Help needed: How should I finish my analyst wardrobe?

I am a college senior and will be starting as an investment banking analyst this summer. I made it through my summer internship with a weak wardrobe, and I now have some money to buy more clothes before I start full-time. I've been lurking around the site for a while but am still confused, so I'm hoping that a few people can point me in the right direction.

1. How big should my wardrobe be to make it comfortably for the first year or so? I currently have:

• 1 suit - dark charcoal (also another navy blue pinstripe that I don't wear frequenlty)
• 7-8 good dress shirts.
• 2 dress pants - both charcoal
• 2 pairs of black cap toe dress shoes (one pair is pretty worn)

I'm working in a regional office outside of NYC, so the general dress code is business casual. I think I will be able to get away with initially purchasing one more suit (solid navy?), but I have no idea how many dress shirts and dress pants I should aim to buy. I'm looking to spend somewhere around $2,000-2,500 (before shoes) on my initial purchases, so I was thinking about the following price ranges:

• Suit - $700-1300?
• Dress shirts - $80-120?
• Dress pants - $80-200?
• Shoes - $200-400?

In the end, I'm willing to press against the upper bounds of my budget in order to get a few quality items.

2. What suit, dress shirts & pants, and shoe brands should I start looking at?

There are a ton of suit brands, so I have no idea how to even start narrowing my potential choices down. I only own the current brands because my town has a limited selection, so I have no allegiance to them. I have a slim body (5'11', 155lb, comfortable in BB ESF shirts) though I don't know if this matters since suits will be tailored anyways for the most part.

My office is business casual, so I'll be spending more time in dress pants than suits. Is a place such as Banana Republic a good place to start for dress pants, or can I find something much better in the say $100-200 range? 

Finally, I'm hoping to add another pair of shoes to my wardrobe. Allen Edmonds seem very popular, but are there any other brands I might want to consider? I prefer toe cap and leather soles, and I'd prefer something simple instead of flashy. Also, I'm not up to speed on dress shoe colors - do I need a brown pair or can I get away with all black?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobiasj 


This post has a ton of questions, and is overwhelming

The hazards of posting late at night :( . I've cut it down considerably to focus on my main concerns.

Apologies!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum 

You mention dress/odd trousers a lot, yet you don't seem to make any mention of sportcoats. If you're not always going to be wearing suits, and you will sometimes be wearing odd trousers, you should get some sportcoats to wear with those trousers.

I could probably use some sportcoats, but I was trying to avoid purchasing them now since it would be an extra cost. I usually have advanced notice if I need a jacket, so most of the time I can plan ahead and wear a suit when needed. I was hoping this would eliminiate most of the immediate need for sportcoats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viral 

OP...............some good advice already given but here is one more thing to ponder:
NOBODY will care what you are wearing and how you look......dress for yourself and be happy, don't get ahead of yourself.

I agree with you, Viral. I was a summer intern at my office, and I sensed that none of the senior employees took much notice to what analysts were wearing. It is probably much less noticable or cared about at my office since the dress code is business casual. However, I don't like the fact that a lot of my clothes tend to fit me poorly due to my previous inexperience at shopping for office clothes, and I think that there is a bit of self confidence to be gained by one who is personally happy with his or her clothes. The goal of expanding my wardrobe, at least on the outset, is to find a few things that fit me nicely and won't wear out too quickly. I'm in no need of flashy and expensive brands now, so the most economical way to accomplish this is ideal.

Thanks, mcbrown. This is a great summary and piece of advice. I was originally hoping to build up a wardrobe before I begin work, but I see how it is probably a better idea to just get the bare essentials and build up my collection over time. Buying gradually over time will allow me to figure out what I like the most, and I will have the opportunity to buy some higher quality pieces without breaking the bank. I live in a small college town, so I haven't had the time to explore many brands. Living in a big city will give me the chance to go to stores and try stuff on over time.

Although I think it might be nice to have another suit, I agree with you and might try to hold on the purchase until after I begin work and have the chance to figure out what works best for me. The current suit I have is relatively new (~1 year) and fits me nicely, so I have one solid suit to start with. If and when I do start thinking about my next suit purchase, what is the best way to start considering which brands to look at? I'm hesitant to head to a store in the future until I have done a little research on different possibilities. 

I'm a big fan of the BB ESF shirts because they fit me well with minimal tailoring required. However, I agree that I shouldn't purchase them until the next BB sale. I picked up a few shirts during the last sale post-Christmas, but when does the next BB sale usually occur? I'm guessing it is semi-annual, so is June or July a pretty good guess?

I didn't think much about Banana Republic, but their price range is very tempting and it seems like they make the standard conservative trouser that I see in the office. From other posts, it seems like Howard Yount is also recommended, but it looks like the price point for HY is a bit higher than BR. I think BR might be a good place to start if they fit me well since I will be behind a desk most of the day - I can transition to a higher priced pant when the BR pants start to wear out in a year or two.

Thanks for the shoe advice. Looks like Allen Edmonds Park Avenues are the way to go. Should I expect to pay full price for these shoes, or does AE (or a department store) ever have sales? I don't mind paying full price since shoes last a long time, but it never hurts to get a bargain.

Thanks again - the overall theme to your post has made a lot of sense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chogall 

8 dress shirts not enough.  Safer to go for 10+ if you factor in dry cleaning rotations.

 

2 dress pants also not enough.  Go for 3+, Khakis are fine.

 

You probably need other outerwear.  Car coat, North Face fleece, blazer.  Accumulate as you enter different seasons.

 

Shoes, go all black or very dark brown.

 

Key is to make yourself comfortable.

Thanks for the list - the last piece of advice that I was going to ask for was ideal numbers of shirts and trousers. I think I will be able to comfortably hit the numbers above by picking up a few more BB ESF shirts and some trousers (BR sounds like a good route unless anyone else has a suggestion).

For outerwear, I already have a few black wool winter coats and rain coats, but what do people usually wear with suits for the cool spring and fall months? A North Face wouldn't go with a suit, so is there something a bit ligher than a wool coat?

You mention very dark brown shoes, but mcbrown previously mentions burgundy. Is there much of a style difference here, or is it just all preference?

Yep, comfort is my goal. I want to have enough to not worry about doing laundry and dry cleaning every week. I don't need 20+ dress shirts, but two weeks worth sounds like a good starting point.