Jos Bank Suit, suitable for interview or not?

[rachelolive92]

Thinking of biting the bullet and getting a custom tailored (high quality) suit soon( ready for an important interview next month ). I've always been a fan of Jos Bank styling and just overall look. Anyone have any experience with their suits similar like this Tailored Fit Suits , whether it be there black label or purple label? Is it suitable for interview? Any other good recommendations?

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

I can’t speak to the specific suit you’re looking at, but a few years back I picked up about six double breasted suits from them on clearance of varying qualities and I wouldn’t have hesitated to wear any one of them to an important job interview. They were all decent suits. Far better than the separates I picked up from the JC Penny catalog.

 

[avedwards]

Depends what the job is, but if it's a job where you would want to wear a suit to the interview I think that would be an appropriate suit to wear.

 

[Patrick Hall]

My first suits were JosABank. That deal, 172.00 is about right for the quality. For that amount of money, you will get a suit with a fused jacket as opposed to half or full canvas construction, probably a blended fabric as opposed to 100% wool. I'd recommend taking it to a really good tailor, which will probably double the price of the suit, but ensure that it will fit well. The suit will have a lifespan of about five years, depending on how often you wear it. The "tailored fit" implies a slimmer fitting jacket probably with flat front slacks and "higher" armholes.

In terms of the interview, I'd say that the pattern and color matter more than the maker, as few interviewers are savvy enough to notice much else. Make sure it's a dark suit, preferably gray or navy and avoid busy patterns (goes for the tie as well). A caveat - there are some employers who would both notice AND turn their nose up a potential employee in a JosABank suit - but if you were interviewing with someone like that, you'd probably know this already. Oh, also, make sure your shoes are well polished. Good luck!

 

[The Good]

I've also been looking at Joseph A. Bank myself, for a relatively cheap option. I'm still considering my first suit, but how awful is the fusing in the suits? I read that a lot of Style Forum or Ask Andy About Clothes users complain about this feature, or lack of. I'm not too well versed in the different aspects of suits, but I am learning.

How bad of a choice would a mid-grey (and even the darker end of this spectrum) suit be for an interview or the workplace, as opposed to the very conventional dark charcoal, navy, or black? I find that very dark colors may bore me, and I would like a suit that is a reasonable compromise between work-appropriate and stylishly relaxed. As much as I admire the brown and tan colors for suits, that will have to come later after I have an acceptable suit.

 

[Tomasso]

Thinking of biting the bullet and getting a custom tailored (high quality) suit.....I've always been a fan of Jos Bank styling and just overall look.........Anyone have any experience with their suits similar like this Tailored Fit Suits ....

JAB do not offer custom tailored suits.

 

[Patrick Hall]

The fusing is pretty bad with JAB. I am a daily wearer, and maintain a wardrobe of ten four-season suits, and had thrown away all my JAB suits within three years because of construction failures and noticeable fabric wear. Also, the jackets wear STIFF and the arm-holes are constricting. That said, I wouldn't guess that JAB is markedly worse in these areas than any other suit you'll find at the same price point. Unfortunately, like with most things, you get what you pay for in suiting (unless you go vintage!). If 200-400 is your price point, i'd say pick one up as cheap as you can, and then save as much money as possible to pay a good tailor to fit it for you.

a lighter shade of gray is perfectly appropriate, and especially dashing in flannel. That said, lighter shades will be more memorable to your co-workers, so take care that the pattern isn't too loud unless you have an extensive enough wardrobe to rest it for a couple weeks. Otherwise people will quickly catch on that you are wearing the same suit over and over. Also, I have always heard the maxim that one should avoid black outside of formal wear. All of my staple suits are blue or gray.

 

[Guttersnipe]

. . . A caveat - there are some employers who would both notice AND turn their nose up a potential employee in a JosABank suit - but if you were interviewing with someone like that, you'd probably know this already . . .

This is very true. The firm/industry I'm interning at/in (finance) is very snobby about dress. It's tough tying to put a good professional wardrobe together that meets expectations when the partners a wear bespoke suits and all the younger guys wear Brooks Bros. Golden Fleece or designer suits . . . needless to say I've become very friendly with the salesmen at B. Brothers who handles the clearance rack

My recommendation is getting one or two really nice single breast suits navy or charcoal gray with no patterns, checks, stripes or unique features like peak lapels. That way you can get way with wearing the same suit frequently without folks noticing (hopefully).

 

[Patrick Hall]

Man, BB clearance is the way to go. keep an eye on bb.com, and you can pick up their half-canvassed 1818 line for a relative steal during the end of season sales. I even do well for being a 36 reg!

 

[Tomasso]

This is very true. The firm/industry I'm interning at/in (finance) is very snobby about dress. .

The persnicketiness of the Street.......Years ago, a friend took over the bond desk at Merrill and it was mentioned that Hermès was the tie of choice. He preferred Charvet but he acquiesced, even though he was the boss, in a show of team unity. He ended up burning the ties when he left Merrill.

 

[Flipped Lid]

I've had very bad luck with a couple of Joseph A. Bank suits and wouldn't own another. They are barely a step up from Men's Wearhouse in my opinion. There were numerous problems, the most frustrating being that the waistbands on both suits began rolling before they were very old. Last week I bought a new Michael Kors 100% wool blazer that had been almost $400.00 for $119.00 at the local Macy's. They had all of their designer-brand suits, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and others, marked down from fifty to seventy-five percent, which made them dirt cheap. You might check Macy's if you have one in your area or look for sales in the other big-box stores if you're not in a hurry. You'll get a lot nicer suit that will last you a long time and look better on you. Don't discount the idea of buying a used suit on eBay if money is an issue. There are some real buys out there. I bought a Burberry suit on eBay for $25.00 that I wore once a week for a couple of years. I currently own a very nice blue-pinstripe Hart, Schaffner, and Marx suit that I also gave $25.00 for that I have been wearing for over three years and it will probably last at least another year. I wouldn't trade it for two new JAB suits. Just check the measurements of a suit that fits you and compare them to the suit you are looking at to make sure you get a decent fit.

