84 Comments
 

I think brown is considered a weak color. If you do wear brown, make sure it's very dark, like a coffee bean. I think such a suit looks sharp. Navy, grey, charcoal, and black are the colors to wear. Pinstripes and windowpane are the best patterns. Would a khaki suit work for the summer? Olive suits look terrible imho.

"Give me guys that are poor, smart, and hungry. And no feelings." - Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street"
 

Black is for evenings. Though you will see many people wear black suits professionally they are traditionally more formal wear.

Here is a Q&A from GQ a few years ago:

Q: I have a friend who maintains that a black suit is only for evening wear and funerals. I say there is nothing wrong with a classic black suit, white shirt, and tie for the office. What do you say?

A: Some of the gents up at the GQ office wear black suits by day, and they certainly look sharp. I like to look slightly more dull, personally. I also find that in broad daylight, black suits tend to give off a funereal, clerical, Amish, or possibly satanic vibe. I say save your wso/">black suit for funerals and nights on the town. Black is not wrong or forbidden, and it does work for that certain kind of guy who wears experimental footwear and a Caesar haircut, but for those of us who like to blend in, it’s a bit severe.

December 2005

 
not-geithner A: Some of the gents up at the GQ office wear black suits by day, and they certainly look sharp. I like to look slightly more dull, personally. I also find that in broad daylight, black suits tend to give off a funereal, clerical, Amish, or possibly satanic vibe. I say save your black suit for funerals and nights on the town. Black is not wrong or forbidden, and it does work for that certain kind of guy who wears experimental footwear and a Caesar haircut, but for those of us who like to blend in, it’s a bit severe.

December 2005

This may be the dumbest fucking thing i've ever heard.

 

Black suit with a colorful tie/shirt is sharp. Some of my navy suits are so dark they may as well be black.

"Give me guys that are poor, smart, and hungry. And no feelings." - Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street"
 

I love wearing black suits, opposed to my grey and blue ones, and having talked to many people about it they say as long as it's not some crazy color (think red, green, even some shades of brown) it really doesn't matter.

 
kacryawbnraatbsMedium colored brown suit, maroon shirt, and gold tie. that's a tried and true outfit

That sounds pretty terrible to be honest. Reminds me of something Dustin Hoffman would wear in Runaway Jury. In an otherwise witless movie, Hackman points out, "Nice suit. Very 'of the people.'"

"I'm not sure what the four 9's do, but the ace, I think, is pretty high."
 
kacryawbnraatbsMedium colored brown suit, maroon shirt, and gold tie. that's a tried and true outfit

One of my management profs dressed like this (in fact, one day he wore exactly this).

To those that say no to black suits, are you kidding? It is pretty normal, especially with light gray/charcoal stripes. Pretty much all shades of gray and charcoal are okay, and of course navy. I don't think light brown or khaki works in banking, but it does in a lot of other industries.

 
kacryawbnraatbsYes, brown or olive works great if you work for a company like Dunder Mifflin

Psh, brown suit, mustard shirt, and yellow tie plays well ANYWHERE - it's not limited to Dunder.

 
Best Response

Black suit you look like a Goomba. Brown suit you look like a used car salesman.

Blue suits and gray suits. Shirts blue or white. Ties should be red or blue with small conservative pattern. This is not difficult.

Do not spend money on tailored shirts - you will be working so hard that you bust your elbows thru the sleeves, literally. Do not buy $150 ties because you'll look like a self absorbed douche. Get your suits from Jos. A. Bank or an outlet on super sale. Remember you will be an anaylst who is strapped to your desk and half the time you might as well be wearing a track suit.

If you buy expensive clothes, after about six months on the job, you will look up from your screen at about 2:30am, look at said clothes hanging over your cube wall and wonder to yourself "why the fuck did I buy that shit?"

 

It is not their Navy blue line. There are navy suits there and then there are "blue" suits there. This one is one of the blue ones. I dont know how to describe it but it looks very blue compared to the typical navy suit

 

The guy's neck freaks me out a little

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

The suit's fine. I have one just like it and get nothing but compliments. Buy it, it's a nice suit. Too blue? That's what I had thought. But it's fine

 

I have a bunch of birds eye and nail head suits (which are essentially two colors mixed to make one), and they work just fine. What I love about them is that they don't shine (or develop a sheen) as much as regular plain fabrics, and they are a bit more sturdy. Even when the fabrics is fine, such as S150's. I really like that blue color, and it will look like a regular plain navy from a couple of feet.

The only thing that makes the jacket stand out is the ticket pocket...some people absolutely loathe that look, other like it. Not sure if anyone will care or notice.

 

Like it, though three piece might be a little showy. Dunno how others in your work dress though so it could be fine.

"I am not sure who this 'Anonymous' person is - one thing is for certain, they have been one hell of a prolific writer" - Anonymous
 

Honestly Jos A. Bank is fine dude. Don't let people make you feel less by wearing flashy $2k suits under the age of 25. They're just stupid, incredibly narcissistic, or both IMO. Wear what is practical for now.

