Building A Wardrobe

From what I see, you really lack shoes. You're pants are OK since you have 4 suits, you will probably always wear a suit to work so you are covered there. 5-6 ties sounds more than enough as you just start out as you can mix them up with any outfit and noone will really recall that you are repeating ties.

Bostonian dress shoes are quite poor. Try some Allen-Edmonds, low end Ferragamo, Alden, etc. They run 300+ retail, but are frequently on sale. If you're strapped for cash, look for them on eBay for some really great discounts. You want a shoe that has a sleek last.

Regarding shirts, you might want to boost that # and get a few more. You want mostly solids, but also get some stripes and patterned (gingham, checks, etc). Nothing too flashy and stick with the regular colors: blue, white, (maybe pink, purple, and lavender).

Try and see what everyone else wears on the first day and go from there. Congrats and best of luck.

i second the shoe suggestion, cheap shoes look cheap even when they are brand new, nice shoes always look amazing and will last you forever with proper upkeep.

Get some more ties, you can find really good deals sometimes on classy looking ties at Macy's, TJ Maxx, Woodbury, Filene's Basement, etc. If you have at least 10, you'll keep your wardrobe looking fresh since you'll only have to rotate every 2 weeks

If you have no clue as to what the basics are, check out:

http://men.style.com/gq/features/slideshow/v/051607BIZ?loop=0&slideshowI...

Since you're in a non-client facing role, you don't really need to go all out on suits. Just get a couple of dress shirts to go along with some dress pants & shoes.

The original link has been superseded; however the link below contains the text to the Kilgour recommended gentleman’s wardrobe:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=1955

obviously not something to aim for straight away, but rather something to work toward.
You seem to have reasonably covered all the bases, except for shoes. Given that you are starting what I presume is your first full-time job, I’d recommend you treat yourself to a pair of handmade ones.
Your attitude is commendable. Dressing for the job you want, rather than the one you have is fine, as long as it’s done in a discreet, unpretentious manner.
Best of luck with the new job.

Get a pair of Allen Edmonds Park Avenues, and some ceder wood trees. They will last you forever and never go out of style. They retail for $315. Never pay full retail for a tie. Go to Nordstroms now during their sale and pick up a few conservative Zegnas or even Faconnable (they're a pretty good bargain). The Zegna's are about 90 now and Faconnables are 60 (normally 150 and 100ish). Also if you need a slim fit dress shirt the J W Nordstrom collection of tailored fit shirts are a good deal (nice weave, nice buttons, good material), otherwise for a good slim fitting dress shirt you'll have to pay 400 for a Borelli or something. Don't buy french cuffed shirts, they're a bit pretentious for an analyst, even with silk knots--plus if you're not wearing a suit then it will look dumb.

I forgot--Also, for ties, Neiman Marcus is (or at least was, yesterday) having a great tie sale. $195 Isaia ties for $95. Lots of other good ties too.

Can anyone suggest some good places to shop for nice shoes?

Neiman's, Saks, Nordstrom, Bergdorf...

If you live in NYC, you can also go to brand-specific shops such as Allen Edmonds, or John Lobb for example. If you buy Ralph Lauren shoes, only buy Purple Label (they're actually Edward Green shoes), as some of the other RL shoes are of questionable quality. Do some research before you spend a lot of money on shoes, many expensive models seem to rely on people who say "oh, this is x amount of money, it must be good," as opposed to actually being a shoe worth however much is being charged for it.

That said, the brands I mentioned are all top-notch quality.

ebay if you have the time

My concern with ebay is getting a shoe that doesn't fit my feet well. Has anyone here ever purchased shoes on ebay? If so, how do you make sure the shoes will fit you?

Try it on in a store?

Century 21 in Manhattan or Long Island. You can get great shirts for $50-100. I like the YSL shirts at Century 21, they're like 60 bucks. I had some expensive driving loafers I love because they are soft and conformtable, only thing... they dont fare well to wear to work everyday; and they are only comfortable when you wear them once in a while walking to and from subway in rain, they are not too comfortable. Buy something more practical and built to last. I hear everyone saying Allen Edmonds. I saw a pair of these at Nordstrom which they cut in half so you chould see how they were made, that was the next pair of shoes I brought.

I agree with the other comments about investing in a good pair of shoes... Hopefully men's shoes are naturally more comfortable than women's heels, but after buying a pair of Cole Haans (with the Nike air), I am totally sold. A good pair of shoes can be re-soled/maintained by the shoe-shine guys who will come around your office. Use them to shine your shoes.

Also, just to keep in mind, even if you wear both suit paints & jacket to work, you'll take off your jacket for much of the day. Consider that your pants will wear out more quickly, especially if you don't dry clean them at the same time. For several of my suits, I have both a skirt and pants, or 2 skirts with the same jacket, because I often do wear those alone.

The best career wardrobe advice any one gave me was to dress like I love my job... and avoid linen. I'd add that a good fit is the most important thing- don't buy anything unless it fits/can be tailored to fit/looks good on you. You can rock less expensive clothes that are flattering & fit well, but even the most expensive wardrobe can look awkward if ill-fitting.

I was looking at the Allen Edmonds on Nordstrom's website yesterday and they looked like very high quality shoes. Definitely more pricey than I'm used to, and budget is a factor for me (I have an ops job, not IB), but I am definitely going to consider getting some. I would like to go to an actual store and see how they look/fit before deciding, obviously, but does anyone know of places where you can get good deals on this brand?

Theres actually an Allen Edmonds outlet out in Long Island. Tanger Outlet, in Riverhead.

Saw it in passing but didn't go inside, so Im not sure as to what extent it is discounted.

endless.com

When you do decide to buy them, follow these care instructions to maximize your investment: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/ShoecareIndvTipsView?storeId=1&lang...

Comment above said said to avoid linen... Wondering if this applies to linen/chino navy? link:

http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/outfit.do?cid=5376&oid=OUT11014

I just happen to like the price/cut of banana republic suits but would be bummed if it turned out the material wasn't formal enough.

thanks