Bare essentials for men's law school wardrobe? Forum

[flexityflex86]

Fun things to remember: Buy a canvassed suit. When wearing said suit, your shoes should have laces. The shoes should be polished, and not incredibly square. The leather in your belt should match them. These things are simple, and often forgotten.

While I'll agree that in general a canvass suit is the better option, especially for longevity, the difference pales in comparison to the importance buying a well fitting suit. A well fitting fused suit will always look better than a poorly fitting canvassed suit. I'd not hesitate to suggest that a law student with six figures of debt purchase a well fitting fused suit or two for interviews and summer work. You can buy the nice stuff and the garments that are built to last when you start making real money.

where do yall get your suits?i do the big Jos A Bank sales. their shit looks pretty good, and it's like 120 a suit.

[Capitol A]

Fun things to remember: Buy a canvassed suit. When wearing said suit, your shoes should have laces. The shoes should be polished, and not incredibly square. The leather in your belt should match them. These things are simple, and often forgotten.

While I'll agree that in general a canvass suit is the better option, especially for longevity, the difference pales in comparison to the importance buying a well fitting suit. A well fitting fused suit will always look better than a poorly fitting canvassed suit. I'd not hesitate to suggest that a law student with six figures of debt purchase a well fitting fused suit or two for interviews and summer work. You can buy the nice stuff and the garments that are built to last when you start making real money.

where do yall get your suits?i do the big Jos A Bank sales. their shit looks pretty good, and it's like 120 a suit.

J.crew.
I don't like the cuts at jos. A bank.
the fit and value at j.crew is pretty much unsurpassed.

[flexityflex86]

Fun things to remember: Buy a canvassed suit. When wearing said suit, your shoes should have laces. The shoes should be polished, and not incredibly square. The leather in your belt should match them. These things are simple, and often forgotten.

While I'll agree that in general a canvass suit is the better option, especially for longevity, the difference pales in comparison to the importance buying a well fitting suit. A well fitting fused suit will always look better than a poorly fitting canvassed suit. I'd not hesitate to suggest that a law student with six figures of debt purchase a well fitting fused suit or two for interviews and summer work. You can buy the nice stuff and the garments that are built to last when you start making real money.

where do yall get your suits?i do the big Jos A Bank sales. their shit looks pretty good, and it's like 120 a suit.

J.crew.
I don't like the cuts at jos. A bank.
the fit and value at j.crew is pretty much unsurpassed.

how much do u pay?

[thsmthcrmnl]

I buy Oxxford off eBay. This is not, however, common behavior. I also like Bonobos, Kent Wang, and Viccel for certain things. There are deals to be had on Sierra Trading Post. If you live near a Filene's Basement or a Century 21, both usually have better options than Last Call or Off Fifth. Nordstrom Rack miraculously has Allen Edmonds.

[HBK]

I didn't read this whole thread, but I personally would never wear a tie without a jacket. Maybe if you're in the office and take your jacket off, that's one thing, but for receptions or events, it's either dress shirt and slacks (business casual), dress shirt slacks and a sports coat (if your shirt needs pressed or its fall or late winter), or a suit.

I just think the tie/no jacket combo makes people look like they're Catholic school children. It has the same effect to me as wearing a short sleave dress shirt.

/my personal opinion
//had to dress up often in my previous life.

[zonto]

Men's Wearhouse just started their Buy One, Get One Free sale today. Maybe not the best quality stuff ever, but for tall, lurpy guys like me the Kenneth Cole suits with a flat front and modern cut aren't bad at all for ~$250. Not the biggest fan of their ties either, but some of their shirts are ok.

So for my wedding I specifically chose a tux that had a peak lapel because I think they look awesome. What's the consensus here for a peak lapel on your staple charcoal/navy suit? Too dressy?

[ahduth]

I just think the tie/no jacket combo makes people look like they're Catholic school children. It has the same effect to me as wearing a short sleave dress shirt.

You need to tap into your inner hipster.

[DocHawkeye]

Men's Wearhouse just started their Buy One, Get One Free sale today. Maybe not the best quality stuff ever, but for tall, lurpy guys like me the Kenneth Cole suits with a flat front and modern cut aren't bad at all for ~$250. Not the biggest fan of their ties either, but some of their shirts are ok.

