What color dress shirt can you wear with a suit?

With a dark suit, are you pretty much forbidden from wearing anything but a white/blue dress shirt underneath? I like the look of a dark gray suit + black shirt with a gray or black tie, but I've heard this is a huge no, especially for people new to the industry.

Are different colored shirts something you have to work your way for? Would a new hire be silly to wear anything but a white or blue undershirt?

 

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Best Response
comeonmac:
With a dark suit, are you pretty much forbidden from wearing anything but a white/blue dress shirt underneath? I like the look of a dark gray suit + black shirt with a gray or black tie, but I've heard this is a huge no, especially for people new to the industry.

Are different colored shirts something you have to work your way for? Would a new hire be silly to wear anything but a white or blue undershirt?

This will change your life:

When your tie is lighter than your shirt YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.

 

The only people who wear "dark" shirts to work (red, orange, dark blue, black, etc.) are the people who work for T-Mobile in those little booths in malls.

Blue horseshoe loves Anacott Steel
 
Jamess1:

The only people who wear "dark" shirts to work (red, orange, dark blue, black, etc.) are the people who work for T-Mobile in those little booths in malls.

Absolutely could not have said this any better. No self respecting man wears anything but a white or blue dress shirt. When I see matching colored shirts and ties, I think small town church or complete douchebag. If you question the validity of this advice, flip through a Brooks Brothers catalog some time. There's a reason they've been around since 1818.

 
comeonmac:
http://www.seejackshop.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/black-suit.png

come on, tell me this isn't bad ass

That just looks awful to me. Especially black and blue. No one should combine black and navy blue. I have seen people pull off the "badass" look with dark dress shirts in a suit, but definitely in a no tie enviroment. Never in finance should that be emulated.

I'm fine with "edgy" dress shirts but do gingham or checks, not dark colors.

Blue horseshoe loves Anacott Steel
 

keep your suits pretty basic... few blue, few grey...

focus on ties..... not too loud

I got 5-7 white and about 15 blue in various shades and styles...

I buy a lot of ties and try to mix it up... all follow the same basic lay out but different colors...

just try new things..... and see what works... its your style but try not too be too loud

 

I find that everyday attire differs from interview attire, since you obviously want to send a certain message when interviewing for a job

what combo would you wear with a charcoal suit for an interview

 

I don't think they give off a pompous vibe as long as the outfit is still conservative, especially the links. Nothing in bright colors, goofy patterns, dollar signs, etc. and you should be okay. As long as it's in good taste and makes you look conservative and professional, I'd say go with it

 
Niblita75:

Good one . . . I hate clubs anyways, not much of a dancer or a guido. So being an internet tough guy is cool?

Ha! Love French cuffs with BB engine turn cuff links.

Only blue or white shirts. Colored shirts are tacky and make you look like maybe you should work at a Verizon store. Shades of blue, black, or grey for suits. Brown, green, and other earth-toned suits are like colored shirts: uncool. Of course, there are 2 exceptions to these rules. Everyone needs one white linen suit with a dangly tie like Colonel Sanders or Mark Twain, and everyone needs a seersucker suit (blue and white) with a pair of spectators or white bucks, a bowtie, suspenders, and a straw boater hat for the day of the race. In Kentucky, that's the Kentucky Derby. In Tennessee, it's the Steeplechase (which I had to miss this year for a stupid college graduation!).

 
goblan:
Wearing a shirt with a collar cut that wide to an SA interview is just as bad as wearing a shirt with a contrast collar. Be normal and wear a plain white shirt.
There's nothing wrong with wearing a spread collar if it's a conservative color, you aren't 300 pounds.
 
goblan:
Wearing a shirt with a collar cut that wide to an SA interview is just as bad as wearing a shirt with a contrast collar. Be normal and wear a plain white shirt.
Nothing wrong with a spread collar. In fact, point collars look horrible on certain people, namely tall skinny people with slender faces because all the point collar does is elongate the person's neck and face.

To the OP, stick to white and light blue. That shirt looks like a good tint of blue. Not sure I like the puppytooth pattern going on, though. If you can find a solid patterned shirt, I think that would be better, but I don't think your interviewers will really count it against you if you go with this shirt.

 

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