• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Is this Banana Republic suit good for interviews?

fingerman

New Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2008
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I live in a small town with 1 mall. Box stores abound. Nothing at the department stores caught my eye, but this suit... it's pricey for me (college student), but it fits better than any other suit I tried on. I just have to take the sleeves in a half inch or so. I'm wondering what you all think the life expectancy on this suit will be? 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? I don't mean in durability, but in terms of fashion. What color ****/tie? Shoes-- black or brown?
othok0.jpg
 

acidboy

Stylish Dinosaur
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
19,672
Reaction score
1,555
They are charcoal grey, right? As long as the fit's good, and you're happy with the price then go for it. You could find something online, like in STP though.
 

Patrician

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
501
Reaction score
1
What reputation does Banana Republic have in the US? Prices and quality.
 

GBR

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Messages
8,551
Reaction score
732
As long as it fits and you are happy with it it will be fine for a student. Later in life you may want something better.
 

DC_lawstd

Active Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
34
Reaction score
1
Originally Posted by Patrician
Prices and quality.
If you are set on that suit, go to their outlet store and they have a standard 3 btn charcoal gray suit as a permanent fixture (it looks just like the one in the picture). It is often on sale and they always have plenty of separates sizes. With the separates, I went ahead and bought an extra pair of the trousers. As far as style goes, I'm not sure a basic, 3 btn dark charcoal suit is ever in danger of becoming out of style for interviews, office wear, etc. I have owned it for about a year. Paid maybe $170 (not including the second trousers). I've worn it very frequently, perhaps a dozen or so wears for school functions and then 2-3 times per week all summer for my internship in hot sunny Charlotte. I've only had it dry cleaned twice and it still looks fine - no problems as far as durability. For an interview, match with good pair of black cap toes, a crisp, white dress dress shirt and the conservative tie of your choice - you can't really pick a wrong color with this suit. When I'm not in an interview, mine goes great with my mocha AE drydens. It's not the greatest, but I think its a good bang for the buck. Put the money into a good pair of shoes and you'll look 50 times better than the other candidates in their ill-fitting black suits and monochromatic shirt/tie combo's (not to mention the obligatory square toed loafers).
 

JayJay

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
24,297
Reaction score
439
If the fit is good, then the suit will look nice and be most appropriate for interviewing.
 

bstang46

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
125
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by fingerman
What color ****/tie?

I believe **** generally comes in one color only.

Nevertheless, for a student Banana Republic's suits will suffice. However, as previously mentioned: you should check their factory outlet stores. Keep in mind, not all their outlet stores are equal;some stores have good inventories, and some stores are not worth your time. So, find you a good outlet store. The store I was in this weekend had this suit for less than $200. I agree with the previous poster that you should go with a nice white shirt with a conservative tie.
 

highball

Senior Member
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
282
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by fingerman
it fits better than any other suit I tried on.

Does it fit you? Or does it just fit better than any other suit you've tried? There is quite a difference. Do some research on how a suit should fit by poking around SF and the internet and then ask yourself again.

I am in a similar situation: recently out of college, bought a BR suit that fit me better than any other suit I tried. However, now that I've learned more about suits, I realize that it is not a great fit overall. I would say if it's a good fit and you can get the suit for less than $200 I would go for it. However, any more than that and you might want to instead check out Thick as Thieves, an internet-based made-to-measure outfit, run by SF's own Get Smart. See this thread and the website for more info. I think you will end up with a better quality suit and a better fit. If I had to do it over again, I would go the Thick as Thieves route instead of buying my BR suit.
 

MrFab

Active Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Most important thing is the fit. Also consider that you might be not be the same size in 2...5....10 years. Generally for suits grey and dark/navy blue have been classic staples forever and probably always will be. Personally I'd prefer a two-button suit instead of the three, though.
 

cvac

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
433
Reaction score
8
I can't tell the color of the suit from the pic. If the suit is black, I'd definitely say thumbs down. Navy or dark Gray are much better choices.

As far as the styling, this sort of the 3 button suit should be fine for awhile.

I do not know how much that suit retails for, but since BR suits aren't the best quality out there, I would try to buy it during some kind of promotion or sale if you have decided not to explore other options.
 

Enfo

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 11, 2008
Messages
99
Reaction score
0
I work at BR... and I'll just say that suit doesnt fit ANYONE good.

Its our top seller because its pretty basic and standard for a wardrobe, just make sure you get alterations done on it. Thats our most box-y cut suit so if you need something conservative, this is it. If you want something trendy or stylish, use the money on a TaT suit and get it done to your specifics. Its around the same price.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.3%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 61 39.1%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 10.9%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 17.9%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,206
Messages
10,579,280
Members
223,891
Latest member
tuga1
Top