Dear Shopping Savage...

Dear Shopping Savage,

My husband has a job interview coming up. It is the middle of summer and super hot outside. He is a business professional. What do you recommend men wear on a professional job interview during the summer? Is it appropriate to just wear a shirt, tie, and pants? Or, should he wear a jacket too? Are separates okay? Or, should he wear a suit? Help!

Signed,

Suited for Summer

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Dear S.F.S.,

The summer heat shouldn't deter your husband from wearing a suit on his interview, just a suit made of wool - cashmere, tweed, flannel, etc., polyester or any other synthetic material. And this is true for all professional men. Suits made from the aforementioned materials should be put away for warmer weather and lighter weight suiting should be worn to manage looking cool in a suit during the sultry summer months.

One of these suits would work well for any interview he has, in their respective order. For example, he may want to start out by looking at navy suits made of cotton for the best breathability and versatility as far as interviewing is concerned. If you happen to come across a cotton/linen blend, be sure that the cotton percentage outweighs the linen so that it won't wrinkle as easy.

The next viable option, the khaki suit, is a little on the unconventional side for interviewing, but paired with the right accessories and his individuality could be what separates him from the pack - and in a good way. The first inclination may be to incorporate black shoes, briefcase and tie, but a great pair of chocolate brown oxfords, coordinating bag and belt would really compliment this suit well.

Only if he knew he were a shoe-in for the job would it be recommended to wear something deemed as casual as a seersucker suit. Once he has the job he can feel confident in wearing this to work - preferably with a pair of suede bucks - but not for an interview. Not even for any follow up interviews.

Separates (such as a navy blazer with khakis) work for entry level positions or again, as an option for work once he has the job, but may not send the strongest cohesive message to his potential future employers.

If he doesn't have any of the aforementioned suits at his disposal - nor the disposable income to invest in one of quality - then his darkest suit, i.e. black, would be his next, albeit, last option. Just note that if 5-minutes early is considered on time, he may want to show up 10-minutes early just to find a bathroom and have a chance to cool down/give himself a once over. Its true what they say: in business, never let 'em see you sweat.

Need sartorial advice? Email me: Dwaun@shoppingsavage.com