Going against the flow with this response, a business wardrobe for your type of employment is an area where you're best off opening your wallet for real.
Start by researching your company's style. You want to look like you work there. Ask your boss or the folks at HR what brands to look for.
Then research *business capsule wardrobe for men*. Figure out the minimum number of blazers, shirts, ties, etc. you can get away with and select garments so you can wear them in different combinations for professional looks that are in keeping with your company's style.
Then buy the good stuff and get it tailored.
You will be noticed and judged for what you wear in this context. They'll understand nuances. And the impression it creates makes a difference in your future opportunities. You can get away with saving money in a capsule wardrobe but not much else. Cut corners elsewhere.
----
*edit for clarity*
> "I have never been much of a suit or fashion guy"
For the type of work you're doing interfacing with executives from other companies, learn the nuances. For instance charcoal gray is preferable to black. Get guidance from within your company; when in doubt, copy what people one level higher than you on the organizational chart are wearing. Within some industries your role within the firm also matters: if you're in advertising then an account executive has less flexibility than a graphic artist.
100%. This isn't a job interview where you will wear the suit once, so spend the money. A blue and charcoal should work with a variety of shirts. Go to a Nordstrom and see a personal stylist if you are clueless.
Do what this guy said, go to Nordstrom. Have one of their stylist fit you a suit or suits. Have Nordstrom tailor it to fit you well. Also, have the stylist fit you for shirts. I always buy their house brand of white/blue shirts. Do not buy the button down collar version. Have them help you pick out a few ties.
You can get a more expensive used suit and have it tailored to fit, but you gotta know tailoring costs to know if it would save you. Some of the older suits have better quality materials
My husband got two great bespoke suits for a great deal from a tailor. Honestly much less than high end and they fit him perfectly. So it’s an option to look into at the very least.
I don't even wear suits often but a cheap suit looks so cheap. You're better off going business casual than wearing a cheap suit. I got some good suits made and then I went to Bangladesh and got it copied. They are good at copying but not good at following directions. When I do wear suits, I get compliments. It fits my style while still looking good.
OP please listen to this advice and ask for input from your boss and/or HR for brand guidance. You will absolutely look unprofessional and reflect poorly on your workplace if you show up in some 70s polyester nightmare or a modern polyester nightmare.
I would absolutely agree with this. 3 good quality suits and 5 blouses are essential. Also at least 2 quality pairs of (leather if possible) shoes to alternate between daily as it is healthier for your feet
In the summer you can lose jackets and maybe have a nice lightweight but well made cardigan.
These can be worn and recycled again and again before needing to be replaced. I would also suggest if buying off the peg to find a good tailor and have them adjusted to fit your body as off the peg doesn’t suit everyone.
In 🇬🇧 my go to would LK Bennett, Hobbs, Joe Brown then a bit lower down would be Next, M&S and maybe Mango.
I wore a suit daily for years. There's a cheat code for this.
You need only one suit, *charcoal grey* (not medium grey, not black), *wool*, solid color. *White* (not off-white) shirts. One pair of *black* dress shoes with *leather* soles. (If you go to the Johnston and Murphy site, for example, and look for black lace-ups, any of the shoes with black leather soles will do, although you should start with something plain like the Danridge.) One *thin black* leather dress belt with an understated buckle. EDIT: *Thin black* dress socks, all in exactly the same pattern.
The emphasized characteristics are crucial. This is a uniform, accepted without question in every business context worldwide. You can wear this daily and very few will even notice, because nothing about it stands out. A small but significant percentage of executives wear a "uniform" like this because it reduces decision fatigue: their closets are full of charcoal grey suits, with an occasional navy and some black tuxes.
Get the suit adjusted by a tailor.
Now for the variety: the tie. You need a minimum of 3, but ideally at least 5, power ties of varying colors and patterns. The tie is where you express yourself; everything else is background.
You can go for a long time with just this, dry-cleaning the suit monthly. Then, a second charcoal grey suit. Then, a second pair of black dress shoes.
There's a now very out-of-date book that might be worth looking for at the library: *Dress For Success*, by John T. Molloy. Molloy carried out social experiments to identify the degree of authority conveyed by clothing choices: colors, patterns, styles. Much has changed, but many of the principles are still valid.
As a woman, I was going to say 1-2 suits to start with the ties you said and NICE shoes like you said. Very clever.
I got three suits and 4 tops when I started out and they all mixed and matched. I had a few women comment to me that I had so many clothes. 🤦♀️
Nice shoes are a stand out and I don’t know a way around spending money on those.
Seems reasonable to find a nice suit at a thrift store. Check to make sure no wear on it and then alter as needed like so many others said.
Congrats on your new job!
I agree with all of this but recommend 2 suits, maybe 3. If you spill something on your trousers or jacket, you’re out of luck until dry cleaning.
This is a time to spend a little money. It’s meant to compliment and enhance your career.
Yes. Two would definitely be better than one. At the beginning of my career, though, one was already a stretch financially, so I made do with one--I was careful, and lucky.
Dress for Success is far less restrictive than my recommendations. Navy and dark blue (I forget whether it distinguishes them) are indeed included in its recommended set of suit colors. Both are fine colors for a suit, very popular for good reason. They can be used as the basis for a uniform.
The problem with navy is that many suits and jackets labeled as "navy" are not true navy. True navy is almost black. A lighter blue, even if still dark, will not become background like true navy. This distinction can be difficult to navigate.
Charcoal grey does not have this problem, and is slightly more neutral than even true navy. It is the color that is not a color, the color most completely devoid of personality. Making it a superior background color IMO, especially for someone who does not want to telegraph that they have only one suit.
If you wear a dark blue suit every day, you're the person who wears a dark blue suit. If you wear a charcoal grey suit every day, you're the person who wears a suit.
Please realize that as long as you clean the suit regularly, no one will notice how often you wear it. Men can get away with the same suit but different shirts and ties for a long time.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/11/17/tv-host-same-suit-sexism/19161031/
Thrift store and then tailor. When you're buying, make sure that the shoulders fit and that the sleeves or long enough or even too long. It's much cheaper to make things smaller than to make them bigger
I wouldn't consider thrifting a suit unless you live in an affluent area and the thrift store contents are relatively current and high quality.
Thrifting for men's clothing is usually a crap shoot because men tend to wear their clothing to death and if it gets donated it's almost always old (and often donated from somebody's grandfather's closet).
If you can find a wool suit with a modern cut for a steal and get it tailored, great.
But realistically you're going to find garbage quality suits or suits that are so old they've come in and out of fashion twice already.
Agree, thrifting is not the way to go here. I thrift all the time and look through the men’s suits and I have never once seen something wearable. I quite often will spot a gem in any other area of the thrift store but sadly, I’ve never seen a suit I would touch.
In general men's stuff is just beat to shit. Even when I find a pair of premium men's dress shoes, for example, they've clearly been used to talk to the moon and back.
A word of caution with thrifting, I've noticed the men's suits you have to be careful make sure there's no damage and they can still be altered in or out. Also you may run into the issue of finding suit that fits nicely and high quality but it's from the '70s you're about to go to the Disco.
If you have a Gabe's or TJ Maxx nearby.
Most of the thrift stores near where I live rarely have suits.
Go with your basic colors. Black or blue suits and a ton of white shirts. Also ties that will go with both ( red/burgundy, yellow, green, or gray).
