How many suits should a man (professional) own?

[Aura]

My dh is a professional engineer. He's going to a second interview soon, but he only has one really nice suit. He doesn't wear suits to his current job. He won't be wearing suits in the new job. So...should he wear a different suit to the second interview, or would the same suit w/ a different tie be fine?

 

The new job is not a huge corporation, but rather a smaller municipality. The second interview is a lunch interview, so a bit more informal.

 

It's an interview, so my dh thinks he should wear a white shirt regardless of what suit because that's "standard."

 

What do you think?

[maize]

Same suit should be fine.

 

I've never known an engineer who wore a suit to work every day.

[theelfqueen]

My husband has only one suit. Though he does have a spare sport coat he can wear with other slacks. We live in a very casual area. He might wear that suit twice a year.

 

Same suit different shirt and tie should be totally fine.

 

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[theelfqueen]

Oh and French blue is just as accepted as white with a suit... other colors would probably need to be subtle for an interview.

 

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[Caroline]

My DH has one suit and two jackets he can wear with khakis. Honestly, the suit is for funerals and weddings. He works from home 19/20 days a month, so he works in comfy clothes. If he goes to the office he wears khakis and a polo shirt.

 

My dad wore a suit to work Labor Day-Memorial Day and any time he went to the Capitol orWhite House during the summer. He had probably seven suits, and got a new one every year. Sometimes he had a surprise call to testify before Congress, and would run to Garfinkles and get a new suit and testify with the hem just basted in. after that happened twice in one month during the Reagan administration, my mom made him keep a suit at the office. Apparently new suits were not in our budget.

[zoobie]

Same suit is fine. Engineers aren't known to be fashionistas. ;)

 

You could switch up the shirt and tie if he wants. Honestly I doubt anyone would notice if he wore the exact same thing! If he wore them to work, he would need more than one.

[Spryte]

Same suit, different tie should be fine.

 

My DH has probably 8 - 10 suit coats in rotation, but he needs them for travel, sometimes he'll be at conferences for up to 10 days. He tends to mix them, and not go with the mitchy matchy suit components unless it's absolutely called for. At an informal lunch interview, he might wear something more casual than an actual suit. But that's his comfort level, and your DH needs to go with his!

[mommymonster]

He'd be fine with the same suit, but just change ties and perhaps shirt colors.

 

 

[AnnE-girl]

DH has four suits, I think, and several pairs of dark dress pants and a couple jackets. He's a lawyer though, so probably a bit more formal setting than an engineer.

[Ravin]

I work as an attorney and only have two suits. He can wear the suit again. Maybe a blue shirt; a different tie is a good idea. I don't do white shirts, but I can see why he'd stick with that for an interview.

[Aura]

Same suit is fine. Engineers aren't known to be fashionistas. ;)

 

You could switch up the shirt and tie if he wants. Honestly I doubt anyone would notice if he wore the exact same thing! If he wore them to work, he would need more than one.

This is exactly what I was thinking!

[Angie in VA]

My DH has one suit. He wears it to weddings and sometimes to church. He'll wear it to my funeral and he'll wear it to his funeral. ;)

 

That said, we know a young man who's in politics who has to wear a suit every day. He owns 3 suits: black, navy, and gray. 

 

 

[medawyn]

My husband has multiple suits/jackets (10+), but he's often in professional situations where he travels for 2-3 weeks and frequently has meetings with variations of the same people, and almost all of those days require a jacket at least.

 

For someone who does not wear a suit regularly in their professional life, I imagine 1-2 suits with a small collection of ties would be sufficient. And I don't think he has to stick to a white shirt, but it would be fine if he did.

[Leav97]

He can wear the same thing.  

 

[JennyD]

Same suit with a different tie will be just fine.  

 

My DH wears a suit a few times a month and he has two good ones.  He wears a shirt and tie most work days, however, and he owns a lot of dress shirts, pants, and ties.  

[QueenCat]

Same suit but a different colored shirt and a different tie.

[SparklyUnicorn]

same suit different tie...or honest even the same tie is fine

 

My husband has one interview suit.  That's the only time he ever wears it. 

[gardenmom5]

if it's a standard suit - as opposed to something that is "eye catching", it should be fine.

different tie should be fine.

 

 

how many suits really has to do with are they wearing one every day?  if he'll only wear a suit for interviews and maybe major presentations,  he can get by with one. two if your budget can handle it.  how often would he need to wear a suit?

if he needs more, I would probably wait until he has the job before buying one.  a decent suit is pricey.  

[Sara in AZ]

What is the culture of this company? DH is a software guy and has done a lot of interviewing over the years. He rarely goes into an interview in a full suit. Usually nice pants and a nice shirt and tie. A full suit is too formal for most of the companies he's interviewed for (for example Amazon). He wears shorts and polos to work most of the time, and owns perhaps one or two suit coats that he might occasionally wear to church (usually just pants and a white shirt/tie to church).

