Interview Wear

[allcapitan]

I'm thinking about wearing these with a charcoal suit, blue shirt and dark red/burgundy tie and dark brown/burgundy belt for my next several interviews:

http://www.florsheim.com/flstore/sty...0097&pID=10074

Are they appropriate for an interview situation?

Capitan

 

[Will]

Yes. Black is a little safer but those aren't going to raise any eyebrows.

 

[allcapitan]

About shirts. I just bought a white dress shirt at BR. It was fitted and had a nice sheen to it so I bought it right away on sale for $30 or so (regular price $80). I just looked at it more carefully and it has french cuffs and two collar buttons. Is this safe for an interview setting?

 

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by allcapitan

About shirts. I just bought a white dress shirt at BR. It was fitted and had a nice sheen to it so I bought it right away on sale for $30 or so (regular price $80). I just looked at it more carefully and it has french cuffs and two collar buttons. Is this safe for an interview setting?

Collar buttons? Is it a button-down collar? That would seem to be an odd combination with french cuffs. If it is a button-down collar then it is informal and thus it would not be appropriate with a tie (some will argue, but for an interview go with the old-fashioned "not-appropriate" crowd)

 

[DocHolliday]

Allcapitan, I rarely find myself disagreeing with Will, who is full of sound advice, but in this case, I'd proceed cautiously. You don't mention your age, or what jobs you're interviewing for, but if you're young or in a conservative field, the choice of brown could raise eyebrows. Outside our forum, the idea of pairing brown and gray is still alien to many guys; you don't want the interviewer to assume you're a dandy, or to think that you're flouting interview conventions. At the very least, the pairing of brown and gray could distract from your message, and place attention on your clothes, rather than you, as a candidate.

As for the shirt, a button cuff is preferred. It's the same reason as before: You want to seem dependable and reliable, not flashy and full of yourself. For that reason, I'd hesitate to recommend your BR for the purpose. If you have another, a bit more plain, I'd go with that.

 

[LA Guy]

What sort of interviews are these? Mileage varies greatly.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Collar buttons? Is it a button-down collar? That would seem to be an odd combination with french cuffs. If it is a button-down collar then it is informal and thus it would not be appropriate with a tie (some will argue, but for an interview go with the old-fashioned "not-appropriate" crowd)

Knowing BR, I assume it's a slightly taller spread collar with two buttons, rather than a button-down.

 

[allcapitan]

I believe it is similar to this shirt, only fitted:

http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse...524&pid=337995

"Elevated double-button spread collar"
"French cuffs"

Usually, my shirts have a single button for the collar, not two, and regular cuffs, not french. So I'm wondering if the two button/french cuff/spread collar/fitted in white is fine for interviews.

 

[allcapitan]

This is for a teaching job and I am in my early thirties.

I have black lace ups but they are a bit weathered, and I just thought brown would be a nice change of pace as I think look good with that color.

 

[DocHolliday]

In that case, I'd guess your shoes would be OK. But I really don't know, so I'll bow out here. Good luck on the interview.

 

[Jared]

Originally Posted by allcapitan

"Elevated double-button spread collar"
Since you'll be wearing a tie, no one will know how many buttons your collar has. It presumably has two buttons because the collar is higher than normal. High collars are somewhat fashionable (on their way out according to some on this forum), but it's much more important whether your neck and head shape are flattered by the collar.

 

[allcapitan]

I'm really new to all this. I'm just learning how to tie a tie. Yikes! I just found out the difference between spread and pointed collars yesterday (I have mostly spread collars).

What's a good reference on dress shirts/collars and how they flatter/frame your face? A book or website link would be great.

Originally Posted by Jared

Since you'll be wearing a tie, no one will know how many buttons your collar has. It presumably has two buttons because the collar is higher than normal. High collars are somewhat fashionable (on their way out according to some on this forum), but it's much more important whether your neck and head shape are flattered by the collar.

 

[DocHolliday]

Alan Flusser's "Dressing the Man" has a nice section on the best ways to frame your face. It's one of the most helpful books on men's clothing out there.

In general, most any guy looks good in a moderate spread collar. But more specifically, guys with very round faces want to avoid wide spread collars that accentuate the roundess. A longer point collar will work better for them. But that long point collar won't flatter a thin, gaunt face, particularly if the points are very close together.

 

[philosophe]

The shoes seem fine to me for a teaching job--as long as the school isn't hopelessly uptight. If it's a business-oriented school, go for black.

 

[allcapitan]

I'm really leaning towards black now. I was just trying to think of the color combos with my charcoal suit, and the burgundy shoes are tough to match up: not quite right with a blue shirt or even a white shirt with charcoal suit.

Also, as far as very shiny shoes vs. shoes with more of a "dull" polish. I am leaning towards black shoes with a little less shine. I think that goes better with a charcoal suit. Agree or disagree? The shiny shoes seem to stand out a bit too much from the overall look. A little too much bling for an interview?