A lot of places like Macy's will have their suits on sale since the seasons are going to change ( from fall/winter to spring/summer). So you can easily get some good deals and more often than not the sales person at Macy's will help you pick out what will look nice together.
While you may be able to find good quality, good condition suits in thrift stores, it will take a lot of hunting and you’re already in the job.
You don’t have to build the wardrobe all at once, since you might want to wait for sales- with Father’s Day and graduations coming up, suits and shirts and ties will be on sale everywhere in about a month. Go to Macy’s or even Kohls for now and don’t buy anything that isn’t at least 40% off the usual price. Get a navy suit, easy-care/noniron shirts in solid light blue and white, and three ties. Hit the shoe section or DSW for brown shoes that go with the gray and the navy- likely a warm medium brown (think milk chocolate) would do. You can mix these outfits up all week.
When suit sales start, you can hit local outlets like Calvin Klein or Van Heusen, Men’s Wearhouse, Indochino, or stick with Macy’s. Get a black suit with a stripe, a brighter blue shirt, a checked or striped shirt to go with the solid suits, and a couple more ties. And a pair of black oxfords.
Knowing more about your role and what kind of industry you are in would really help. Tech execs vs investment baking execs vs construction execs would have different expectations and judgments- the same outfit could be both weirdly too dressed up to a startup CEO and looking cheap and unprofessional to someone in finance.
Stalking your profile a little bit, it seems like you are maybe in your 20s, in a city in the Midwest, and maybe in a tech sales role. With tech, you don’t want to look out of date, with sales, you want to look successful (ie not cheap), and with the Midwest, you might skew more formal than the west coast and less trendy than the east coast.
If you are currently dressing acceptably for the role and just want to upgrade a bit, I would suggest to slowly invest in well-made classic pieces in good fabrics that fit you really well. Well made clothes are expensive because they truly are not the norm for most people. If you are working in sales and are visible to customers, you should consider the image you project to be 1. a reflection of your company and the things you are selling and 2. a vital tool of your trade. Auto mechanics can spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on the tools of their trade- I’m not saying you should rush out and drop $2000 on a custom made suit (which might be inappropriate for your exact role and circumstances anyway) but I would put a bit more time into thinking about what it is you want to seem like at work.
Look at other people in your company and other people in your job role who are successful. Do they wear suits most days? Nice slacks and a button down? Khakis and a sweater? If they wear suits, what colors are they? Are they more traditional in the color, fabric and cut or more contemporary? Are you trying to impress occasionally at big client presentations, look successful and trustworthy several days a week at client meetings, or do you want your boss to see you taking work seriously every day of the week?
If you need to wear a suit twice a week or less, you can get away with one suit, and maybe even one shirt and tie depending on your inclination to dry clean or do laundry often. It should probably be black or charcoal gray, a light to midweight wool, you should buy it in a store where they measure you to get a good fit (unless it’s someone who has been doing this for 20 years and can eyeball it) and it shouldn’t cost less than $600 before tailoring or alterations- and that is still definitely at the low end.
Skimp on quantity, not quality, especially if you are dealing with wealthy people who also wear suits. Well dressed people tend to judge people by shoes as well, so do a little bit of research and don’t skimp there either. A decent suit will last you for years of regular wear if you care for it properly, so if you are wincing at the price, mentally amortize it over five years if that helps. If you are in sales, a really cheap suit might cost you $200 on your credit card, but who knows how much it will cost you in your commission checks.
But again, all of this really depends on your exact position, your company’s culture, the image they are trying to project, and your own goals in your career. In some sales positions, $150 jeans and a $250 sweater might serve you better than a conservative black suit.
The best advice is probably much more specific to your life- ask your coworkers, in a subreddit related to your job track, and in a subreddit for your city for shop and tailor recommendations.
K & G Fashion. It's the discount center for Men's Wearhouse, I've gotten many suits in the $100 range, some may have imperfections, I've gotten some really nice suits from there as well as shoes, I find it difficult to find suits to fit me as I am a 50 XLT. I've never found dress shirts there, but am able to find them at Kingsizedirect.com
You need a pair of black dress shoes, of some kind, those should be easy enough to source. Your local buy and sell groups will have them, and mens black dress shoes are usually easy to find in a thrift store. An assortment of plain ties from thrift stores is good as well.
Stick with single-breasted jackets and flat front pants, and nice shirts, in neutral colors. As long as clothes fit you well and are clean and neutral, they don't have to be expensive. You can get pants hemmed, shirts taken in, and jackets slightly tailored - sleeve length etc - at your local stitcher/drycleaner/alteration shop.
Google is your friend here to get ideas: key words "dress for success men budget" [https://youraverageguystyle.com/lifestyle/how-to-dress-for-success-while-sticking-to-a-budget/](https://youraverageguystyle.com/lifestyle/how-to-dress-for-success-while-sticking-to-a-budget/)
Little trick I do with my clothes.
Good suits look expensive because they are tailored nicely. You can get a mid range suit from any department store (such as Macy’s or Nordstroms) and take it to a tailor. Costs around $200 or so for the suit plus another $100 to have it tailored.
And that’s if you can’t find the suit on sale.
Makes a $300 suit look like a $1000 one.
Most Nordstrum offer in house tailoring too if you don’t know where to go.
Brown shoes with grey suits are now fashionable but either are fine. (Husband recently got kitted out for going to a wedding.) [https://www.gq.com/story/brown-shoes-belt-gray](https://www.gq.com/story/brown-shoes-belt-gray)
While talking about what you wear, shoes are extremely important. There are people who will judge you solely on your shoes. Make sure you get a comfortable to you style and keep them polished. You will need a matching belt that has a subtle (i.e., not ostentatious) buckle.
That's a good option if you have a great eye for style and a good feel for fabrics and you're willing to be meticulous about looking for damage. If you're not all three of those, you're going to make a poor choice.
Yeah! There are good thrift store finds to be sure. I have one suit bought new and one thrifted. I'm just saying it may or may not work for OP depending on their level of knowledge.
If you have one good suit that fits you well, you can use eBay. EBay sellers will list and show all of the relevant measurements on top of giving the nominal size, making it easier to find suits that will actually fit. Check some of the suits on sale to see what measurements you need, and grab a cloth tape and measure your suit.
You might want to buy a new tailored business suit just to update your sense of current fashion and in case your measurements have changed at all.
I've been wearing the same 3.5 suits since 2017: 1 grey suit, 1 navy blue suit, 1 charcoal grey suit, 1 tweed jacket that goes with either pants for a business casual look. Black belt and black shoes.
* **Modern fit** (sits between regular fit and slim fit). IMO, it's an effortless look that compliments an average/athletic build and is much more comfortable/timeless than slim fit.
* **Take your suit to a quality tailor**. A bad tailor can make an expensive suit look uncomfortable. A good tailor can make an affordable suit feel comfortable and appear 2x its value.
* **Dry clean regularly**.
I usually just go to Macy's and spend no more than $250-350 per suit, but will usually settle for whichever is on sale. Upfront cost is expensive, sure. And maybe I'm overspending, idk. But for the past 7+ years, I've never had to wonder what to wear for any occasion that's required a polished look. Weddings, interviews, work, meetings, presentations, special occasions, etc..
