Quote: (12-04-2015 04:40 PM)RoastBeefCurtains4Me Wrote:
Wait a minute!? Obviously you wouldn't wear a black shirt with a suit to an interview, but your saying not ever? I disagree. I've had several long sleeve button up black shirts over the years, and I think they look sharp. I googled images for black men's shirts, and I think they look good generally.
Perhaps this advice is only targeted at people in the investment banking crowd?
Absolutely categorically never.
If you want to impress barmaids and single mothers, or convince some tired old hooker that you once appeared alongside Leonardo di Caprio in a B movie at the start of his career and 'taught him everything he knows', or even if you want to lure small children into the back of your rusted old van, then the black shirt should be your go to garment of choice. Paired with a nice, gold or silver lame (insert appropriate inflection) tie to really complete the look.
Seriously, the people that think you look sharp in a black shirt will never find themselves within 10 floors of the boardroom of any major public company, or indeed any established private company that isn't a startup, unless they are there to sweep the floors.
A suit is a uniform, and how you wear it signals to those who call the shots whether you belong in their club one day or not. I can tell you the moment someone walks through the door whether he has the potential to rise to the very top of a major company based on how his suit fits, how his shoes look, the colour of his shirt, the cut of its collar, choice of tie, etc. There is a right way to wear a suit, and there is a right way to add individual flare. There are also a thousand wrong ways to do it, and if you do get it wrong you will not make it into the major leagues. It sounds trivial but impressions count, particularly at the highest levels, and having a jacket tailored too short because you thought it looked good on David Beckham, or similar fashion faux pas, are the death knell of your aspirations.