Work Shirts

Well i lucked out. I found a deal where you get 3 tailor made shirts for $109...that's about $36 per shirt...from a tailor based in Sydney. The shirts will be made overseas (probably hong kong) but if it needs further alterations, they will do it here free of charge. They will be using "italian cotton" but apparently i can pay extra for egyptian cotton, etc if i want to. I booked an appointment for thursday and i will post more once i've had a chance to check out the fabrics, etc.

This will be my first time getting shirts tailor made...does anyone have any advice?

Tempted to get the suit too as people keep telling me a decent suit is really important in getting a job...
 
Okay, i'm back. I picked out a stripped white, plain dark blue and plain lilac in summerweight cotton. Cotton felt nice and smooth to the touch, hope the resulting shirt remains the same. One annoying thing though is that i had to pay $15 extra for the hard collars...that bumps it up to about $51 per shirt but it still seems to be the cheapest here, and i can get any further alterations done at their office.

Downside : will take 6-8 weeks from HK o_O.
 
Report back on the results mate :)
 
Tempted to get the suit too as people keep telling me a decent suit is really important in getting a job...

I think it's the least important thing, and won't be a dealbreaker for an employer - who wears suits these days, apart from to interviews? Most people can't tell a good suit from an average one. Most people don't care.

That said, I just bought a suit from Trenery. I haven't bought one in years, my older ones look dated and the pants don't fit anyway. I need one at least one or twice a year for functions. Sale, and my (wife's) VIP status cracked me a further 25% off. $320 for a $700 suit. I've gone with a modern fit, which is more tailored at the waist. It's not perfect, but it looks good.
 
Report back on the results mate :)

Will do when it gets here.

I think it's the least important thing, and won't be a dealbreaker for an employer - who wears suits these days, apart from to interviews? Most people can't tell a good suit from an average one. Most people don't care.

That said, I just bought a suit from Trenery. I haven't bought one in years, my older ones look dated and the pants don't fit anyway. I need one at least one or twice a year for functions. Sale, and my (wife's) VIP status cracked me a further 25% off. $320 for a $700 suit. I've gone with a modern fit, which is more tailored at the waist. It's not perfect, but it looks good.

I've tried getting a cheap suit jacket in stores, but nothing seems to fit me right...the shoulders are either too tight or too small, and altering the shoulders would cost $100+ here. So i was thinking of taking this chance of getting a tailored one from the get go...apparently the suit jacket + pants only would cost $300 and they use 80% wool/20% cashmere, supposedly it's super 180s.
 
Sounds like a decent deal Question, even with the extra money spent on the collar. As you say, it's more or less equivalent to Lewin or Tyrwhitt. After getting darts put in most of my shirts on top of the purchase price, this looks to be both economical and will get you a better fit. Looking forward to hearing about the result. Be careful with the suit, super 180's is typically either very high quality (and thus expensive) or somewhat of a 'name brand' gimmick for cheaper wools. Finer wool with higher S-number is typically much smoother and more 'luxurious' in its feel and appearance than lower numbers due to the higher density of fibres, but it's also much more prone to creasing and supposedly won't wear nearly as well over time as a well-made 120s. Because the wool is much finer, it's also more fragile and so you're more likely over time to wear holes in higher stress places like your back pocket or the knees. I'm not suggesting it's not a good buy, just to be mindful that a little extra care might be required and you might want to consider the possibility that one day the pants will be unusable and factor that in to your colour choice so that the jacket can be worn solo.

All that said though, if you'd need to spend $100 getting it tailored to fix the shoulders, it looks like much better value again.

Suits can be important when you're interviewing, but a lot of that has to do with the field and culture of the position that you're going for. I can wear jeans and a shirt on some days, and a suit and tie on others. It comes down to audience and circumstance, and if you're in front of clients, their expectations as to how you should conduct your business with them. If I was interviewing for a job that might involve something like that, I'd wear a suit because it shows respect for the position and an understanding of appropriate dress for certain scenarios. You can always get more casual once you have the job, and for anything that's corporate you'll be better safe than sorry. That said, most jobs don't require that level of formality so you're unlikely to be eliminated as a contender just because you're not wearing a suit. What kind of field are you applying for?
 
Ah i see. Given the price point i wouldn't be surprised if this was the cheap kind of wool, but unfortunately i can't find any reviews of their suits...i was under the assumption that wool clothing never creases though?

I'm currently studying commerce and majoring in marketing/business law, any industry/field i apply for probably is going to be dress shirts and pants at least, although i'm open to pretty much any industry at this point. There's the slight problem that it is extremely hard to find a job that will allow you to apply without permanent residency though...
 
Wool definitely creases, but with care it's pretty minimal. If you're sitting at a desk for most of the day, you'll end up with creases on your trousers behind your knees but these will mostly hang out over time.