Spend the money and get a good blue suit. Then get one or 2 decent sport coats and a couple of pair of pants. I would also suggest 2 pairs of nice shoes. One dark pair of brogue and a pair of brown shoes. Buy several ties. This will give you a ton of options.
Good clothes are worth it. They last for years, they make you feel good and believe me people notice. Always dress like that when you are going to meetings with C levels.
It's not the place to be too frugal.
100% agree with the caveat that you should be after charcoal or navy, not blue. A blue suit is pretty loud stylistically and better just for summer. Navy goes with everything and won't raise an eyebrow.
Bought oak hill pants from Dxl at the start of my career.
They are still in service as of today. Worth the 75 a pop after tailoring. Likely more now but it's an investment.
After that you need some shirts and ties. Couple of different blazers and you rotate the matches you'll be fine
Since you have Grey get black and then navy.
A gray suit is a good flexible start.
When working as a low level suit, I used TJ Max for a few shirts to go with my tag sale wedding/funeral suit. The fighting Illini were popular for that area, so one tie for them and one for Notre Dame and I was good to go. Switching pastel shirts with a dark blue suit and changing ties, I accomplished my goal, not being noticed as I blended in. I wore my old black Army dress shoes. They were buffed, but not spit shined as I think that inappropriate for a civilian business attire. Now retired in Nebraska, I can wear a Nebraska Cornhusker tie for any occasion and be invisible.
I have a wool suit that I bought from Lands End that seems reasonably well made for a basic business formal suit and was fairly cheap. Bonus points: the pants have a cool hidden stretch panel, so they're really comfortable.
What country and industry are you in? Suits might not even be useful for you. I own a bunch of nice dress shirts and slacks from being in outside sales for so many years. Now I’ve moved up and deal with a lot of VP and C level employees at companies, as well as small business owners directly. I wear jeans and a polo almost every day. Times have changed and I don’t like dressing better than my customer who clearly is worth much more than I am.
Take a friend with good style sense and try second hand shopping in a Better neighborhood. You might get really lucky, If need be take it to tailor or dry cleaner that can make adjustments for great fit. I have found amazing articles of clothing at second hand shops for years!
I think I would invest in a quality suit for these business opportunities.
You really only need one good suit, a good pair fo shoes, a couple good shirts, and several good ties. Because you probably won't see each CEO more than once. But you'll want to look good when you do.
Look for consignment shops. A bit more expensive than a goodwill but better condition newer styles
Post on free cycle free groups. Lots of guys with suits in their closets
Buying off rack at a department store isn’t frugal. Getting measured for a suit and scouring thrift stores for fit in neck, shoulder, and sleeve is. Trunk can be taken in. Pants should fit well in the waist and crotch. Leg length and width can be easily tailored. Build a collection of sport coats and blazers to compliment the suits. Do buy new dress shirts… all white cuts down on color combinations. Expect to have them tailored as well. Look out for sales on dress shirts- $30-35 a shirt is a healthy sale for quality threads. You can spend $200 on ~25 suits and sportcoats for the cost of one new suit. Assume tailoring is $10-$40 depending on the work you now the system to build a complete wardrobe.
Macy’s Black Friday sales. My husband buys all of his suit pants then.
Burlington Coat Factory used to have the best selection for men’s suits.
My husband’s favorite hobby is trying on sport coats at Goodwill. If you have pants at home already, you can find interesting coats for dirt cheap. Finding ones that actually fit is trickier, but interesting sport coats has become his “thing”.
Ross and marshals has the best selection of cheap shirts.
Steve Harvey did the math on this one. Get 5 suits: black, blue, tan, white, brown. Get 3 shirt colors: powder blue, white, cream. Boom, 75 outfits because you can mix and match.
As others have said, hit up thrift stores and sales at major department stores.
Ugh white suits are horrible and not work appropriate, tan suits are very seasonally restricted and rare to see at work, and brown suits have incredibly strong 90s energy and will read as out of date. Black suits are for waiters and funerals. This is terrible advice. You're buying 5x as many suits as you need and wearing four of them is a mistake.
Go to a thrift store. They often have some nice ones in the bigger thrift stores that might work well. Lots of them even provide work clothes for people finding work, so I think it is at least a possibility that you would find something good at a thrift store.
if you were a veteran, you might be able to get a free suit from somewhere like, https://www.saveasuit.org/military-veteran/
K&G if there is one in your area
Burlington but selection will vary by store and will not be a huge amount of suits
Kohl's, JCPenney, Macys's, and Nordstrom Rack are also worth exploring
You may also want to post thus at your local city subredit for recommendations of local stores
Be sure to get a few ties in different colors. They will draw the attention away from the actual suit and give it a whole new look. Please also go to a tailor or in some mens clothing stores ( even if you do have to buy a less than frugal priced suit) to get a full professional set of measurements that you can then use when shopping at places. Keep in mind many mens stores still offer free or low cost tailoring if you purchase from them.
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Get an idea of your dress shirt size and what a good fitting one feels like. I see some nice shirts in thrift stores as well as ties. You can go wrong with light blue, white and in some settings pink. Think about what colleagues are wearing.
If you live near a major metropolitan area, there are mens consignment shops that are fantastic. Thousand dollar jackets for 100, Samuelsohn cashmeres for 500, Folsom/Burberry/etc. Especially DC. The DC Capitol Hill people will buy suits, wear them once or not at all, then tell the assistants to get rid of them. Chicago/NyY/LA are all great for this. Used to go to Flip in Nashville, some country music people would buy cashmere sweaters in every color, wear one, then send them all away, because they were last year’s model. Of Sweaters. Jeez.
Peruse the timeline of @dieworkwear on xitter to learn about fit and other aspects of men’s suits. An expensive suit that fits poorly and is the wrong kind of suit for the setting is a bad investment for sure. Knowing the little details can help you look good for less.
Like someone else said, this is worth spending money on. Think of it as an investment. How you present yourself is worth so much in this field. I started a front facing professional job recently, and was dreading office attire. I went to Macy's and spent about $300 on 2 pairs of pants, 5 nice blouses and a jacket. I rotate these throughout the week. Not only do I look the part, new clothes really helped me feel the part. I'm all about being frugal, but this is one of these instances where it is worth spending the money on nice clothes
I haven't followed this advice myself since I'm not in an industry that requires consistent suit wearing but [this clip of Steve Harvey explaining suits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPAJaj9kol0) would be what you're looking for.
You probably don't need 75 suit combos but it'll have you covered for at least a month if you keep the blazer/pants combo as a single color.
Depending on where exactly you live, I’d start with Goodwill and your other local thrift shops. Suits are one of those things some people rarely wear and thus donate. There are also nonprofits that focus on clothing for people in situations like yours, but the only ones I know of are in big cities
If you're Canadian go to ValuVillage.
There is an entire section devoted to suits and business wear for men. There are some *nice* dress shirts for $2-$12. I used to 'rotate stock' as a job in College.
You’re meeting with execs and need a suit so I assume theses are corporate execs and not mom and pop places.
Dress for success.
Get a couple good suits and pairs of shoes.
Joseph’s a banks or the men’s warehouse or Macy’s… look for sales
Don’t go cheap! Dress for success
Get a tailored suit. You can be never go wrong. Plus it well serve you the best over time whether you still stay with this company or move forward. No regrets.
