Suit for Young Professional

pablakeman

MOD - Please move if in wrong place

Hello everyone,

I read these forums/the website constantly but not a regular poster, so here goes!

I am currently a final year student at university and have been offered a graduate position with KPMG (Big 4 accountancy company). One thing that is worrying me is what sort of suit to get. I have savings but they aren't too high. I will not be buying Primark suits for £50 but also can't be spending hundreds of pounds just yet.

Can anybody firstly tell me how much I should expect to spend on a good-quality suit (that looks good to. I will be in auditing so image is quite essential due to building client relationship etc...)? I am not looking to get away with a cheap suit, I just don't have experience of this yet. Also, does anybody have any tips on what to buy and from where? I am around 5"7 and a little stocky (not fat) so what looks best?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Deleted User]

I know people who've worked with KPMG - if you're client facing, you will get 'reviewed' on what you plan to wear. So don't go cheap on them...

I've only ever bought from M&S, they've not let me down yet! I've got a £250 suit for interviews, and a couple of the £100 suits that I bought when there was a deal on.

Remember to save some money for decent shirts and cuff-links too

Southend1

How much you spend on a suit is irrelevant. It's all about how it fits you. You may be better off with a £50 Primark suit and spend £20 at the tailors having it altered to fit better than spending £300 at Debenhams or M&S.

DKLS

Initially you would get away with a M&S suit just buy an extra pr of trousers with each suit. Just take someone with you who will be honest about any suit you try on.

Once you have a few quid go tailored, its amazing the difference, my tailored suits give me a massive confidence boost when wearing them.
Fit and quality of tailoring or fabric is key, one option is to buy a suiting length direct from one of the Mills in the Huddersfield area don't bother with Italian cloth it isn't a patch on the UK stuff, and then getting them made up, I bought 4 suit lengths direct then sent them to Thailand to be made up which worked out at around £300 per suit, but would have cost at least 8k on saville row.

BillJones

I'd recommend going for the level of Austin Reed, T.M. Lewin etc, and trying to wait for their sale. Expect to pay around £200 for a suit, £100 on the extra pair of trousers (and you definitely want to buy these), and then, as suggested above, have them adjusted to fit.

Cheaper suits will often very quickly turn shiny, and you want to be aiming to blend in, not stand out.

DaMint

I work at a Big4. You can try T M Lewin for shirts and cufflinks; I'm not sure how they score for suits and their affordability.

I'd echo what other people have said - just make sure it fits properly. Try for a dark blue or dark grey, stay away from crazy ties and make sure it isn't gapey or too long in the arms. Stay away from material that will crease or mark easily, nothing shiny. Don't make your trousers too tight either. You will mainly wear your suit jacket when you are out at clients; during the times you are at the office, it will be hung up or on the back of a chair, so get something that holds its shape reasonably well.

Don't forget minor details - watch, cufflinks, smart briefcase or other such bag. You will probably get a wheelie case or laptop bag if you have a laptop, and might prefer to store what you need in that, so don't go mental on buying a high end briefcase or anything - just get something smart and serviceable.

[Deleted User]

Adding to DaMint - SHOES

Get some nice ones; and your belt should match the colour of them

19lottie82

another vote for M&S. My OH got a lovely suit there for £129.

19lottie82

also, if you have a slaters menswear near you, they are always worth a visit. their assistants are great at offering you advice on getting a suit that fits and looks flattering, no matter your budget.

redcard

Try the clearance section on Next

pablakeman

Southend1 wrote: »

How much you spend on a suit is irrelevant. It's all about how it fits you. You may be better off with a £50 Primark suit and spend £20 at the tailors having it altered to fit better than spending £300 at Debenhams or M&S.

Thanks. Yeah I have heard that this is the case but am just looking at what other people say it will probably cost. I am not going to use this as a "I must spend x amount". I will judge a suit on its quality, not price, but as I will only be a grad trainee my budget isn't too high!

Great advice from everyone so far.

Has anyone tried slaters?

My dad recommends Tesco and Asda suits, not the cheap cheap, but I am not too sure if these would be good enough, but looking at paying £60/£70? He also says M and S trade off their reputation rather than quality and I should avoid, but is this really the case?

I look forward to even more replies, it really is helping out a lot!!