An interview suit has a strange brief: it must be right for a room the buyer has never entered, among people whose habits he doesn’t know, for a job he doesn’t have. Nobody can research their way out of that, and men waste a lot of energy trying.
The answer that survives not knowing
Navy, plain, well fitted, white shirt. It is correct in a conservative office and unremarkable in a relaxed one. It has never once been the reason someone didn’t get a job, which is the only performance standard an interview suit has.
What people try instead
Signalling. Something with personality, to show they’re interesting, or something expensive, to show they’re serious. Both put the suit in the conversation, and the correct outcome is that nobody remembers the suit at all.
Where the money goes
Into the fit and the shirt, both of which are visible at conversational distance, rather than into a tier nobody across a desk can identify. An Everyday Classic at $139 to $159, fitted properly by Roman, master tailor at Lincoln Tailor, on site in our store, outperforms an unaltered suit at any price.
Also for Canton: A 400-Seat Theater, and the Audience You Forget. More on style consulting, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
