New Job - New Wardrobe - Help!

[Rookie1986]

Hey guys, how's everyone been??

I'm hoping you all can give me some advice, I was recently successful in securing myself a new job but I've hit a slight problem.... Basically for my entire working life I've had manual based jobs or worked in retail where a uniform of sorts has always been supplied.

My new role is a managerial position for a high-end research and development company, unfortunately I'm going to have to attend work in the dreaded "Shirt and Tie" combo, this isn't really my usual area of expertise so I'm looking for advice on where would be a good place to get myself some new stuff ready to start the new job.

I'm going to need just about everything (Shoes, shirt, ties, trousers... Everything!) & then comes the hardest decision of them all.... What new watch to get myself as a "gift" for my successful appointment in this new role?

So, can anyone help advise me?

Thnx,
/Rookie

[GoNz0]

Can't help with the clothes as I buy cheap shirts, Disney ties and Army cargo trousers for work, but I have a few Vostok Europe watches as they are different to the norm. I keep eyeing up the vostok lunokhod 2 a the next addition to my collection.

[Jasp]

Really depends on cost and what you want, anywhere from Asda to Moss Bros. If you have one nearby a colleague i worked with recommend Slaters extremely highly. As for a watch that's really personal preference depending what you want. quite a fan of Citizens Eco Radio controlled watches myself got this one which is amazing http://www.citizenwatch.com/en-us/wa...del=AT8010-58E

[Top_gun]

Keep it simple. Overdressing or trying too hard could actually backfire. However, I did dress to kill at work and it winded up my colleagues big time. So I kept on doing it.

[Andy3536]

Buy it all from the internets....

Non iron shirts are great :-)

Next has been good for me when buying the odd tie, but i only where it about once every year or so.
As for watch, what's your budget.
Hamilton and Tissot would give you some great watches to go well with a suit. But if budget doesn't stretch that far, Citizen or Seiko solar or some of the dressier saiko 5s would work well.
Here's another smart option though that's a bit different.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-watch-company

[herulach]

Depends how much you're spending. Slaters are pretty decent for suits, with the advantage that they'll fit properly, if you're at all a non standard shape a fitted £100 suit looks better than an ill fitting £500 one. Shirts I only have charles trywhitt non iron. Straight on the hanger out of the tumble dryer, no iron fun. They also don't crease during the day.
Ties I only have about 4 of as I don't wear them in the office, only at customers or special occasions, but they're mostly next.

[OilSheikh]

Shirt, Trouser and Ties from Primark.
Avoid the 100% cotton shirts as they are difficult to iron!
If you need a suit, go to Debenhams and it will set you back £100 incl. suit jacket and trouser
Shoes - go to a Clarks Factory outlet shop, their shoes are the best and very comfy
You also need a summer jacket, BHS have some decent khaki ones.

Don't wear a watch. You will look like an idiot. No one wears watches anymor,e everyone has phones

[Andy3536]

Shirt, Trouser and Ties from Primark.
Avoid the 100% cotton shirts as they are difficult to iron!
If you need a suit, go to Debenhams and it will set you back £100 incl. suit jacket and trouser
Shoes - go to a Clarks Factory outlet shop, their shoes are the best and very comfy
You also need a summer jacket, BHS have some decent khaki ones.

Don't wear a watch. You will look like an idiot. No one wears watches anymor,e everyone has phones

I have to disagree here, nothing sets a worse impression when your wearing a suit than continuously taking your phone out of your pocket.
I've seen managers and directors do it, it just comes accross that your board or disinterested in what's going on and who your talking to. They don't know your checking the time, a decent dress watch will seem much better.

[KeyboardDemon]

Shirt, Trouser and Ties from Primark.
Avoid the 100% cotton shirts as they are difficult to iron!
If you need a suit, go to Debenhams and it will set you back £100 incl. suit jacket and trouser
Shoes - go to a Clarks Factory outlet shop, their shoes are the best and very comfy
You also need a summer jacket, BHS have some decent khaki ones.

Yeah, I have to agree with the Primarni fashions at affordable prices, stock up on white shirts and a good selection of ties then once you are in a position to start replacing shirts with better shirts from BHS or M&S then you can do that, most people won't be able to tell Cedar State from M&S anyway.