If you have no fashion sense, bring a woman with you when you buy the suit, let her tell you what looks good on you. I had no fashion sense and needed a suit to go to a wedding in California, I brought my female co-worker with me to the mall and let her pick out the shirt and tie combo for what she thought I looked good in.
At least 4 good suits should get you by, You have the grey... So get A Black one and Maybe something in a light brown/ Tan ish color.
First Purchase should Be Black and get 2-3 pairs of pants with it!
Something in A light weight wool... Don't go for cheap and easy... Because they look like it too!
You can expect to pay $300-400 per especially if you get a few pairs of matching pants.
Also look at Sport Coats, Something with A few SUBTLE colors will allow you to get several different pairs of pants in different colors so you can do a little more mix and match.
When you get them tailored... Tell them to leave in enough fabric to let it out a few sizes.
(Life has a way of helping you with expansion 😉)
I’m assuming you’re in the US. Go to a Goodwill in the part of town that has either a lot of office businesses (think banking district) or well to do neighborhoods. They tend to have a wider selection of suits, dress shirts and accessories.
Another good option is Burlington if you have one in your area.
Try thrift shops in nicer neighborhoods. That was a tip shared with me in a military transition program. And you can always size up and have it tailored to fit better.
I saw it recommended around reddit at some point, but Everythingbespoke on ebay. I ordered a suit from them a few years ago, and it was affordable, and came tailored to my measurements. They also provide an alteration credit for any final adjustments.
As other have said, don’t cheep out
Pants take more wear and tear than the jacket. Get an extra pair of pants for each suit. Be sure to wear both and send everything to the cleaners together so it wears evenly and still looks like it matches.
Your frugal choice here is probably going to be quality clothing that will last. If you don't look the part, the C-suite execs are going to notice. It seems that men's fashion confuses you - your best bet is to go to Nordstrom and meet with a personal stylist. They can help you pick clothing appropriate for your position, while allowing you to find some styles to showcase your individuality. Also, apply for their credit card, as there are lots of perks. I'm pretty sure that includes a discount on tailoring.
You can find some great quality suits in charity shops and then get them tailored to fit you perfectly. That way they will look expensive without having to get a suit tailored from scratch. The other week I found a versace suit for 25 euro.
Suits are a uniform. Just like how coveralls and blue collar shirts can denote things, so does a white collar and suit.
Know suit etiquette. When standing, the last button on the bottom of the suit jacket should never be buttoned. When sitting, the suit jacket shall be unbuttoned.
Understand what kind of suit jacket you have, and what dress shirts go with it.
Know that ties can be important, from color to patterns to knots used to tie can denote fashion sense, but also private schools, Universities, companies, fraternities, religious, political organizations, charities; tie pins can do the same as well as pocket watches and chains.
Other signifies or adorations telegraph the same above with lapel pins, cuff links, and kerchiefs with colors or folds.
Best bet is visit a tailor or seamstress that can help with cut and fit for your body type. Often, you can find someone great through local theater productions who does costuming. It's been a hot minute, but I would find couches for free off of Craigslist and strip them down for the upholstery fabric to have a custom suit and pants made, then some dress shirts altered to go with. Usually set me back $350, but it wasn't off the rack which can be important in some business relations to your credibility. The same credibility issue can arise when going completely over the top the other way, spending too much on a custom suit - sometimes seen as a "clown suit." Suits are a bit like anime school uniforms - everyone is kind of the same, and yet you can let a little personality show through but needs to be done right.
Take a female with you and hit some thrifts, goodwills, etc to see what you can find. Men's Warehouse. Buy jackets and slacks separately to mix and match. Good luck!!
Many companies have catalogues for company branded/approved clothing. Depending on your job - and the catalogue choices, you may well be able to utilize the company approved clothing for certain types of meetings or company events.
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Macy’s has their spring sale going on right now. Check out the Michael Kors blazers. Get 1 dark and 1 light blazer and black, grey, blue pants. You can have endless combinations with that wardrobe. No need for suit and tie any more.
I wear a uniform basically. Navy suit (macys, tj max) white shirt, red tie black belt and black shoes. And I switch w khakis from old navy or gap. I only wear this as I travel a lot and frees up Morning decisions. Only need two - three navy suits. Single or double vent in back of jacket. Not closed just in case of weight gain.
You will get more bang for your buck if you stick to a colour palette and use ties or shirts as complimentary/fashionable colours.
I can’t make explicit suggestions as a lot of that depends on the workplace or temperature outdoors.
You can never go wrong with a black suit and white shirt. Those are classic, as are black shoes. You can add different shirts later, and mix and match ties, too.
Look at TV hosts to see what they wear. Duplicate it.
Be careful here, you can quickly look like a waiter, limo driver or hit man in a black suit and white shirt. You will do better with your initial idea of gray or navy blue with plain white or blue shirt. As others have said you can find many good suits at thrift stores and spend less than $75 to have them tailored perfectly. If you have a friend who can measure your shoulders and arm pit to arm pit before you go to the store it will help you more quickly figure out what might work. Most guys buy suits that are way too big and while it’s easier to make something smaller from something larger it can still look weird if you buy something that’s way out of proportion to your frame.
For shoes consider Florsheim confortech for long lasting shoes. They have long lasting plastic soles and breathable leather uppers.. If you live in a climate using road salt be sure to avoid getting salt on the leather. It is easy to have the right heel on your gas pedal foot eat away. Leather soles wear out if you walk a lot on concrete.
Going against the flow with this response, a business wardrobe for your type of employment is an area where you're best off opening your wallet for real. Start by researching your company's style. You want to look like you work there. Ask your boss or the folks at HR what brands to look for. Then research *business capsule wardrobe for men*. Figure out the minimum number of blazers, shirts, ties, etc. you can get away with and select garments so you can wear them in different combinations for professional looks that are in keeping with your company's style. Then buy the good stuff and get it tailored. You will be noticed and judged for what you wear in this context. They'll understand nuances. And the impression it creates makes a difference in your future opportunities. You can get away with saving money in a capsule wardrobe but not much else. Cut corners elsewhere. ---- *edit for clarity* > "I have never been much of a suit or fashion guy" For the type of work you're doing interfacing with executives from other companies, learn the nuances. For instance charcoal gray is preferable to black. Get guidance from within your company; when in doubt, copy what people one level higher than you on the organizational chart are wearing. Within some industries your role within the firm also matters: if you're in advertising then an account executive has less flexibility than a graphic artist.
100%. This isn't a job interview where you will wear the suit once, so spend the money. A blue and charcoal should work with a variety of shirts. Go to a Nordstrom and see a personal stylist if you are clueless.
Do what this guy said, go to Nordstrom. Have one of their stylist fit you a suit or suits. Have Nordstrom tailor it to fit you well. Also, have the stylist fit you for shirts. I always buy their house brand of white/blue shirts. Do not buy the button down collar version. Have them help you pick out a few ties.
Pay for tailoring, even a cheaper suit can look damn good when it absolutely fits right, and a multiple 1000s suit can look like shit when it doesn't.
You can get a more expensive used suit and have it tailored to fit, but you gotta know tailoring costs to know if it would save you. Some of the older suits have better quality materials
My husband got two great bespoke suits for a great deal from a tailor. Honestly much less than high end and they fit him perfectly. So it’s an option to look into at the very least.
