I take feedback very seriously, so this post is a re-write of the original and hopefully gives better advice specific to banking rather than just listing business casual items to buy.

Basic Rules

The most important point to keep in mind is also the most obvious: don’t do anything that’s egregiously bad. If suits are required, wear a suit. Don’t show up in shorts and a t-shirt unless it’s the weekend and other people do that.

You can debate endlessly where to buy clothes, how much to spend on shirts/suits and how many shirts/suits are needed, but unless you screw up on a consistent basis, your fashion choices are not going to affect your reviews, your bonus, or your future potential (at least until you get more senior).

When To Shop

I would suggest buying most of your wardrobe before your investment banking summer internship starts. If you’re coming in as a full-time hire, I would suggest shopping during or just before training due to 1) the sheer number of fashion choices in New York City and 2) your plethora of free time before the job really starts.

You may not appreciate it now but your time will be extremely limited later on so it’s better to front-load as much as you can.

I would keep an eye out for sales, especially at higher-end stores, and try to time your shopping to coincide with those as well.

But if you have to choose, it’s better to get the clothes you need and pay a little extra rather than wait for that amazing sale that happens 2 months after you start when you really want to go shopping but get called into the office at 8 AM on a Saturday morning for a pitch needed by Monday.

Suggested Budget

If you’re a full-time Analyst I would allot around $3,000 for your wardrobe. Since you have a 2-year commitment, you need a decent amount of clothes to start with.

As a summer analyst you can get by with less than that, especially if the dress code is business casual.

Suits will be the most expensive item in your wardrobe so you need to figure out what the dress code is before you start. The number of suits required determines your budget.

Where To Shop

I would stick to outlets for most of your shopping needs, especially if you’re an intern.

The specific outlets to go to depend on where you’re working - when I was in New York for training I went to an outlet mall just outside the city and did some shopping there.

There are plenty in the city as well - I just went to Premium Outlets because I had shopped there before. They have locations near SF, LA, Chicago and throughout Texas as well so no matter where you’re working you can probably find a nearby location.

Even though Leveraged Sellout pokes fun at bankers doing all their shopping at Brooks Brothers, in general I think it is a good choice so long as you go there during a sale.

Brooks Brothers works well for dress shirts, slacks and belts; you could conceivably get your entire wardrobe there, but for suits you will be able to find better deals at major department stores such as Saks and Lord & Taylor.

What Do You Actually Need To Buy?

If you do not need to wear a suit every day, I would suggest 2 suits, 5-10 dress shirts, 2-3 pairs of shoes, 3-4 ties, 5-10 dress socks, 3-4 dress slacks and 2-3 belts. If the dress code is business formal, you’ll probably want 3-4 suits rather than 2.

I had some questions on how you can possibly survive with only a few suits if you have to wear one every day - the answer is quite simple: you do not dry clean a suit after wearing it just once.

In fact, too much dry cleaning actually damages your suits. Once every 3 months is a better frequency (obviously if you get a stain, get it removed as soon as possible).

If you can’t wash your clothes every 2 weeks you might need more than what I recommend above, but I would take a wait-and-see approach with this.

I took a quick poll of Analysts in my office and no one had significantly more clothes than what I suggest above (well, one guy did but he’s worth a couple million and no one here knows why he’s even in banking to begin with…).

What To Pay

I would spend between $500 and $1,000 on a new suit and make sure it’s tailored to fit you properly. It’s better to pick a non-brand-name suit that fits you well rather than dropping $5,000 and getting a high-priced suit with sleeves that are 2 inches too long.

This is one reason it’s better to go to a department store for a suit - you can get a tailor to customize it properly and end up paying about the same since the suit itself is less expensive.

For dress shirts you can expect to pay in the $40-$60 range assuming you are buying during a sale and/or have gone to an outlet. Try to pay less than $100 per pair of slacks.

People have a wide range of views on shoes; if you want something that is classy and lasts several years, expect to pay close to $300, but you could get away with a pair for $100 - they probably won’t last too long though. In the $300+ range, Allen Edmonds and Alden are popular choices.

For ties I would try for less than $100 each; belts should be around $50 each. And you’re crazy if you spend more than $10 per pair of dress socks.

These quotes represent sales/outlet prices - you could go even more budget, or you could pay a lot more as well. I’m just sticking to the middle of the road here with the assumption that you want to look nice without spending more than $3,000 on a new wardrobe.

What NOT To Do

It’s almost easier to give advice on what NOT to do since that is pretty well-established.

Avoid pure black suits. The logic here is that they are more appropriate for formal settings like dinners or for religious functions like funerals - not business.

Inquisitor Note: I have worn black suits to interviews and meetings before and nothing happened. In fact, I received offers from every interview I wore a black suit to.

I’m sure more fashion-conscious people thought I was an idiot, but it didn’t prevent me from getting top bonus last year, so it’s not the end of the world if you’ve worn or own a black suit.

Still, if you are just starting out I would stick to charcoal, grey and navy blue instead. It’s just the safer and more acceptable practice. Only buy a black suit if you have a series of funerals coming up.

In terms of other colors, don’t go crazy with shirts and ties - light blue and white are usually the safest bets, especially in terms of matching with a suit. I would avoid larger/crazy patterns and stick with either solid colors or very small patterns.

This may seem “boring” but it’s better to be on the conservative side when you first start and adapt as you see what other people in your office are doing.

Do not buy cufflinks, especially if you’re an intern. One summer analyst last year wore these to work his first day and we laughed at him for the next week or so. When you get promoted to VP and start making more on an hourly basis than a McDonald’s worker you can consider buying these items.

For shoes, just stay away from anything with square toes and make sure they have leather soles (e.g. they are actually high-quality shoes).

Ok, But How Important Is Fashion In Investment Banking?

