From a young age, I was
always taught the type of
watch a man wears reveals
much about the man himself.
Granted, the person who taught
me these things was much older:
from a different era, you could
say. Nevertheless, growing up, I
could not help but to notice the
different types of watches worn in
all kinds of occasions by different
men. From the diamond-studded
flashy to the practical-plastic athletic
to the simple or traditional, I
paid close attention to my grandmother’s
advice, trying to formulate
my own opinion.
It was confusing. Probably
because he was the youngest, my
uncle erred on the side of a little
flashy. Styles came and went, but
I noticed the two watches my
dad wore never changed: with
black shoes, a certain black leather-
banded watch with a simple
face; with brown or burgundy
shoes, he wore almost exactly the
same, but with a brown leather
band.
Maybe that’s why given the
choice between a gold and silver
banded diamond studded Rolex
or an unassuming but powerful
self-winding leather-banded
Classique Breguet, you can probably
guess my choice of watch.
The leather band and classic
simple face has proven its worth.
It has been around and worn for
hundreds of years, and will be
worn for years to come. Unlike
many watches in the market,
it’s an investment, not a fashion
statement.
And now, with career day at
hand, what to wear? Suit, no suit?
If a suit, what color? Pinstripes?
Tailored or not? Single or double
breasted? One button or two
buttons? There’s three buttons?
What kind of shoes? Lace up or
loafers? What color tie? And then
there’s the pants. Cuffs or no
cuffs? Pleats or no pleats? These
questions can seem quite daunting,
especially if it is the first
time in these circumstances.
For me, the choice was easy. I
went with the classic darker blue
suit, but with some unassuming
stripes. Standard blue is the way
to go for business, lunches, summer
dinners or parties. Its importance
cannot be overstated. It is
the most adaptable of accessories.
Not to mention you can wear
it with black or brown shoes.
Sticking with classic, I went with
black wing tip lace-up shoes.
Personally, slip-on shoes seem
too casual for an initial interview
setting. If blue’s just not you,
why not classic gray? Even red
heads look like shot callers in it.
You can’t go wrong with gray. It’s
like Switzerland, always neutral.
Then there’s black. Classic. You
can get married or even buried
in it.
But maybe to some of you,
“classic” or “standard” is synonymous
with “afraid” or “pushover”
or “easy.” This could be
true. But you’re talking to the
guy who doesn’t like a message
tone on his phone. I don’t
want you to
know that I
have a message
before I do.
And much in
the same way,
I hope that
whatever I do,
some future
employer will
get to know
me through my
behavior and
not through
the label on my
jacket (granted,
any choice I
make about my
suit will still in
fact give something away about
myself ).
And although this may sound
post-modern and albeit it being
all personal opinion and limited
to my experience, I think finding
a suit for career day or an
interview or for the immediate
future should ultimately be a
process of finding a piece (possibly
quite different from my
choice) which infuses confidence
in you – the confidence to
believe in your inevitable future
success, in whichever way that
success may choose to manifest
itself in you.
So if I can leave you with
any advice, it is to ask around.
The older and wiser know best.
Make your suit
an investment,
one which will
last. Go with
wool or cotton.
Look around.
And if you don’t
feel comfortable
in something
a salesman has
picked out for
you, if it doesn’t
feel appropriate,
remember, they’re
looking out for
their commission
as much as they
are your style.
I’m just a kid,
though. So if there are any investment
bankers out there with time
to have read this, help me out!
Julio Cespedes is a senior
majoring in biological engineering.
He can be contacted at [email protected].