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Some Serious Suit Dissonance - Please help!

mark2247

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Hi guys,

I was hoping that one of you could help me.

Two years ago, I started applying for Marketing jobs for my placement year at University. With the joy of my first interview, also came the time to buy my first suit. My mother kindly offered her help in finding one, and even more kindly, to pay for it. I live in Devon which, naturally, comes hand in hand with a limit of sartorial options. After a lot of searching, we finally decided on a grey DKNY chintz suit, which fitted like a glove. My mother had somewhat of a reservation over it, due to what I can only describe as the shininess. The salesperson was most helpful and explained this is the way suits are going these days and, as I was looking for a Marketing job, this suit would reflect my cutting edge thinking. I was new to the business world, my mother lives a classic country housewife life. Between us, we were none the wiser. After a year in industry however, oh how I wish I had not of listened to the salesperson and went for a classic black!

Here is a link to the suit, for your reference: http://www.moss.co.uk/DKNY-Grey-Chintz-Suit-964205317

The suit was expensive (£350), and after buying a black suit whilst on my placement year, I have scarcely worn the DKNY number. Generally speaking, I dress stylishly and do not follow ‘fashion’ (a distinction I have learnt from countless articles on GQ), and never feel uncomfortable in clothes (from outrageous driving shoes to pink linen trousers). Alas, I have now adopted my mothers initial reservations of the ‘shiny’ factor of the suit, not wearing it as I feel it sticks out for all the wrong reasons, which has left me riddled in guilt at my mother’s financial expense for a suit I have worn but a handful of times. This is where you guys come in. I was hoping you could perhaps provide me with your opinion on a few matters:

Firstly, should I even wear the suit in the first place? If so, what would an appropriate occasion be - an interview? a business meeting with clients? a pitch? a day in the office?…or any other occasions you may think of.

Secondly, could you please suggest what I should wear it with? A shirt/tie combo?

Many thanks and I hope you can help resolve my feelings of guilt and severe dissonance over this purchase!
 

TomTom

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First of all welcome to Style forum as I see this is only your second post…Now to answer your questions:

1. Should you even wear the suit in the first place? No is the short answer and the sales assistant should be ashamed of himself and clearly hand no idea what he was talking about. All that mattered to him was the sale he was making. Your mother was right…the suit is to shiny and god forbid you would think of wearing this to ANY sort of business occasion (trust me mate, I work in the City ..If you showed up in that suit to a meeting with clients people would probably start laughing at you thinking it’s some sort of a joke) It’ maybe appropriate for a night on the town but only if you want to stand out (not in a good way)
2. I see you made another mistake by buying a black suit which is another huge NO except if you are a night club bouncer, a waiter or an undertaker. It’s maybe something you buy when you have your basics sorted which I have concluded you are a considerable way off.

I would recommend you try to sell the suit on EBay, salvage what you can and then go and buy yourself something in navy (solid,herringbone,bidseye)and then you will have something you can wear to interviews ,business meetins,dinners with clients. AVOID SHINY MATERIALS!

We all make fashion mistakes when we first start buying serious menswear and this was yours. Now go out and fix it and let this be a lesson for the future.

Hope I wasn’t to harsh but trust me this is comparatively mild to some of the other comments you could get.

Good Luck
 

Mute

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Unless you're in the entertainment industry, that suit will NEVER be appropriate for a business setting. I suggest you get yourself a nice traditional navy or charcoal (not black) suit. As for that suit reflecting cutting edge thinking, that's just wishful thinking. During a job interview, the only thing a flashy outfit will show to a potential employer is that you are an inexperienced neophyte who has yet to develop sound judgement on how you properly present yourself in a business setting.

Whether you like it or not, the proper dress for your work will be mainly determined by how the rest of your co-worker dress. I suggest looking at the more senior and successful co-workers in the same department as a guide.
 

GBR

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I would suggest that you burn the suit in question. It is utterly unsuitable for the purpose and I can think of no use to which you might put it other helping a local farmer muck out his pigs - even then you may well frighten the creatures.

Opinions on black suits are mixed here and the American contingent (and not a few British) will not approve. I would be a little forgiving of it as you are a young man, and these are not unfashionable. However you should concentrate on getting yourself, a charcoal or midnight blue suit next. Avoid skinny and other fashion fads, they do not look good to most (save the salesman) and will soon be dated.
 

othertravel

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Bad SAs strike again.

But good luck with your next suit purchase. I think the vast majority of us have made similar mistakes when buying first suits.
 

Irish Girl

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Selling RLPL suit. Double breasted. Excellent condition. PayPal accepted. $500
 

VinnyMac

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lol! You got suckered. It looks like it's made out of Halloween costume plastic.
lurker[1].gif
 
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