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Page 2 of 5 Building a wardrobe Now that youâve landed that plum summer or articling position, the fail-safe charcoal or navy suit isnât going to take you through an entire work week. When building a professional wardrobe, choose your pieces thoughtfully and learn to maximize your wardrobe, says Hemmings.
âWhen Iâm buying a suit I try to buy three pieces â the skirt, the pants, and the jacket. Right there you have two suits,â she says. âRather than spending the money on two separate suits youâve got a two-in-one suit.â Bourchier recalls that as an articling student he had two suits and would rotate them with a variety of shirts and ties.
âMy general advice for students is that you should have one or two nice suits and they should be blue and charcoal, because you can interchange the parts and you can create bold expressions by changing your shirts and ties and it gives the impression you have more clothes than you actually do,â he says. âAs you get older and have more resources you can buy more suits.â
Liston says the once inappropriate black suit has made a big comeback over the years, and it offers the versatility that a young lawyer may want.
âToday, more than in the past, black suits are acceptable,â he says. âI think for a young man, a black suit is multi-purpose. It can serve in both daytime and in the evening. He can wear it for daytime and then itâs a great suit for events or if he does want to go out at night. Itâs good for both business and social.â
Hemmings says she sticks with classic items to prolong the life of her wardrobe, rather than picking up trendy sales items. âClassics are important because you canât afford to be shopping every season. You want things that are going to last for the next five years.â
When it comes to selecting a suit, the cut, fit, and fabric should be at the forefront rather than the cost or brand name. âIt depends on what your resources are. If you have the resources to spend $1,200 on a Hugo Boss suit, sure, go ahead,â says Bourchier. âBut I can tell you I work at a large downtown law firm in Vancouver and I donât look at someone and go âOh, because they donât have an [Ermenegildo] Zegna suit on, theyâre not worth interviewing.â
âBe aware that youâre going to have to purchase, both male or female, one or two suits at least so what I would do is after Christmas, when you know you have interviews coming up the next year, see if you can buy a suit when itâs going to be on sale. Donât buy something trendy, but something thatâs going to last you a couple of years.â Conversely, donât just buy something because itâs on sale, he says.
Hemmings says when sheâs shopping for a suit she focuses on quality, classics, and sales. âIn terms of quality, you can have a suit on and if itâs not good quality it just doesnât look good,â she says. âI always look for good materials, I donât necessarily want polyester.â And if you do choose a polyblend, itâs important that the garment has a good shape, she notes.
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