Edited December 29, 2016 by Sara in AZ

[Shellydon]

My dh is a professional engineer. He's going to a second interview soon, but he only has one really nice suit. He doesn't wear suits to his current job. He won't be wearing suits in the new job. So...should he wear a different suit to the second interview, or would the same suit w/ a different tie be fine?

 

The new job is not a huge corporation, but rather a smaller municipality. The second interview is a lunch interview, so a bit more informal.

 

It's an interview, so my dh thinks he should wear a white shirt regardless of what suit because that's "standard."

 

What do you think?

 

Can he wears slacks and a sports jacket?  DH is a PE as well and wears slacks, tie to work most days and suit/sports jacket fairly often.  He would consider a white shirt to not be the standard and instead to mix it up with a different colored shirt and tie

[Aura]

What is the culture of this company? DH is a software guy and has done a lot of interviewing over the years. He rarely goes into an interview in a full suit. Usually nice pants and a nice shirt and tie. A full suit is too formal for most of the companies he's interviewed for (for example Amazon). He wears shorts and polos to work most of the time, and owns perhaps one or two suit coats that he might occasionally wear to church (usually just pants and a white shirt/tie to church).

 

A full suit for the interview is nice, but it's not something he'd wear at work, unless it's for some sort of board meeting or something.

[Aura]

Can he wears slacks and a sports jacket?  DH is a PE as well and wears slacks, tie to work most days and suit/sports jacket fairly often.  He would consider a white shirt to not be the standard and instead to mix it up with a different colored shirt and tie

A sports jacket to work would be too formal for everyday. It's the interview itself he's thinking of.

[TranquilMind]

My dh is a professional engineer. He's going to a second interview soon, but he only has one really nice suit. He doesn't wear suits to his current job. He won't be wearing suits in the new job. So...should he wear a different suit to the second interview, or would the same suit w/ a different tie be fine?

 

The new job is not a huge corporation, but rather a smaller municipality. The second interview is a lunch interview, so a bit more informal.

 

It's an interview, so my dh thinks he should wear a white shirt regardless of what suit because that's "standard."

 

What do you think?

 

4 or 5 if worn daily.  For something like interviewing for professional jobs, two are nice, since multiple interviews typically occur.  You can get really good deals at places like Steinmart.  I've found suits for under $100 before on clearance sales.   At least he can change up the ties.

 

My favorites are Jerry Garcia ties (also sold at Steinmart).  Steinmart is pretty much my favorite adult-clothing store. 

 

Edited December 29, 2016 by TranquilMind

[Sara in AZ]

A full suit for the interview is nice, but it's not something he'd wear at work, unless it's for some sort of board meeting or something.

Yes, for sure. I reread after I posted and realized you said your DH is an engineer. I had assumed software. Software guys are the most casual. The civil/chemical etc engineers that I know usually dress for work a step up above the software engineers I know. Like, probably pants and a button down shirt, not shorts! Interviewing is a whole other situation, but in DH's experience the interviewers for software jobs prefer less formality than a full suit. Being overdressed might actually give a negative impression, actually.

 

In any case, I hope the interview goes well!!

Edited December 29, 2016 by Sara in AZ

[Carol in Cal.]

Same suit, different tie.

I worked for quite a few years in a company where suits for professionals were the norm, and the highest level men just bought multiples of the exact same suit and wore it every day.  This was back in the 'dress for success' days, and it's different now, but it still has the ring of 'OK' ness.

[Arcadia]

It's an interview, so my dh thinks he should wear a white shirt regardless of what suit because that's "standard."

White shirts are no longer standard here except for legal and finance maybe. My hubby has interview job applicants and be interviewed. He has worn dark and light gray shirts, light and dark blue shirts. His is in tech and the dept he work in are all engineers. Hubby has three suits. He has to present at tech conferences once a year where he would need a suit for the presentation and another for family social night. He also has to do overseas trips and campus interviews. So basically he has the attire to stand in as best man for any friend's wedding at the last minute. He has a black suit, a navy blue suit and a gray suit.

 

I was in tech as an engineer but I had to help out in marketing events as the tech on site, I have a lot more suits.

[cjzimmer1]

Same suit different tie and shirt.  As far as colors, I grew up in the "white" only for interviews but it has clearly changed,  From what DH has said about the only recommendation is not red.  If he is really stuck on white, would he consider an off white, beige tan, light gray?  Still close to white but enough different to be obviously a different shirt.

[Aura]

Personally, I think he is just absolutely PERFECT for this position (and I think they know it, too!) so he'd have to really screw up the interview to lose it. Wearing shorts to the interview might do it, but certainly not the same suit. Still, he's super stoked about this, and he wants to put forth as best of an impression as he can make. I will suggest a different color shirt, though.

 

My thoughts are that, as a guy, unless he was wearing something particularly flashy or edgy, no one will probably even remember what he wore to the first interview other than he wore a suit! Kinda the way the anchor did on Leav97's post. *sigh* Sometimes, I'm envious of that. Other times, I think I'd get very tired of it if it were me.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Personally, I think he is just absolutely PERFECT for this position (and I think they know it, too!) so he'd have to really screw up the interview to lose it. Wearing shorts to the interview might do it, but certainly not the same suit. Still, he's super stoked about this, and he wants to put forth as best of an impression as he can make. I will suggest a different color shirt, though.

