First-year associate mens' clothing questions Forum

[Desert Fox]

For biz cas you dont need more than two, and you could probably get away with one. I have.

[Internetdan]

http://www.saksoff5th.com/mens-apparel- ... refv1=Trim

If you can find one not in a freakish size this is all you gotta know dog.

[DoubleChecks]

(Posts new thread seeking advice from Biglaw associates b/c summer associate thread unhelpful)

(Gets advice from 1L judicial intern)

I wore business formal everyday for my judicial internship last summer and got by pretty well with two suits. I steamed them every weekend, never had a problem. I don't think any more than three would be remotely necessary. The important thing is to have a solid rotation of shirts/ties to break it up.

Keep up the good work TLS

Kinda a dick response...lol, I don't think it is unreasonable to ask about # of suits for a rotation at a business attire firm. It's not like the suits get more wear when sitting in a biglaw chair vs. any other chair...

You can get by with 2 suits; 3 would be more comfortable. I love suits and own like 15+, but totally not necessary for biglaw (or any job) hahaha. As for how strict...depends on your firm. Some firms like seeing ties and jackets, some firms you will never see it, and they both have the same "general" policy in place...but how it is actually practiced, well...

Start off more formal if it is a business attire firm, then work your way down. No one will hold it against you for dressing too nicely for the first few weeks; there will always be others who do as well anyways.

[sprezz]

I wore business formal everyday for my judicial internship last summer and got by pretty well with two suits. I steamed them every weekend, never had a problem. I don't think any more than three would be remotely necessary. The important thing is to have a solid rotation of shirts/ties to break it up.

don't steam your suits.

[NoBladesNoBows]

[sprezz]

intentionally introducing humidity to your suit is bad maintenance. the upside is low, and the downside is that you're gradually damaging the suit. steaming the body of the suit, the collar/lapel, or any seams will break the suit's shape down and require it to be pressed to get back to something approximating normal anyway. just mitigate wrinkles as you wear it and embrace the occasional wrinkle between presses, or learn to touch it up yourself if you're that anal about wrinkles.

[Johann]

i steam suits when i wear them. they are holding up fine. truth is your body size/seniority/income is gonna fluctuate enough in biglaw that youll need new suits every 3-4 years you stick around. all my suits that i steam basically everytime i wear are still fine and 3-4 years old. but i wear suits like 10 times a year.

[bearsfan23]

intentionally introducing humidity to your suit is bad maintenance. the upside is low, and the downside is that you're gradually damaging the suit. steaming the body of the suit, the collar/lapel, or any seams will break the suit's shape down and require it to be pressed to get back to something approximating normal anyway. just mitigate wrinkles as you wear it and embrace the occasional wrinkle between presses, or learn to touch it up yourself if you're that anal about wrinkles.

Is this a serious post? Few things look worse on a man than a wrinkled suit.

I'd worry about damaging a suit with dry cleaning it too much. Steaming, if done correctly, should not destroy a suit

[ncc5]

intentionally introducing humidity to your suit is bad maintenance. the upside is low, and the downside is that you're gradually damaging the suit. steaming the body of the suit, the collar/lapel, or any seams will break the suit's shape down and require it to be pressed to get back to something approximating normal anyway. just mitigate wrinkles as you wear it and embrace the occasional wrinkle between presses, or learn to touch it up yourself if you're that anal about wrinkles.

Gonna have to disagree with you on this one. I have had no problems with any of the suits that I regularly steam. And "mitigating wrinkles?:

[Internetdan]

Press bi-weekly. Clean every 3-6 months depending on wear. If you wear the same 1 or 2 suits everyday you should press them at the end of every week, or at least the pants because they will definitely be wrinkled.

Steaming shouldn't cause any more issues to the body than regular wear will, but again it all depends.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Lol I dry clean my suits once every year, maybe six months when I spill mustard, and have never pressed them. I wear suits everyday.

They smell fine and look fine. Iron your pants yourself each morning if wrinkled.

[DoubleChecks]

Below does not apply to those that wear suits very infrequently, but those that must wear full suit on a regular basis for work.

Serious question, and this is because I see this all the time. A lot of suit maintenance comments are put out there, which reminds me of maintenance for nice dress shoes or even cars to some extent.

But aren't these a bit exaggerated? I mean, even if you regularly dry clean your suits (and by that I mean not as often as every week, but not as rarely as every 6 months), will they really deteriorate that quickly? I see a lot of posts about that, but what quality suits are we talking about in the first place, and how much longer are we making these suits last? It's like a badge of honor now when someone says they use a brush once a week to clear things off their suit, have a small home press and mini-steam and haven't dry cleaned their suit (which they wear multiple times a week) in half a year...