So for my wedding I specifically chose a tux that had a peak lapel because I think they look awesome. What's the consensus here for a peak lapel on your staple charcoal/navy suit? Too dressy?

Peak lapels make you look like a gangster (think "The Untouchables"). You might as well get a yellow jacket to complete the Dick Tracy look.

Also, I need to respond to the comment that implies "formal" dress equates to "a tuxedo." Formalwear depend greatly on the time of day, time of year, and type of event. For example, a daytime event would call for morning dress, NOT a tuxedo. For evening events in the summer, a white dinner jacket with a black tie is expected (although the lazy can still wear their wintertime back dinner jackets). Invitations would indicate that this sort of attire is expected (ie: black tie, black tie invited, and so on). Formalwear is a bit of a swamp if you want to obey all of the Edwardian rules.

Finally, one hard and fast rule is that one NEVER wears a black suit to any type of daytime event that is not a funeral. To do so makes one look like a waiter.

[geoduck]

Men's Wearhouse just started their Buy One, Get One Free sale today. Maybe not the best quality stuff ever, but for tall, lurpy guys like me the Kenneth Cole suits with a flat front and modern cut aren't bad at all for ~$250. Not the biggest fan of their ties either, but some of their shirts are ok.

So for my wedding I specifically chose a tux that had a peak lapel because I think they look awesome. What's the consensus here for a peak lapel on your staple charcoal/navy suit? Too dressy?

...Also, I need to respond to the comment that implies "formal" dress equates to "a tuxedo." Formalwear depend greatly on the time of day, time of year, and type of event. For example, a daytime event would call for morning dress, NOT a tuxedo. For evening events in the summer, a white dinner jacket with a black tie is expected (although the lazy can still wear their wintertime back dinner jackets). Invitations would indicate that this sort of attire is expected (ie: black tie, black tie invited, and so on). Formalwear is a bit of a swamp if you want to obey all of the Edwardian rules...

Thank you. Tuxedos are informal. This is a basic fact. A lot of Americans don't understand this, sadly.

[jkay]

Finally, one hard and fast rule is that one NEVER wears a black suit to any type of event that is not a funeral.

FTFY.

[yngblkgifted]

--ImageRemoved--

[Renzo]

...Also, I need to respond to the comment that implies "formal" dress equates to "a tuxedo." Formalwear depend greatly on the time of day, time of year, and type of event. For example, a daytime event would call for morning dress, NOT a tuxedo. For evening events in the summer, a white dinner jacket with a black tie is expected (although the lazy can still wear their wintertime back dinner jackets). Invitations would indicate that this sort of attire is expected (ie: black tie, black tie invited, and so on). Formalwear is a bit of a swamp if you want to obey all of the Edwardian rules...

I recognize that "formal" is a set that includes tuxedo as well as other items of clothing. I was actually trying to avoid a discussion of formalwear, since I was about 99% sure the poster asking about formal attire actually meant business attire.

Thank you. Tuxedos are informal. This is a basic fact. A lot of Americans don't understand this, sadly.

This is the second dumbest post I've seen today. If it's sarcasm, it fails. And if it's not... The only way to be more formal would be white-tie dress, and unless you'll be accepting a Nobel prize anytime soon, that shit's nothing but an anachronism.

[geoduck]

...Also, I need to respond to the comment that implies "formal" dress equates to "a tuxedo." Formalwear depend greatly on the time of day, time of year, and type of event. For example, a daytime event would call for morning dress, NOT a tuxedo. For evening events in the summer, a white dinner jacket with a black tie is expected (although the lazy can still wear their wintertime back dinner jackets). Invitations would indicate that this sort of attire is expected (ie: black tie, black tie invited, and so on). Formalwear is a bit of a swamp if you want to obey all of the Edwardian rules...

I recognize that "formal" is a set that includes tuxedo as well as other items of clothing. I was actually trying to avoid a discussion of formalwear, since I was about 99% sure the poster asking about formal attire actually meant business attire.

Thank you. Tuxedos are informal. This is a basic fact. A lot of Americans don't understand this, sadly.

