SA Clothing

notthehospitalER:

I bought 4 suits, 10 shirts, 14 ties, 15 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of shoes (black, brown, tan) and matching belts.

14 ties...?

Pretty much exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks.

UFOinsider:

2 suits, 5 shirts, 5 ties, 2 pants, 1 belt, 1 pair shoes until first check. Then do what you want. You'll only stick out if you 1. wear the exact same thing every day and 2. dress like a fool.

Keep it very simple.

Navy/charcoal suits
blue/white shirts
conservative ties
black shoes
simple belt, no fancy crap

Look presentable but don't stick out. That is all.

Exactly. Nobody will notice what you are wearing unless you repeat ties, have stains or wear something obnoxious to stick out. Keep it simple for the summer.

no. you dress like dog shit in london, you will get treated like dog shit

interns in london dress comparatively/relatively well to intern in the us

buy another nice charcoal grey suit more than 3 shirts (probably 6 or 7) - you won't have the time to dry clean a tie for everyday of the week

You need like 7 dress shirts (white and light blue, though light pink is acceptable in London) and 1 more good suit, probably charcoal.

Get 2 pairs of good shoes (Johnston & Murphy is a good quality starter brand) and maybe 4-5 ties.

Make sure your suits are tailored of course.

thanks guys, when i buy the suits they "fix" it for free, like if you need to do anything to them, they do that. 7 shirts is a lot, isnt it?

toiysam:

thanks guys, when i buy the suits they "fix" it for free, like if you need to do anything to them, they do that. 7 shirts is a lot, isnt it?

You'll develop sweat/dirt rings around the neck line after wearing a dress shirt during long days. You don't want to have to go to the dry cleaners during the week so having a couple extra is a huge convenience. I also recommend about seven.

I'd say you should buy 6-7 shirts. I'd recommend getting non-iron shirts from Charles Tyrwhitt -- they're currently having a sale of four shirts for $200. The fabric is much softer than Brooks Brothers and are totally worth it for everyday wear. Do check out their website. This way, you can either wash them yourself or just send them to the launderer for regular wash.

Might as well have about five ties to rotate for the different days. You probably shouldn't buy more than five ties right now till you figure out what your fashion sense is. Don't ever pay full price for a tie -- all the retailers have them on sale, and there are also plenty of good sites you can check such as eBay, eHaberdasher.com, virtualclotheshorse.com, and other discount sites for high-quality ties and very good prices (e.g. Brioni, Kiton, Zegna, Hermes, etc. if that stuff is of interest to you). But again, I stress that you do not need to get luxury wear -- just something that's functional for the job.

Oh, and I assume that the gentleman above meant "shirt" instead of "tie" when he was talking about dry cleaners. You do NOT want to send a tie to the dry cleaner, otherwise it will most likely get completely flattened and you will ruin its texture/luster unless the dry cleaner really knows what he or she is doing.

Anyway, I don't want to get into one of my elaborate discourses about men's professional attire -- of course, I'm more than happy to discuss that -- but the difference is that I've been in the working world for nearly half a dozen years now so I know what I'm looking for and have income to back it up. For all practical purposes, you should get some decent dress shirts, slacks, and ties and you will be fine. People care a ton more about the work you do as opposed to how you dress.

Hope that helps...

Numi

You don't need to stand out with your clothes. if you are spending more than a thousand to get a wardrobe built, you are doing it all wrong as an SA. Try and find one of the nice outlet malls and shop there. There was one near my house that had an Off Fifth (Saks outlet), a Polo outlet, and a Barney's outlet, among many others. Shop there and you can get those 7 shirts for around $250-$280. Throw in a second suit (don't spend more than $400-500), 4-5 ties ($125-150 total) and a pair of dress shoes ($150 or so), and you can have plenty to start off with. As you make a little money over the summer augment with whatever you want/need.

With the current exchange rate, and the way London department store does sales (i.e. 20% off whole store, unlike NY where certain designers will just never go on sale), London shopping won't be nearly as expensive as you'd think.

