Ask A Question, Get An Answer... - Post All Quick Questions Here (Classic menswear)

[dh510]

Hello SF! Was wondering if this navy windowpane suit is subtle enough to go into an interview? This will be for an internship at a big bank. Thank you!

 

[mimo]

I wouldn't recommend a windowpane for your first job interview. Solid or pinstripe is safe.

 

[Veremund]



Hello SF! Was wondering if this navy windowpane suit is subtle enough to go into an interview? This will be for an internship at a big bank. Thank you!

Sure. Looks fine.

 

[Veremund]



1) What's a good source for reasonably priced men's tie for work (finance buyside)?
2) I'm looking at ordering a suit from Mytailor.com.

1. Sam Hober.
2. Don't. Go to a real store with suits you can try on.

 

[mimo]

Good advice on the above, both points ^^

But I beg to differ on Mr Windowpane. It's not quite formal enough to show respect, and the skinny lapels and overly tight fit add up to an impression of ill-judged youthful frivolity.

 

[tdude]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Hello SF! Was wondering if this navy windowpane suit is subtle enough to go into an interview? This will be for an internship at a big bank. Thank you!

Since you asked, I would not wear a windowpane to an interview at any bank I've been to. Even if that suit were solid navy, I would not wear it to any interview at all. If I were the hiring manager, my first impression would be that you dressed for a nightclub, not business. It's waaaaay to small, tight and trendy. The trousers look like jeggings or something that the ladies wear. The jacket looks like you borrowed it from your younger brother's closet. Sorry. Don't mean to sound harsh, but where I live (south/central US) that would not be respected in a traditional business environment. One example of conservative, classically tailored suit--out of thousands of examples on this forum:

 

[Veremund]



The trousers look like jeggings or something that the ladies wear.

Oh yes, you're right about the trousers . I hadn't noticed that.

 

[aasfd]

Good morning.

I want to outwardly reflect the respect that I hold for myself. I'm in my mid-twenties and I would like to confirm or alter a few of my perceptions of the dapper style. I suspect there may be quite a few misconceptions on my behalf that needs to be properly addressed before an upcoming interview.

Please correct me if anything is incorrect. If I've forgotten to include any information then it's probably because I'm simply unfamiliar with the topic. In that case, please feel free to enlighten me.
This is what I know starting from the feet upwards -

Leather dress shoes:
Light brown shoes work with most outfits.
Black shoes are ideal for formal functions, and look great with black suits.
The accessories should match the shoes; light brown watchbands and belts with light brown shoes, black belts with black shoes.
Shoes are maintained with shoe trees and wax polish.
Shoes should last (six months at least?) before possibly needing repairs from a cobbler.

Dress pants:
While standing the cuffs should be resting on top of the shoes, along the ankle.
I'm slim so flat-front pants are ideal for dress pants?
Suit jackets and the corresponding dress pants should be kept together. Otherwise the dress pants begin to fade with daily wear.
How important are the fabrics?
Dark gray pants or khaki's work great with a blue blazer.

Dress shirts:
When I'm taking my measures for the shirt, where should the cuffs rest when my arm is straight down by my side versus bent ninety degrees?
How important are collar types and how do I determine the collar type?
How should I select a style, color, or fabric? I'm willing to admit that I have a long standing tradition of randomly grabbing the nearest dress shirt and hope for the best.

Vests:
Do vests need to match a suit jacket accordingly?
Within informal and casual parties, would a vest and a tie suffice without a suit jacket?

Sport Coats, Blazers, & Suit Jackets:
How do I determine the appropriate size along shoulders and neck?
Where should the sleeve length end?
How should I go about selecting a style such as color, fabric, pinstripes, windowpane, solid, and textured?
Are suit jackets without the corresponding dress pants technically considered blazers? I ask because my love for literature takes me to the occasional concession shop which has a variety of clothing that I've never bothered with.

I've come here out of the respect that I hold for myself as previously stated. I asked these questions out of respect for the discerning gentlemen who frequent this website.
I appreciate any constructive input.
Thank you.



(I've also mistakenly attempted to make another thread rather than pose my questions here. So I hope the moderators do not approve said thread.)

 

[aravenel]



I just received this BB social primer tailgate blazer (or rather, this year's model, which I can't find on the site right now...) that I ordered during the F&F sale. I was pretty pleased with the overall fit when I put it on (sleeves need to be let out an inch+, of course, which I hope will be feasible), but then I noticed this weird bump on the right shoulder.

Anyone know what is going on here? It just randomly protrudes an inch or so from the surface of the shoulder. Can it be steamed out? Or is it a defect and I need to return it? Thanks in advance, hopefully the badly lit pic is clear enough...

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Hard to tell, but there may be a neck roll in the back causing it. I have had similar things in OTR.

 

[Xancatrius]

Hi Gents, just wondering, I personally am rather slim so I opted to go for tapered pants at the tailor.

