where would you recommend a suit for under $300?

How many suits and shirts do you need, and what's your total clothing budget? It's better to start from a macro perspective and plan things out than to buy random items ad hoc.

 

As for individual suits, clothing budget dependent, you might be able to snag the occasional deal on Styleforum's very own B&S forum (http://www.styleforum.net/f/6714/classic-menswear-classifieds). Frequency of good deals obviously depends on your size. If you're a very uncommon size, there won't be a ton of listings available to you. On the other hand, if you're a very common size, you'll face quick competition to snap up the staples when they appear.

 

Finding a decent suit on eBay is also possible, though the truly great deals are hard to come by. Still, it's often better to buy a good suit at deep discount than to buy a crappy suit at cheap retail (i.e., Men's Wearhouse).

Why don't you go to Macy's first and look around for some nice fitting suits and dress shirts within your budget. Go for the essential suits like navy or charcoal, grey and for the office simply stay away from black suits.

I read somewhere that the stylist from American idol will buy and H&M suit and then get it tailored for a good fit she gets a limted budget for the show. Nordstrom just did there half yearly sale for men on December 26th I think there might still be some good stuff :)  For transparency sake I sell shoes for nordies .Charcoal is more versatile then black and flattering on most men navy is also a good bet.Think of it as a story problem how can you get the most combinations out some basic items. Fit really is the key though.

Never buy a black dress shirt. Your shirt should always be the lightest and least vibrant color you're wearing when you're in a coat and tie / suit. 

 

Buy a few in white, and a few in very light blue. I'd say three light blue, two white.

White, white, light blue, light blue, light blue.

If you want something other than solid, get a white and light blue stripe, but if you buy patterned shirts, now you have to work hard to pair them with patterned suits and patterned ties, so don't go overboard.

Stay away from other colors until you are a much more advanced dresser.

This is one reason why you should start with navy and/or charcoal solids as your first suits.

Also very true.

 

I prefer white v-neck t-shirts. Others have said good stuff about very light heather gray, but I've never tried it myself.

 

You can get a few shades of light blue shirts. I'd go for two that are super, super light, and then one with a little more color to it -- but not so much color that it becomes overpowering.