I have to disagree here, nothing sets a worse impression when your wearing a suit than continuously taking your phone out of your pocket.
I've seen managers and directors do it, it just comes accross that your board or disinterested in what's going on and who your talking to. They don't know your checking the time, a decent dress watch will seem much better.

I actually think a simple watch would be fine, nothing too flash.

[deejayburnout]

Well done on the new job.

Before going and buying new clobber, u would ask yourself what style do you like. I have always found the basic shirt and tie getup a bit boring, so if I was in your position I would look at styles you like and purchase items accordingly.

Once you know what you like, shopping should be a bit easier as you know what to look for.

A woman's advice is always good too.........

[csgohan4]

A simple classic Casio watch will do no harm, nothing too flashy. If you have a watch more expensive than your manager, that will not bode well.

In terms of suits, I like moss Boss, not too expensive than the main stream, but I do like the Ted Baker suits, they seem to have some technology embedded which I am a big fan of.

If your budget will stretch, get some Timberland shoes with anti fatigue technology if your going to walking around all day, great for those poor feet.

i agree with the above regarding anti crease shirts, they are a life saver.

[GoNz0]

Don't wear a watch. You will look like an idiot. No one wears watches anymor,e everyone has phones

You're welcome to an opinion but don't call me an idiot for wearing a watch.

[Andy3536]

I actually think a simple watch would be fine, nothing too flash.

Yeah, just a bad turn of phrase on the end of my post. Replace 'decent' with a 'nice looking dress watch'.
Doesn't need to be expencive, just needs to look smart.

[herulach]

Yeah, I have to agree with the Primarni fashions at affordable prices, stock up on white shirts and a good selection of ties then once you are in a position to start replacing shirts with better shirts from BHS or M&S then you can do that, most people won't be able to tell Cedar State from M&S anyway.



I actually think a simple watch would be fine, nothing too flash.

M&S make genuinely awful shirts. And honestly you can tell the difference between primark suits and mre expensive ones, maybe not straight away, but IME cheap sits tend not to wear well at all. Shiny backside, glus in the lapels unstuck etc. In the long run a more expensive suit (even £200 ones) will last significantly longer. Since I started buying more expensive ones (250-300) I'm finding I get much longer out of them - maybe 12 months rather than 2/3 and they look nicer, and have dividers in the pockets for keys etc.

[Zhaoman]

I always get the cheapest Primark/Asda shirts I can, you'll need lots of them and as long as they fit snugly you'll look fine! You can always top it up with a nice shirt once in a while when you see one or when you need one.

I find Next to be quite nice and not expensive for suits and ties but avoid them for shoes. It might be good to alternate a couple of nice looking suits and a cheapo one from Primark or something and it won't wear out so fast. Ties aren't as big an investment so you can get some decent/fancy looking ones from Ted Baker and the like without breaking the bank and what I do now is just be on the look out for unique/distinctive ties in giftshops everytime I go somewhere. They're overpriced but it's the one thing you can push the boat out a bit with and they're not expensive like a fancy suit would be. I find Topman pretty good for casual work trousers that don't look like something your dad would wear, Zara has some nice blazers too but avoid shoes from all these shops they're terrible. The most important thing is that everything you get fits you, like there are no overhanging shoulders or sleeves being too short, and you'll look good!

I hate shoes, I can never find good ones, what I'll say is: look for something with a solid sole, some cushioning and nice shoelaces (they save a lot of hassle). And never ever buy cheapo shoes especially ones for less than £40 or so, they're guaranteed to be uncomfortable and wear out after a few months no matter how good they look! And congrats on the new job lol!

[Brian224]

Try a black suit from Matalan and buy several extra pairs of matching trousers, after all, most of the time your jacket will be on a hanger (or the back of your chair - just never wear it in a car or train, better to leave it at work).

Shoes hardly matter as long as they are not trainers and are kept clean.

Avoid look-alikes of the top brand watches if you will be meeting senior executives and investors, nothing looks worse than an almost-Rolex. Perhaps have a look at Mondaine watches. Not a premium brand but they licence the Swiss railway clock-face, and are therefore modern looking (despite it being a 1940s design) and understated, as well as being easy to read and just unusual enough to get noticed.

Another thing to avoid are the cheapest white shirts as they tend to be a bit too see-through, again Matalan seem to be able to balance price and quality pretty well, especially their shirt/tie packs.