Unless you go on to do a JD and work in law itself, it's unlikely you'd be required to wear a suit on a regular basis. I have a couple of friends who've followed that path, and only one of them is a daily suit wearer and that's in the corporate/financial law side of things. You might find better value in some good shirts (which you're getting) and a good pair of wool trousers (and perhaps a trip to the tailor to get them fitted) rather than a suit, particularly if you move towards the marketing side of things which is often a more creative endeavor and less reliant on corporate-style attire.

Put it this way. I wouldn't run out and buy a suit if you're just planning to use it for an interview in the short term, especially if there's a multi-stage interview process. A good pair of trousers will serve you well in many jobs for years, and you can always hunt down a blazer to match if you need to up the formality. It's not the suit, the wool S-number or the brand that will make you look professional, it's the fit and presentation and the way that you carry yourself. Have a chat to the folks making your shirts though, and ask them where they source their wool from. If they tell you and you can look up the company and check them out, there's a good chance you'll still get a bargain. I didn't mean to persuade you away from these guys, just to let you know that there might be some extra care and consideration required. After all, I'm only speaking from my experience and I've never seen the wool they use. Seeing as you've spent some coin with them already, I'm sure they'll be slightly easier to persuade to give you some more info.
 
Wool definitely creases, but with care it's pretty minimal. If you're sitting at a desk for most of the day, you'll end up with creases on your trousers behind your knees but these will mostly hang out over time.

Unless you go on to do a JD and work in law itself, it's unlikely you'd be required to wear a suit on a regular basis. I have a couple of friends who've followed that path, and only one of them is a daily suit wearer and that's in the corporate/financial law side of things. You might find better value in some good shirts (which you're getting) and a good pair of wool trousers (and perhaps a trip to the tailor to get them fitted) rather than a suit, particularly if you move towards the marketing side of things which is often a more creative endeavor and less reliant on corporate-style attire.

Put it this way. I wouldn't run out and buy a suit if you're just planning to use it for an interview in the short term, especially if there's a multi-stage interview process. A good pair of trousers will serve you well in many jobs for years, and you can always hunt down a blazer to match if you need to up the formality. It's not the suit, the wool S-number or the brand that will make you look professional, it's the fit and presentation and the way that you carry yourself. Have a chat to the folks making your shirts though, and ask them where they source their wool from. If they tell you and you can look up the company and check them out, there's a good chance you'll still get a bargain. I didn't mean to persuade you away from these guys, just to let you know that there might be some extra care and consideration required. After all, I'm only speaking from my experience and I've never seen the wool they use. Seeing as you've spent some coin with them already, I'm sure they'll be slightly easier to persuade to give you some more info.

I was thinking about getting a suit mainly for the interview actually, since apparently a suit is expected for interviews here? I'm finding it very difficult to find proper fititng suit jackets in stores unfortunately.

About the trousers...i'm not sure how important it is to get them tailored from the start. How do i check if a pair of off the rack trousers are fitting me properly (other than length issues)?

Good idea about asking about the source of their wool, but what do you mean by look them up and check them out?
 
Expect the unexpected.
Otherwise, crouch down in them and see if they're still free moving, or too tight for you to be able to squat.
 
Quick question about shortening shirt sleeves (long sleeves with cuffs) : How much does it cost in your experience?
 
You should never pay over $200 to get it done. That would be silly.
 
Quick question about shortening shirt sleeves (long sleeves with cuffs) : How much does it cost in your experience?

I've never done this, but it's a pretty straightforward job for a tailor. They'll just cut the cuff off and re-attach it to the trimmed arm. Someone really good may also move the 'vent' that allows your cuff to breathe up your arm as well depending on it's original length, which will obviously take more time and therefore be more expensive.

For a recommendation, Looksmart Alterations did a good job with one of my shirts. If you're in Melbourne, they're inside Myers. They do simple stuff in-store and send out more complex stuff. I can't remember what I paid, but it was fair and the work was good.
 
Actually any alterations place will move the placket if they shorten the sleeve. It would be a dodgy place indeed if they didn't - it's part of the cuff.

Looksmart are in nearly all Westfields, but might not be the cheapest.

Try a little local chinese alterations place or similar. They should do excellent work and it will most likely be cheaper. It might take a day though.
 
Thanks, i was asking as one of those dry cleaner places wanted to charge me $20 per shirt and claimed that it was a "Very expensive and time consuming process". Seemed a bit high for me, but looksmart in sydney charges $30 per shirt...
 
My local Viet seamstress charges $15 per shirt for cuff changes. It's not bad and she does a good job.

Pants are $10 each for re-hemming.... a bit more if you want them magic hemmed.
 
Well i managed to find a place that charged $15 per shirt, just have to hope it doesn't get screwed up now...
 
Thats a fair price.

Still a large tub of Dr Jons per shirt :( couldn't you roll up your sleeves?
 
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