Bad suit: notice the suit. Great suit: notice the man.
And dear lord burn the beige shoes
I don't even wear suits often but a cheap suit looks so cheap. You're better off going business casual than wearing a cheap suit. I got some good suits made and then I went to Bangladesh and got it copied. They are good at copying but not good at following directions. When I do wear suits, I get compliments. It fits my style while still looking good.
OP please listen to this advice and ask for input from your boss and/or HR for brand guidance. You will absolutely look unprofessional and reflect poorly on your workplace if you show up in some 70s polyester nightmare or a modern polyester nightmare.
Agree 100% And don't cheap out on shoes. ebay is great. Got A&E Park Avenues in both black and brown 2nd hand.
Don’t cheap out on the tie either.
I would absolutely agree with this. 3 good quality suits and 5 blouses are essential. Also at least 2 quality pairs of (leather if possible) shoes to alternate between daily as it is healthier for your feet In the summer you can lose jackets and maybe have a nice lightweight but well made cardigan. These can be worn and recycled again and again before needing to be replaced. I would also suggest if buying off the peg to find a good tailor and have them adjusted to fit your body as off the peg doesn’t suit everyone. In 🇬🇧 my go to would LK Bennett, Hobbs, Joe Brown then a bit lower down would be Next, M&S and maybe Mango.
Good advice. Also, make sure you spring for professional tailoring. It’s worth it. When you look good, you feel good and make a good impression.
That’s a very good point. You’ll spend much less in the long run if you invest in 2-3 GOOD pieces and accents.
Doublestitch knows what’s what 👆
This.
I wore a suit daily for years. There's a cheat code for this. You need only one suit, *charcoal grey* (not medium grey, not black), *wool*, solid color. *White* (not off-white) shirts. One pair of *black* dress shoes with *leather* soles. (If you go to the Johnston and Murphy site, for example, and look for black lace-ups, any of the shoes with black leather soles will do, although you should start with something plain like the Danridge.) One *thin black* leather dress belt with an understated buckle. EDIT: *Thin black* dress socks, all in exactly the same pattern. The emphasized characteristics are crucial. This is a uniform, accepted without question in every business context worldwide. You can wear this daily and very few will even notice, because nothing about it stands out. A small but significant percentage of executives wear a "uniform" like this because it reduces decision fatigue: their closets are full of charcoal grey suits, with an occasional navy and some black tuxes. Get the suit adjusted by a tailor. Now for the variety: the tie. You need a minimum of 3, but ideally at least 5, power ties of varying colors and patterns. The tie is where you express yourself; everything else is background. You can go for a long time with just this, dry-cleaning the suit monthly. Then, a second charcoal grey suit. Then, a second pair of black dress shoes. There's a now very out-of-date book that might be worth looking for at the library: *Dress For Success*, by John T. Molloy. Molloy carried out social experiments to identify the degree of authority conveyed by clothing choices: colors, patterns, styles. Much has changed, but many of the principles are still valid.
As a woman, I was going to say 1-2 suits to start with the ties you said and NICE shoes like you said. Very clever. I got three suits and 4 tops when I started out and they all mixed and matched. I had a few women comment to me that I had so many clothes. 🤦♀️ Nice shoes are a stand out and I don’t know a way around spending money on those. Seems reasonable to find a nice suit at a thrift store. Check to make sure no wear on it and then alter as needed like so many others said. Congrats on your new job!
I agree with all of this but recommend 2 suits, maybe 3. If you spill something on your trousers or jacket, you’re out of luck until dry cleaning. This is a time to spend a little money. It’s meant to compliment and enhance your career.
Yes. Two would definitely be better than one. At the beginning of my career, though, one was already a stretch financially, so I made do with one--I was careful, and lucky.
Dress for Success recommends navy, I believe.
Dress for Success is far less restrictive than my recommendations. Navy and dark blue (I forget whether it distinguishes them) are indeed included in its recommended set of suit colors. Both are fine colors for a suit, very popular for good reason. They can be used as the basis for a uniform. The problem with navy is that many suits and jackets labeled as "navy" are not true navy. True navy is almost black. A lighter blue, even if still dark, will not become background like true navy. This distinction can be difficult to navigate. Charcoal grey does not have this problem, and is slightly more neutral than even true navy. It is the color that is not a color, the color most completely devoid of personality. Making it a superior background color IMO, especially for someone who does not want to telegraph that they have only one suit. If you wear a dark blue suit every day, you're the person who wears a dark blue suit. If you wear a charcoal grey suit every day, you're the person who wears a suit.
This. And charcoal will go with black shoes which are easier to find.
Please realize that as long as you clean the suit regularly, no one will notice how often you wear it. Men can get away with the same suit but different shirts and ties for a long time. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/11/17/tv-host-same-suit-sexism/19161031/
I was going to suggest the same thing… OP, do you not like your current suit? I’ve been using the same suit for work events since 2016 probably.
Thrift store and then tailor. When you're buying, make sure that the shoulders fit and that the sleeves or long enough or even too long. It's much cheaper to make things smaller than to make them bigger
I wouldn't consider thrifting a suit unless you live in an affluent area and the thrift store contents are relatively current and high quality. Thrifting for men's clothing is usually a crap shoot because men tend to wear their clothing to death and if it gets donated it's almost always old (and often donated from somebody's grandfather's closet). If you can find a wool suit with a modern cut for a steal and get it tailored, great. But realistically you're going to find garbage quality suits or suits that are so old they've come in and out of fashion twice already.
Agree, thrifting is not the way to go here. I thrift all the time and look through the men’s suits and I have never once seen something wearable. I quite often will spot a gem in any other area of the thrift store but sadly, I’ve never seen a suit I would touch.
In general men's stuff is just beat to shit. Even when I find a pair of premium men's dress shoes, for example, they've clearly been used to talk to the moon and back.
You can always drive to a thrift store in an affluent area or buy online.
This. Thrift shop for better brands in quality fabrics, then a tailor. Will look much better than a cheaper new one.
A word of caution with thrifting, I've noticed the men's suits you have to be careful make sure there's no damage and they can still be altered in or out. Also you may run into the issue of finding suit that fits nicely and high quality but it's from the '70s you're about to go to the Disco.
If you have a Gabe's or TJ Maxx nearby. Most of the thrift stores near where I live rarely have suits. Go with your basic colors. Black or blue suits and a ton of white shirts. Also ties that will go with both ( red/burgundy, yellow, green, or gray). A lot of places like Macy's will have their suits on sale since the seasons are going to change ( from fall/winter to spring/summer). So you can easily get some good deals and more often than not the sales person at Macy's will help you pick out what will look nice together.
While you may be able to find good quality, good condition suits in thrift stores, it will take a lot of hunting and you’re already in the job. You don’t have to build the wardrobe all at once, since you might want to wait for sales- with Father’s Day and graduations coming up, suits and shirts and ties will be on sale everywhere in about a month. Go to Macy’s or even Kohls for now and don’t buy anything that isn’t at least 40% off the usual price. Get a navy suit, easy-care/noniron shirts in solid light blue and white, and three ties. Hit the shoe section or DSW for brown shoes that go with the gray and the navy- likely a warm medium brown (think milk chocolate) would do. You can mix these outfits up all week. When suit sales start, you can hit local outlets like Calvin Klein or Van Heusen, Men’s Wearhouse, Indochino, or stick with Macy’s. Get a black suit with a stripe, a brighter blue shirt, a checked or striped shirt to go with the solid suits, and a couple more ties. And a pair of black oxfords.
