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Help me get dapper!!

G

GirthP

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 1, 2007
121
0
Hello all!

I've recently taken a job and won't be able to use my old work clothes anymore. (Carpenter -> Salaried IT/Design).

I am excited about getting a suit or two, some shoes, a couple ties... and stepping up my game in the clothing department. I don't know where to start shopping, and would like to start online, not blowing a TON of cash.

Could you folks help me out??

Thanks!!
 
First not all IT guys wear khakis and polos. That's just lame.
If you want a suit does that mean you want a suit to have a suit or that your new job requires you to wear such attire? You may find you feel a bit out of place if you arrive in a suit and tie.

However, the best idea for any young man in any job that requires a suit is to by at least one black and one dark blue. If you can swing a nice dark gray suit on your budget then go for it. Black and blue are very versatile and will last if you get a decent suit. You'll want to buy a few more pairs of slacks that match both jackets nicely. Most people I know will wear their slacks twice before taking them to the cleaners so having at least 7 pairs doesn't hurt. Go with basic shirts that match all of your slacks for the most part and buy ties in a similar fashion. The key is your whole wardrobe should be interchangeable. Nice clothes cost money but they will last.
 
Thanks for the reply :). I'm mostly looking for "where" to look for these clothes, I don't need much help trying to figure out "what" I want.

And the suit is for me to travel in for business, trade shows, and because I want one. :D

Thanks all!!

(I'm surprised there are so few ideas about where to shop online)
 
My dad is a men's clothing dealer and from what i've experienced helping him out, I would not advise buying a suit online. Often times to get a really good fit you will need at least minor alterations, and getting outside alterations can be harder, and more expensive, than would have been to buy a suit in store. Furthermore, when you are matching shirts and ties with the suits, there are sometimes finer details and differences in pictures' tones/contrast with what they look like in real life and in different light. Even slight variations in color can throw off the look of a suit if your tie/shirt are even a shade or two off from the suit.

That doesn't mean you have to break the bank to get a suit in store, but you should definitely try in store at a retailer specific to men's clothing before you buy online. My dad sells quality suits for as low as $75 (promo of 2/$150) and had for a long time sold them starting at $99. If you shop right you can make out well.

Good luck!
 
jessica. said:
First not all IT guys wear khakis and polos. That's just lame.
If you want a suit does that mean you want a suit to have a suit or that your new job requires you to wear such attire? You may find you feel a bit out of place if you arrive in a suit and tie.
Click to expand...

im sorry are you and IT guy?

ive NEVER seen an IT guy wear a suit, maybe a button up long sleeve shirt and slacks, but a tie and jacket???
 
squeeks said:
im sorry are you and IT guy?

ive NEVER seen an IT guy wear a suit, maybe a button up long sleeve shirt and slacks, but a tie and jacket???
Click to expand...

At the company I interned for last summer, the IT guys who worked in the corporate office had to wear dress slacks, a long sleeve dress shirt and a tie. Basically a suit without the jacket (and if you were having meetings with the right people, you needed the jacket too). Everyone had to wear that (for males, the females had their own fancy dress code), IT or not. The only exceptions were the extremely rare casual days.

Fortunately, I worked at one of their satellite offices which was business casual, but whenever I had to go down to corporate for meetings and whatnot, I had to dress up.
 
I would NOT buy a suit online if I were you. There are too many nuances to getting a well-fitting suit to be able to look at pictures online and determine what you want. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, most department stores have men's suits departments, where they have specialists designed to help you find something that fits, in your price range. As a woman, I can't provide any specific advice, but I'm sure some others will have ideas.
 
i can understand for meetings and trade-shows conferences and stuff like that (well my buddy aaron is an IT guy for the county office and i KNOW he dose'nt even own a long sleeve shirt, not to mention a suit, and he goes to conferences all the time...), but i know a lot of IT guys, and the stuff they do, and i dont know how they could get through the day wearing a suit...
 
Some pictures would help, or a basic description of your appearance. Things like body type, height, hair color, complexion and face shape affect the kind of suit elements you'll be looking for.

The best online resource that I know of is: SoYouWanna.com

The best advice I can give you is ask around your area, find the best tailor, and go get fitted. Some tailors include tailoring in the cost of the suit. If the suit is tailored you can save a lot more money in the long run by simply buying wrinkle-free fitted shirts, instead of ponying up for more expensive higher-quality dress shirts.
 
