New Investment Banker looking for advice on new wardrobe

[GQhustler]

I will be starting at an Investment Bank after I graduate in May and I need to buy a new wardrobe to adhere to the business formal dress code. Right now, my wardrobe is relatively low-end, consisting of Jos A. Banks suits and shirts, Andrew's ties, and one pair of fairly nice Johnston & Murphy shoes.

Basically, I want to start small in number yet high in style and quality as far as my purchases go. I am looking to add about 2 suits, 8-10 shirts, 5 or 6 ties, and 2 pairs of shoes for now and will be adding more as I see fit.

What I like so far from my research is Zegna for suits (most likely from an outlet to save some $$$), as well as Bruno Magli, AE, and Ferragamo for shoes. As far as shirts and ties, there are just so many.

So I would like to stick to a budget in regards to the price of each item. I would appreciate suggestions as to what brands to look into for my new wardrobe to achieve a high quality, high style look. Basically, I want to look like I stepped out of a GQ magazine. Also, I'm not looking for a trendy look, but a very sharp GQ/Investment Banker look, if that makes sense.

Anyway, here is what I'm looking to spend:

Suits: $700-$1200 each
Shirts: $100-$200 each
Ties: $80-$140 each
Shoes:$300-$400 each

I would really appreciate any help and/or advice.

Thanks

 

[MrDaniels]

It's a good time to be looking at the outlet malls, with the year-end sales you should have some luck. Also, they tend to have an abundance of pinstripe suits vs. solids, and pinstripes are great for your industry. You need to let us know what color/ cut and what condition your current suits are in; my first impulse would be to tell you that 2 new suits will not be enough. Also, what city will you be working in? Some areas have higher expectations for their young associates than others. You also might be budgeting a bit high on the shirts, maybe find some at the lower end and use the savings towards another suit. I would go with French cuffs, a guy in your position needs to and can show a bit of flash and elan!

 

[DGP]

$1,200 will barely get you a Zegna suit, even at the outlets. It could get you two Z Zegnas, though, which are often very nice fabric, just nowhere near the construction of "real Zegna." That said, I would say go to a Bloomingdales or Saks and look on their sale racks. You will be able to get Canali or Armani suits for the $600-$900 range. Of the shoes you mentioned, Ferragamos are my favorites, by far. My Bruno Maglis haven't held up as well as my Ferragamos, and tend to have slightly stodgier styling (maybe you want that). I am not at all a fan of AE styling, though they are likely the best constructed of the three brands you mentioned. As for shirts, go with Hugo Boss (assuming you are fairly slim). You can find them even at retail price under $100, and they are among the better value in shirts that I've found (because most nicer ones are cut too baggy for me). As for ties, just go around to the sales and scoop up the best labels you can, at this time of year you can find some amazing deals. Oh, and good luck with the ibanking, it's the last legal profession to which the phrase "get rich or die trying" really applies

.

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by GQhustler

Anyway, here is what I'm looking to spend:

Suits: $700-$1200 each
Shirts: $100-$200 each
Ties: $80-$140 each
Shoes:$300-$400 each

I'm no expert, but this is what I would do, were I in your Johnson & Murphys:

suits: Canali (esp. Model 13) (reliable, plentiful, fully canvassed, nice value to price ratio, often found on sale at Saks, etc.)

shirts: e-bay Borrelli. Try on in a store for fit then buy on e-bay.

ties: in that price range you can get nearly anything you want. Check out Carlo Franco's ties on the web, as they are well-made (7-fold, silk) at a good price.

shoes: buy ties and shirts on sale and spend more on two or three pairs of better shoes. I would not buy Ferragamo unless on sale from the Terrameza (sic) line. Try out Crockett and Jones if you like English shoes. This guy carries great shoes from Italy: http://www.virtualclotheshorse.com/

Best of luck.

 

[Dormouse]

Brooks' Golden Fleece Suits are within your price range when on sale.

 

[Dan-]

I don't know, Gordon; you might find that dressing like that at work isn't in your best interests.

Originally Posted by GQhustler

I will be starting at an Investment Bank after I graduate in May and I need to buy a new wardrobe to adhere to the business formal dress code.
...
I would appreciate suggestions as to what brands to look into for my new wardrobe to achieve a high quality, high style look. Basically, I want to look like I stepped out of a GQ magazine. Also, I'm not looking for a trendy look, but a very sharp GQ/Investment Banker look, if that makes sense.