Even though I tend to be a minimalist, I’m not going to lie and say fashion is irrelevant. However, it matters more at the senior levels when you’re meeting with clients every day and are judged on how presentable and polished you are.

As an Analyst or Associate, you won’t have enough client contact to justify spending a fortune on clothes. This is the dirty little secret that those glossy career fair brochures don’t reveal.

You will be judged on the quality of your work rather than the quality of your wardrobe. It helps to make a good first impression, but it doesn’t matter if someone is wearing a $1,000 suit and yours is only $500.

90% of the conversations between Analysts at a bank are dominated by 2 topics: 1) complaining about work/life and 2) gossiping about co-workers.

Fashion rarely comes up unless you do something laughably out of place (cufflinks as an intern on the first day).

More Resources And Questions I Can’t Answer

Some readers have also asked how to decide whether or not a suit is a good fit and how to evaluate different items for quality. This is extremely difficult to describe in writing and I am not an expert - I just know what generally looks right and what doesn’t.

A good book on these topics is Dressing The Man, by Alan Flusser. It’s focused almost entirely on business and formal wear, and is known as the gold standard in terms of professional attire for men.

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Elite Boutiques

“I had multiple full-time bulge bracket offers but instead opted to go to a recently founded “elite” boutique with a very well-known founder. I thought the experience, exposure and overall environment would be much better.

I had assumed that my exit opportunities would be at least as good as those of most bulge bracket analysts, given the prestige and selectivity of this firm. However, after reading about how well-recruited bulge bracket analysts are, I found myself wondering whether this will work out as I had initially thought.

Moelis hasn’t even graduated its first analyst class yet, and some of the other newly founded boutiques have only had a few years of analysts in their ranks. Given the very “young” status of my firm, will my access to recruiters, private equity firms and hedge funds be as good as I had initially thought?”

Inquisitor:

First, I should clarify one point here: back when I wrote my article on boutiques vs. bulge brackets, I was referring to regional boutiques and small firms that are not widely known.

Places like Lazard and Evercore, though technically “boutiques,” are a completely different ball game and you would get nearly the same access to recruiters there as you would at bulge brackets.

As for your own situation, it’s hard to say since your firm is new and doesn’t have a track record. I would guess that your recruiter access will probably be better than it would be at a middle-market or regional boutique, but not as good as what you would get at a bulge bracket or “prestigious” boutique.

If I were in your situation I would not even rely on recruiters. Since the firm is smaller and the founders are widely known, I would leverage their connections and have them make personal introductions. That will be a much more powerful way to get private equity interviews and get in front of other buyside firms.

Moving To The Buyside Early

“One thing you haven’t talked about in detail on the site is moving to private equity or hedge funds early. You mention briefly that you can/should move to buyside after a year if you know that this is where you want to be, but you don’t say how to go about it, if it is realistic, and what downsides there are. Is it worth applying to large-cap private equity firm after a year on the job or do you just not have a chance?”

Inquisitor:

While it’s possible to move to a large private equity firm after a year in banking, it’s not exactly easy, especially with current market conditions. I had a few friends who did this; the main downside is that you won’t work less at these places (you might actually work more, believe it or not).

If you like private equity more than investment banking, that’s one thing, but you shouldn’t jump over to private equity after a year-long analyst stint because you want better hours - you won’t get them.

If your goal is to work in finance while working less, it’s more rational to go to a hedge fund after a year. It’s also much easier to make this sort of transition, as hedge funds tend to be less structured in recruiting; as an added benefit, you also work a lot less since you’re only there when the markets are open.

“Reputation damage,” or looking bad because you leave a year early, is much less of a concern than you probably think. People hop around so much on Wall Street and turnover is so high that no one is going to care much if you do this.

You probably can’t get a recommendation or reference from your bank if you leave early, but this type of move is not going to ruin your career or anything.

How To Dress For Success As A Summer Intern

“Help! I have a bulge bracket internship coming up and I don’t know what to wear! How many suits should I buy? Is 10 enough?! Should I buy 20?

Is spending $10,000 on clothes enough or should I allot $20,000? How many shoes/pants/shirts do I need?”

Inquisitor:

Summer intern attire seems to be a hot topic (in that I’ve received multiple emails/messages similar to the above over the past week), so before the summer starts I will write a full-length post on this topic.

For now, though, let’s get the basics out of the way.

DO NOT SPEND $10,000 ON CLOTHES FOR A SUMMER INTERNSHIP.

You shouldn’t even spend that much on clothes for a full-time job unless it’s absolutely required.

You don’t need 10 suits, let alone 20. In my experience you don’t even need to wear a suit at most banks, at least as an intern.

Even if you do need to wear a suit each day, 2 or 3 is probably enough. And if you don’t need to wear suits every day, 1 will suffice.

I would suggest enough shirts to last 1-2 weeks and maybe a few pairs of pants. 2-3 pairs of shoes is probably fine. Keep in mind that 1) you will not have a ton of time for laundry/dry cleaning and 2) you don’t actually need a new suit/new pants /new shoes for each day of the week.

I know some people may disagree with me, but I would recommend going to outlets (there are a bunch in the NYC area) or buying clothes on sale to save money - do not spend hundreds of dollars on a single shirt, or even $100 on a single shirt.

Why?

1. Fashion matters less in banking than most people think. Yes, you have to look presentable, but you don’t need to go out and buy a $5,000 suit to get a full-time offer. In fact people might make fun of you for doing this.
2. This is just a summer internship and you don’t even know whether you want to be a full-time banker yet. Why spend $10,000 on clothes that you don’t end up wearing ever again?

I can offer these suggestions because I’ve overspent on clothes for both internships and my full-time job and looking back on it now, wish I hadn’t spent so much.

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