I agree with all of the above except for the outlay - I just bought an excellent Ralph Lauren suit at Burlington Coat Factory for just $150.
Rounding out this suit for an interview won’t run anywhere near half a grand.
These are okay work shoes, but not good interview shoes. Earlier I said you’ll drop at least $500 for an outfit; that included $300 for the suit and $150 for shoes.
You want to get a pair of Oxford shoes. These come in three basic styles: Wingtip (a layer of leather over the toe and vamp with fancy holes punched in it over another layer of leather with no holes), cap toe (the toe is reinforced with a plain leather cap) and moccasin ( softer leather; a riveted fold lines the edge of the vamp and toe). Tassel loafers are also acceptable, but you should own a pair of lace-ups.
I think it depends more on what industry you’re in. There is a world outside of IT where people are expected not only to wear a suit to an interview, but to own more than one, and wear them regularly.
I’m neither decrying nor endorsing either world, just noting that they both exist.
One more thing: This huge cash outlay I recommend for a job interview suit? You will go on many job interviews over the next few years, and a good number of weddings and funerals as well. Probably a court date as well; several trips to traffic court have convinced me that judges decide cases based on how well the defendant dresses for court, not on the evidence. This suit will cover all of these occasions.
Right - but again, you don’t need to spend nearly the sum you advocate. I used to sell good quality menswear - I know the difference between a good dress shirt and a cheap one. I know about twenty ways to tie a tie, including how to tie a bowtie for your tux and not just clip it on.
It is not necessary to spend five hundred dollars to look good for a job interview.
I’ve always felt the same way, but I know others disagree. Actually, I had the brass buttons on my blazer replaced with leather ones and I consider it a non-traditional blazer, not something else entirely. I’ve always been really proud of how I turned something so gaudy into something understated and handsome and in all these years nobody has ever complimented it. 
On the other hand, I’ve heard people insist that a sports coat must always be cut very sportily. So if it doesn’t have a sort of outdoorsy heritage, it’s a blazer. Then we have Krokodil saying blazers need to be summer weight wool, which I’ve never heard of. So definitely there’s a bit of disagreement.
Well we’re just going to have to agree to disagree. But if anybody wants to work for me they better either wear a nice suit or show up without any pants at all. 
Interestingly enough, showing up IN a suit for an interview in my industry would have a similar effect. It’s the sort of faux pas you might overlook with a kid straight out of college, but if someone claiming to have any experience did it, it would definitely be a mark against them.
I’d have to ask what industry this is, and if it’s something that people widely know.
'cos I tend to dislike attitudes like that. Like it or not, for any job in a professional capacity (and plenty that aren’t) business attire is the default expectation for an interview. Expecting someone who is looking for work to “take a chance” at underdressing for an interview just because you/your company doesn’t like it is, well, dickish at best.
I’m a department manager. I’ve interviewed people for jobs hundreds of times.
Two pieces of advice for you.
One - don’t call asking about appropriate attire. If I hire you, you will eventually be assigned tasks and you will need to figure things out on your own. Don’t start out by asking for advice on how to dress yourself. It would not bode well for you if I was your prospective employer. Don’t call the receptionist to ask either. It has a good chance of making its way back to the interviewer.
Two - dress as well as you can. A pair of nicely pressed slacks and shirt with a tie will not reflect poorly on you under any circumstances. You’re selling yourself in the interview. If you were selling a used car, you’d take it through the car wash and vacuum it before a buyer shows up right? Same principle applies.
When you’re offered the job, that’s when you ask about what appropriate work attire is.
Good luck.
As someone who has served on a hiring committee, make sure that you make a good impression (don’t look sloppy), but don’t dress in a way that distracts the interviewers. Last year, I spent 40 minutes in an interview with a guy who obviously did not own his suit. The sleeves were about three inches too short, and he reeked of mothballs.
The IT guys I know in my school district vary widely in their attire. The head of their group always wears a shirt and tie (no jacket) since he deals with the administrators and works directly with the superintendent. The guys in my building wear polo shirts and khakis, sometimes argyle vests (!), etc.
Does the company website have photos of their workers? Maybe you could use that as a barometer of the expected level of formality.
I’m glad I read the entire thread before I chimed in with an identical answer.
Every male above the age of about six should have a minimum of one all-purpose business suit.
Sure, but is that “should” strong enough that he should buy one at a 20% interest rate, which it sounds like he would have to do? It seems to be that it’s a very good thing to have one nice suit, but I don’t think it’s a deal breaker for this sort of interview, and once he has regular income he can buy one.
I’ve always made a point of dressing for my interview the way I would expect, and be comfortable, dressing for this particular job on a daily basis. If I’m not comfortable with the idea of wearing a suit every day on the job, I’m not wearing one to the interview - because I’d rather get turned down for a job I’m going to dislike. Then again, I’ve had the luxury of never being in a position where finding a job was difficult - in fact, I’ve spent most of my adult life in an employee’s job market, rather than the current state of things.
I wear shitty pants and torn T-shirts to work, and I work in IT. I have a $600 business suit I bought for my divorce that I wore to the interview. Go with a suit. Pants are optional. **fubbleskag **is the anomaly, it is very much an employers market out there. For every job out there there’s hundreds of interviewees and the interviewers will look for any reason to cut you out of the pool, and dressing like shit can knock you out of the running.
This is too late for the OP, but it strikes me as odd that no one gave the most obvious advice:
Call HR anonymously and ask what most people wear to job interviews.
**EvilTOJ **is dead on IMHO, but hey.
I’d just wear a business suit, and, then, if it appears to be a jeans and tshirt style organization, just take off the coat and tie. That’s what I do in every other situation where I’m worried about being overdressed.
Thanks for that link. I, a young man, was never taught any of this.
Because it’s not nearly so important these days as people are suggesting.
Videogame development.
Then likely everyone’s wearing jeans and there’s a breakroom with a fridge full of Red Bull somewhere.
My guy works as a programmer, office is casual dress, pants and shirt required but that is about it. Most people do t-shirts and jeans. Random people wear slacks. One guy apparently always wears ties, just because. Some wear sweatpants. My bf and his coworkers make fun of “noobs” who come in for interviews in $600 suits. Not in a mean way, just in the “noobs” kind of way…because they stick out like a sore thumb to an extreme when they are in the building.