What to wear to a BS visit/interview (Boys Edition)

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>So, in an attempt to do some “penance” for some undeserved and inappropriate “snarkiness” in a reply to a student question yesterday, I’ve put together an item-by-item outfit that should suit visits/interviews at even a school with a “jacket and tie” dress code. Complete with links. As noted in the title, this is for boys.</p>

<p>I tried to do it all from one source, available online. I picked Land’s End, mostly from the “School Uniform” section. The total is $302 before tax or shipping, which I know isn’t the cheap, but believe me, it could have been much worse had I sourced things from a place like J. Crew. And besides, if you are lucky enough to get into a school, all of these clothes will come in handy for your first year.</p>

<p>FWIW, I am in the “let your personality do the talking, not your clothes” camp when it comes to what is appropriate for BS interview/visit wear. Also, in my opinion, even if a school is “casual”, save that mode of dressing for when you are a student. I encourage dressing as if you were going to dinner with your grandparents at a restaurant with white tablecloths.</p>

<p>Finally, know that these are only suggestions (especially the tie, not many choices on Lands End right now), and you could probably cut down the cost by shopping at thrift shops or during sales…I didn’t pick any “outlet” type clothing because I wanted to links to be live for a while. I think you could probably trim it down to under $200 with some smart shopping.</p>

<p>So, here goes, from the ground up:</p>

<p>SHOES & SOCKS:
Men's</a> Driving Moccasin Shoes from Lands' End</p>

<p>Men's</a> Cotton Rib Dress Socks (2-pack) from Lands' End
[I WOULD GO WITH “BROWN HEATHER” COLOR]</p>

<p>PANTS:
Men's</a> Plain Front Tailored Fit Original Chino Pants from Lands' End</p>

<p>BELT:
School</a> Uniform Boys' Leather Belt from Lands' End</p>

<p>SHIRT & TIE:
School</a> Uniform Long Sleeve Oxford Shirt from Lands' End
[I WOULD GO WITH WHITE OR LIGHT BLUE]</p>

<p>School</a> Uniform Stripe To-be-tied Necktie from Lands' End</p>

<p>JACKET:
School</a> Uniform Hopsack Blazer from Lands' End</p>

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<p>Wow, very nice, 7dad. I am sure this will help a lot of boys. Nice choices. </p>

<p>For those boys who do end up at boarding school, mark all your clothes with your name. For the parents of those boys, expect to never know what happens to some of the things you buy…a boys dorm can be worse than the infamous dryer that eats stray socks!</p>

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<p>Yup, that’s pretty much the standard “interview” uniform. Personally, I find the driving shoe look a little too casual. I’d go with a loafer like this:
[Cole</a> Haan ‘Bowman’ Loafer | Nordstrom](<a href=“http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/cole-haan-bowman-loafer/3297698?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=0]Cole”>http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/cole-haan-bowman-loafer/3297698?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=0)</p>

<p>If you are not a preppy dresser, feel free to put your own spin on things but I would recommend a jacket and tie.</p>

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<p>Well done on the penance. I was just thinking to myself that I was glad that I wasn’t asking questions about Deerfield in general as there were LOADS of snary comments in response to various questions. If that is the general demeanor of the Deerfield population, I am glad my daughter is not interested in that school.</p>

<p>But, SevenDad – I read these boards enough to know it was somewhat out of character for you, so I had already overlooked it! LOL I agreed that the question on what to wear was something that could be easily figured out… but the dress code might be a new thing to the OP. So your specific information should be of immense help. Well done.</p>

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<p>@creative1: I agree with you, but was trying to keep it a little more relaxed for people who might not be used to wearing leather soled shoes. I was also keeping an eye on cost.</p>

<p>If it were my own son (I do not have one), I would probably go so far to advise a lace up instead of a slip on. But they were all over $100 on the Land’s End site, even on sale.</p>

<p>Found these (under $100):
<a href=“https://bassshoes.harborghb.com/bass-casual-shoes-mens[/url]”>https://bassshoes.harborghb.com/bass-casual-shoes-mens&lt;/a&gt;
(Brockton in Taupe if you’re going for a toned down look; Buckingham in Red if you want people to ask you about your “cool” shoes).</p>

