Dressing for new internship

[aspasp]

I will be interning at a boutique investment bank this summer and really wanted to build my wardrobe from the ground up. They do not wear suits/ties. Generally it's more business casual with dress pants and dress shirts. I live in NYC and would like any advice in terms of places to find dress shirts/loafers/dress shoes/slack/dress pants that is affordable but not too inexpensive (not going to men's warehouse) as a college student. Thanks for the help.

 

[Bearin]

Haven't been but I hear great things about Century21. Congrats on the internship!

 

[stevent]

What's your budget? Endless options really but for something that is not too expensive you could get Rugby / Polo, Brooks Brothers / Black Fleece, Epaulet, etc

 

[aspasp]

I want to spend <500 for the upgrade in terms of shoes/pants/shirts. I already have a suit

 

[aspasp]

bump

 

[unbelragazzo]



I want to spend <500 for the upgrade in terms of shoes/pants/shirts. I already have a suit

That's not going to get you too far at the places stevent mentioned. Or anywhere above the MW level. Your most significant investment will be in shoes. The thing is, you really want to have at least two pairs of shoes that you can rotate. The best deals I'm aware of in this price range are edetal:

http://edetal.sg/shop.html

However you'll have to get shipped from Singapore and won't be able to try on. Maybe somebody else can give you some good recs for shoes in the $150-200. Maybe try Johnson and Murphy. For dress shirts and trousers, lurk around Daffy's and Century21 to see if you can find some good stuff - try to get basic solid colors and some more subtle patterns for shirts rather than getting the wild looking stuff that sometimes dominates sale racks. You could also go to a place like Brooks Brothers or Polo, try on some shirts to get your size and shirt style down, and then go on eBay to look for some used stuff at much lower prices.

 

[plei89]

For shoes - I would go with your basic black cap toe such as the Allen Edmonds Black Park Aves.

If you tell me your size, I could get you a brand new pair of Park Aves at a fraction of the retail cost

 

[add911_11]

spending $500 for a full outfit and looking expensive? Got to be joking

However OP should be a able to get some trousers from BR, shirts from sales store and should still be ok

I don't think OP would care about rotating shoes

I want to spend <500 for the upgrade in terms of shoes/pants/shirts. I already have a suit

 

[aspasp]

Sorry for being poor?

 

[Quadcammer]

nobody is beating you up for being poor. We are beating you up because your original post made it seem like you were expecting a whole lot, and we, having experience with fine clothing, realize that $500 is going to get you basically nowhere, especially including shoes.

My recommendation:

charles tyrwhitt.

Get a pair of basic captoes, a few non-iron tailored fit shirts, and a few pairs of trousers. Trust that this will not make you look super expensive, but if you get clothes that fit and take care of your shoes, you will probably look better than 80% of the interns.

 

[bullswin]



For shoes - I would go with your basic black cap toe such as the Allen Edmonds Black Park Aves.
If you tell me your size, I could get you a brand new pair of Park Aves at a fraction of the retail cost

+1

I'm not a fan of AE and don't own a pair, but at least with going down this route, you can go to their store, try on their shoes, figure out the best fit and size, and then come back online (e.g., to this forum) to find them relatively cheaply.

 

[aspasp]

Let's say I have $1000, besides the park avenues for dress shoes, would you recommend allen edmonds for loafers?

 

[stevent]



Let's say I have $1000, besides the park avenues for dress shoes, would you recommend allen edmonds for loafers?

I'd say just get two pairs of laceups one in black one in dark brown. Going off $1000, what do you have already? Don't you already have a suit plus the shirt / tie you interviewed with? We can give you more advice if we have more info.

 

[jrd617]



Let's say I have $1000, besides the park avenues for dress shoes, would you recommend allen edmonds for loafers?

Yes, the Westchester is great. Randolph and Lincoln are okay too, but less sleek

 

[Essential]

Shirt+ tie for $39 from Charles Tyrwhitt (first time customer and American Express CC)!!
AE Park ave seconds (about $260 from shoe bank)
Rugby university chino ($60ish after registering for college student discount)
Banana Republic Emerson Chino ($40-60 depending on if there's a promotion in the Soho store)

I'm not really an authority on this forum so don't trust me completely