Sunday, February 21, 2016

Suit Yourself

In my last budget post, I mentioned that I'm in the process of looking for an internship for the summer. That means I've been thinking about what I want to do when I (eventually) graduate, updating my resumé, writing a new cover letter, talking to students in my field who are already working full-time, and making a shortlist of companies that I'm interested in. It also means that I need to get a new suit. My last one was from about 6 years ago, so you can say it's looking a little out-of-date. In fact, I wore it to a recent career fair and felt super frumpy! That's the opposite of how a good suit should make you feel, which is powerful and confident.

Anyway, I started researching women's suiting options a few weeks ago and came to several conclusions about what I like and dislike. First of all, I know that I want a pant suit and not a skirt suit. A skirt suit is more conservative, and a skirt would be easier to fit, but it also labels me as "other" in an already male-dominated field. Also I just feel more confident and less self-conscious in pants. Secondly I prefer a two-button jacket. I looked at some pictures of jackets with one, two, and three buttons, and overall two buttons seem like the perfect balance. Three buttons look a little stodgy, and one button is too casual. Thirdly (and this is a personal preference), I like black best as a suit color. I think navy is hard to pair with shoes, and charcoal gray looks a little too casual. Lastly I'm looking for pants that aren't super baggy. For some reason, suit pants are always ill-fitting! Maybe that's fine for men, but it's very unflattering on women.

From my preliminary search, I narrowed my options down to a few mall retailers that fit me decently well. The early front-runners are:

1. Banana Republic

This jacket and pant combo is a relatively affordable option at $308 full-price. Since Banana Republic frequently has 40% off sales (although watch for the exclusions), this could potentially be as cheap as $185 before any additional discounts. That's not bad at all for a suit that's 95% wool!

2. Ann Taylor

Most of the pieces from these two suits are online exclusives, which means no try-on unless I order them. The first one is made from tropical wool, which is kind of misleading when you consider that the material is actually only 41% wool. The price is similar to Banana Republic at $327 full-price, and Ann Taylor also frequently has 40% off sales. I really like the silhouette of the jacket, although the pants (which are lined) don't seem slim enough. The second suit is made from all-season stretch fabric, whatever that means. Apparently it's 49% polyester, 48% viscose, and 3% elastane. I'm a little concerned about how breathable the material will be, but the jacket and pants are the cheapest option at $267 full-price.

3. J.Crew


Of course this list would be incomplete without my beloved J.Crew, even if their quality is iffy at times. This is the only suit mentioned here that is 100% wool. Of course you pay for the quality; this jacket and these pants cost a total of $396. J.Crew sometimes has 30% off everything sales, but I suspect those might be getting more rare in the future as J.Crew tries to wean us off the perpetual discounts.

So these are my top contenders. I wish I could afford this Theory blazer and pant combo, but I'm afraid my student budget just isn't up to the task.

Do you have a suit that you like? If so, where is it from? What do you look for in a suit?


11 comments:

  1. As a geologist, I can relate to your being in a male dominated field. I think a suit with pants is a great idea, and you may get more use out of the pieces as separates, too. Sometimes you can find a three piece suit (jacket, pants, skirt) and that's even more versatile - particularly if you are traveling for work.

    I'm a JCrew fan as well, and to be honest I have been very disillusioned with their jackets in the last couple of years. (I really don't care for their Regent blazer at all.)

    Have you checked Nordstrom or any of the other department stores? If I were looking for a suit, I think I'd gravitate towards a jacket with a strong shoulder, interesting lapel, and great buttons. Brooks Brothers is conservative, but their quality is great. You may pay more for items but when you consider the cost per wear, it may be worth it.

    Personal taste for me would be to find something with a pattern (pin-stripe, tweed, subtle plaid or texture). Those still are professional looking but more visually interesting than a solid black or navy blue.

    Good luck!

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    1. I think most of the mall retailers definitely offer a skirt option, but I'm not sure how much wear I would get out of it. I would probably opt for pants 99.9% of the time.

      Good tip about department stores and Brooks Brothers! I'll have to go try those on in person. I think I've defaulted to ordering things online and returning whatever doesn't fit!

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  2. Hi Engineer L,
    I have suits from all 3. And I am an architect so I understand what you mean about male domineering field. I must say I love the J Crew suits the most. It's androgenous but form fitting for a female. AT is a little too feminine (curvy) and BR is a bit too straight. If that makes sense.

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    1. Based on your description, I think Banana Republic might be the best fit for me, because I have a pretty straight figure. J.Crew might also work, since their clothes tend to fit me in general. I do find Ann Taylor to flare out too much at the hips, so maybe that's out.

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  3. I also strongly prefer two-button jackets for my suits. One button jackets just look very awkward on me. If you're only looking for suits for very occasional use during formal interviews, I actually quite like The Limited's suits (which are all-polyester, unfortunately, but go on sale quite frequently). The cut of their basic blazers works well for me.

    I'm hoping to invest in a nicer suit (probably from Brooks Brothers?) this year, though I haven't gotten around to actually trying anything on yet.

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    1. Thanks for the tip about The Limited! I don't know that I've ever shopped there before, but I'll have to check it out. I'm a little wary of all-polyester, because my current suit (from Express...) is mostly polyester, and it really doesn't breathe at all. I'll also look into Brooks Brothers, but it's probably too pricey for me right now.

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  4. I'm coming out of "lurkerdom" to highly recommend splurging on a suit from Theory. You and I seem to be of similar builds, and I've found Theory to have the best tailoring and to offer a better, more chic fit than most suits at the slightly lower price point. Saks, Nordstrom, et al will occasionally put them on sale, and generally include them in friends and family sales, which makes the price more manageable. Good luck!

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    1. Welcome! I've heard so many good things about Theory suits that I kind of consider them the gold standard. I've definitely seen a few on sale at Nordstrom, but they're usually non-traditional colors/patterns. I'll keep my eye out for a solid black one, but I also need one soon for interviews, presentations, etc.

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    2. I agree on Theory! Plus, you can get alterations at Nordstrom if you need it. I have a Theory leather moto jacket that will be in my wardrobe forever - and I got it at Nordstrom at a steep discount!

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  5. I tried mall shopping for a suit and finally found one that fit at Express. The sales guy gave me a $40 off coupon so the total ended up being around $140 for a black skirt suit.

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    1. Express suits are very reasonably priced, which is why my old suit is from there. Unfortunately it doesn't fit me very well, and the fabric doesn't really breathe, which is why I'm looking to branch out to other brands.

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