Because if the extra hassle and work and regular maintenance makes a suit last 5 yrs longer, but the suit would already otherwise last 4 yrs or something, um, do I really plan on keeping one suit for nearly 10 yrs? Are we not working biglaw? Time is pretty valuable here. I can't tell if people are buying really crappy fused suits from Macy's or extremely nice suits from Brioni or Kiton or something, the level of care they are given.

I regularly dry clean my suits. I have been wearing them for nearly 3 yrs now, and I wear suits every day. NONE have shown any signs of wear and tear or distress.

I apologize for being a bit dick in the above post, but am I honestly missing something here?

[smallfirmassociate]

I don't think you're missing anything. I don't know what kind of dry cleaners some people take their suits to, or the quality of suits they're taking in, but I have several suits that have been dry cleaned and professionally pressed 8+ times and still look more or less new. That would be four years of cleaning at 2x per year.

I'd be comfortable taking in my suits as frequently every three months if needed. That'd be a worst-case scenario, and I still think they'd last at least 3 - 5 years that way.

[Dennis52]

I would suggest you to look for some mod edit: SPAM and invest in them. Dress professionally and be confident in your meetings. Christian Dior S.A. is my favorite brand. In meetings, it’s quite important that you feel confident.

[VulcanVulcanVulcan]

Reviving a dead thread but I think it's useful.

Can some current associates comment on good briefcases to use for work? What type of bag to associates tend to bring?

[Glasseyes]

Reviving a dead thread but I think it's useful.

Can some current associates comment on good briefcases to use for work? What type of bag to associates tend to bring?

Seems like a worthy starting point, and make sure to read the comments below for way more suggestions and arguments against some of the bags:

https://lawyerist.com/60015/your-briefc ... -terrible/

[haus]

I would suggest you to look for some SPAM URL removed best suit brands[/url] and invest in them. Dress professionally and be confident in your meetings. Christian Dior S.A. is my favorite brand. In meetings, it’s quite important that you feel confident.

Wearing nice clothes is great, but I have never understood the idea that someone would allow their wardrobe to seriously impact their thoughts of themselves.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I think you're responding to spam. (That said, I find it hard to feel confident if I'm dressed inappropriately because I feel like I stand out/got something wrong.)

[hdunlop]

I would feel super weird wearing the same suit around the same people more than once a week, dry cleaning or steaming aside. But I also buy cheap CK at Macy's so what do I know.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have some experience with Brook Brothers's suit 1818 Fitzgerald? Is it a good choice? Thanks!

[swampman]

Does anyone have some experience with Brook Brothers's suit 1818 Fitzgerald? Is it a good choice? Thanks!

It's a nice suit, but overpriced IMO. I have an 1818 Fitz blazer and am a bit unhappy with the quality. Much happier with stuff I've gotten from Suitsupply.

[haus]

I think you're responding to spam. (That said, I find it hard to feel confident if I'm dressed inappropriately because I feel like I stand out/got something wrong.)

Yes, you are likely right that the message was spam (edited the link out of my comment).

Many of life's events have significant elements of theater in them, and wardrobe becomes a notable part of this theater. Although I will admit that I more often than not play along with the game, and dress roughly within the expected role. It just seems counter productive to allow wardrobe fluctuations to become something to worry about.

Now, if I goofed up badly enough to show up to a business meeting in a speedo and cowboy boots, I might reconsider.

[parkslope]

Reviving a dead thread but I think it's useful.

Can some current associates comment on good briefcases to use for work? What type of bag to associates tend to bring?

Seems like a worthy starting point, and make sure to read the comments below for way more suggestions and arguments against some of the bags:

https://lawyerist.com/60015/your-briefc ... -terrible/

That is interesting. I keep on getting told to buy one of those really formal bags that cost four figures:

http://www.ferragamo.com/shop/en/usa/me ... 1233584915

Do people not actually use those? Are those for partners?

I'm curious if any current associates can weigh in with what they use and see around (NY/DC).

[A. Nony Mouse]

Many of life's events have significant elements of theater in them, and wardrobe becomes a notable part of this theater. Although I will admit that I more often than not play along with the game, and dress roughly within the expected role. It just seems counter productive to allow wardrobe fluctuations to become something to worry about.

Sure, but it's a little hard to escape that in situations like work and interviews where other people have expectations of you. There's also a difference between knowing what the expectations are and deciding you don't care/aren't going to worry about them on a given day, and not knowing what the expectations are and showing up in something you wouldn't have worn if you'd known.

[Jchance]

Also - silly-ish question, but how many pairs of shoes? I had one black, one brown for the summer, but was worried about destroying them with such constant use (in particular because I walked about a mile each way to work).

Give each pair of shoes at least 24 hrs of rest and you will be fine, so 2 pairs are sufficient.