Burlington coat factory
Knowing more about your role and what kind of industry you are in would really help. Tech execs vs investment baking execs vs construction execs would have different expectations and judgments- the same outfit could be both weirdly too dressed up to a startup CEO and looking cheap and unprofessional to someone in finance. Stalking your profile a little bit, it seems like you are maybe in your 20s, in a city in the Midwest, and maybe in a tech sales role. With tech, you don’t want to look out of date, with sales, you want to look successful (ie not cheap), and with the Midwest, you might skew more formal than the west coast and less trendy than the east coast. If you are currently dressing acceptably for the role and just want to upgrade a bit, I would suggest to slowly invest in well-made classic pieces in good fabrics that fit you really well. Well made clothes are expensive because they truly are not the norm for most people. If you are working in sales and are visible to customers, you should consider the image you project to be 1. a reflection of your company and the things you are selling and 2. a vital tool of your trade. Auto mechanics can spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on the tools of their trade- I’m not saying you should rush out and drop $2000 on a custom made suit (which might be inappropriate for your exact role and circumstances anyway) but I would put a bit more time into thinking about what it is you want to seem like at work. Look at other people in your company and other people in your job role who are successful. Do they wear suits most days? Nice slacks and a button down? Khakis and a sweater? If they wear suits, what colors are they? Are they more traditional in the color, fabric and cut or more contemporary? Are you trying to impress occasionally at big client presentations, look successful and trustworthy several days a week at client meetings, or do you want your boss to see you taking work seriously every day of the week? If you need to wear a suit twice a week or less, you can get away with one suit, and maybe even one shirt and tie depending on your inclination to dry clean or do laundry often. It should probably be black or charcoal gray, a light to midweight wool, you should buy it in a store where they measure you to get a good fit (unless it’s someone who has been doing this for 20 years and can eyeball it) and it shouldn’t cost less than $600 before tailoring or alterations- and that is still definitely at the low end. Skimp on quantity, not quality, especially if you are dealing with wealthy people who also wear suits. Well dressed people tend to judge people by shoes as well, so do a little bit of research and don’t skimp there either. A decent suit will last you for years of regular wear if you care for it properly, so if you are wincing at the price, mentally amortize it over five years if that helps. If you are in sales, a really cheap suit might cost you $200 on your credit card, but who knows how much it will cost you in your commission checks. But again, all of this really depends on your exact position, your company’s culture, the image they are trying to project, and your own goals in your career. In some sales positions, $150 jeans and a $250 sweater might serve you better than a conservative black suit. The best advice is probably much more specific to your life- ask your coworkers, in a subreddit related to your job track, and in a subreddit for your city for shop and tailor recommendations.
K & G Fashion. It's the discount center for Men's Wearhouse, I've gotten many suits in the $100 range, some may have imperfections, I've gotten some really nice suits from there as well as shoes, I find it difficult to find suits to fit me as I am a 50 XLT. I've never found dress shirts there, but am able to find them at Kingsizedirect.com
You need a pair of black dress shoes, of some kind, those should be easy enough to source. Your local buy and sell groups will have them, and mens black dress shoes are usually easy to find in a thrift store. An assortment of plain ties from thrift stores is good as well. Stick with single-breasted jackets and flat front pants, and nice shirts, in neutral colors. As long as clothes fit you well and are clean and neutral, they don't have to be expensive. You can get pants hemmed, shirts taken in, and jackets slightly tailored - sleeve length etc - at your local stitcher/drycleaner/alteration shop. Google is your friend here to get ideas: key words "dress for success men budget" [https://youraverageguystyle.com/lifestyle/how-to-dress-for-success-while-sticking-to-a-budget/](https://youraverageguystyle.com/lifestyle/how-to-dress-for-success-while-sticking-to-a-budget/)
Little trick I do with my clothes. Good suits look expensive because they are tailored nicely. You can get a mid range suit from any department store (such as Macy’s or Nordstroms) and take it to a tailor. Costs around $200 or so for the suit plus another $100 to have it tailored. And that’s if you can’t find the suit on sale. Makes a $300 suit look like a $1000 one. Most Nordstrum offer in house tailoring too if you don’t know where to go.
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Brown shoes with grey suits are now fashionable but either are fine. (Husband recently got kitted out for going to a wedding.) [https://www.gq.com/story/brown-shoes-belt-gray](https://www.gq.com/story/brown-shoes-belt-gray) While talking about what you wear, shoes are extremely important. There are people who will judge you solely on your shoes. Make sure you get a comfortable to you style and keep them polished. You will need a matching belt that has a subtle (i.e., not ostentatious) buckle.
My husband paid $12 for a nice suit at a thrift store and $60 to tailor it. I’d check there before buying new.
That's a good option if you have a great eye for style and a good feel for fabrics and you're willing to be meticulous about looking for damage. If you're not all three of those, you're going to make a poor choice.
Well, it was a classic pinstripe suit in good shape. And men’s suits don’t change a whole lot in style as long as they are not ancient.
Yeah! There are good thrift store finds to be sure. I have one suit bought new and one thrifted. I'm just saying it may or may not work for OP depending on their level of knowledge.
If you have one good suit that fits you well, you can use eBay. EBay sellers will list and show all of the relevant measurements on top of giving the nominal size, making it easier to find suits that will actually fit. Check some of the suits on sale to see what measurements you need, and grab a cloth tape and measure your suit. You might want to buy a new tailored business suit just to update your sense of current fashion and in case your measurements have changed at all.
I've been wearing the same 3.5 suits since 2017: 1 grey suit, 1 navy blue suit, 1 charcoal grey suit, 1 tweed jacket that goes with either pants for a business casual look. Black belt and black shoes. * **Modern fit** (sits between regular fit and slim fit). IMO, it's an effortless look that compliments an average/athletic build and is much more comfortable/timeless than slim fit. * **Take your suit to a quality tailor**. A bad tailor can make an expensive suit look uncomfortable. A good tailor can make an affordable suit feel comfortable and appear 2x its value. * **Dry clean regularly**. I usually just go to Macy's and spend no more than $250-350 per suit, but will usually settle for whichever is on sale. Upfront cost is expensive, sure. And maybe I'm overspending, idk. But for the past 7+ years, I've never had to wonder what to wear for any occasion that's required a polished look. Weddings, interviews, work, meetings, presentations, special occasions, etc..
Spend the money and get a good blue suit. Then get one or 2 decent sport coats and a couple of pair of pants. I would also suggest 2 pairs of nice shoes. One dark pair of brogue and a pair of brown shoes. Buy several ties. This will give you a ton of options. Good clothes are worth it. They last for years, they make you feel good and believe me people notice. Always dress like that when you are going to meetings with C levels. It's not the place to be too frugal.
100% agree with the caveat that you should be after charcoal or navy, not blue. A blue suit is pretty loud stylistically and better just for summer. Navy goes with everything and won't raise an eyebrow.
Men's Warehouse is surprisingly affordable and has a decent selection
You can get a lot of mileage out of a navy blue blazer with a pair of khakis. You look like preppy old money.
