DRESS is a huge part of an interview. First impressions are very important when walking into that room. The Employer will make his first decision by seeing how you are dressed. You better learn how to tie a tie, and choose one your very best suits. If you come into that interview with grungy shirt and jeans. You label yourself as a slob.

There are a few simple rules of thumb to keep in mind when it comes to selecting the right clothes for that all-important job interview. Let’s face it-People make all kinds of instinctive judgments about others based on first impressions, and the potential boss interviewing job candidate is no different. With so much riding on the first impression you present to a prospective employer, the question, “what to wear?” takes on greater significance than usual in a job interview.

When it comes time to pick a suit for the interview, here’s the rule: Think conservative. A traditional dark blue or a dark gray suit with pinstripes is a great way to present an air of confidence and aptitude, without straying at all from the bounds of good taste. For upper- and middle-level executive positions, an accompany vest may very well be in order. Also, when picking a suit, consider the image you wish to present. According to men’s fashion experts, a pinstripe suit makes you seem more authoritative, while a solid suit will make you more likable.

When it comes time to pick out a shirt, here’s the rule: You can’t go wrong with white. This is especially true if you are unsure about the personality of the person with whom you will be interviewing, as most candidates usually are. A white dress shirt makes sure you look properly business-like, without over dressing. If you feel you know you prospective employer well-enough that it would be appropriate to wear a shirt of light blue, or off-white, or even a shade of light green or pink, then you can certainly do so. Just remember to stick with solid-colors.

Finally, the tie you choose will help cement your image in the mind of the interviewer. Make sure you know how to tie a tie and also know the rules on ties: No cartoons. Hopefully, you already have a good selection of ties and among that collection a variety of ties that would be appropriate for a job interview, and unless your interview is in the fashion or music industry, you’ll want to select a tie in a conservative color with a traditional pattern. And it is usually best to stay away from ties decorated with your favorite logo. Just imagine showing up at the job interview with your Red Sox tie around your neck only to see the signed Derek Jeter jersey on the office wall during the interview.

The most important thing during any job interview is presenting your self as a capable person, worthy of the job. The clothes you choose to wear go a long way in helping you get that point across.

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In the 1660s, King Charles II decreed that men at court were to wear a long coat or a jacket and a cravat – which would become the modern necktie. The entire ensemble would eventually become the standard business suit that we men wear virtually everyday of our lives.

By the early 1800s, styles had changed enough that the trend led men to wear understated, beautifully cut, perfectly tailored coats, along with elaborately knotted neckwear. What we call the modern suit was originally a nineteenth-century English innovation. The tailored man’s suit became the great social leveler of the 19th century. With the breakdown of the aristocratic leadership that had dominated society since time immemorial, it became less necessary for men to emphasize distinctions of social rank. As the suit became increasingly popular, even the humblest men would have at least one suit to wear on Sunday to church as part of their “Sunday best.”

America took the lead in the 20th century with the ready-to-wear industry, devising technological advances that created a reliable source of clothing for all men. Tailors worked on standardized master patterns, a technique borrowed from the United States Army, and the proliferating department stores disseminated suits of a fairly uniform nature.

The Zoot Suit first gained popularity in the late 1930s in Harlem among the jazz community The word “zoot” comes from the word ’suit’. Anti-Latino race riots, the Zoot Suit Riots, racked Los Angeles during World War II. Despite restrictions and discrimination, Zoot Suit culture prevailed.

Over the past half-century, the wearing of suits has become far less common than it once was and is now restricted almost entirely to formal and business activities. During the 1990s, many businesses in North America adopted casual Fridays. The abandonment of a uniform dress code has led to considerable confusion over what is considered appropriate business wear. More recently, some businesses have reinforced the wearing of suits, although they may never again be as common as they once were.

So, if you’re one of those guys who bucks the trend and continues to wear a suit and a silk tie everyday of your life – take a bow. You are helping to keep history alive.

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