However I noticed that there is some bunching that happens at the back of my thighs, (these are VBC 120's) I'm guessing this is rather apparent with wool, or does the same happen with cotton and other materials too? Am I correct to say that the bunching is due to the pants being too slim?

Also, for my next pair of pants, do you think I should ask for the pants to fall straighter at the back of my thighs, instead of asking the tailor to follow the contours of my leg? I do personally find the bunching at the back very very unsightly, otherwise I love the pants. Would having this "straighter" cut look weird as I plan to have no break on my pants.

Also, I find that after some hours of wear, the pants start to drop a little, so my no break pants become half break pants. Belts and suspenders aside, is this a fault on the part of the construction of the pants ie lack of a solid waistband / interlining?

Much thanks in advance.

 

[Ich_Dien]

Sound a little too slim to me, the problem will be on your calves and not your knees as if they are too slim there they cannot fall back down once they have ridden up.

 

[Veremund]



Good morning...

This is the "Quick Question" thread. Sounds like you want a summary of the entire website.

 

[Xancatrius]

Sound a little too slim to me, the problem will be on your calves and not your knees as if they are too slim there they cannot fall back down once they have ridden up.

So the bunching that happens on the back of my thighs is due to the fabric riding up?

 

[Bill Dlwgosh]

Bought a new Samuelsohn Twill SC last week and am looking forward to pairing it with something more formal than jeans. It's my fist grey jacket so I'll ask here if charcoal trousers and mid brown shoes ought to work? I'd post pics with those pants and shoes but I haven't bought them yet, need to do some shopping so I'm asking. Thanks All!

1. Never wear those jeans again. Maybe not any jeans. The only person over 35 who looks good in jeans is Iggy Pop. And you don't really want to look like Iggy Pop anyway.

2. Buy better shoes. There is a whole world of shoe-love here that you should investigate. Even if it's Allen Edmonds to start with. But get rid of those ugly F***ers; nothing brings down an outfit faster (bar novelty ties, and arguably, your jeans).

3. Grey jackets are notoriously hard to pair - I've given this some thought as I'm having one made right now. I also wear a grey suit jacket on its own sometimes. If the jacket were very light, you could go dark grey flannels, for instance. Yours seems a little darker, so try it with beige/khaki chinos, olive or even navy. In any of those cases, brown/tan shoes are a good call. Just not yours.

1. You're wearing fuchsia socks. If you're wearing fuchsia socks then I'm keeping the jeans. Hugh Jackman is older than I am and the guy looks fantastic in jeans. Sure, he's a tall, rich, ridiculously handsome and talented likeable man in phenomenal shape but I'm ... uhhhh.... I'm tall too and you're wearing fuchsia socks. I will however look for alternatives to jeans when it comes to pairing with SCs. I really like your call with the olive pants. I had a chance to see some Samuelsohn olive trousers next to that jacket and I thought that it might be a great, if not totally formal, look. I ordered them and am looking forward to having those colourful pants the next time I take my Salsa Dancing Trinidadian girlfriend to one of her clubs.

2. Noted.*

3. For the sake of ordering the Olive trousers I tried on some very light grey pants for size that I'm thinking are 'contrasty' enough and would also work very well and could be used for a bit more conservative a look than the olive. There are 3 Harry Rosens (at least) within walking distance of each other in down town Toronto. As I was walking between them yesterday I couldn't help but notice just how many dudes actually are wearing those bicycle toed shoes these days. Also, I noticed a guy in a grey SC with a white shirt over black pants and shoes and thought it worked really well. When I googled that combo there was actually a pic of (I believe) Spoo** from the WAYWRN thread that came up and looked great. Do you have an opinion of black pants with grey jackets?

Yeah, forget the labels and get more shoe for your money. Ferragamo make some decent shoes ("Tramezza"), OK/variable ("Lavoraziane Originale") and utter **** ("Studio"). But all of them are too expensive for what they are. I've not seen Canali shoes so I can't comment, and I love the Canali jacket I'm wearing today. But I suspect that it's a similar picture - unless there's a stunning sale on, then there's really no point in paying for the label.

When I asked the SA at Harry's about Canali vs. Ferregamo this was almost exactly what she said. Her comment about Canali shoes was that, while she loves their clothes, the shoes use a softer leather that ages faster through use. They may be more comfortable to some out of the box but you're giving up the longevity of the AEs to a degree that's not worth the price difference. She told me she'd show me Canali and Ferregamo if I insisted but otherwise she 'downsold' me and I walked out with my first pair of Allen Edmonds pictured below. In terms of which fantastic shoes might have been worthwhile at a higher price, I dunno. Carmina's seem to be popular but I checked Leatherfoot's site and there didn't seem to be anything available in my size. Now that I have the AEs in hand I see them as being more than enough shoe for my uses and I've now been measured for their sizing. So again, I really like your call. Thank You Sir.


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[donjuan17]

Is this Tommy Bahama legit?