This is the second dumbest post I've seen today. If it's sarcasm, it fails. And if it's not... The only way to be more formal would be white-tie dress, and unless you'll be accepting a Nobel prize anytime soon, that shit's nothing but an anachronism.

The title "formal" has a lot of rules, but can boil down to white tie and morning dress. The tailcoat and morning coat are formal wear while the tuxedo/dinner jacket is semi-formal. I did misspeak and call it informal, which actually applies to the business attire talked about in the rest of the thread. The fact that we rarely go fully formal here in the states doesn't mean that the tuxedo is now proper formal wear. That said, don't wear either to an interview/work.

TL;DR: White tie and morning dress = formal. Black tie = semi-formal. Neither should be worn to the office.

[thsmthcrmnl]

TL;DR: White tie and morning dress = formal. Black tie = semi-formal. Neither should be worn to the office.

Little-known, but true. And as long as we're on this, if you ever do have to wear a tux, buy one with peak or shawl lapels, and tie your (bow) tie yourself. It's actually the same knot as shoelaces.

[Zarathustraspoke]

Men's Wearhouse just started their Buy One, Get One Free sale today. Maybe not the best quality stuff ever, but for tall, lurpy guys like me the Kenneth Cole suits with a flat front and modern cut aren't bad at all for ~$250. Not the biggest fan of their ties either, but some of their shirts are ok.

So for my wedding I specifically chose a tux that had a peak lapel because I think they look awesome. What's the consensus here for a peak lapel on your staple charcoal/navy suit? Too dressy?

Peak lapels make you look like a gangster (think "The Untouchables"). You might as well get a yellow jacket to complete the Dick Tracy look.

Also, I need to respond to the comment that implies "formal" dress equates to "a tuxedo." Formalwear depend greatly on the time of day, time of year, and type of event. For example, a daytime event would call for morning dress, NOT a tuxedo. For evening events in the summer, a white dinner jacket with a black tie is expected (although the lazy can still wear their wintertime back dinner jackets). Invitations would indicate that this sort of attire is expected (ie: black tie, black tie invited, and so on). Formalwear is a bit of a swamp if you want to obey all of the Edwardian rules.

Finally, one hard and fast rule is that one NEVER wears a black suit to any type of daytime event that is not a funeral. To do so makes one look like a waiter.

I could not disagree more with you about your peak lapel comment. I think a peak lapel suit will do everyone some good. It definitely set's you apart from the rest of the interviewees (who probably wearing ill fitting suits). The peak lapel, think ISAIA or Brioni, is classy and stylish with enough subtlety that you will not come off as to flashy. I would 3/2 roll (3 buttons but one is rolled so it has the appearance of a 2 button jacket) jackets with the matching suit pants would do the trick.

[Capitol A]

I could not disagree more with you about your peak lapel comment. I think a peak lapel suit will do everyone some good. It definitely set's you apart from the rest of the interviewees (who probably wearing ill fitting suits). The peak lapel, think ISAIA or Brioni, is classy and stylish with enough subtlety that you will not come off as to flashy. I would 3/2 roll 2 button jackets with the matching suit pants would do the trick.

3/2 roll is a reference to a 3 button jacket that is "rolled" to 2. Meaning that it has 3 buttons, but instead of the old: sometimes, always, never, it's: never, always, never. So, there is not such thing as a 3/2 roll 2 button jacket.
peak lapels are dressier, but it's also a matter of taste. I personally hate them, but they might help some people to look like they have slightly wider sholders.

[Capitol A]

[quote="notanumberWhile I'll agree that in general a canvass suit is the better option, especially for longevity, the difference pales in comparison to the importance buying a well fitting suit. A well fitting fused suit will always look better than a poorly fitting canvassed suit. I'd not hesitate to suggest that a law student with six figures of debt purchase a well fitting fused suit or two for interviews and summer work. You can buy the nice stuff and the garments that are built to last when you start making real money.

where do yall get your suits?i do the big Jos A Bank sales. their shit looks pretty good, and it's like 120 a suit.

J.crew.
I don't like the cuts at jos. A bank.
the fit and value at j.crew is pretty much unsurpassed.

how much do u pay?[/quote]
Sorry for taking so long to respond to this...I think retail on J.Crew suits is like $500, but you can always find some kind of little sale or promotion, especially if you buy out of season.

