If you’re a junior or senior in college you know these familiar stressful feelings: the endless applications, the finishing touches on your cover letter and the dreaded wait for a response back from companies. The last thing you want to worry about is what to wear on your anticipated first day at the internship. Whether you’re looking for a cheaper alternative or to build your perfect capsule wardrobe for your future career path, here are a few brands that hit both business casual and stylish.
Budget-friendly brands:
Old Navy
Old Navy is one of the cheaper alternatives for finding business casual and stylish clothing. They also tend to have a lot of good deals. The brand has more simplistic business casual jumpsuits and dresses, with prices ranging from $15 to $49. They have a more limited selection of blazers with only four current choices available with a more limited scope of color variety. The price is around $50 for blazers. They have a wide amount of choices for pants and skirts with tons of fun colors, as well as muted tones. The price range for these stays around the $40 area. They also have a ton of blouses and tops that can be mixed and matched to create the perfect professional look. Overall, Old Navy has a lot of different options for a more affordable price without skimping on the quality of the clothing.
Zara
This is another cheaper alternative, where there are some items that may be worth the splurge and some not quite as much. In terms of blazers, they have more middle-range pricing, ranging from about $80 to $100. If you find it a worthy investment, they have a lot of cute and more fashion-forward options. Their pants have a lot of different choices depending on the look you are going for and tend to be higher quality. Whether you’re looking for a straight-leg trouser or a wide-leg statement look, they have what you’re looking for. Their dress variety are a bit more limited for workplace looks, but the options they have are more clean-cut and usually start around $50. If you’re looking for more trendy looks for your upcoming internship and not too worried about price while not totally breaking the bank, this is definitely something for you.
Higher-cost brands:
Banana Republic
This is one of the more expensive options but has a lot of timeless looks that defy fleeting trends. For the more clean-cut and simplistic look, this brand is definitely recommended. Their blazers are more pricey, usually at or above $200. While it might take more from your wallet, these pieces are made to last with quality materials, like linen and Italian wool. They also have a wide variety of pants, starting at about $100 and having the same quality, made-to-last material. Most of their dresses tend to be for more formal events, but a few of their styles would be a stylish addition to your work wardrobe, with a few straight-line dresses and jumpsuits. Their tops range from around $50 to $180, with a lot of different trendy styles to stand out in the workplace. Overall, this is a more expensive option, but does give you more “bang for your buck” with high-quality materials. If you’re looking to build a capsule wardrobe made to last, this brand is definitely a good place to start.
Aritzia
Aritzia has been soaring in popularity recently, and it’s easy to tell why. The style exudes quiet luxury and has a lot of simple and trendy styles for the workplace. For blazers, these are not the cheapest, ranging around $200 but also have many different options for fit and color and use high-quality materials to ensure long-lasting wear. Their pants options are also highly varied, especially in terms of height, having options for short, regular and tall to make sure you have the perfect fit. They also have a lot of options for dresses but still on the pricier side. Their blouses and shirts range from around $70 to $100 and have a lot of classic styles that defy the quick trend cycle. While these pieces are definitely an investment, they can be worth it if you’re looking for a wardrobe made to last and have use throughout your career.