 

[whnay.]

Originally Posted by johnapril

I'm no expert, but this is what I would do, were I in your Johnson & Murphys:

suits: Canali (esp. Model 13) (reliable, plentiful, fully canvassed, nice value to price ratio, often found on sale at Saks, etc.)

shirts: e-bay Borrelli. Try on in a store for fit then buy on e-bay.

ties: in that price range you can get nearly anything you want. Check out Carlo Franco's ties on the web, as they are well-made (7-fold, silk) at a good price.

shoes: buy ties and shirts on sale and spend more on two or three pairs of better shoes. I would not buy Ferragamo unless on sale from the Terrameza (sic) line. Try out Crockett and Jones if you like English shoes. This guy carries great shoes from Italy: http://www.virtualclotheshorse.com/

Best of luck.
+1 to all of this, very good advice. You might also want to check out your local Ralph Lauren, this time of year his suits are up to 60% off. I'd also say that you can't go wrong picking up some solid blue and white dress shirts from discount brands like Ike Behar that can be found in abundance at your local discount or outlet mall.

 

[dr.no]

Originally Posted by GQhustler

Suits: $700-$1200 each
Shirts: $100-$200 each
Ties: $80-$140 each
Shoes:$300-$400 each

I would really appreciate any help and/or advice.

Thanks

If it was me, I would pay a visit to Mr. Ned or someone equivalent. Besides the obvious benefit of custom, all you would need to do when you need more suits is pick a fabric.
Same advice for shirts - Most of CEGO's fabrics are within your $200 limit.
Ties - anywhere you want.
Shoes - for a little extra, I would go C&J handgrade from PLAL.

 

[heavyd]

Originally Posted by GQhustler

I will be starting at an Investment Bank after I graduate in May and I need to buy a new wardrobe to adhere to the business formal dress code. Right now, my wardrobe is relatively low-end, consisting of Jos A. Banks suits and shirts, Andrew's ties, and one pair of fairly nice Johnston & Murphy shoes.

Basically, I want to start small in number yet high in style and quality as far as my purchases go. I am looking to add about 2 suits, 8-10 shirts, 5 or 6 ties, and 2 pairs of shoes for now and will be adding more as I see fit.

What I like so far from my research is Zegna for suits (most likely from an outlet to save some $$$), as well as Bruno Magli, AE, and Ferragamo for shoes. As far as shirts and ties, there are just so many.

So I would like to stick to a budget in regards to the price of each item. I would appreciate suggestions as to what brands to look into for my new wardrobe to achieve a high quality, high style look. Basically, I want to look like I stepped out of a GQ magazine. Also, I'm not looking for a trendy look, but a very sharp GQ/Investment Banker look, if that makes sense.

Anyway, here is what I'm looking to spend:

Suits: $700-$1200 each
Shirts: $100-$200 each
Ties: $80-$140 each
Shoes:$300-$400 each

I would really appreciate any help and/or advice.

Thanks


Conventional wisdom be damned. If I had to do it over: 2 Brioni Suits; 1 Grey, 1 Navy, 5 custom T&A shirts, 5 solid ties, 2 pr cap toe dress shoes, 1 brown, 1 black & 2 belts. Use the dry cleaner in your builidng and keep as much at the office as possibe. All you will do is work for the first couple of years. Looking perfect is essential.

 

[philosophe]

Do you know your size? If so, ebay is a great resource--but stick to sellers recommended here.

Since you have some time, I'd recommend checking out STP for Corneliani and Isaia. STP has a terrific return policy, so you can order a pile of clothes to consider, then send back whatever doesn't work. Someone on this board almost always has a 20% coupon there, too.

 

[chorse123]

Originally Posted by GQhustler

Suits: $700-$1200 each
Shirts: $100-$200 each
Ties: $80-$140 each
Shoes:$300-$400 each

I would think about which category is most important to you and adjust your budgeting. For example, you can easily get beautiful well-made ties on sale for under $50 at discounters and high end department store sales. This could free up more money for shirts or suits or shoes.

 

[GQhustler]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice!

I should quickly mention my size. I am 5'8" and about 160 lbs, so I'm fairly slim. I currently have 2 Jos A. Bank suits, one grey and one navy with pinstripes, both of which were purchased last May. As embarrassing as it is, the one black suit I have is a 3 year old Banana Rebublic suit begging to be replaced. Although I now am not thrilled with how my Jos A. Bank suits look - they have pleats, cuffs, and don't fit particularly well - I feel I can use them in rotation with 2 new suits until I have enough money to altogether replace them.

