How much should i spend on a suit, tie, shoes for future IT interviews?

How much should i spend on suit, tie, and shoes for an interview? Where should i go to buy the suit, tie and shoes? (Macy, Jcpenny,...etc?)
Let me know thanks! :)

Comments

  • mjnk77mjnk77 Member Posts: 164 ■■■□□□□□□□
    If the Macy's near you is going out of business, you could probably find a really good deal right now. I should go to mine and get a nice new suit.

    That being said, what kind of position are you applying for? What is the "culture" of the company? The company you are interviewing may want you to dress "business casual" for the interview. You may be able to Google what people wore to the interviews for said company. I wouldn't go crazy buying expensive suits, shoes, etc. But if you really need a nice suit, maybe spend a little more and look at getting one that would work well not only for the interview, but possibly for a wedding or some event. Gray or navy blue in that case. Brown or black dress shoes would both do well. Get a matching belt. It's nice to "dress to impress" but if it's a one and done kind of thing, I wouldn't spend much on it.

    Again, Macy's is shutting down stores, so I'd look there. I'm not a fan of Jos A Banks. I don't care how many suits they'll give me. I think they're overpriced. If you have a Burlington Coat Factory, you can find designer stuff but for a cheaper price there.
  • anhtran35anhtran35 Member Posts: 466
    When I first started I made NOTHING. I bought my suit at TARGET. YES TARGET. It was crap material but only cost $60. Got my dress shirts via Craigslist. People sell name brand dress shirts for $5 or less. Just dry clean everything. Once you start making over 6 figures then you can buy what you want.
  • mjnk77mjnk77 Member Posts: 164 ■■■□□□□□□□
    anhtran35 wrote: »
    When I first started I made NOTHING. I bought my suit at TARGET. YES TARGET. It was crap material but only cost $60. Got my dress shirts via Craigslist. People sell name brand dress shirts for $5 or less. Just dry clean everything. Once you start making over 6 figures then you can buy what you want.

    Exactly. Dry clean everything before hand. Don't buy a new shirt and suit and just wear it. Has a strange odor, but the shirt and collar will have odd creases on it.
  • EANxEANx Member Posts: 1,077 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Better to spend money on a cheap suit then get it tailored than to spend it on an expensive suit that doesn't fit right. The thing that needs to fit best is the coat across the shoulders. That's one of those things that jut can't be easily changed. Some basic rules for dressing up:

    A well-fitting dress shirt, sport coat but no tie is more professional than an ill-fitting suit
    Belt, shoes and watch band should be the same color
    Never wear an "active" watch when wearing a suit
    Always consider separates if you don't find the suit you like
  • faintingheartfaintingheart Member Posts: 256
    Hello! I'm looking for a Help desk support position. Right now, Culture of company unknown, because I haven't apply for the job until I get my checklist done... My check list has these items included such as suit, tie, belt, shoes, resume, and car. I have to get those things then start applying for Help desk support role. I think you have a good point there, by using the suit for multi event like including weddings. I would get more value back for the buck i spend. I think the Macy in my town is going out of business, I should go there and check for discounts.In my town we also have a Burlington coat factory, thanks for pointing that out i didn't know they had suits for sale. Thanks for the advice Mjnk77.


    @Anhtran35 I like your origin my friend. I'm hoping to save so I don't have to do that. What you did was pretty awesome since you didn't had much money when you started out.
  • faintingheartfaintingheart Member Posts: 256
    @EANx:
    That's a good idea, I should consider getting the suit tailored. Hopefully i can find one as cheap as possible. Thanks for the great idea. I will get no tie and sport coat like you advised. Thank you so much!
  • jeremywatts2005jeremywatts2005 Member Posts: 347 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I go to Kohls they always have some type of deal going on. Get my stuff real cheap there plus if you have a Kohls Card you can get deeper discounts even cheaper than Target and better quality.
  • faintingheartfaintingheart Member Posts: 256
    @jeremywatts2005
    I will consider Kohls as well. Thank you for the idea my friend. :)
  • mjnk77mjnk77 Member Posts: 164 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Not a problem. Both Macy's and Burlington Coat Factory have tailors, at least the ones by me do. Burlington is the first place I bought a suit. A 3 piece suit. It served me well for a very long time. I had cuffs on the pants, but I don't wear them like that anymore. Good luck!
  • faintingheartfaintingheart Member Posts: 256
    @mjnk77
    Great advice, thank you so much. :D
  • PC509PC509 Member Posts: 804 ■■■■■■□□□□
    I hit Macy's during a sale. Bought a nice Calvin Klein jacket and pants. I also went to Burlington and grabbed a few things. I have a couple suits. Probably spent $100 on each one, fully complete.

    Get it tailored, and it makes things much better. A $1000 suit that isn't tailored looks worse than a $50 suit tailored.

    When I was younger, I picked up a nice suit from the Goodwill. Got it tailored and it did well for a while. Until I wore it to a job interview, broke down, and worked on the car wearing it.... :)
  • faintingheartfaintingheart Member Posts: 256
    @PC509
    When you said get it tailored. Does that mean that the store will make custom suit for me. Or will they just modified the suit for me? Let me know. :)
  • mjnk77mjnk77 Member Posts: 164 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Ooo
    @PC509
    When you said get it tailored. Does that mean that the store will make custom suit for me. Or will they just modified the suit for me? Let me know. :)

    They'll hem the pants and jacket so they fit you right.
  • PC509PC509 Member Posts: 804 ■■■■■■□□□□
    They'll modify it to fit your body. It's your personal suit. Around my area, it's around $30 to get a suit tailored. Small town, though.

