OCI/callbacks/etc Men's Clothing Mega-thread

[Bronte]

I like suit/no tie because it's tasteful, but easily convertible into a casual look if you happen to be meeting on casual Friday.

I basically read "business casual" to mean suit with no tie (even though most people consider khaki slacks and loafers to be business casual). Changing the subject a little, if you leave a couple ties in the office you can wear the suit with no tie to work if it's a business casual firm (which many are now). You can even leave a couple jackets in the office. This is especially key if you're in litigation because it means you won't be left behind to go to court at the last minute.

[emciosn]

Any idea what the firm's dress code is?

No but it's in a West Coast city. We'll probably meet in a Starbucks or something. I have a feeling a suit will be overdoing it, but I'll probably end up wearing one anyway.

Maybe a suit with no tie? I would probably go with a button down and slacks but its better to err on the side over doing it I suppose.

Yeah I might do a suit with no tie. I pretty much wear that look any chance I get.

Yeah I would say to go that route as well. Pretty flexible look.

[OutCold]

What would you wear to have coffee with a partner at a law firm? I have a formal outside-OCI interview with the firm the week before. The partner I'm meeting is a distant family friend whom I've never met before.

I had a few of these, though I wasn't in the running for a job at the time (just networking lunches and chats). I went with the suit when I met with partners in the office, mainly because I was always taught to dress the same way that the person you are meeting would be dressed. Some would say that a suit is too formal for a casual meeting like that, but several times the partner invited friends to eat with us and all were wearing suits. I would have felt kind of awkward being the odd man out in business casual. You can always dress down by taking off your jacket once you are there, but you can't dress up.

This is assuming a biglaw office, though I suppose my recommendation would remain the same regardless. Ultimately, it's whatever you feel comfortable with.

It is a big law firm, but I assume we will be meeting at a cafe.

Yeah, I recommend the suit without the tie then. I thought you meant "at the law firm" to mean you were literally meeting him at the firm. If it's outside the office, I would dress down a bit.

[Helmholtz]

You can always dress down by taking off your jacket once you are there, but you can't dress up.

To follow up on this, try to layer outfits based upon dressiness. So suit jacket over dress shirt over polo shirt over t-shirt; suit pants over khakis over jeans over shorts over banana hammock. A quick trip to the restroom (optional, now that I think about it) is all you need to make sure you're well-dressed for 95% of occasions.

[Patriot1208]

You can always dress down by taking off your jacket once you are there, but you can't dress up.

To follow up on this, try to layer outfits based upon dressiness. So suit jacket over dress shirt over polo shirt over t-shirt; suit pants over khakis over jeans over shorts over banana hammock. A quick trip to the restroom (optional, now that I think about it) is all you need to make sure you're well-dressed for 95% of occasions.

This is why I usually wear 5+ polo's. I never know what color I will want for the occasion, so I can just take them off if I decide on a different color.

[emciosn]

You can always dress down by taking off your jacket once you are there, but you can't dress up.

To follow up on this, try to layer outfits based upon dressiness. So suit jacket over dress shirt over polo shirt over t-shirt; suit pants over khakis over jeans over shorts over banana hammock. A quick trip to the restroom (optional, now that I think about it) is all you need to make sure you're well-dressed for 95% of occasions.

I just interviewed with a firm that is business casual - banana hammock fridays so this should be perfect.

[romothesavior]

Suit up if meeting in the office, button down with slacks if in a cafe or just for lunch.

[romothesavior]

Just got my order from the tie bar. I am a huge fan and I strongly recommend it.

[hawkeye22]

Poor knot aside, can I swing something like this tie at an interview, or is it too flashy/shiny?

[beach_terror]

Poor knot aside, can I swing something like this tie at an interview, or is it too flashy/shiny?

If that's too flashy/shiny, then finding a tie for an interview would be almost impossible.

[barrydukakis]

Need to pick up white dress shirts somewhere, getting desperate. Was hoping the no-irons would go on sale at JAB, but apparently my month long buying window is the ONLY time they aren't on sale. Need a tailored or skinny fit, and would LOVE to get them tailored prior to OCI, but the clock is ticking on that. Thoughts on:

Nordstrom dress shirts (at the rack):
and/or driving to a Brooks Brothers Outlet that's about an hour out.

and/or going to JAB actual store? Maybe they'll be on sale there? Or if they go on sale on the website, maybe I can pick them up in store at discount and get them tailored within the week?

OCI starts on the 24th. Would like to get a couple shirts I can wear for awhile, and would prefer no-iron, but that's looking less likely. No way I'm dropping $90 on the non-discounted JABs.

Suggestions, inputs welcome.

[Bronte]

Need to pick up white dress shirts somewhere, getting desperate. Was hoping the no-irons would go on sale at JAB, but apparently my month long buying window is the ONLY time they aren't on sale. Need a tailored or skinny fit, and would LOVE to get them tailored prior to OCI, but the clock is ticking on that. Thoughts on:

Nordstrom dress shirts (at the rack):
and/or driving to a Brooks Brothers Outlet that's about an hour out.

and/or going to JAB actual store? Maybe they'll be on sale there? Or if they go on sale on the website, maybe I can pick them up in store at discount and get them tailored within the week?