 

[Patrick Hall]

Bet he was plenty glad to be gone from Merrill a couple years back! My first day out of seminary, I showed up at work in what I presumed to be a perfectly acceptable example of suiting, perhaps one of those JAB numbers though I can't remember anymore, only to have my boss laugh me out of his office. He immediately called one of the men on our vestry, informing him that his new associate was in need of "a proper suit of clothes." An appointment was made for me with that gentleman's tailor, and I got my first (and only) MTM suit purely gratis. I think it's a Greenfield. Talk about persnickety. The joys of the Episcopal Church.

 

[Guttersnipe]

The persnicketiness of the Street.......Years ago, a friend took over the bond desk at Merrill and it was mentioned that Hermès was the tie of choice. He preferred Charvet but he acquiesced, even though he was the boss, in a show of team unity. He ended up burning the ties when he left Merrill.

I don't know what it's like on the east coast, but I can imagine. A friend of mine from school, who got a job in NYC at a Wall St. company, told me he put about $8K on his credit card just so he'd have enough clothes to be considered appropriately dressed for work every day of the week without a repeat, which is of course expected at his firm.

 

[Guttersnipe]

This thread has me thinking a suits forum sticky about how to build a work wardrobe with a classic style aesthetic and not break the bank is in order.

 

[avedwards]

For a good quality, conservative business suit at a low price I would go vintage. The 50s and 60s brought out so many plain SB suits which have such classic styling that they will always be appropriate. The average person wouldn't notice the difference between them and a modern suit beyond the trouser rise being higher, and even if anyone does recognise it as a vintage suit you could always claim it was a bespoke suit you had made to a classic pattern .

 

[Guttersnipe]

For a good quality, conservative business suit at a low price I would go vintage. The 50s and 60s brought out so many plain SB suits which have such classic styling that they will always be appropriate. The average person wouldn't notice the difference between them and a modern suit beyond the trouser rise being higher, and even if anyone does recognize it as a vintage suit you could always claim it was a bespoke suit you had made to a classic pattern .

Perhaps, but I would lean towards no. If you've been at a place a while, or are established in your career/profession, then maybe, because you're in a position where you can afford some "eccentricities." But not if you're a young guy starting out or looking for a job.

In this era of business casual, if you are required to wear a suit and tie in the workplace, chances are it's a very conservative firm and such places typically don't appreciate such overt deviations from norms. In that type of environment, expressing too much individuality through ones dress is typically not going to endear you to the bosses or collective.

Unfortunately the mindset you need to have as a young man entering the workforce is to view your business wear as a uniform. Would a soldier wear the previous pattern dress tunic because he liked it better than the current pattern? No.

 

[dhermann1]

A few months ago, really more or less on impulse, I bought a dark blue, really generic, Jos A Bank suit. It was really just for the proverbial weddings and funerals. Still haven't worn it yet, since I don't need a suit for work, tho I may mix and match it from time to time during the fall. Anyway, I would call Bank a very middling quality brand, but suitable (you should pardon the expression) for most job interviews short of full tilt Wall St. type companies.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I just finished a Safety Working Group with the Air Force at one of the top 5 aerospace firms in the US. I was the only one in a tie for the whole week. Khaki's, button downs, and polo shirts was it for EVERYONE. I think my second or third level supervisor MIGHT have been wearing wool pants. Everyone I work around would think Jos. A Banks is TOO over dressed, not dressed like crap.

Later

 

[avedwards]

Perhaps, but I would lean towards no. If you've been at a place a while, or are established in your career/profession, then maybe, because you're in a position where you can afford some "eccentricities." But not if you're a young guy starting out or looking for a job.

In this era of business casual, if you are required to wear a suit and tie in the workplace, chances are it's a very conservative firm and such places typically don't appreciate such overt deviations from norms. In that type of environment, expressing too much individuality through ones dress is typically not going to endear you to the bosses or collective.

Unfortunately the mindset you need to have as a young man entering the workforce is to view your business wear as a uniform. Would a soldier wear the previous pattern dress tunic because he liked it better than the current pattern? No.

My point was that there are many 50s and 60s suits which are very plain and would fit into a conservative work environment, whilst being considerably cheaper than an equal quality bespoke suit. With many of the continental style suits from the late 50s the only thing that differentiates them from modern suits is trouser rise and trouser leg width, neither of which make them any less appropriate in a conservative environment IMO.

Don't get me wrong, there are some vintage suits I would not wear to a workplace unless I was in a senior position, but there are some which are so understated that they would not stand out. For example, two weeks ago to a job interview in London I wore an early 60s grey subtly checked suit (quite normal in London these days) and I doubt the interviewer realised it was 50 years old.

 

[Undertow]

The persnicketiness of the Street.......Years ago, a friend took over the bond desk at Merrill and it was mentioned that Hermès was the tie of choice. He preferred Charvet but he acquiesced, even though he was the boss, in a show of team unity. He ended up burning the ties when he left Merrill.

Good lord. This is starting to sound like American Psycho. (which, by the by, has some interesting sartorial commentary, should one be so inclined...)