Thoughts on Cheap Suits from H&M

For many college students, it is sometimes hard to put together some money to buy designer suits. Recently, I bought a couple of suits from H&M for really cheap; they look good, but still, they are from H&M. Is this considered careless or is it acceptable? I hear a lot of bankers like to show up in high-end, fancy suits, but does anyone really care or can anyone really tell designer suits from suits made by Zara or H&M? Can college students get away with not wearing Dior or Calvin Klein suits every day?

 

For suits there are only three really important factors: Materials, tailoring, and canvassing. I personally go out and get custom suits that are cheaper than designer but I presume more expensive than H&M. Materials should be wool or higher quality (cashmere, silk, or a blend of wool and the two aforementioned materials). Make sure any suit is tailored for your specific body (don't go crazy and make it too tight and too short for the pants, make sure it has a modern look but not "trendy"). Finally, it should be full canvassed. Half canvased is okay- but this just will ensure the suit lasts a while and doesn't fall apart. Hope this helps. I don't work in IB so I can't say for that environment- but I never have ever been asked what brand of suit I'm wearing. Tailoring makes all the difference for how expensive it appears to be.

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.” - Nassim Taleb
 

If you have no money, H&M is quite good! i used to work with H&M suits, sometimes even Zara, and to be honest with you, easy to care for, last fairly long and they look quite good for work!

 

Where I work some of the junior analyst use Perry Ellis, which sometimes has huge discounts. The materials are ok (make sure its 100% wool) and the fits are decent for the price.

Just make sure that its not too flashy/trendy, you want to fit in at first (1st year, or interviews), later on you can afford to be different.

 
Best Response

H&M and suits don't go together brother. Get a job working at McDonalds and save 400usd for a suit supply charcoal suit. You DONT need more than one suit until you become a FT analyst. If you work as an SA just buy white dress shirts, decent pants, and wear a patagonia vest over the dress shirt. done

What concert costs 45 cents? 50 Cent feat. Nickelback.
 

Just to piggyback off your response, what should my wardrobe look like as an FT analyst in an ST position? I've been using the same 100USD suit throughout my internships and four years in university but I feel its a good time to get something new. I honestly can't tell the difference between a very cheap tailor-made suit and an expensive one, and its even more difficult for me to justify spending for shirts and trousers when literally everything that isnt shit quality looks the same to me.

 

Depends on your desk. Just to be on the safe side, i'd invest 1.2K in x3 of Suit Supply's $399 line. 1. Charcoal Grey 2. Navy Blue 3. Medium Grey.

Feel free to explore Jos A Bank and other places, but Im 100% sure suit supply is the best bang for your buck.

You should have the charcoal suit already and when you go FT if they give you a signing bonus, pull the trigger on the two other suits or wait till your first pay check. Suits usually aren't mandatory and you can easily slide with a good looking dress shirt & pants

What concert costs 45 cents? 50 Cent feat. Nickelback.
 

IMO you just need something that fits properly. If you're shopping at a fast fashion place like H&M then you need to be careful not to pick something with weird, gaudy details (should be two-button, with a notch lapel that isn't comically skinny, in navy or charcoal). Nobody expects you to have a closet full of bespoke masterpieces if you've never worked before.

 

Know several people who wore H&M over the summer, to be honest lots of times they looked better than "real" suits and nobody gave a fuck. For your own comfort though get something nicer for FT.

Also gonna be iffy on the vest over dress shirt thing...you need to look around to see what other people are doing because every firm is different.

 

Just buy a cheap slim fit wool suit from JCP/Macys. At most BBs, you'll end up wearing dress pants and a dress shirt every day and will only wear a suit / tie on days you meet with MDs. If you want to make it look nicer, spend $50 to get it tailored to fit you. Get a bunch of cheap slim fit white and light blue shirts that fit you properly.

You're an intern, no one frankly cares what you're wearing. They care about: 1) Are you nice / friendly / humble 2) Are you competent and responsible (ie: will you use your brain when given relatively simple assignments) 3) Are you presentable (can you interact with MDs/Ds without embarrassing yourself?).

Don't overthink it and don't drop $400 - 500 on a suit. Buy something cheap & durable that fits you well.

 

You need a suit to fit you well. Price/wear is very important when you are investing in a wardrobe. If you need a suit to get you a through an interview, or for a specific event, then H&M is probably passable. However, it is going to deteriorate quickly because fabric and construction they use is, obviously, cheap. If you plan on wearing the suit for awhile, you should step up your investment. Check out Suit Supply or Indochino for 1 step up. The other option is to search for designer suits on deep discount.

 
Terorrblade

I'm going to a wedding soon, and I urgently need to buy a beautiful tuxedo, does anyone know a website where I can buy such a thing?

You don't have to buy an expensive suit. For example, I recently bought myself some suits from this site -- https://www.gentlemansguru.com/product-category/formal-wear/tuxedos/wedding-tuxedos/, and no one even guessed that it wasn't Calvin Klein or Dior. Everyone didn't care. They saw a beautiful suit that looked awesome, and that's it. So don't get so hung up on your appearance. Think better about studying. After all, you need to graduate from college. When you graduate from college, you will already be able to buy the best suits on the salary that you will receive. Only when you grow up will you realize that you had to think about clothes at the last moment :)
 

 
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Holy thread necro guys.

I grabbed a H&M suit from the WTC location last fall. (lost weight and my old ones didn't fit) It's not *good* but it's a decent #2 suit. (blue can only be a #2 suit)  I'm not going to wear it on TV or anything, and I rarely wear a suit, but I'm also a bit above a junior IB analyst. (my MD and I are friends, although I don't bust his balls like I do the CIO of a different department)

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

If you just need it while you are in college for interviews, H&M should be fine. If you are going into investment banking, just go ahead and buy a navy and charcoal suit from Suit Supply financed on a credit card if you can. Like others have said, SS is best bang for your buck. You should be able to pay off the credit card once you start your job.

 

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