Curating Your Professional Wardrobe

When I came to college as a freshman, I had no idea what to expect when I went to my first “business casual” professional event. I showed up in my ripped jeans (mistake!) and a turtleneck, slightly embarrassed when I saw that most other girls were wearing slacks and a blouse. 

Now that I’ve been to my fair share of career fairs, professional speaker events, interviews, and have interned in Chicago (I loved seeing all the corporate girlie outfits on my commute), I can professionally tell you what you’ll need in your wardrobe as a college student. If you’re worried about cost, the truth is that you only need a few business basics and the rest you might already have in your wardrobe! 

Here’s my run-down of what smart casual, business casual and business professional mean, and under what circumstance you would dress in each category if the dress code isn’t specified. 

Smart casual

This typically entails a blouse or sweater, jeans (without rips), and clean shoes. A knee-length dress or skirt is also fair game. Your shoes may depend on the season and can be a nice pair of sandals, a clean pair of white sneakers, or nicer boots such as black Chelsea boots. Don’t worry about slacks or blazers here – it’s very likely that you can come up with a smart casual outfit with your current wardrobe.  

Occasions you may want to dress smart casual for if the dress code isn’t specified are informal networking events or speaker events, class presentations or dinners hosted by an organization.

Business casual

This is a step up from smart casual, still entailing a blouse or sweater but elevating the look with slacks or trousers. A knee-length dress or skirt also works here. Your shoes should typically be dressier, such as flats, heels or ankle boots. Blazer jackets are optional, but can always elevate the look. Additionally, it would be acceptable to wear a different blazer color than your pants here, but typically not for a business professional outfit. 

Occasions you might wear business casual attire could include a first-round interview (depending on the company and position), interviews for professional student organizations, professional speaker events, award ceremonies or banquets. 

Business professional

This is the most formal dress code, and would entail a blazer and matching slacks, and a shell blouse or button-down blouse underneath. Again, a tailored knee-length dress or skirt with a blazer is also acceptable. For shoes, it’s best practice to wear close-toed flats or heels. Loafers are also becoming a trendy option. 

You’ll likely want to wear business professional attire to career fairs and final round interviews for companies or student/university organizations. In my experience, it’s always best practice to dress nicer than your interviewer, so you may choose to wear business professional attire for all rounds of your interviews. 

Essentially, it’s good to have clothing for all three levels of attire in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you need it. Personally, I started out by buying a black blazer and black slacks, and I was able to create a variety of outfits for all three levels from pieces I already owned in my wardrobe.

• college
• professional attire
• style