Items were priced based on 2:1 exchange rate. Most haven't adjusted. In other words most designers that are available both in US and UK are on sale.

And go to Thomas Pink, as well as the rest of Jermyn street. Lots of other shirt makers, and by that I mean literally every other door for several blocks are either shirt/tie makers. Pink in London is cheaper than US even if you time the pound price by 2. (Just click on the UK flag on its website if you're currently in the US.)

Here is the story;

I have had a great dark-blue Ozwald Boateng suit that fits me very well, but due to some freak accident the trousers got ripped and are now unwearable. But the jacket is still fine. Would it be acceptable for me to wear non-matching trousers with my jacket? For example, dark grey, black, etc. trousers with the dark-blue jacket? Or do IBers only wear matching trousers and jacket (as in, a full suit)? How badly would they frown if I came into the office (not, obviously, in the first week) dressed in a non-matching suit?

Thanks.

Just my 2c.

The number of shirts you require for the job is purely a function of how quickly your dry cleaner can turn your shirts. 7 is pretty much the absolute minimum...should probably have 10 or so.

I would not wear non-matching jacket and trousers, but if you really want to I'd get a feel for the office first.

Thanks. I actually bought the suit years ago as it was on a huge sale. I guess it was an "end of a line" suit, because when I looked on-line I couldn't find replacement trousers for it. Also, the combination of inadequate lighting and poor camera means that the photos make it look pixilated-black. So based on what everyone says, I won't be wearing it for anything other than going out.

I've found a batch of Ted Baker, Ben Sherman, Pierre Cardin and Dehavilland suits in my local outlet store, and I was wondering what is your opinion of an SA wearing one of those suits? I realise that fit is quite important, and on the first look they all fit me quite well. Also, what other high-street suits would you recomend?

Thanks

Just my 2c.

.

I think all the makers you mentioned are pretty middle-of-the-road. Fit IS very important so if you can't afford bespoke, I still recommend make-to-measure. Go with somewhere reputable for your first suit, just so that you know what your set of measurements are. Once you have that, it'll be much easier to buy suits off-the-rack or have them made for you in the future.

However, if you insist on buying it off the rack and just having it tailored, try to hit up a major retailer and find a good deal. Brooks Brothers makes some solid middle-of-the-road suits, and if you extend yourself a bit, you can probably find a Canali or Armani suit as well. I think these will all be better quality suits than the brands you mentioned above.

Regarding fit, the most important thing you need to get right is the shoulder-to-shoulder measurement. I'd say if it's off by more than 0.25", the suit will either be too tight or just hang off your shoulder and there's really not much you can do about it. The next thing is to get the proper bottom of collar to hem measurement -- you want the jacket to be short enough so that if you cupped your fingers underneath the hem, you'd still have an extra inch or two before your fingers could reach the jacket. The length must be right too because you won't be able to shorten the jacket without throwing off the balance of the pockets, lapels, etc. Chest and sleeve measurements are also important but those can be maneuvered with alterations.

Hope that helps...

Am I missing a question in there... or did you just feel like sharing your wardrobe with the world?

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I think that you just want our opinion, and, basically, to approve of your wardrobe. Here goes, considering you are an intern, and not a FT, you will usually be given a bit more slack in terms of outfit. That said, you should still look presentable, and dress the part if you want to succeed. I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but banking isn't a "fair" job, and not dressing the part will often result in some senior distaste.

Dressing the part, however, does not mean you have to spend $1500 as an analyst. I actually just put out an article on this, and if you check it out, I specifically point to sales as your best friends. If you go to BB and buy 5 shirts on sale ($40 each), that's $200, then buy a suit from Jos A Bank, that's $200 or so, then a pair of shoes from Nordstrom's sale at $100 (Cole Haan, or the like), and finally 2 ties from a BB outlet ($50 total). Grand total here is: $550, round it up to $650 for a bit of overages and tax. That will get you a great wardrobe for a good price. Considering you've got most of the shirts already (although I'd passed on the "one with the hole," that saves you even more).

