Maybe its an age thing, but I wear a suit to work (might not wear a tie, depends) - and I've worked in IT for +25 years.
But at least when out with my various teams/staff at least the waiter knew who the boss was 
tbh - cheap badly fitted suits do look far worse than a smart shirt/trouser combo.
Ex-MIL use to say you can be underdressed, but never overdressed. She was right as while sometimes been overdressed can be 'testing', it will never be as embarrassing as been underdressed.
Will anyone on here be actually conducting/present at your interview? No.
It's your risk fella. So you are prepared to go to the south of France for an interview but not "splash" out on a long sleeve shirt and a pair of black shoes to match your black trousers. I would never wear brown trousers/shoes to an interview whether I was wearing a suit or not. I hate the whole suit paradigm but in a lot of cases you will be buggered without one at an interview. However France is a whole different world. My business experience of Europe is that they are not really fans of the British suit syndrome. Even so and knowing that I would not go to a sales meeting/interview (which is the very same thing) even in Europe in less than a suit unless I had previously met with the people and felt I knew the lay of the land.
Do you want the job or be considered as an independent individual who isn't going to get this job?
Don't forget to post when you are offered the job.
Juan, you're french, and you're asking the english for fashion advice. You fail the interview on poor judgement regardless of what you wear.
But as mentioned, he works in IT. Fashion, despite him being French, is not his bag. It's probably quite natural for a Frenchman to ask English people about clothes since his countrymen will no doubt suggest a Kaftan and knee length boots or something.
and as a last thought. When has what you wear at a job interview ever had anything to do with "fashion"? Unless you are a catwalk model.
so which do you think looks better?
The French are hardly known for their sartorial grasp of casual wear - the evidence here suggests more formal and drop the tie.
It's in France, so a short sleeved check shirt (thin tie optional), yellow socks and boat shoes will be de rigeur.
To those who say a suit is essential do you apply this rule to women too?
Short skirts, stockings, high heels. End of story.
I don't really understand the UK obsession with suits, a lot of other countries manage to go to work without them to no detrimental effect.
Foreigners - what do they know?
Blimey Juan's got some competition, what with Bryan Ferry and Thierry Henry going for the same job
Suit and open necked shirt >>> trousers shirt and tie imho. Although for an interview, I think a tie as well (but then i don't work in IT)
But what's the obsession with white shirts? Funerals and weddings only. Far better a pale (blue) shirt or a white shirt with a pattern of some sort.
a white shirt with a pattern of some sort.
stop being such a girl.... 
black trouser, black shoes, white shirt and maybe a tie.
simples
As I say, it's IT, what you can do is a million times more important than what you look like.
Like most jobs, then.
I used to be firmly of the 'Never brown shoes with black' disuasion... however a stylish Barcelonian made me think otherwise.
Obviously the style and colour go a long way but I no longer see it as a 'rule'.
a white shirt with a pattern of some sort.
Ben Sherman with a Burtons tie?
And just wear a suit. Even though its IT and all the prejudice that goes with it, you have no idea how that department works. IT teams can range from the 'IT crowd' to very smart teams where a suit must be worn at all times.
Even if their day to day dress code is 'casual' I'd expect an interviewee to wear a suit to the interview.
I'm not talking Paisley patterns, you buffoons. An understated stripe, or a check, maybe
irrespective of job i always wore a suit to the interview
remembered for being overdressed than underdressed
Never wear a patterned tie with a pattered shirt it looks terrible.Always wear a proper Windsor knot not the crooked school boy effort above
I interview for jobs, don't expect my staff to wear suits to work and have a pretty informal dress code. But turning up for an interview sans suit is a definite -1. the last 2 or 3 posts have been close run and wearing/not wearing a suit could easily be a deciding factor. It's up to you to decide whether you think that the job is worth making the effort for and whether you think it's important for you to let your potential employers think you're prepared to make an effort to impress them.
theotherjonvarghh my eyes!!! Do you work in a office supplies company?!!!
I bet you wear jeans with those combinations!
Tip from me. Wear a neutral suit, plain shirt and understated but classy tie. Unsure of what a classy tie is? Pop into House of Fraser, Zara or Selfridges.
I will say this- if you wear the above the interviewer will mentally tick a boss in the first 5secs 'smart' then spend the rest of the meeting focusing on you. Only if he/she is BORED will their attention stray to your attire in detail.
Basically, the conversation is so involved they are focusing on your eyes and the two-way conversation that everything else is a blur anyway.
Wear something goofish or individual and you do risk them focusing on your dress and then forming a personal-opinion/bias.
So, a reasonably high quality Black suit THAT FITS YOU, pale blue shirt and subdued patterned tie works.
Going against the above though.....
I had a 60k candidate who went for a Purchasing Manager job wearing a bow-tie. He got it. **** knows how, it was bizarre!
He was a highly talented 'character'.
Go for blue to match your eyes.
Never wear a patterned tie with a pattered shirt it looks terrible.Always wear a proper Windsor knot not the crooked school boy effort above
I don't think people will bother too much as it's an academic job. Job description isn't full IT too, its computer science (basically doing some comp chem/mod mol while fixing everyone else computer when not working).
Plus I am not going to the south of France I am already there. So plenty of you may be right about the suit, but I'll take samuri's advice that I'd better be less smart and less sweaty. I'll let you know how things work out...
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