OCI starts on the 24th. Would like to get a couple shirts I can wear for awhile, and would prefer no-iron, but that's looking less likely. No way I'm dropping $90 on the non-discounted JABs.

Suggestions, inputs welcome.

Tailoring shirts should take about five business days. The Nordstrom shirts sound like your best bet.

[barrydukakis]

Thanks Bronte. I am thinking it's either that or the Brooks Brothers non-iron. Can go in-store and hopefully slim or extra slim will fit me well without tailoring. 6'1 180. $70 is steep, but what are you going to do. I figure the best I will get the JAB for is $40, plus tailoring of $10 a shirt... not a huge difference, even though the JAB is supposedly better from this thread.

The Nordy dress shirt is ~$20, cheap, but I guess I could buy a couple for OCI without losing out. I have 18 interviews spread over 6 days (Wed-Wed) so that could work.

[Bronte]

Thanks Bronte. I am thinking it's either that or the Brooks Brothers non-iron. Can go in-store and hopefully slim or extra slim will fit me well without tailoring. 6'1 180. $70 is steep, but what are you going to do. I figure the best I will get the JAB for is $40, plus tailoring of $10 a shirt... not a huge difference, even though the JAB is supposedly better from this thread.

The Nordy dress shirt is ~$20, cheap, but I guess I could buy a couple for OCI without losing out. I have 18 interviews spread over 6 days (Wed-Wed) so that could work.

At 6'1 180 the extra slim Brooks Bros. shirt is not going to fit you. Not a chance. I'm about 6' 150 and the extra slim is too slim. It's just a weird shirt. The slim fit will probably fit you like a glove though. However, if you plan to get it tailored, it's probably better to get the regular fit. I got my slim fits tailored, and the tailor explained that they couldn't do what they wanted to with the shoulders because the cut was too slim to make adjustments without risking being unable to reattach the arms or something.

In terms of how many shirts to get, there's really no reason you couldn't wash a shirt every night if you really had to.

[TaipeiMort]

I don't know why everyone stresses so much about dress shirts. Is the $80 Brooks Brothers shirt really that much better for OCI than the $21 Van Heusen outlet shirt?

Also, for anyone interested, I was at an Armani location in Chicago on Saturday, and they had a $500 pair of cap toe size 9.5 (about) oxford black dress shoes discounted to $120 because they are trying to clear it out for a new style. They had one pair left and $380 off seemed like a good deal. I still wasn't convinced it was better than a pair of Allen Edmonds Fifth or Park Avenues though, but anyone interested can PM me.

[goodolgil]

There's no real reason to get a dress shirt tailored for OCI when youre going to be having your suit jacket on for all the interviews anyway.

[Cupidity]

Is this tie a mistake?

[Bronte]

There's no real reason to get a dress shirt tailored for OCI when youre going to be having your suit jacket on for all the interviews anyway.

It's certainly not mandatory to get it tailored before OCI assuming it fits reasonably well. And wearing a jacket makes the "billowing" of illfitting shirts much less noticeable. However, a well fitting shit will look better with a jacket on too.

As to the purple paisley tie, that would be pretty much the textbook example in my mind of a distinctly not conservative tie.

[romothesavior]

There's no real reason to get a dress shirt tailored for OCI when youre going to be having your suit jacket on for all the interviews anyway.

I'll give you a reason: I've lost a lot of weight in the past year and my shirt no longer fits properly.

[Emma.]

[/img]

Is this tie a mistake?

I've been dressing fairly non-conservatively for interviews and it has worked out well so far. This has included a couple different purple ties, but I'm just not a big fan of this tie.

[kalvano]

Thanks Bronte. I am thinking it's either that or the Brooks Brothers non-iron. Can go in-store and hopefully slim or extra slim will fit me well without tailoring. 6'1 180. $70 is steep, but what are you going to do. I figure the best I will get the JAB for is $40, plus tailoring of $10 a shirt... not a huge difference, even though the JAB is supposedly better from this thread.

The Nordy dress shirt is ~$20, cheap, but I guess I could buy a couple for OCI without losing out. I have 18 interviews spread over 6 days (Wed-Wed) so that could work.

I would go with the Brooks Brothers. They are my favorite, far and away over the JAB. The Nordstrom ones never fit quite right for me, but I'm not skinny, either.

[paulinaporizkova]

Is this tie a mistake?

to me it clearly screams, "I'm gay," but you could think in terms of the fact that that may help you get a job due to diversity practices

[Anonymous User]

pocket square for interviews, anyone?

[GeePee]

pocket square for interviews, anyone?

God no.

[Emma.]

pocket square for interviews, anyone?

Personally, I tend to think suits look stupid without a pocket square, so I say go for it.