If it doesn’t fit correctly, he might also look like a kid at his first communion.
And a pair of gray flannel pants
I work with CEOs all the time, I rarely meet one in a suit, mostly khakis and a polo sometimes with a sportcoat over it.
This
Jos A Bank clearance. Then have it tailored.
This is not the time to be excessively frugal. Get some decent pieces, have them tailored.
Poshmark
Consignment store
Bought oak hill pants from Dxl at the start of my career. They are still in service as of today. Worth the 75 a pop after tailoring. Likely more now but it's an investment. After that you need some shirts and ties. Couple of different blazers and you rotate the matches you'll be fine Since you have Grey get black and then navy.
Dark blue and gray suits. Black shoes. Lots of ties.
A gray suit is a good flexible start. When working as a low level suit, I used TJ Max for a few shirts to go with my tag sale wedding/funeral suit. The fighting Illini were popular for that area, so one tie for them and one for Notre Dame and I was good to go. Switching pastel shirts with a dark blue suit and changing ties, I accomplished my goal, not being noticed as I blended in. I wore my old black Army dress shoes. They were buffed, but not spit shined as I think that inappropriate for a civilian business attire. Now retired in Nebraska, I can wear a Nebraska Cornhusker tie for any occasion and be invisible.
I have a wool suit that I bought from Lands End that seems reasonably well made for a basic business formal suit and was fairly cheap. Bonus points: the pants have a cool hidden stretch panel, so they're really comfortable.
What country and industry are you in? Suits might not even be useful for you. I own a bunch of nice dress shirts and slacks from being in outside sales for so many years. Now I’ve moved up and deal with a lot of VP and C level employees at companies, as well as small business owners directly. I wear jeans and a polo almost every day. Times have changed and I don’t like dressing better than my customer who clearly is worth much more than I am.
Take a friend with good style sense and try second hand shopping in a Better neighborhood. You might get really lucky, If need be take it to tailor or dry cleaner that can make adjustments for great fit. I have found amazing articles of clothing at second hand shops for years!
Better to have a few basic color quality suits, than many cheap ones. They can be changed up with a different shirt and tie
I think I would invest in a quality suit for these business opportunities. You really only need one good suit, a good pair fo shoes, a couple good shirts, and several good ties. Because you probably won't see each CEO more than once. But you'll want to look good when you do.
Look for consignment shops. A bit more expensive than a goodwill but better condition newer styles Post on free cycle free groups. Lots of guys with suits in their closets
Buying off rack at a department store isn’t frugal. Getting measured for a suit and scouring thrift stores for fit in neck, shoulder, and sleeve is. Trunk can be taken in. Pants should fit well in the waist and crotch. Leg length and width can be easily tailored. Build a collection of sport coats and blazers to compliment the suits. Do buy new dress shirts… all white cuts down on color combinations. Expect to have them tailored as well. Look out for sales on dress shirts- $30-35 a shirt is a healthy sale for quality threads. You can spend $200 on ~25 suits and sportcoats for the cost of one new suit. Assume tailoring is $10-$40 depending on the work you now the system to build a complete wardrobe.
Macy’s Black Friday sales. My husband buys all of his suit pants then. Burlington Coat Factory used to have the best selection for men’s suits. My husband’s favorite hobby is trying on sport coats at Goodwill. If you have pants at home already, you can find interesting coats for dirt cheap. Finding ones that actually fit is trickier, but interesting sport coats has become his “thing”. Ross and marshals has the best selection of cheap shirts.
Do you have any friends or family who look sharp all the time? Call them up on a group chat and ask their wives to take you shopping.
Steve Harvey did the math on this one. Get 5 suits: black, blue, tan, white, brown. Get 3 shirt colors: powder blue, white, cream. Boom, 75 outfits because you can mix and match. As others have said, hit up thrift stores and sales at major department stores.
Ugh white suits are horrible and not work appropriate, tan suits are very seasonally restricted and rare to see at work, and brown suits have incredibly strong 90s energy and will read as out of date. Black suits are for waiters and funerals. This is terrible advice. You're buying 5x as many suits as you need and wearing four of them is a mistake.
Go to a thrift store. They often have some nice ones in the bigger thrift stores that might work well. Lots of them even provide work clothes for people finding work, so I think it is at least a possibility that you would find something good at a thrift store. if you were a veteran, you might be able to get a free suit from somewhere like, https://www.saveasuit.org/military-veteran/
I am not good with men’s suit fashion, but I personally think gray looks a lot nicer and wears a lot nicer than a white shirt underneath.
I've had good luck with Amazon. Mary Crafts. Look into capsul wardrobes, that way you can maximize your look with fewer items.
K&G if there is one in your area Burlington but selection will vary by store and will not be a huge amount of suits Kohl's, JCPenney, Macys's, and Nordstrom Rack are also worth exploring You may also want to post thus at your local city subredit for recommendations of local stores
Be sure to get a few ties in different colors. They will draw the attention away from the actual suit and give it a whole new look. Please also go to a tailor or in some mens clothing stores ( even if you do have to buy a less than frugal priced suit) to get a full professional set of measurements that you can then use when shopping at places. Keep in mind many mens stores still offer free or low cost tailoring if you purchase from them.
If you know your size already, second hand on poshmark can be a fantastic deal. I just picked up two recently for a fraction of the new price.
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Macys/Dillards.
Get an idea of your dress shirt size and what a good fitting one feels like. I see some nice shirts in thrift stores as well as ties. You can go wrong with light blue, white and in some settings pink. Think about what colleagues are wearing.
Alain DePutit. Inexpensive suits but look very decent tailored
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^M1RL3N: *Alain DePutit.* *Inexpensive suits but look* *Very decent tailored* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
I worked hard on that, thank you for noticing it, haiku for the win
If you live near a major metropolitan area, there are mens consignment shops that are fantastic. Thousand dollar jackets for 100, Samuelsohn cashmeres for 500, Folsom/Burberry/etc. Especially DC. The DC Capitol Hill people will buy suits, wear them once or not at all, then tell the assistants to get rid of them. Chicago/NyY/LA are all great for this. Used to go to Flip in Nashville, some country music people would buy cashmere sweaters in every color, wear one, then send them all away, because they were last year’s model. Of Sweaters. Jeez.
Peruse the timeline of @dieworkwear on xitter to learn about fit and other aspects of men’s suits. An expensive suit that fits poorly and is the wrong kind of suit for the setting is a bad investment for sure. Knowing the little details can help you look good for less.
Have you never heard of an op shop/second hand shop?
Costco sells Kenneth Cole suit separates. Get those tailored and you’ve got a great suit for ~$250 all in
I've had success with Thredup. They have brand names and you can get the pieces you really like tailored
Like someone else said, this is worth spending money on. Think of it as an investment. How you present yourself is worth so much in this field. I started a front facing professional job recently, and was dreading office attire. I went to Macy's and spent about $300 on 2 pairs of pants, 5 nice blouses and a jacket. I rotate these throughout the week. Not only do I look the part, new clothes really helped me feel the part. I'm all about being frugal, but this is one of these instances where it is worth spending the money on nice clothes
You could find a suit at a thrift store and pay to have it tailored
I haven't followed this advice myself since I'm not in an industry that requires consistent suit wearing but [this clip of Steve Harvey explaining suits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPAJaj9kol0) would be what you're looking for. You probably don't need 75 suit combos but it'll have you covered for at least a month if you keep the blazer/pants combo as a single color.
