Color of Suit for Interview

I am neither a suit-owner nor a business professional, so take my thoughts with more than a few grains of salt, but to me, brown suit screams retro, like 1980s and prior, perhaps taken to mean you're less serious than if you were wearing black, blue, or gray. However, I love the brown suit look and would go for it if I were to buy a suit as it suits (hardy har har!) my personality.

Magenta

Depending on the interview, blue or grey is going to typically be best.

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.

navy blue or charcoal/grey (my pref). no pinstripes or junk like that.

a grey suit is very versatile. can be worn to interviews, business, weddings, funerals, etc. and looks good without standing out too much.

slim fit is good, but not too tight.

Thanks for the responses so far.

So it's sounding like a blue or grey suit is the way to go at this point. I am leaning towards blue, simply because I already have brown shoes that would probably match.

Any other attire considerations that may be common sense that likely haven't come to mind?

You said "light" brown. That's the issue for me. Darker brown would be OK. Navy or grey are best. Black wouldn't be bad if it were punched up with a colorful tie, or if it had subtle pinstripes in it. What industry are you in? A more conservative industry such as finance would require a conservative suit, and that's where you'd need a darker color.

HeyHay wrote:

You said "light" brown. That's the issue for me. Darker brown would be OK. Navy or grey are best. Black wouldn't be bad if it were punched up with a colorful tie, or if it had subtle pinstripes in it. What industry are you in? A more conservative industry such as finance would require a conservative suit, and that's where you'd need a darker color.

I think there is an unspoken rule that black suits are only for funerals and *extremely* formal nighttime events. A black suit looks out of place in other settings. Don't get a black suit.

Navy or grey

Natural Light wrote:

Thanks for the responses so far.

So it's sounding like a blue or grey suit is the way to go at this point. I am leaning towards blue, simply because I already have brown shoes that would probably match.

Any other attire considerations that may be common sense that likely haven't come to mind?

You don't have to break the bank on a suit. I've seen some suits that look good and cost less than 200 bones.

Definitely make sure to get 100% wool. Some cheaper suits use poly blends.

Definitely make sure suit fits perfectly in the shoulders. A tailor theoretically can make adjustments too most of the suit if needed, but fixing the shoulders is pretty much impossible.

In response to this question, the position is within an athletic department at a Division I university.

I've found in some of my experience that these departments are typically less conservative than prior work environments I've been in, but that being said, I obviously want to be as professional as possible in the interview process and as I (hopefully) establish myself in the department.

This might be out of your price range but they would be assured you are all business:

http://www.mensusa.com/products.aspx?id=260&gclid=CNf7nNi-3LYCFQsy4Aod4SoAyA

Natural Light wrote:

In response to this question, the position is within an athletic department at a Division I university.

I've found in some of my experience that these departments are typically less conservative than prior work environments I've been in, but that being said, I obviously want to be as professional as possible in the interview process and as I (hopefully) establish myself in the department.

I'd still wear a suit to the interview. If you think they're a casual bunch consider not wearing a tie with said suit? (though I'd like to hear some other opinions on that)

Hahahaha. I'm not sure I could pull that look off, but I appreciate the link.

Not black wrote:

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

This is not true. Black is a great color for a lot of occasions, just not for an interview.

I used to work as a recruiter for the financial industry so I would advise job candidates on appropriate attire if they weren't sure. I would say in order: Navy or dark gray, then medium gray, then dark brown or black. Light colors --don't do it. If you are buying a new suit, make it navy or dark gray. Black would work if that's all you have but don't make the mistake of wearing a black shirt with it. Wear a white shirt with a colorful tie to offset the somber tone of the black. You can get "artsy" with the tie if you wear a solid colored shirt in a neutral tone to compliment the suit color. And don't wear brown shoes and brown belt with a navy or gray suit! Black, please. Best bet: go to a Men's Warehouse and explain what you need. They generally do a good job and can work with you if you're on a budget.

Say what? I thought brown shoes could work with both navy and grey suits. Am I wrong?

Raptured wrote:

This is not true. Black is a great color for a lot of occasions, just not for an interview.

Only if the black suit is a tux. Solid black suits are a poor fashion choice.

There was also discussion with my buddy regarding the tie choice.

He suggested that I wear a tie that was similar to the University's school colors. I thought this might be a bit presumptuous, but he seemed to think that would add a nice touch.

Thoughts on this?

Meh... wrote:

Say what? I thought brown shoes could work with both navy and grey suits. Am I wrong?

They can work, but I told my job candidates to stick with black, because black is black. There are many shades of brown and too many of them would interpret "brown" to mean the light brown shoes he already owned, not a darker brown. Dark brown is cool, light brown is not. To be safe, I'd tell them black. Just about everyone owned a pair of black dress shoes so there wasn't any question.