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One week to get appropriate attire - Page 3

post #31 of 47
11/13/09 at 9:05am
Do you know your size? It probably doesnt make sense since I would have to ship it from London, but if I had something I didnt wear that would fit you I would send it over.

Maybe there are other SFers who have been in similar "broke grad school" situations who have a navy or grey suit they dont wear that they could hook you up with?

K
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post #32 of 47
11/13/09 at 11:29am
Where do you live? Is there an "XYZ Mills" outlet near you? Go to either the Polo outlet or Nordstrom Rack. Find a subtle patterned wool blazer. Pair it with a pair of khakis (which you probably own), a clean white oxford cloth button-down collared shirt and you are golden. Polish your shoes, too. If you do not have appropriate shoes, get a pair of cordovan or black penny loafers. You will fit right in with this crowd. Think preppy attire.

These attorneys will know the state of poverty you are enduring to get through law school. What you are after is to not look slovenly.
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post #33 of 47
11/13/09 at 11:35pm
Thread Starter 
That's incredibly generous of you man, and thank you for the thought. Unfortunately, I don't know my sizing yet; I plan to get a tape measure this weekend and then work from there. Thank you very much for the thought though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VKK3450 View Post
Do you know your size? It probably doesnt make sense since I would have to ship it from London, but if I had something I didnt wear that would fit you I would send it over.

Maybe there are other SFers who have been in similar "broke grad school" situations who have a navy or grey suit they dont wear that they could hook you up with?

K
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post #34 of 47
11/13/09 at 11:40pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you for the advice. I have a navy button up, I'll see how that looks with the slacks and get an outside opinion. I also have an older pair of khaki's that lost the snap; I may be able to sew a button back on that.

I'll look into the navy blazer as well, and check out the sales this weekend if I can drag someone out with me. We have a Rack right near here, I didn't even think about that.

Basically I think at this point what I should concentrate on is a nice jacket and maybe a shirt. I can work forward from there. Just gotta stay within my price range.

As you have some experience with law school, I'd appreciate your frank opinion...I have a week's worth of beard going on right now, and hopefully by Thursday it will be full enough to not just look like I didn't shave for a few days. Since this is more of an informal fundraiser, will that be ok?

Thanks again.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Biker30x View Post
Don't waste your limited $$ on an expensive suit. You'll need to spend that money next year to buy one that fits and looks expensive for interviews. Nobody expects first years to be very well dressed, especially professors of whom expectations are often even lower. If you're in an understated but well fitting jacket, you will stand out amongst the rumples.

Brown chinos huh? Something dark bluish? Wear the pants with the white shirt & brown shoes when you go shopping. That way you know right away what works & what doesn't. At this point, fit is way more important than almost anything but price.

If you have an outlet mall near you, hit it. J.Crew for a pair of khakis (more versatile than the brown) and maybe a new shirt (iron it), Banana Republic for a jacket off the sale rack. You're looking for dark and no patterns that pop. If you have a Nordstrom Rack it would be worth the trip if only because they will have a ton of stuff for you to try on without getting pressed by suit salesmen. Consider a blue blazer. Get one that fits & treat it right and you'll still have it in 15 years.

Are these the clothes the folks on this form live for? No, but they're what you need and right now your money is headed for other places. You can try Target too, but don't be afraid to walk out if it doesn't fit (and at this point, off-the-rack fit is really what you're looking for) and doesn't meet your price point.

I'm involved in my law school often and I see new lawyers coming into my courthouse all the time. If your cloths fit, you'll be way ahead of the game. You sound like a tough fit between 42 & 44 in a jacket, so just start trying stuff on.
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post #35 of 47
11/13/09 at 11:40pm
Thread Starter 
Haha, for real? That bad?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Night Owl View Post
aka the jared, good luck with that

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post #36 of 47
12/27/09 at 3:42pm
Thread Starter 
So I ended up wearing a chocolate sport coat, a sky blue gap button down, and a pair of khakis that I sewed the button back onto at the last moment along with some brown oxfords. It went over fairly well I thought.

