Color of Suit for Interview

Dark blue suit with brown shoes is great! Nicely laundered white shirt and blue/red tie and you will be dazzling. The intervierer will never look at your shoes. a firm handshake and nice smile is much more important thatn color of suit.

Sally Vixen wrote:

Dark blue suit with brown shoes is great! Nicely laundered white shirt and blue/red tie and you will be dazzling.

blue suit, white shirt, blue/red tie? basically, you'd be wearing the uniform of every a-hole politican in america/europe. seriously watch cspan and every single person will be wearing this. it does look nice, but sounds too conservative for the occasion.

if you're in the west coast, i'd go charcoal suit, black shoes, black belt, some sort of colored shirt (i vote light solid pastel purple), no tie, top button open. still looks damn good, but is a more interesting choice.

Not black wrote:

Don't wear a solid black suit. Heck, I don't even think any decent shop would have a black suit in stock to sell to you.

The fact that there is so much hate for black suits on here speaks to how much people think they know but are just wrong.

The vast majority of quality suit makers make black notch lapel suits. Look at Hugo Boss, Brioni, Hickey Freeman, Armani, etc.

Black suits are typically not appropriate for 9-5 but are perfectly acceptable for evening wear at events where cocktail attire is expected.

Knower of Things wrote:

Not black wrote:

Don't wear a solid black suit. Heck, I don't even think any decent shop would have a black suit in stock to sell to you.

The fact that there is so much hate for black suits on here speaks to how much people think they know but are just wrong.

The vast majority of quality suit makers make black notch lapel suits. Look at Hugo Boss, Brioni, Hickey Freeman, Armani, etc.

Black suits are typically not appropriate for 9-5 but are perfectly acceptable for evening wear at events where cocktail attire is expected.

1. The fact that you lumped Hugo Boss and Brioni in the same category shows how little you know.

2. The OP isn't going to a formal evening event. Everyone on here who has spoken out against black suits has noted that they are acceptable for funerals and formal nighttime events. The no black suit to an interview rule is not up for debate among anyone with an ounce of sense. So the people who you criticized for thinking they know a lot were actually perfectly correct.

I love how many "experts" there are on here.

There are a few things to consider:

1. What level position you are applying for?

2. What industry you are in?

3. What part of the country you are in?

4. What is the culture of the company you are applying at?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a black suit. I'm on the West Coast, high tech. There are tons of execs wearing black suits. It is fashionable.

Now, in the mid west, maybe not.

I think you are making a bit of a mistake. If I were in your place I'd stick with the brown suit (as long as it is clean, well-pressed and fits nicely) and buy a good pair of black shoes (and a black belt if you are a belt wearer). You aren't interviewing at a bank, so you can be a little less formal in the suit color, but a good pair of shoes says a lot (make sure they are leather-soled and traditional, no pointy toes, nothing GQ).

Whatever else you do, do not wear brown shoes with a blue suit, that just screams out that you don't know how to dress formally.

black suits are for funerals and executives. Unless you are the boss, don't.

rlbl wrote:

[quote]Knower of Things wrote:

1. The fact that you lumped Hugo Boss and Brioni in the same category shows how little you know.

2. The OP isn't going to a formal evening event. Everyone on here who has spoken out against black suits has noted that they are acceptable for funerals and formal nighttime events. The no black suit to an interview rule is not up for debate among anyone with an ounce of sense. So the people who you criticized for thinking they know a lot were actually perfectly correct.

I lumped Hugo Boss and Brioni together in this case as they are both higher than average cost and quality of suits. Not that they are on the same level.

Multiple posts tried to state that black suits are never ok. (i.e. Not Black's post "Only if the black suit is a tux. Solid black suits are a poor fashion choice.").

Where did I say that the no black suit to an interview rule is incorrect?

Master basic reading comprehension first and then come talk to me.

anon amie wrote:

I love how many "experts" there are on here.

There are a few things to consider:

1. What level position you are applying for?

2. What industry you are in?

3. What part of the country you are in?

4. What is the culture of the company you are applying at?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a black suit. I'm on the West Coast, high tech. There are tons of execs wearing black suits. It is fashionable.

Now, in the mid west, maybe not.

Few things in life are cut and dry, but you are just plain wrong. Black suits are never appropriate outside of a funeral. The execs you are referring to are either fashion idiots (which is possible if they work in tech) or, even more likely, you are one of the morons on here who confuses charcoal and navy with black.

To follow up on a few questions posed:

1. Entry level. I am transitioning careers.

2.The position is within a prominent Division I athletic department.

3. The university is located on the east coast.

4. The university is an academically renowned university, but the dynamic of the specific department I applied to is unique from school to school, based on my experiences.

I went with a blue suit and brown shoes/belt. The shirt color was white with a tie that had colors similar to the university's colors (which are modest). I was offered the position.

I appreciate the insight that everyone had provided.