To give you all an idea of the shirt size I need, all the Jos A. Bank shirts I have are slim fit. They really aren't bad shirts, I just would rather have a higher quality shirts in my wardrobe. Also, the selection of colors and styles for the slim fit shirts is... slim.

What I think I want as far as suits is 1 black and one navy without pinstripes. And for shirts, I never have tried Hugo Boss, but I do want nice quality with a fitted look. Also, I am pretty sure I will mostly buy french cuffs, but I want a few barrel cuffs for variety.

I still have time, but I would like to take advantage of the sales going on now. I have saks, nordstrom, macys, and numerous outlets in Orlando at my disposal.

Oh yeah, when I was in NY over the summer, I went to Santoni and saw a $800 pair of shoes I loved. But those will come in time.

I would love to hear some more advice and opinions. You guys are great!

 

[Edward Appleby]

Go to your local Saks or NM and figure out your size in any high-end brands you might be interested in (I'd look at Brioni, RL Purple Label, Luciano Barbera, Isaia, and Belvest for starters, as these tend to turn up online.) If you for some reason feel bad about using salespeople's time without any intention of buying the suits, get a tie or something.

Then, knowing your size, you can find any of the aforementioned brands on ebay new for between $700 and $1000. Also check Sierra Trading Post and VirtualClothesHorse.com. That's suits and jackets.

Shirts and ties you can find at outlet malls and VCH.

The only thing on your list that's really worthing going normal retail for are the shoes, since fit is so touchy.

 

[JBZ]

You've got a healthy budget for each item, so you should be able to do well. I would recommend dressing on the conservative side of things for your work outfit (at least until you have a feel for the culture at your office).

- Suits - Brooks Bros 1818 or Golden Fleece (on sale); Hickey Freeman; H. Freeman; Hart Shafner Marx; Canali (on sale); Zegna (on sale); some Oxxford (on sale); Samuelsohn; Southwick; Polo

- Shirts - any one of a number of brands would work in your price range - pay attention to fit. If you're in New York and want to do custom, CEGO comes highly recommended and would fall in your price range.

- Ties - you could save some money here and look at Brooks Brothers (IMHO, a very good bang for the buck) - if these don't float your boat, I'd look at Robert Talbott - the above suggestion of Carlo Franco is a good one, as well (never ordered from them, but love the style of some of the ties, and the owners are forum members of long and good standing) - as noted above, there are many very good brands in your price range

- Shoes - Alden, Allen Edmonds, C&J benchgrade (or pay a little more for handgrades)

Note - the above list assumes you'll be paying full price retail unless otherwise noted. You may be able to find good deals on more higher end items if you're willing to do a little bargain shopping.

 

[dr.no]

Originally Posted by GQhustler

Thanks everyone for all the great advice!

I should quickly mention my size. I am 5'8" and about 160 lbs, so I'm fairly slim. I currently have 2 Jos A. Bank suits, one grey and one navy with pinstripes, both of which were purchased last May. As embarrassing as it is, the one black suit I have is a 3 year old Banana Rebublic suit begging to be replaced. Although I now am not thrilled with how my Jos A. Bank suits look - they have pleats, cuffs, and don't fit particularly well - I feel I can use them in rotation with 2 new suits until I have enough money to altogether replace them.

To give you all an idea of the shirt size I need, all the Jos A. Bank shirts I have are slim fit. They really aren't bad shirts, I just would rather have a higher quality shirts in my wardrobe. Also, the selection of colors and styles for the slim fit shirts is... slim.

What I think I want as far as suits is 1 black and one navy without pinstripes. And for shirts, I never have tried Hugo Boss, but I do want nice quality with a fitted look. Also, I am pretty sure I will mostly buy french cuffs, but I want a few barrel cuffs for variety.

I still have time, but I would like to take advantage of the sales going on now. I have saks, nordstrom, macys, and numerous outlets in Orlando at my disposal.

Oh yeah, when I was in NY over the summer, I went to Santoni and saw a $800 pair of shoes I loved. But those will come in time.

I would love to hear some more advice and opinions. You guys are great!

Most on this board, myself included, do not feel black suits are appropriate for business wear, especially on Wall Street.