 

My thoughts are that, as a guy, unless he was wearing something particularly flashy or edgy, no one will probably even remember what he wore to the first interview other than he wore a suit! Kinda the way the anchor did on Leav97's post. *sigh* Sometimes, I'm envious of that. Other times, I think I'd get very tired of it if it were me.

 

The IT/engineering uniform seems to be khakis and polo shirts.  LOL

 

Honest, if I had any doubts I'd say run out and buy another suit, but no really it is not necessary.  They are not going to know! 

 

I think on second and third interviews my husband didn't wear the jacket.  He hates hates hates suits. 

[xixstar]

One suit for my engineer. He would wear a colored shirt the second day - white the first day. Different ties each day too.

[RoundAbout]

My DH has 4 suits: 2 are summer weight and 2 are heavier. He doesn't wear a suit to work, but just likes to dress up. For most men, one conservative suit to wear to weddings/funerals/interviews is plenty! No one will even notice as long as he has a different shirt and tie.

Edited December 29, 2016 by RoundAbout

[Crimson Wife]

 

It's an interview, so my dh thinks he should wear a white shirt regardless of what suit because that's "standard."

 

Light blue is also a "standard" shirt color. In fact, if he's wearing the same suit for both interviews, I would STRONGLY encourage him to wear a noticeably different shirt than the first interview. Just my $0.02...

[Crimson Wife]

I'd have to check DH's closet but I know for sure he has at least 2 suits (navy and black), a sport coat, and a tuxedo. He might have a gray suit as well but I can't remember off the top of my head. Even when he worked in financial services where he had to wear dress pants and a tie, he rarely had to wear a full suit. Now that he works in corporate finance, he wears khakis and no tie. He keeps the suits for interviews and formal-but-not-black tie social events.

[BarbecueMom]

DH has one suit (although not an engineer, he's in IT). He only takes it with him to meetings in NYC, along with a different shirt/tie for each day. He wears a polo/dress shirt and dockers for everyday work attire. I'm pretty sure he wore a suit to interviews, though.

[Guest]

He can wear the same thing.

 

I love this and it is so true.

 

Sidebar: when I was in the horrible 6-8th grades, I used to think this unequal attention on what girls wore was very frustrating. I had few clothes and most of them were certainly nothing special, for which I was constantly ridiculed, but boys could wear what may very well have been the very same jeans every single day, switched out with four different concert tee shirts (Metallica, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Aerosmith) repeatedly and nobody would bat an eye.

[AnnE-girl]

I wore a uniform from first grade through high school. I kind of missed it when I went to college and actually had to pick out different clothes every single day and try to not wear the same thing too close together.

 

Eta: I meant to quote Quill's post about girls' clothing choices in school. Oops.

Edited December 30, 2016 by AnnE-girl

[Shellydon]

A sports jacket to work would be too formal for everyday. It's the interview itself he's thinking of.

 

Right.  A sports jacket and slacks to the 2nd interview that is over lunch.

[Caclcoca]

I don't think my dh (electrical engineer) currently has a suit that fits.  He tried to dress up for a presentation several years ago, and his boss told him to go put his polo back on or no one would take him seriously.  Engineers in our area are not known for their fashion.  

 

All that to say that I would be shocked to learn that anyone noticed that he was wearing the same suit.  I would pick a different tie, but I would honestly be surprised if anyone noticed that either.  Good luck to him on his interview!!

[RootAnn]

DH has one suit - for weddings, funerals, high holy days, and interviews.

 

Different shirt maybe, but definitely different tie. No one will notice either way unless the tie is really crazy. (DH has some fun ones but never wears them!)

 

DH used to wear the same button-up shirt (different white t-shirt under) three days in a row in college. I never noticed. My roommate did. She pointed out how he changed it up every day - including that by the 3rd day, it was unbuttoned down the front & the wrist area was also unbuttoned & flapping around. I don't remember how it looked on day 2 because, as I said, I never noticed!

[DawnM]

My DH has one suit.  When he started working, they were supposed to wear suits every day.  What he found was that most men hung up the coat as soon as they got to work anyway, so even though he had ONE suit, we were planning to get 3 pr. pants for each jacket at one of those suit type places.

 

And right before we were going to buy more, his entire firm went to business casual!  YAY!

 

He still has one suit for interviews, funerals, weddings, etc....

[KungFuPanda]

More thought has been given to suits in this thread than an office full of engineers will give them in twenty years. Unless he wore a Santa tie, I doubt they'd remember that either.

[LucyStoner]

More thought has been given to suits in this thread than an office full of engineers will give them in twenty years. Unless he wore a Santa tie, I doubt they'd remember that either.

And even then, the Santa tie might have to have lights or sound effects to be remembered clearly.