pairing.
Fear not, because the fit of this sport coat is perfectly modern. It’s cut high with a contoured torso. It isn’t like you went to your dad’s closet and grabbed one of his wool sport coats.
As a refresher, I’ve posted the previous outfit below. The difference is that you want the shirt to be slightly more pressed than the wrinkly version I advocated for that outfit. Now, you’re going for a cleaner look, so your shirt should reflect that.
Here, you can opt for the slightly loosened tie with the top button unbuttoned, or you can go with it knotted tightly. This is definitely personal preference.
The combination of the plaid, tweed sport coat, and wool tie is by itself very professorial, which isn’t inherently cool (unless you are in fact a professor). The kicker really is in the execution: you’ve got a very modern cut to the sport coat, tie, and shirt, which all ratchets the look into the stylish zone.
Sep
16
2009
For the second outfit in this series, I’ve focused on something slightly more trendy than yesterday’s ensemble.
The corresponding outfit from Banana was a simple pair of clean jeans and a button down shirt. We’ll go with something along the same lines, but throw in a tie, just to show you more ways to spruce up an outfit.
Top
Again, I’m going with plaid. I know I went with it for Banana, but it’s gradually becoming Fall (even in Texas it’s gotten cooler), so it’s time to fully embrace the pattern. The difference between this shirt and the previous one from Banana, is that the texture of this shirt will be less fine. These shirts from JCrew have a bit more worn-in, vintage feel to them, which puts in into the more casual realm.
Since, this outfit is designed for a nicer/trendier night out, we’ve got to contrast the casual feel given off by the shirt’s texture with something a bit nicer. So, I’ve chosen a cool wool tie to be paired with the shirt. It’s in the same color family (a grey), giving you a nice modern monochromatic look. Also, not everybody thinks to pair a tie with a plaid shirt, but it is a very cool look (just keep the tie on the solid side).
This tie is slimmer than your traditional business tie, but not pencil-thin. Just enough to add a little modern into your wardrobe. And the wool fabric is very cool and stylish.
The key to pulling this look off is to loosen your tie knot slightly, and unbutton your top button. I thought the latter rule would be self-evident, but apparently it’s not. I was out and saw a guy sporting a 3.25″ rep tie (that’s office width), loosened, with his top button buttoned, all of this with jeans. Don’t be that guy.
You also don’t want to loosen the tie too dramatically. Make sure the knot itself is still tight (with a thin tie like this I just go with a simple four in hand knot), with the circumference of the neck hole being just slightly larger than normal. You don’t want it too tight where it affects the way the top button of the shirt falls open, nor do you want it so loose that it droops there.
Pants
I chose a pair of bootcut denim with a slightly worn wash. For an occasion like this, you definitely want to go with dark denim, but it need not always be a blackish-wash or super clean. It all depends on what you’re pairing it with. And since we’ve got a casual shirt, a nice tie, and nice shoes (below), it’s ok to go with a slightly worn in jean, provided that the fit is still modern, and the jeans are clean.
I chose a bootcut as opposed to a straight leg, because the shoes below are more substantial than the sneakers from yesterday’s outfit. So the slight bit more width you gain in the leg opening, will allow the jean to fall over the shoe a little cleaner.
Shoes
For some reason the Fall selection of JCrew shoes is a bit lacking on the dressier shoes, so my options were limited. However, it does let me go with my old favorite: the wingtip. Don’t be thrown off by the traditional roots of the shoe. Once paired with your modern outfit, the look definitely does not scream office.
Bottom Line
Shirt: $60
Tie: $60
Jeans: $96
Shoes: $165
Total: $381
Over budget again. Oh well, the outfit is the bee’s knees.
Sep
15
2009
Last week I targeted Banana Republic for my outfit selections, so this week I’m moving on to the next mass market retailer: JCrew.
The problem that I foresee with a JCrew-centric outfit is whittling down the myriad of possibilities (I’m a very big fan of their stuff). I don’t think any other mass market store does casual to casual-trendy tops as well as JCrew. Most of their stuff is highly versatile, meaning you can wear the same top to a casual bar that you would to a super trendy restaurant. The key is what you surround the items with.
JCrew is known, especially recently, for fostering some big name designer collaborations. From Red Wings, to Barbour, and now to Thomas Mason, JCrew consistently is on point with their style trends.
I know I know, it sounds like I’m Don Draper for JCrew. But this is all true, and it isn’t all good. I’m not a huge fan of their denim (or pants in general), as I’ve found their fit to be inconsistent, and not exactly of the highest quality. I’ve never owned a sport coat from JCrew that hasn’t lost a button within the first season. Also, I won’t ever purchase socks from them any longer, as the elastic lasts all of 30 seconds.
But, I’ve never had a problem with the quality of their tops, which are almost always well-tailored. It’s classic American style, with a modern twist. Perfect for any PG reader.
And here, dear reader, is a valuable lesson to learn. As you continue to shop, either at mass market stores or boutiques (not just for the woman folk), you’ll find that different designers do your particular body type right. You’ll gravitate to the style, fit and quality that you personally find flattering. I’ve learned that for me, JCrew is the best for shoes (occasionally), shirts, belts, and sweaters.
So, following the same format as before, we’ll move from casual outfit to progressively more trendy/dressier. As usual, the price for the complete outfit should be around $250, though I’ve not come in under budget once.
Shirt
I’ll start with the shirt this time, as I am in love with JCrew’s casual shirts. They have a modern fit to them (slimmer in the torso) as well as modern fabric & prints. My preferred way to wear their shirts is to machine wash and line dry. I like the wrinkles, as it adds a bit of a masculine touch and suits my sense of style perfectly. If I choose to dress it up, I’ll throw a vest or tie on top, and change into dressier pants. They’re incredibly versatile.
For this casual outfit, I chose a light-colored gingham shirt. The faded color of the pattern helps to keep the look casual, especially if you wear it wrinkly and not pressed.
As usual, tuck in the shirt and roll the sleeves.
Pants
Since it’s casual, we’ll go with jeans. I think they JCrew has improved the quality of their denim in recent years, and these have a very modern fit with quality denim. As opposed to the last casual outfit, I’ve chosen a darker pair of jeans this time.
Shoes
Now, I know thus far you may think that the dark jeans and tucked in shirt doesn’t scream casual. Here’s the key: the shoes. I’ve chosen some classic Jack Purcells to help balance the entire outfit. The cool/retro look of the sneakers completely ratchets the outfit down a notch on the dressy scale, while adding a bit of style.
Now you can see why I chose a straight leg jean; it’s because of the shoes. If a boot leg were chosen, the low profile kicks would be lost in the wide pant opening. So the key is to match your leg opening of your pants with the shoes that you are wearing. With these straight leg jeans, just enough of the sneaker should show to create a nice silhouette.
Bottom Line
Shirt: $60
Jeans: $96
Shoes: $65
Total: $221
Under budget!
4 Comments | Tags: business, interview suit, shirt & tie combo, suit 
