Job Interview: Questions about a navy blue suit and brown shoes

[kmarizo]

I will be going on a job interview in two weeks. The company is a mix of conservative and casual. I plan on wearing a conservative suit/shirt. I am thinking of wearing my navy blue Tommy Hilfiger slim fit suit that I bought last year. It kind of looks like this.


Questions:


1) For shirts:


a. Do I wear a white shirt with red tie?

b. Lighter blue shirt with a red tie

c. Lighter blue shirt with darker blue tie


2) The tie: regardless of a red or blue, a solid color tie looks kind of unimaginative, no? Should I wear a tie with some subtle polka dotting or striping..... or keep it a solid tie?


3) For shoes:


I am thinking about wearing my Allen Edmonds strainds (walnut). Will the AE's go well with the navy suit? Is it a dark enough brown?

[greg_s]

I say white shirt, a tie with a conservative pattern (some red in it will look great if the hue of the red compliments the hue of the navy), and darker brown shoes than walnut. A medium brown will work if the navy color is similar to the one linked. I haven't seen walnut strands in person, it is my understanding that some walnut AE shoes are actually closer to a medium brown but that the strands are lighter in tone.


You can also go the patterned shirt and more toned down tie look but I'd save that til you get the job. Good luck, sir.

[Chareth]

Unless you work in a creative industry that might appreciate your shoes, you should probably just wear black to be on the safe side. Most won't even notice your shoes, but do you want to take that chance?

[hornsup84]

I'm with the other posters -- I'd save the walnut shoes for later if you're going into an interview at a conservative place. For shirt/tie combo, I would generally stick with a solid white shirt (maybe a light blue, but stay away from darker colors) and a subtle pattern as Greg mentioned. A darker red with polka dots is a solid choice. I personally would suggest staying away from a stripe for interviews because a stripe can come off as slightly young, given the prep school background off of which some ties play. Most important I'd say is that you feel comfortable in what you're wearing, so that you are showcased in the interview, not your clothes.

[alan]

Agreed. I personally think a navy suit with walnut Strands is the epitome of slick, but an interview is more about being competent and reliable rather than slick. If it's a sharkskin suit like the one in the picture, it'll have more than enough personality on its own.


As for the shirt... either white or light blue are solid choices for a navy suit.


As for a red tie... Exactly how red are we talking? Are we talking burgundy? Fire engine red? I would definitely stick with a darker red. And as for patterns, I don't think anything is off limits as long as it's simple. I really like hornsup's tie suggestion:





Even a slightly darker red tie might be better, but I still like this one. That's as adventurous as you should probably get, though. And keep the shoes a medium to dark brown.

[LesserBlackDog]

I'd go with a white or light blue shirt, a dark tie either in a solid or some kind of subtle pattern/texture, and dark brown or black shoes. Throw in a tie clip or tie pin, but probably steer clear of pocket squares and French cuffs/cuff links, which can look a bit pretentious in a professional setting, especially on a younger guy.


I think, as far as job interview outfits go, you're better off distinguishing yourself through subtle details like fit and texture, rather than distinctive colors or patterns.


Your interviewer will have seen a lot of people come through dressed in the same boring outfit, over and over again. You'd rather have her or him remember you for what you said that was good, rather than what you wore that was unusual, but if they do remember you for what you wore, you want it to be because you improved on the basics, not that you dramatically altered them.

[AedanM]

I was just going to ask the same question. I have a navy suit with brown shoes and need a conservative tie to go with it. Most of the ties I have are green, purple, pink, etc. I'll probably get a nice dark wool tie to go with my white shirt. I can't wear red since I have red hair.

[jason_carreira]

Dark green should be okay too, especially if you have pale coloring with red hair.

[alan]

Look at JC! Busting out the color wheel. :-)

[kmarizo]

Thanks to all for the suggestions !

[alan]

Should we have an interview attire sticky thread? :-)

[LosRockets]

JC is right though A lot of it depends on your skin color. I used to be so uncomfortable in interviews wearing a white shirt, and then I realized I just look so much better in light blue and stopped being self-conscious once I started wearing light blue dress shirts almost exclusively with my suit.


So wear the color that goes best for your skin tone and then either a blue or a red solid or subtle-patterned (no stripes) tie will be solid. I also agree to try and wear black or dark brown cap toe shoes if you have them instead of the Strands!

[nicholascrawford]

A white shirt with a red tie is known as a power combo. If you're going for that, go for that. I wouldn't do that unless I owned the place, and even then, it's not my personality.


If you're an Italian broker, you might wear that combo every day.

[jason_carreira]

@Alan I have an art degree! I have to use it once a year or they'll take it away.

[AedanM]

@Jason I don't think the green ties I have are dark enough, but I'll keep it in mind while I'm shopping.