Now I need to start focusing on getting a suit for interviews. Thoughts on where I should start? Ideally I'd like something that could work for both weddings AND interviews.
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post #37 of 47
12/27/09 at 6:49pm
Most versatile choices would be charcoal or navy, single breasted, two or three buttons, notch lapel.
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post #38 of 47
12/27/09 at 6:55pm
I understand there's a time crunch, but my advise is to buy a suit here and wear it: http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=12619507...Trading&page=1

The suits aren't the thousand dollar suits they claim to be, but they're certainly a cut above the Men's Warehouse and Banana Republic stuff most law students will be wearing. I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Executive-Sign...950783&sr=1-21 and it's comparable to my JoS A Bank Signature Gold suits and the Nordstrom store brand.

I'd caution you against buying any of the Gino Valentino brands, the one I bought is already falling apart after less than three months and maybe five wearings.
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post #39 of 47
12/27/09 at 6:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Biker30x View Post
Don't waste your limited $$ on an expensive suit. You'll need to spend that money next year to buy one that fits and looks expensive for interviews. Nobody expects first years to be very well dressed, especially professors of whom expectations are often even lower. If you're in an understated but well fitting jacket, you will stand out amongst the rumples.
Better to buy a good one that fits well than junk that looks terrible and you will never want to wear again. -Grad Student in Final Year
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post #40 of 47
12/27/09 at 6:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CRizzy141 View Post
So I ended up wearing a chocolate sport coat, a sky blue gap button down, and a pair of khakis that I sewed the button back onto at the last moment along with some brown oxfords. It went over fairly well I thought. Now I need to start focusing on getting a suit for interviews. Thoughts on where I should start? Ideally I'd like something that could work for both weddings AND interviews.
Brooks Brothers 1818 in Fitzgerald or Regent cut. Take a look at their site. You can wear that suit until it falls to pieces.
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post #41 of 47
1/20/10 at 3:20pm
Thread Starter 
Good news! I got some suits handed down to me by my stepfather. I'm broader in the chest and a size smaller at the waist, but hopefully I can make them work. There's 3 total; would you guys mind if I posted a couple pictures to get your thoughts? They may be horribly outdated for all I know.
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post #42 of 47
1/20/10 at 3:25pm
Post 'em, we'll have at it.

EZ
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post #43 of 47
1/20/10 at 3:49pm
Fellow first year law student here who just put his clothes in the laundry for the first time in a month. Hopefully you pulled some excellent first semester grades to justify the slovenliness.

I'd probably go with an H&M sportcoat (Target if you don't have and H&M in your area). In terms of getting a better sportcoat, you might want to check out Anderson Little.

http://andersonlittle.com/

My roommate just picked up one of their Navy blazers and it looks great. Pair that with J Crew Chinos (their slimmer cuts are a lot more flattering than their more relaxed fits) and you'll be off to a good start. For shirts, I actually really like H&Ms slim fit line. Supposedly they don't have the best construction, but I haven't had a problem with them yet and they look great. I also like Charles Tyrwhitt for spread collar shirts. They almost always have some great sales.

For ties, look on the buying and selling board here. You can usually get some great labels for rock bottom prices.

Suits are a bit trickier since there's a wide array of quality at different prices and if you aren't careful you'll drop a lot of money and have a crappy product. I'm surprised that you got through your first semester of 1L without a suit. Regardless you're going to have to have one for your summer work and for OCI. I have a Banana Republic suit that has served me well enough, but the fit and construction just aren't what I want. I ordered a made to measure suit off of Thick as Thieves (which gets a lot of buzz on here...search it on the forum) a few days ago and am looking forward to seeing the results.

http://www.thickasthievesla.com/

Don't forget shoes though. Bad shoes can ruin everything when you are building a more professional wardrobe. I got a pair of Cole Haans a for a little over hundred at Macys recently that I think look pretty good. When I have a bit more money, I'm going to go with some Allen Edmonds.

Shoot me a message if you have any more questions.
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post #44 of 47
1/20/10 at 4:31pm
why don't you guys wash your clothes?
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post #45 of 47
1/20/10 at 4:46pm
Being in the library until midnight every night during finals is part of it. 1L year sucks.
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