Bill Folk has been at Homer Reed Ltd. for 17 years and is outfitting the sons and grandsons of some of the menswear retailer’s original customers.
“The younger guys want to dress better these days, but they don’t want to look like Dad,” Folk says. “I try to steer them through and let them know that business is not GQ and they need to get the basics first. Once they have the job and are making a living, they can go for the fashion part of it. When they’re successful.”
Homer Reed opened in 1954 and has three stores in the metro area. It offers a package of three suits, or two suits and a sport coat, dress pants, three shirts and three ties for $1,695.
Tailored clothing: “It’s still the classic gray or navy blue pinstripe or chalk stripe that you need for interviews,” he says. “You need to look serious about business, not like you’re trying to be P. Diddy.”
Furnishings: Start with white shirts, because everything can go with them. “Often an interview will begin at 3 p.m. and at 5 p.m. they’ll want to go to dinner,” he says. “It’s because they want to see how you handle yourself. And a white shirt looks dressier.”
Folk suggests avoiding French cuff shirts because “you’ll look like you’re trying to outdo the executive. And you want to look like you need a job.”
Always wear over-the-calf socks, he says. “There’s nothing worse than crossing your legs and having leg showing.”
It’s also important, he says, to feel comfortable in your clothes.
“Wear the suit to church or dinner so you feel at ease in it during the interview. And know how to tie a tie.”
-Suzanne Brown