Thank you very much for your input.

I think you guys are right about not going online.

I'm in a smallish area, so I may go shopping when I travel to either Portland, OR, or San Fransisco. My frame is pretty average, 5'10, 175. I used to play soccer and have that body type.

For me life is an adventure... so this is just an experiment. I have a 20 dollar suit I got at a used clothing store that is great for costume parties, but I want to look fine!! ha ha.

What kind of money should I expect to pay for a suit that I can be excited to wear? You have to realize that for me, a suit is like playing dress up for boys! ;)
 
GirthP said:
What kind of money should I expect to pay for a suit that I can be excited to wear? You have to realize that for me, a suit is like playing dress up for boys! ;)
Click to expand...

A good* suit will never, ever be cheap, but if you want to save some very respectable money, buy last years style of a major brand. I personally value a suit at a about a week's salary.

*Moores, Tip Top Tailor et al are not good, they are merely acceptable.
 
1. Like others have said, don't buy a suit online. If you can't try it on, it's a bad idea.

2. Don't wear a striped shirt and a striped suit. If you're going to wear a striped shirt, you can probably just wear the shirt alone, without the jacket.

3. Clothing only looks good on you if it fits. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't matter how good the suit/shirt/pants/t-shirt look on the rack, or on another person. If it doesn't fit you, it'll look horrible on you.

4. I know nothing about buying suits.
 
If you want to know where I would suggest Nordstroms or Macys. You can find cheap, nice looking shirts and ties at both. Nordstroms offers higher quality stuff.
 
cycocelica said:
If you want to know where I would suggest Nordstroms or Macys. You can find cheap, nice looking shirts and ties at both. Nordstroms offers higher quality stuff.
Click to expand...

I have a $50 dress shirt from Nordstroms, and a $15 dress shirt from Wal-Mart (shut up, I was living in the middle of nowhere and needed a shirt ASAP :p) and I can't tell the difference between the two. Maybe others can, but I definitely can't.

Not saying that you should go buy all your work clothes from Wally World, but something cheaper like Macys might be a good idea
 
It would really help to know your size (I know, a little personal) because there many stores that overcharge for clothing above a certain size, or their sizes vary wildly. Also, a where you are would help, since stores vary wildly from country to country. I would suggest NOT using a full suit very often in an IT department, since most IT jobs are very hands on and all those rooms are so dusty. However, if you insist, I would suggest checking out Macys.com, jcpenny.com, or Sears.com to get an overall idea as to what you want and how much it will cost. I would suggest staying as far away from the Men's Warehouse as possible, unless you want to spends thousands on a suit. If you are XL size or larger, I would suggest looking at CausalMaleXL as they usually have a nice selection.

I will say that I've always found the Don Johnson/Nash Bridges look to work well for most people... a colored shirt (either collared or non-collared) along with a colored jacked (of a different color) and khaki pants... then again, that may just be me.

PS... The following have no "s" at the end of their name... Nordstrom, Meijer, JCPenny, and Fred Meyer. For the love of GOD stop adding an "s" when speaking and writing!!!

TEG
 
squeeks said:
im sorry are you and IT guy?

ive NEVER seen an IT guy wear a suit, maybe a button up long sleeve shirt and slacks, but a tie and jacket???
Click to expand...

I did not say they wear suits. Go back and read what I wrote. I simply said they don't all wear khakis and polos. :rolleyes: And no, I am not in IT and I'm not a guy. I guess that wasn't all that obvious and I should have been more clear.
 
GirthP said:
Hello all!

I've recently taken a job and won't be able to use my old work clothes anymore. (Carpenter -> Salaried IT/Design).

I am excited about getting a suit or two, some shoes, a couple ties... and stepping up my game in the clothing department. I don't know where to start shopping, and would like to start online, not blowing a TON of cash.

Could you folks help me out??

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

The easiest way to start is to head to your local Macy's or Nordstroms and pick up some of khakis/slacks and polo shirts by a designer like Ralph Lauren. These are classic fashion items that any IT professional can wear in almost any business type setting. Plus, they will never go out of style.

After a couple of weeks on the job you can get a sense of what is appropriate to wear from your colleagues. When you do decide to build your wardrobe keep in mind that quality is ALWAYS more important than quantity. Any person with fashion sense will tell you that 2 high quality outfits are better than 10 average quality ones.
 
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