 

Have you seen the fabric in person? Cheap sharkskin can look very shiny and, well, trashy (think Night at the Roxbury).

(High quality sharkskin, however, is freakin' awesome.)

 

Yes, saw it in person. It is not shiny like that by any means, but it actually looks a bit lighter than this color to me in person. And also, it is not the three piece version, it is just the two.

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
 

definitely fine. i agree with joshua93.. no need to go overboard and break the bank . everyone knows your just starting out. I say ditch the vest though

 

Thanks yeah people on this forum tear Jos A. to shreds.. And yeah I purchased it without the vest already. Rocking some light brown shoes with that suit, I think it should look nice. It honestly looks lighter to me than in that picture though. What do you guys think about a suit that is maybe a little bit lighter than that one? Not sure if that picture is very accurate..

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
 

Yeah I was looking at that exact suit actually. I just don't really understand how sites like these work. I mean what if it the "custom fit" comes and it doesn't actually fit me. Then I have to return it and deal with the long shipping times they have. There is definitely luck involved in buying a suit from a site like that and it actually fits you perfectly. But I could be mistaken. I'll have to look into that more

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
 

Nobody can tell what kind of suit you're wearing, provided it's not from Target. Anybody who says otherwise on this forum is a liar and probably a materialistic dolt on top of that.

 
Take_It_To_The_Bank

Nobody can tell what kind of suit you're wearing, provided it's not from Target. Anybody who says otherwise on this forum is a liar and probably a materialistic dolt on top of that.

Not true, a shitty suit or an extremely good suit will be easy to spot. You're right about the one's in the middle though.

 

I've seen those suits in person and they are definitely very blue and not the traditional IB suit colours WSO "permits"...that being said, I'd probably personally wear one myself - but I wore a tie clip every day during my IB internship, and most people on here would ridicule that/think it's way too out there for IB, so take my advice for what you will. I personally find it very hard to believe that a suit that is too blue will prevent you from getting a FT offer if your work is solid.

That all being said, consider the culture of your bank - it would be different degrees of acceptable/offensive at different banks.

 

I recommend the gray skirt suit.

When I worked at GS, the number one suit color I saw was gray, and it was a lighter mid-gray than I typically see in other areas.

Also, I noticed a strange occasional prevalence of ties that were GS blue. If you have a GS blue blouse, it might be a nice touch.

However, I'm sure both outfits are fine.

 

Thanks Mis Ind. I was leaning towards the gray suit. Now how do I find a GS blue blouse? Would you by any chance be able to find me the color type on the internet. At you earliest conv. of course. My intevriew is not til Wednesday. Thanks a million!!

 

With all due respect, if you're interviewing with GS, then you're good enough to know how to find GS's brand colors.

I'm not saying go out and buy a new blouse either... just saying that I saw an awful lot of guys wearing GS blue ties there.

 

I always wear skirt suit on first interviews. There is a level of truth to it. It also a way to play it safe b/c you will be safe in the box regardless of their culture. Since its my last interview I was looking to step out of the box which I did for other banks & received offers. However, I am afraid GS may be an exception for the skirt v pants final interview fiasco.

 

Why do you think it is ridiculous ke18sb? Let me guess you think what one wears is of no importance right? WRONG. I have been on the trading floor for over two yrs now & what you look like can be the final thing that draws the picture of you to others.

I know for a fact from people wo interned and currently work at GS that attire is a big part of the corp culture.

Kindly, if you find it silly then I beg move on...

 

dont wear black, that is a little weird. You can wear the same suit and just use a different shirt/tie.

http://convertyourbond.com Free market commentary and trading insights to help with interviews
 

No, you can tell charcoal apart from black pretty easily. Return it if you're uncomfortable wearing it. For the record, people probably won't care as much as you think - I wore a tie pin every day of my BB SA and often wore Burberry ties or Vineyard Vines ties with whale patterns etc, and I still got a return offer. Nothing wrong with being conservative, but people will care about your work and personality more than the shade of your suit.

 
notthehospitalER

No, you can tell charcoal apart from black pretty easily. Return it if you're uncomfortable wearing it. For the record, people probably won't care as much as you think - I wore a tie pin every day of my BB SA and often wore Burberry ties or Vineyard Vines ties with whale patterns etc, and I still got a return offer. Nothing wrong with being conservative, but people will care about your work and personality more than the shade of your suit.

Well I guess it actually is a little bit different when put next to black, but if not, it is very hard to tell it isn't black. I actually like the suit, but just for the purpose of the public opinion on black suits, I didn't know if this would be a no-go since it is so similar and to the average person it will look black..

Also on another note, I only wear ties like VV with the whale patterns and such hah... I happen to like that style and find it a lot nicer than those hideous ties with thick stripes on it. Is wearing VV ties and the like actually frowned upon as well?

 

Try to return the suit. Say that your boss won't let you wear it in the office because it is too close to black and that you'd like to swap it for a lighter/navy suit. Voila.

"The illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer."
 

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