[Zarathustraspoke]

I could not disagree more with you about your peak lapel comment. I think a peak lapel suit will do everyone some good. It definitely set's you apart from the rest of the interviewees (who probably wearing ill fitting suits). The peak lapel, think ISAIA or Brioni, is classy and stylish with enough subtlety that you will not come off as to flashy. I would 3/2 roll 2 button jackets with the matching suit pants would do the trick.

3/2 roll is a reference to a 3 button jacket that is "rolled" to 2. Meaning that it has 3 buttons, but instead of the old: sometimes, always, never, it's: never, always, never. So, there is not such thing as a 3/2 roll 2 button jacket.
peak lapels are dressier, but it's also a matter of taste. I personally hate them, but they might help some people to look like they have slightly wider sholders.

TCR. Mistake on my end. I was going to put in parenthesis that it's suppose to look like a 2 button jacket for those who didnt know.

[Capitol A]

I could not disagree more with you about your peak lapel comment. I think a peak lapel suit will do everyone some good. It definitely set's you apart from the rest of the interviewees (who probably wearing ill fitting suits). The peak lapel, think ISAIA or Brioni, is classy and stylish with enough subtlety that you will not come off as to flashy. I would 3/2 roll 2 button jackets with the matching suit pants would do the trick.

3/2 roll is a reference to a 3 button jacket that is "rolled" to 2. Meaning that it has 3 buttons, but instead of the old: sometimes, always, never, it's: never, always, never. So, there is not such thing as a 3/2 roll 2 button jacket.
peak lapels are dressier, but it's also a matter of taste. I personally hate them, but they might help some people to look like they have slightly wider sholders.

TCR. Mistake on my end. I was going to put in parenthesis that it's suppose to look like a 2 button jacket for those who didnt know.

No big deal. It was actually lame of me to correct you. Especially because you are totally right that either a 3/2 roll, or a 2 button is an updated look that is still classic and will remain 'in style' for quite a while.

[Zarathustraspoke]

I could not disagree more with you about your peak lapel comment. I think a peak lapel suit will do everyone some good. It definitely set's you apart from the rest of the interviewees (who probably wearing ill fitting suits). The peak lapel, think ISAIA or Brioni, is classy and stylish with enough subtlety that you will not come off as to flashy. I would 3/2 roll 2 button jackets with the matching suit pants would do the trick.

3/2 roll is a reference to a 3 button jacket that is "rolled" to 2. Meaning that it has 3 buttons, but instead of the old: sometimes, always, never, it's: never, always, never. So, there is not such thing as a 3/2 roll 2 button jacket.
peak lapels are dressier, but it's also a matter of taste. I personally hate them, but they might help some people to look like they have slightly wider sholders.

TCR. Mistake on my end. I was going to put in parenthesis that it's suppose to look like a 2 button jacket for those who didnt know.

No big deal. It was actually lame of me to correct you. Especially because you are totally right that either a 3/2 roll, or a 2 button is an updated look that is still classic and TIMELESS

it's cool

[Renzo]

The title "formal" has a lot of rules, but can boil down to white tie and morning dress. The tailcoat and morning coat are formal wear while the tuxedo/dinner jacket is semi-formal. I did misspeak and call it informal, which actually applies to the business attire talked about in the rest of the thread. The fact that we rarely go fully formal here in the states doesn't mean that the tuxedo is now proper formal wear. That said, don't wear either to an interview/work.

TL;DR: White tie and morning dress = formal. Black tie = semi-formal. Neither should be worn to the office.

This may have been true is some distant, faraway time, but not now. If you get an invitation to a fundraiser ball that says "formal attire," chances are slim that you'll see a tailcoat anywhere in the room. It's so rare it's almost a costume (think symphony conductors and the Solicitor General). You don't even see white-tie dress at the Presidential Inaugural ball.

[geoduck]

The title "formal" has a lot of rules, but can boil down to white tie and morning dress. The tailcoat and morning coat are formal wear while the tuxedo/dinner jacket is semi-formal. I did misspeak and call it informal, which actually applies to the business attire talked about in the rest of the thread. The fact that we rarely go fully formal here in the states doesn't mean that the tuxedo is now proper formal wear. That said, don't wear either to an interview/work.

