9/27    Best place to buy a suit for interviews?  (bang for buck)
        \_ Whatever you do, make sure you don't look cheap.  A cheap looking
           suit is worse than no suit in many cases.
        \_ Brooks Brothers.  Do a tiny bit of reading up on how suits are
           made (types of lining, sewn vs. basted, cloths, etc.), go to the
           tall Russian woman upstairs (brown hair, bags under her eyes)
           and tell her what you want.  Also, few things put off a good
           suit more than cheap shirts or a wrinkled tie.  Don't forget to
           ask for advice on socks/tie colors, etc.  Avoid Nordstrom's, Macys,
           Men's Wearhouse at all costs, you have been warned.  Also, there
           are a number of smaller suit boutiques (assuming this is SF) that
           aren't too pricey--just make sure the sales guy is an absolutely
           flamboyant homosexual--I'd never buy a suit from a straight male
           under 65.  -John
                \_ everything sounds good but what's wrong w/ nordstroms?
                   \_ Repeated personal experience, purely subjective.  I have
                      encountered a stream of extremely slimey, incompetent,
                      dishonest sales guys there, interested in selling me the
                      most expensive shit and getting me out the store, if
                      it fit me or not.  Dim has a point with the Rack below;
                      I just find BB suits to be of excellent quality, and you
                      get good advice.  The main problem with outlets is that
                      staff with a clue is rare, and finding a nice suit is a
                      crapshoot.  If you have the budget, a "good" store is
                      just far less of a hassle.  In case you succeed, do not
                      have it altered there.  I strongly recommend Ernesto's
                      tailoring--5th floor, Flood Building, 860 Market St.,
                      take a left and then a right from the elevators.  Cheap,
                      fast, excellent quality.  -John
        \_ Go to Off Fifth (Saks Outlet). I've bought Armani there for < $400.
           Other outlets including the Armani outlet, the Brooks Brothers
           outlet (BB suits aren't as good as they used to be), Neiman outlet
                        \_ Out of curiosity, what makes you say that?  At the
                           risk of sounding like their ad mascot, I've never
                           gotten anything less than stellar there.  -John
           and such are also best bets. If no outlet stores are near you, try
           Nordstrom Rack and Marshall's. Yes, Marshall's. Most of their
           clothes are not interesting, but I've seen suits from big names
           there like Hart Shaffner Marx, Oxford, and Hickey Freeman cheap.
           Nordstrom is ok if you want to pay retail. While at the outlet
           pick up some Italian shirts, a pair of shoes, and some silk ties.
           Then you need to get the suits tailored. You will spend $200 or
           so for that. If you didn't, your tailor sucks. I would budget
           $800-$1000 ($600+ suit/tailor, $150 shoes, $100 shirt/tie) for a
           complete outfit that is SHARP. --dim
                \_ Second the vote for Nordstrom Rack. I bought a couple of
                        nice suits there for a decent price. Tailor is not
                        as expensive as being quoted here.
                \_ I forget where I got mine but tailoring was part of the
                   package and they did a good job.  Paying $200 for just a
                   tailor sounds like you're used to getting screwed.
                   \_ Sounds like you are used to wearing ill-tailored
                      suits. Don't use the tailor at the store unless the
                      store is Versace or something. I've paid more for
                      tailoring than for the suit itself (same for gf's
                      dresses). Realize that tailoring basically means
                      taking the suit apart and putting it back together,
                      not just doing a hem. For sure it will cost $150 min.
        \_ So, what color suit is best for business?
           \_ Red with gold fur lined trim.
              \- if you are a white person i'd get a dark blue or maybe
                 dark charcoal.
                 \_ And red tie
                        \_ If you're going to commit such an atrocity, at
                           least make sure the tip covers your buckle. -John