With the internship online and his training online, DS1 has not had a chance to observe what type shoes folks in Wall Street wear. He is a tech analyst and will be working in the tech group for a bank. I assume they’re not as fashion oriented, but still, he doesn’t want to look like a stereotypical CS nerd. Googling this topic has yielded fashion codes for IB types, but he doesn’t want to be seen as a “wannabee” either!
So DS1 has asked me to seek the expertise of the folks on this forum for suggestions. Price range is midrange, $200-$400. Any other fashion advice is welcome as well!
I don’t know shoe brands (and suspect many of his coworkers don’t either) but I am stunned by the fact that you consider a midrange shoe to be $200-$400. I have never owned a pair of shoes that cost that much in my life and I used to work in management consulting. I think you are overthinking this, and overspending.
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What is the dress code in his office? Not all Wall Street offices have business formal dress code.
The last shoes I wore 15 years ago when I was working for an investment bank on Wall Street were Bostonian. I’d suggest that you don’t spend too much money on shoes and have him observe what his colleagues wear. Nobody will pay too much attention to his shoes. The tie, on the other hand… 
Since I now wear mostly sandals to work, I have no idea what is fashionable on Wall Street.
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Check out WallstreetOasis.com. Thankfully you don’t need the Hermès tie. Ferragamo loafers were always popular. We corporate guys laugh at the Patagonia cut off jackets that are so prevalent.
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My son used to have a few pairs of Allbirds when they first came out. I still think they are popular judging by the number of people at their Soho store. He works in buy-side finance.
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Agree with the above, what to wear depends on both the dress code and the local office culture. I’m coming from a West coast perspective where we’re a little more relaxed, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Ask your S what the dress code is, and how other guys were dressed during his interviews. If all the interviews were virtual but he’s reporting to the office, then he should just call either his hiring manager or the company’s HR recruiter and ask. It’s a common question and he shouldn’t feel self-conscious about asking. The HR recruiter will err on the side of over-dressed, and the manager will give it to him straight.
If it’s business casual in the sense of slacks and oxford shirts, then start with a pair of slip-on leather-sole loafers from a midrange brand like cole-haan.
If it’s business casual like jeans and oxford shirts, the go with rubber-sole loafers from something like Clarks or OluKai.
If it’s formal then yuck. Start with lace-up leather sole oxfords.
Don’t spend too much on the first pair of shoes (under $200), make sure they’re comfortable, then plan on buying a few more once he sees what other guys are wearing.
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Came across this helpful article when we were considering this for S who is also a first year analyst:
Back in ancient days when I worked on Wall Street with more formal dress codes, I just hit the Florsheim’s for black and brown wingtips and black and brown loafers.
One tip I would pass along is to try to get 2 pants with each suit and get a tailor to reinforce the crotch area. Jackets never wear out, pants, not so much.
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@BKSquared how often are suits with now?
Second starting with a pair of loafers. Very versatile and if he leads an otherwise casual life style would likely be the fanciest shoe he would need for anything other than black tie occasions. And will be in style forever
.
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According to my former roommate who is still in IB, they are still worn for client meetings. I guess it depends on the firm and the division. We sent S off with 3 suits. My guess is they will only be lightly used. The big question is the type of slacks and shirts people will settle into as they return to the office. For this reason, he has held off purchasing the bulk of his office clothes. He is still remote, but his employer is one that currently has set a target date for employees to return.
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Thank you all for your thoughtful replies! We have been and shopping and reading. DS1 got a pair of innocuous, comfortable black loafers he can dress up or down. Under $200 from Johnston and Murphy. He 'll wait and see what others wear once everyone heads back.
For the ties, he has appropriated some of my husbands collection.
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Lol on ties. Thin, wide, wildly patterned, staid, the cycles come and go and as long as you keep them clean and unfrayed, they always come back in the rotation. Still have suspenders and bowties in the closet.
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Just laughing here but I know it’s a serious issue. Go to Kohls. Get some dress shoes on sale. Black. Done!
The key is to have them polished and looking good. Dress shirt should be ironed or pressed and same with clothes. No one is looking at his shoes that closely. He should “look” professional… That’s it. Save the money for something else. He will scuff up a $200 pair of shoes as well as a $70.00…You can get great ties at second hand stores also. Like great ties that can cost originally hundreds depending on where you live. It’s about him. Not the shoes. One of the ties I get the most compliments on is one my daughter got me at a second hand store. It’s Italian and beautiful.
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The J&M shoes was a good buy. Can’t go wrong. He’ll see quickly what everyone’s wearing. Sorta like the females. Does everyone have a YSL purse?
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Also make sure the soles of the shoes are Vibram soles. Yes rubber like. Leather is outdated and uncomfortable especially with that brand. No one will know but you also and it will feel more like a gym shoe then dress shoe. You will thank me later… Lol
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Is this shoe popular?
Peter Millar is good for mid-to high level corporate execs.
We hit Kohl’s for the dress shirts and slacks. Spent a bit more for a couple of nice blazers at Jos. A. Banks. Reading some of the WSO posts on fashion - mixture of folks fixated on “prestige” and others who are more pragmatic… sort of like CC! I mean, I’ve never even heard of some of the boutique, upscale Italian brands mentioned on that site. Kid will figure it all out, I am sure.
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Granted, my husband is not a Wall Street analyst… he swears by Ecco for everyday dressy, business casual shoes, as well as walking sneakers. Here is his favorite:
https://www.amazon.com/ECCO-Classic-Moc-2-0-11-11-5/dp/B00O8FNU5U/
Here is another favorite:
https://www.amazon.com/ECCO-Seattle-Apron-Oxford-10-10-5/dp/B01FEQHO8U/
For chichi ties etc., I highly recommend RealReal. Anything from Armani to Zegna and in between.
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Jos A is great but much better when they have sales. News Flash… For decent dress shirts Costco has some good ones. $19.00 and their white shirts hold up to having them sent out. I used to spend lots of money on dress shirt then a buddy of mine, a big deal in the corporate world was wearing almost the exact pattern dress shirt. I told him I liked it. Nice color. He told me after our meeting it was from Costco and if I told anyone he would shoot me… Lol… Just saying…
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Not sure what the kid is doing but that to me looks to casual. Nice shoe but I would think more of a traditional dress shoe but this and the other one have the Vibram soles…