I don't know your office though, so being on the West Coast, they may be more laid back and not follow some of the fashion faux pas that I and most other analysts have been accustomed to - then again they may. I remember when I first started I wanted to save a few $ so I used to wear a really horrible, no-name brand dress shoe (solid black) when it was rainy out, because, hey, it's raining, who cares, right? wrong. Once someone noticed I was wearing them, not one day (when I wore them) went by that I didn't hear some snide remarks and stupid comments. But again, your office may not care about these things.

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Not to sound like a dumbass but what's wrong with a black suit...lol?

dont buy donald trump ties they are shit. go to century 21 and you can easily find some decent brand ties marked down to $15-$20 each

Agreed the donald trump clothes are of subpar quality. Avoid at all costs.

In NYC, century 21 is a great deal. Other outlet stores on the west coast should have similar deals.

What about pants? I would get at least 2 pairs of dress pants. They would run about $100 per pair. You may be able to do khakis in the summer more often and because you're on the west coast.

Also, don't forget about undershirts - about $20-30 depending on how many you get and where you get them.

fudbox:

So I did a search on what to wear, and it seems that the typical recommended wardrobe for summer analysts/analysts was running anywhere from 1500-3000 with a huge list of supposed fashion faux pas, such as wearing a black suit.

I come from the belief that what you wear shouldn't matter as long as it is clean and looks professional. I don't feel like spending much, so let me know if what I have is enough/borderline acceptable. I will be summering on the West-Coast.

6 non-iron shirts from Brooks Brothers, roughly $330 (inclusive of minor tailoring) 2 pairs of leather shoes from Rockport, both under $100 (No Allen Edmunds for me!) 1 BLACK suit, roughly $150 from Macy's 2 leather belts, roughly $50 from Macy's 10 pairs of dress socks, roughly $40 total (My favorites are the 6 pairs I got for $2 each) 2 Donald Trump ties, 1 red and 1 black, $15 each

Total cost: $330 + $200 + $150 + $50 + $40 + $30 = $800.

By the way, 1 of my BB shirts has a hole in it, 1 of the belts is broken, and 1 pair of my shoes looks kind of old because of natural wear and tear from last summer.

Anyone know a good place in manhattan to get the BB non-irons tailored?

Any suggestions for tailors in Manhattan for suits, shirts or both?

Does anyone know what brand of shirt could be a good choice for the summer?

donald trump shirts? French cufs shirts?

Considering the fact that Hugo boss type shirts would be too expensive!

Charles Tyrwhitt slim-fit shirts are nicer than Brooks Brothers and can be had on sale for $40-50 each. You can also try some brands from Macys that are decent quality (i.e. Michael Kors, DKNY), but avoid the really crappy ones like Arrow, Alfani, Donald Trump, etc. Don't wear french cuff shirts as a summer analyst.

In terms of ties, Macys brands will do just fine for a summer analyst, and this includes Trump ties. Just make sure the patterns are not too bright and flashy. Don't wear a black tie, especially with a black suit- you're not going to a funeral. Stick with dark reds, blues, perhaps grey and yellow/gold colors.

Black suit should typically be avoided. Even if some people say it's fine, there will be some people who judge you for it. Buy a solid or subtly striped charcoal or dark navy suit - for a summer analyst, it's fine to go with a suit from Mens Wearhouse or Macys. Since it will be summer, you will probably just need pants and a shirt, so buy 3-4 pairs of dress pants and that should be fine with your 1 black suit for now.

I heard only Hermès is acceptable at JPM.

you do not wear a suit everyday on a trading floor.

yes wear a suit on the first day, that's proper etiquette. but you probably end up wearing pants with your dress shirt (+ sleeves rolled up if you're in trading) for most of the day.

fyi: a lot of the older guys wear the full suit anyway (blazers as a coat because its still cold when you get in in the early morning) for most of the year. just leave the jacket at your chair once you get a better idea of what others -- especially what other young people ar wearing.

JPM- like most banks- are more business casual. the only floor I know that required a jacket is probably Lehman..dont know about current Barclays. also london/europe floors always put on a jacket i've been told.

i assumed you were a boy.

if you're a chick just search for female attire threads-- a LOT of good & hard to find information for chicks on this forum.

