Madonna University, the Catholic university the Felician Sisters founded in Livonia in 1937, sends out graduates every year who do the sensible thing and buy a suit for the interviews. Then they wear it with the shirt they already own and the shoes they wore to the ceremony. Across a desk, the shirt and the shoes are half of what the interviewer sees. The suit was the easy half.
The collar
A shirt collar that gaps from the neck says the shirt was bought for someone else. One that fits closes with a finger of room and stays up under the jacket. Buy the neck size rather than the small-medium-large, and buy white; a white collar against a navy suit is the one combination that has never been wrong in a job interview.
The shoes
A dark leather shoe with a leather sole, and the hem of the trousers set to that shoe and no other. A hem cut to a sneaker and worn with a dress shoe puddles, and a hem cut to a dress shoe and worn with a boot rides up. Roman, master tailor at Lincoln Tailor, on site in our store, hems to the pair you bring, so bring the pair.
Then the suit
Navy, plain, Signature Wool at $259 to $299 if the first job is one where the suit works most days; an Everyday Classic at $139 to $159 if it works twice a month. The consultant will ask which before pulling either.
Also for Livonia: Three Sons at Franklin, Three Junes, One Father’s Suit. More on style consulting, or plan your visit to our Oak Park showroom.