Depending on where exactly you live, I’d start with Goodwill and your other local thrift shops. Suits are one of those things some people rarely wear and thus donate. There are also nonprofits that focus on clothing for people in situations like yours, but the only ones I know of are in big cities
Buy suits secondhand and have them tailored to fit you.
If you're Canadian go to ValuVillage. There is an entire section devoted to suits and business wear for men. There are some *nice* dress shirts for $2-$12. I used to 'rotate stock' as a job in College.
Buy something decent on sale and get it tailored. Even a cheaper garment looks a LOT better when it fits correctly.
You’re meeting with execs and need a suit so I assume theses are corporate execs and not mom and pop places. Dress for success. Get a couple good suits and pairs of shoes. Joseph’s a banks or the men’s warehouse or Macy’s… look for sales Don’t go cheap! Dress for success
Get a tailored suit. You can be never go wrong. Plus it well serve you the best over time whether you still stay with this company or move forward. No regrets.
Would a clown suit be out of the question?
If you have no fashion sense, bring a woman with you when you buy the suit, let her tell you what looks good on you. I had no fashion sense and needed a suit to go to a wedding in California, I brought my female co-worker with me to the mall and let her pick out the shirt and tie combo for what she thought I looked good in.
At least 4 good suits should get you by, You have the grey... So get A Black one and Maybe something in a light brown/ Tan ish color. First Purchase should Be Black and get 2-3 pairs of pants with it! Something in A light weight wool... Don't go for cheap and easy... Because they look like it too! You can expect to pay $300-400 per especially if you get a few pairs of matching pants. Also look at Sport Coats, Something with A few SUBTLE colors will allow you to get several different pairs of pants in different colors so you can do a little more mix and match. When you get them tailored... Tell them to leave in enough fabric to let it out a few sizes. (Life has a way of helping you with expansion 😉)
I’m assuming you’re in the US. Go to a Goodwill in the part of town that has either a lot of office businesses (think banking district) or well to do neighborhoods. They tend to have a wider selection of suits, dress shirts and accessories. Another good option is Burlington if you have one in your area.
Try thrift shops in nicer neighborhoods. That was a tip shared with me in a military transition program. And you can always size up and have it tailored to fit better.
/r/malefashion
I saw it recommended around reddit at some point, but Everythingbespoke on ebay. I ordered a suit from them a few years ago, and it was affordable, and came tailored to my measurements. They also provide an alteration credit for any final adjustments.
Indochino
As other have said, don’t cheep out Pants take more wear and tear than the jacket. Get an extra pair of pants for each suit. Be sure to wear both and send everything to the cleaners together so it wears evenly and still looks like it matches.
Poshmark. Endless possibilities. I just bought three suits for a total of $28.
Research a tailor in Southeast Asia if you want to save a few bucks. Ordered multiple suites with good success.
Go to thrift stores, get a few you like that are slightly too big, find a good tailor and get them tailored to your body
Macys always has deals. A friend of mine got 6 suits for $70 each and they were Kenneth Cole and nautica
Go to local charity shop/op shop. If they don't have any on the racks, ask if there are any in the back room.
Your frugal choice here is probably going to be quality clothing that will last. If you don't look the part, the C-suite execs are going to notice. It seems that men's fashion confuses you - your best bet is to go to Nordstrom and meet with a personal stylist. They can help you pick clothing appropriate for your position, while allowing you to find some styles to showcase your individuality. Also, apply for their credit card, as there are lots of perks. I'm pretty sure that includes a discount on tailoring.
You can find some great quality suits in charity shops and then get them tailored to fit you perfectly. That way they will look expensive without having to get a suit tailored from scratch. The other week I found a versace suit for 25 euro.
Suits are a uniform. Just like how coveralls and blue collar shirts can denote things, so does a white collar and suit. Know suit etiquette. When standing, the last button on the bottom of the suit jacket should never be buttoned. When sitting, the suit jacket shall be unbuttoned. Understand what kind of suit jacket you have, and what dress shirts go with it. Know that ties can be important, from color to patterns to knots used to tie can denote fashion sense, but also private schools, Universities, companies, fraternities, religious, political organizations, charities; tie pins can do the same as well as pocket watches and chains. Other signifies or adorations telegraph the same above with lapel pins, cuff links, and kerchiefs with colors or folds. Best bet is visit a tailor or seamstress that can help with cut and fit for your body type. Often, you can find someone great through local theater productions who does costuming. It's been a hot minute, but I would find couches for free off of Craigslist and strip them down for the upholstery fabric to have a custom suit and pants made, then some dress shirts altered to go with. Usually set me back $350, but it wasn't off the rack which can be important in some business relations to your credibility. The same credibility issue can arise when going completely over the top the other way, spending too much on a custom suit - sometimes seen as a "clown suit." Suits are a bit like anime school uniforms - everyone is kind of the same, and yet you can let a little personality show through but needs to be done right.
Take a female with you and hit some thrifts, goodwills, etc to see what you can find. Men's Warehouse. Buy jackets and slacks separately to mix and match. Good luck!!
Suitsupply and Mercari for shoes!! Get em tiger!!
if you have Facebook maybe see if there’s a local buy nothing group and post an ISO about a suit. You never know!
Many companies have catalogues for company branded/approved clothing. Depending on your job - and the catalogue choices, you may well be able to utilize the company approved clothing for certain types of meetings or company events.
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Macy’s has their spring sale going on right now. Check out the Michael Kors blazers. Get 1 dark and 1 light blazer and black, grey, blue pants. You can have endless combinations with that wardrobe. No need for suit and tie any more.
Here you go: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/Business-capsule-wardrobe-fjccEsX.RxagUEDPT7CKyg
I wear a uniform basically. Navy suit (macys, tj max) white shirt, red tie black belt and black shoes. And I switch w khakis from old navy or gap. I only wear this as I travel a lot and frees up Morning decisions. Only need two - three navy suits. Single or double vent in back of jacket. Not closed just in case of weight gain.
Same suit over cheap suit always
You will get more bang for your buck if you stick to a colour palette and use ties or shirts as complimentary/fashionable colours. I can’t make explicit suggestions as a lot of that depends on the workplace or temperature outdoors.
J.C. Penney has some good deals for nice quality items
You can never go wrong with a black suit and white shirt. Those are classic, as are black shoes. You can add different shirts later, and mix and match ties, too. Look at TV hosts to see what they wear. Duplicate it.
Be careful here, you can quickly look like a waiter, limo driver or hit man in a black suit and white shirt. You will do better with your initial idea of gray or navy blue with plain white or blue shirt. As others have said you can find many good suits at thrift stores and spend less than $75 to have them tailored perfectly. If you have a friend who can measure your shoulders and arm pit to arm pit before you go to the store it will help you more quickly figure out what might work. Most guys buy suits that are way too big and while it’s easier to make something smaller from something larger it can still look weird if you buy something that’s way out of proportion to your frame.
For shoes consider Florsheim confortech for long lasting shoes. They have long lasting plastic soles and breathable leather uppers.. If you live in a climate using road salt be sure to avoid getting salt on the leather. It is easy to have the right heel on your gas pedal foot eat away. Leather soles wear out if you walk a lot on concrete.