For my MM trading SA gig, we have been told to be "suit-ready" in case we have to be in a client-facing role at any point. I am thinking that means suit w/ no tie into the office, hang my jacket on my chair during the day, a couple ties in the drawer just in case.

It's been said before, you wear a dress shirt and slacks. First day, wear a suit though.

Wear a suit on the first day for sure. After that, my personal rule is "if any single person wears X on the floor, I need to be prepared to wear X given the occasion." For that reason I would walk in with a tie and jacket everyday. (Which can also be convenient, because you never know when you'll have an impromptu meeting with someone very senior.) However, once you get in, put the jacket on the back of your chair and throw on a vest or something if you are cold. (Every time I have been on JPM's floor it has been pretty cold.)

If you are nervous about my rule above, don't worry that you're going to be wearing a suit all day every day. For what it's worth, for networking I visited 383 Madison for hours at a time on multiple occasions and I have never seen a single person on the JPM floor wearing a jacket - though many seem to leave them on their chairs. It is my simple opinion that you should be prepared though.

JPM S&T is business casual, pants and dress shirt is the norm. I would not wear a suit a everyday because you are going to look up tight and the traders are going to make fun of you. I agree with She_Monkey to wear a suit first day if you want to look proper.

JPM has a pretty laid back trading floor

Also to the comment above. For Barclays in S&T is business formal.

I visited a S&T floor at JPM (Houston) about a year ago. I wore my best suit and accessories to impress. It was college t-shirt day and everybody was wearing t-shirts or polos from their alma mater. When I walked in everybody looked at me and was like "Who in the hell is this Gordan Gekko over here" I was embrassed all day shadowing the traders.

The funny thing is I made a couple of friends who still call me "wall-street" from that floor. They are some solid connections I have in JPM.

Cheers for the replys, really appreciate it! I'm a boy btw.

@she_monkey Thanks and my friend who told me to wear suit everyday interned in London so maybe it is just way more formal over there.

@Human Cheers for the links - some pretty good shit there.

@paulydreamer - that's pretty hilarious alright!

Right so think I'll go fully kitted out for the first day and scope out my floor. After that I'll wear in suit jacket with shirt and leave jacket and back of chair. I'll leave tie in office just to be safe.

Thanks

I recently went to Raymond's trading floor (not quite JPM) but everyone there was business casual. I was the only one with a tie in the office.

I agree with the majority that a suit on your first day (conservative suit), but after that most people just wear a shirt with pants, and maybe a blazer. Regards

ctshirts.com; tons of threads on this company.

Get yourself some oxfords in different colors from rugby.com or Brooks Brothers (super slim fit). You can never go wrong with the classics.

Business Attire = Suit.

A bag is probably not necessary for a SA, but you'll figure that out soon after you start. It's not something I'd worry about beforehand.

There is nothing wrong with picking up a duffle bag for gym clothes or a messenger bag. You may or may not need it depending.

And perform a search

Yea, there was a post on this exact topic yesterday. And you probably won't need a bag unless you have gym clothes. You won't be doing anything from home.

We put these people in control of millions of dollars and they cant pick out their wardrobe. I understand you're just an intern but come on.

We put these people in control of millions of dollars and they cant pick out their wardrobe. I understand you're just an intern but come on.

within the first week you'll have an idea of what the other people at your firm are wearing. I worried about this last year as well, but as long as you err on the conservative side you should be fine. as long as you're not wearing anything that draws attention to yourself, no one cares.

http://www.fangle-brands.com/

I'd start off with business formal, and then later you can adjust to whatever your colleagues are wearing. I don't think it can hurt to be dressed too formally, even if it's just for the first day and you switch to business casual after. However, I've never worked in San Fran, so maybe the expectations are different there.

Also - you can just ask HR or your boss before getting started. I'd do that if you are really concerned.

Wear the WSO t-shirt.

I think it's business casual almost every day, but ask your boss to confirm