Stupid questions about wearing a suit

[ringmastery]

I need to buy professional business attire for a new job. That means a suit. I'm very ignorant about suits. I never really had to wear one before. What looks good? What should I buy? I'm very price conscious. The cheaper the better.

I'm also concerned about washing them. Dry-cleaning is expensive. Are there any suits you can wash at home that don't need to be dry-cleaned? How long do people normally go before dry-cleaning? Has anyone tried using Dryel? That's something I read where you wash dry-cleaned only stuff in your dryer at home.

[unblock]

1. invest in a copy of gq

as for dry cleaning, once a quarter is fine unless you manage to get a stain. in between, you have to iron, but be sure to keep it dry when doing so.

as for style, if you're trim, double-breasted suits look sharp. if you're not trim, they'll make you look very portly. single-breasted suits are best if you're overweight, but they look fine on anyone.

best bet is to first go to a NIIIICE suit place, make friendly with a salesman and try some suits on. the right suit salesman can be extremely helpful in figuring out what works for your frame. don't worry about the price because you're not buying. just take notes on the style, make, etc. that you like.

then go to a discounter like men's warehouse and tell them what suit you like, they will help you find something similar.

having said that, you get what you pay for, expensive suits are noticeably nicer and will last longer.

don't forget the rest of the outfit -- belts, nice shoes, dress shirts, socks, and of course, ties. this all adds up, too.

good luck and congrats on the new job!

[MI Cherie]

2. If you are super price conscious ...

Check out resale shops, thrift stores, or Goodwill. Once you have done your homework at the fancy retail shops, you will know what to look for and you can find some really good deals.

Also, see what others at the company are wearing. Some businesses have an "unwritten" dress code.

[On the Road]

3. Read "Dress for Success"

by John Malloy. It's written by a former English teacher who discovered the effect that clothing has on people's perception of you and spent the rest of his life experimenting with that idea.

It has nothing to do with fashion. It has to do with looking like you're from an upper-middle-class background. People instinctively respect that. And it does not have to be snobbish. Lots of good people have their careers blocked by looking lower-middle-class. That's what he tries to prevent. Once I started following his advice, people immediately began treating me differently. I was amazed.

Men's clothing is a lot easier than women's. There's less variety. Your first suit should probably be either navy blue or charcoal gray. You can wear blue or white shirts with it. The tie can vary a lot as long as the pattern is not to large and the color is not too bizarre. (Red, blues, grays, etc, are all safe.)

I used to wear suits for weeks at a time without getting them washed. But then I don't sweat a lot.

[oneighty]

4. Clothing

does make a man look as if he respects himself.

It makes a difference.

I once bought an excellent suit in a church sale for twenty five cents!

Do not be ashamed to shop for used clothing, just get there before your competition!

180

[GregW]

9. I second Malloy's book

It what's brought me out of the "business attire wilderness".

Also agree with your suit colors, though I have a preference for charcoal.

If you can get away with 'almost' a suit:
4 x Wool slacks (grey, charcoal, olive green, tan)
2 x pairs shoes (black, cordovan)
2 x belts (black, cordovan)
1 x Navy blazer (wool, prefer single breasted)
1 x Wool Sportscoat (charcoal)
Socks etc

[Bossy Monkey]

5. Easiest is to bring a woman along

If you don't have a girlfriend, bring a friend. If you don't have a woman friend, bring a sister. If you don't have any of the above, bite the bullet and bring your mother. I can recommend Stein-Mart as a discount chain with fairly presentable suits.

Unless you really know your stuff, though, I'd vote against other posters' suggestion of trying thrift stores. I'm a thrift store guy myself but a fashion criminal. You wind up buying something which doesn't look horrible (ie, no holes in the pants) but which is 5 or 10 years out of style. It's all a matter of matching lapel width to tie width and it's a lot more work than I ever was willing to put in. But there are many, many people who will judge you on this, even unconsciously. Much better to get a couple of new, inexpensive suits, many new ties (preferably on sale), several respectable shirts, at least one nice pair of shoes. It really is important to make a good first impression. You can always go the thrift store route later, when you have a better idea what you're looking for.

Edit 'cause I'm illiterate

[Buns_of_Fire]

10. Illiterate, maybe -- but you sure LOOK good!

:thumbsup: And always remember: It's more important to LOOK good than to know what the hell you're doing! :-) (Unless your new job is as a brain surgeon or a bomb disposal technician, of course...)

[trof]

6. Dryel works.

Mrs. t. has used it and recommends it.
Does it have to be suits only, or will sport coats/slacks do also?
The perennial blue blazer/gray or tan slacks can dress up or down for almost any occasion.
If you're in a cool climate, herringbone twill sport coat is next choice. Can go with black, navy, gray.
I also don't think you can have too many blue oxford button-down shirts for business.
I like a white, tab collar for dressier stuff.

[Piltdown13]

7. Another vote for Dryel

Everything comes out nice and fresh-smelling, and my limited experience with the stain remover suggests that it works fine also (though, I'll still spring for dry cleaning if I get a really bad stain). One word of advice, though -- they really mean it when they say to remove the stuff and hang it immediately to "let the wrinkles fall out." When I've done this, my stuff generally needs only minimal touch-up with an iron; when I haven't, the ironing task becomes much more difficult -- and your more delicate, dry-clean-only fabrics require more care with ironing as well (much easier to burn them, for instance). YMMV, though -- I've really only used it with silk and rayon stuff, nothing as heavyweight as a man's suit.

[BensMom]

8. Congrats on the new job!!!

Make sure you know how to tie a tie.
Practice at home until you get it.

My BIL cut his tie off at the bottom because
he thought he bought a tie that was too long...........

Like was said earlier - sales people at a good clothing store
should be helpful.

They are paid to know these things and look good.

[radwriter0555]

11. You don't need to wear suits per se... you can dress nicely, without

investing in a proper suit, and have far more variety than you think, and save yourself heaps on cleaning bills.

Nice trousers that fit well. Nice shirts, button downs are boring, so go bold.

Mens fashions are far more liberal than they used to be. Catalogs, check the newstand for magazines... go to a fancy men's store and LOOK. Banana Republic is great. Get ideas, then head to ROSS DRESS for LESS or Marshalls. (NOT JC PEnney).

That show on cable, dress for less? watch it, see how they do it.

There is no sense in buying a cheap suit because it will ALWAYS look cheap. Buy nice things, spend a tad more, and they will last a long time if properly cared for. Unless you're a sweaty, smelly filthy mechaninc launder EVERYTHING on the delicate cycle and dry everyone on delicate cycle.