TL;DR: White tie and morning dress = formal. Black tie = semi-formal. Neither should be worn to the office.

This may have been true is some distant, faraway time, but not now. If you get an invitation to a fundraiser ball that says "formal attire," chances are slim that you'll see a tailcoat anywhere in the room. It's so rare it's almost a costume (think symphony conductors and the Solicitor General). You don't even see white-tie dress at the Presidential Inaugural ball.

The degradation of American formality is a sad thing, that's certain. I was married in morning dress and I'm sure it was the first time the majority of the room had ever seen a morning coat in person.

Edit: And actually Obama's wearing of a white tie with a dinner jacket for the inaugural ball was a "controversial" move.

[DocHawkeye]

The title "formal" has a lot of rules, but can boil down to white tie and morning dress. The tailcoat and morning coat are formal wear while the tuxedo/dinner jacket is semi-formal. I did misspeak and call it informal, which actually applies to the business attire talked about in the rest of the thread. The fact that we rarely go fully formal here in the states doesn't mean that the tuxedo is now proper formal wear. That said, don't wear either to an interview/work.

TL;DR: White tie and morning dress = formal. Black tie = semi-formal. Neither should be worn to the office.

This may have been true is some distant, faraway time, but not now. If you get an invitation to a fundraiser ball that says "formal attire," chances are slim that you'll see a tailcoat anywhere in the room. It's so rare it's almost a costume (think symphony conductors and the Solicitor General). You don't even see white-tie dress at the Presidential Inaugural ball.

Although this has nothing at all to do with this thread, proper etiquette stipulates that you will never see an invitation that simply says "Formal attire." It will specify "Black tie optional," "Black tie requested," or "White tie." If business suits are requested (and not assumed) it will request "business attire."

I too, made a controversial move at my wedding, wearing white tie dress for a late afternoon ceremony (at which morning dress would have been appropriate) mostly because I did not want to have to change clothes for the formal "dinner at seven" reception which followed (at which morning dress would not have been appropriate). Also, as a former symphony conductor, I owned the white tie and tails.

We also had candles on the tables lit before sunset. Emily Post is probably rolling in her grave.

[geoduck]

The title "formal" has a lot of rules, but can boil down to white tie and morning dress. The tailcoat and morning coat are formal wear while the tuxedo/dinner jacket is semi-formal. I did misspeak and call it informal, which actually applies to the business attire talked about in the rest of the thread. The fact that we rarely go fully formal here in the states doesn't mean that the tuxedo is now proper formal wear. That said, don't wear either to an interview/work.

TL;DR: White tie and morning dress = formal. Black tie = semi-formal. Neither should be worn to the office.

This may have been true is some distant, faraway time, but not now. If you get an invitation to a fundraiser ball that says "formal attire," chances are slim that you'll see a tailcoat anywhere in the room. It's so rare it's almost a costume (think symphony conductors and the Solicitor General). You don't even see white-tie dress at the Presidential Inaugural ball.

Although this has nothing at all to do with this thread, proper etiquette stipulates that you will never see an invitation that simply says "Formal attire." It will specify "Black tie optional," "Black tie requested," or "White tie." If business suits are requested (and not assumed) it will request "business attire."

I too, made a controversial move at my wedding, wearing white tie dress for a late afternoon ceremony (at which morning dress would have been appropriate) mostly because I did not want to have to change clothes for the formal "dinner at seven" reception which followed (at which morning dress would not have been appropriate). Also, as a former symphony conductor, I owned the white tie and tails.

We also had candles on the tables lit before sunset. Emily Post is probably rolling in her grave.

If only you'd left out the symphony conductor part. Are you trying to prove his stereotypes true?!

But really, white tie events still exist. The inaugural dinner has not been white tie for a long time, but state dinners still are. I imagine that many people on this board are hoping to get to the level of society in which white tie events actually occur, so it would be doing a disservice to perpetuate the myth that formal = tuxedo.

[FantasticMrFox]

Just like eye-glasses, ties should complement your looks, not draw too much attention to it unless you have particular reasons why you don't want them to notice your other features...

I find obnoxious ties really distracting when trying to hold a conversation (especially during conferences, i find it distasteful and a gross misjudgment!)