<p>@2kids & london203: Thanks for the kind words. I admit to beating myself up about that post a bit last night.</p>

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<p>Not the right time of year for this, but if you know you have boarding school interviews in your future the sales that Nordstrom runs in the summer are great for getting boys’ dress clothes at reasonable prices. I buy my DS a very nice blue blazer every year for around $50, and you can also get good dress shirts, pants, and shoes.</p>

7

<p>Sales at Brooks Bros. factory stores are helpful too - lots of blue blazers, khakis, stripe ties and button down shirts. </p>

<p>My daughter pretty much stuck to the blue blazer, button down shirt theme but added a wool skirt and an argyle vest (all from the factory stores). </p>

<p>Also, a vote for COMFORTABLE SHOES - you will be walking a lot on the tour. Bring a few bandaids for emergency blisters.</p>

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<p>@2prepMom: I’ll do a “Girl’s Edition” one eventually…many many more options than the guys “uniform” outfit.</p>

<p>Regarding shoes, it’d be best if the day of your first visit/interview is NOT the first day you are wearing said shoes.</p>

9

<p>Our son wore shirt and tie and dress pants but no blazer (didn’t own one). He did fine, even at schools that required that boys where blazers to class. As far as shoes go, he wore whatever dress shoes he had at the time.</p>

<p>I think that as long as the child isn’t dressed in jeans and t-shirt, clothes matter far less than a good conversation. If your kid is going to feel awkward in a blazer because he never ever wears them, I’d skip it. Physical discomfort can really affect boys’ ability to communicate.</p>

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<p>@london203, This is a random internet board. Any one can post anything. I don’t go to Deerfield nor do I think the other posters do. We are just encouraging the kid to do some internet research for information that is easily available, that’s all. He would have gotten the same response from me if he asked the same dress code questions about another school. Deerfield is a fabulous school and you should check it out before you decide to apply or not. I don’t want you to miss out on some great schools because of some random internet posters. Deerfield sends a ton of kids to HYPMS and it’s a hard school to get into at 13% admit rate.</p>

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<p>Such a thoughtful and helpful post Sevendad!</p>

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<p>@london203,

</p>

<p>a lot of the posters, not just SEWinters, who made snarky comments on that unfortunate thread are not associated w Deerfield, Please don’t take it out on the school</p>

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<p>I was curious so I found the post that was the catalyst for Seven Dad’s penance. I actually did not see a boatload of snarky remarks. Ironically, the offenders were men and the voices of reason were women! Also, it seems that only Seven Dad owned up to his faux pas. My intent is NOT to start a debate on who was or not snarky but only to point out that those who are claiming a lot were snarky is not true in my humble opinion. There were only three.</p>

14

<p>

</p>

<p>How do you know the posters are men or women?</p>

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<p>@GMT…Most of those who posted on that post were easily identifiable (moms), and others were ‘identifiable’ because of certain references in other post as female and using language that, traditionally, is not used by men. Althought, I am not sure if Sitekey is female but I’ll bet you a cup of coffee that she is.</p>

<p>With that being said, I apologize if my comment sounded sexist but it was made based on their screen names and identity in previous posts.</p>

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<p>Probie - What gender am I (just want to see how my remarks were received ;)).</p>

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<p>@leanid…Well, if I had to guess, I think you’re female. There was this passion in your first sentence. Also, was it you who talked about perfume? Could be confusing you with another poster who talked about a perfume I liked.</p>

<p>Well, not only have I insulted passionate men, I have now outed my sex! :)</p>

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<p>Sorry, Probie, I am a male – and yes, males can be passionate in their “first sentence” – and the ones that follow, too! – you must know that. </p>

<p>I don’t see how you “outed” anything. I like certain perfumes – but I don’t WEAR them.</p>

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<p>Hah! I got busted!:). Praise to the women AND men who rallied around Nomenclature. And to Seven who knows how to make it right.</p>

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<p>Bumping for 2013/4 app cycle.</p>

<p>Note that I will eventually get around to doing a “what to wear” for girls (much more challenging, IMO…you could go dress, skirt/top, pants + blazer/sweater set, etc…)</p>