    Not too baggy, not too tight. It's YOUR suit, modified to fit YOU. And it does make a huge difference.
  • EANxEANx Member Posts: 1,077 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Tailored means they take a pre-made suit and adjust certain areas to fit you better. They can take in the coat, lengthen the hem, etc. They can not adjust the shoulders. If nothing else, get a coat that fits right across the shoulders.

    Made-to-order is a different animal.
  • cdxcdx Member Posts: 186
    Doesn't matter if you spend $1000 or $100 on a suit, just make sure it is TAILORED or FITS you perfectly. Nothing more embarassing than dudes wearing suits, dress shirts, and/or pants that are too baggy, especially the pants.................
    Bachelor of Science - Information Technology - Security
    Associate of Science - Computer Information Systems
  • jcundiffjcundiff Member Posts: 486 ■■■■□□□□□□
    PC509 wrote: »

    When I was younger, I picked up a nice suit from the Goodwill. Got it tailored and it did well for a while. Until I wore it to a job interview, broke down, and worked on the car wearing it.... :)

    This! Not all Goodwill stores are equal... find one in an affluent part of town... early in my career, I learned how to shop goodwill... find the one in a nicer part of town... some people buy new suits every 6 months to a year and donate the last ones to goodwill... you just have to find that store... my 1st management job was also a starting over period of my life... new wife, new kid, not much money... You would be amazed what you can find for 10-15 bucks at the right store :)
    "Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Doesn't Work Hard" - Tim Notke
  • Cisco InfernoCisco Inferno Member Posts: 1,034 ■■■■■■□□□□
    Doesnt matter how cheap the suit, as long as it fits right.

    Go to Ross or TJ Maxx.
    $100-150 can get you some brand names that are normally $500+

    Went to go to Macy's to try on suits and could not afford it.
    Then I found a Tommy Hilfiger suit for $180 that was at Macy's for $500ish. Same model, size, fit etc.
    2019 Goals
    CompTIA Linux+
    [ ] Bachelor's Degree
  • RemedympRemedymp Member Posts: 834 ■■■■□□□□□□
  • shochanshochan Member Posts: 1,004 ■■■■■■■■□□
    I never wear suits to an interview, business casual will get you a job. If you're at interviewing and know your technical stuff you will be fine. Spending money on a suit doesn't guarantee you will get a job, sure it may look nice, but I wouldn't go that far by over dressing IMO. Cheers & HI5!
    CompTIA A+, Network+, i-Net+, MCP 70-210, CNA v5, Server+, Security+, Cloud+, CySA+, ISC² CC, ISC² SSCP
  • Fulcrum45Fulcrum45 Member Posts: 621 ■■■■■□□□□□
    Even if it's a cheap suit, so long as it fits right and your hygiene is on par with today's standards then you should be fine. I have one suit I use for interviewing. Dark blue suit, white shirt with a red tie. Looks very presidential. All that's missing is the American flag lapel :)
  • NetworkNewbNetworkNewb Member Posts: 3,298 ■■■■■■■■■□
    shochan wrote: »
    Spending money on a suit doesn't guarantee you will get a job

    Dang it!! crash.gif
  • bigdogzbigdogz Member Posts: 881 ■■■■■■■■□□
    I find my suits at Men's Warehouse and look for something simple. I go for the solid colors and conservative as fashions come and go.
    If you go for the new style that are a tight fit, you may find yourself with a 3 piece suit coat.
  • kurosaki00kurosaki00 Member Posts: 973
    Khols, Marshalls, DSW, Payless Shoestore, TJ Max are great places to get great stuff at good cost.
    As other have said, get it tailored properly. Pay a few bucks extra and you will look good and professional.

    Once you get the job you want, you can get your Allen Edmonds, or your Ralph Lauren purple label or your designer suit of choice :P
    meh
  • NavyMooseCCNANavyMooseCCNA Member Posts: 544 ■■■■□□□□□□
    When I lived in Qatar, I had a tailor from Sri Lanka who made handmade three piece suits for about $150-180. Handmade Cashmere suits would be about $250-300. $500-600 would buy you something like Armani quality lol. I miss that.

    I would agree to go to an inexpensive model and place. Check out Men's Wearhouse as well. They always have some kind of deal for a suit/dress shirt combo. Aldo for nice shoes.
    I would also stakeout the parking lot of the company and check out how the employees are dressed, when they come out for lunch or leave to go home. Just a quick drive by to assess the situation.

    When I was in Vietnam in 2015, my fiancee, now wife, brought me to a tailor. We got fabric and had a suit made to my measurements. The total price, was $60 USD. It would have easily been over $1,000 USD if I had gotten it done in the States.

    'My dear you are ugly, but tomorrow I shall be sober and you will still be ugly' Winston Churchil

  • paul78paul78 Member Posts: 3,016 ■■■■■■■■■■
    @OP - Just my 2 cents - but you may be better off getting a nice blue blazer and khaki's with a matching tie for your interviews. Especially since you are interviewing for entry level jobs. You may be out of place wearing a suit to most companies. I don't recall wearing a suit to an interview in the last 2 decades. I only wear a suit when I go to onsite to customers. Kudos to you for thinking ahead.
  • faintingheartfaintingheart Member Posts: 256
    @paul78 Great advice my friend! I got that down on my notes.

    @Everyone
    Thank you so much for all this great information on this topic. I have written all the notes down and am confident to buy a suit now! Thank you so much my forum friends. I wish you guys well. icon_thumright.gif
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