As we strive to land our future dream-jobs, learning how to dress appropriately for certain situations is an essential skill to master. Interviews, days in the office, and, in this case, a summer internship all come along with their own standards for accepted apparel. Note: there is a fine line between dressing to impress others and dressing to express oneself, and striking a balance is important. Here are a few tips to help you dress your best for your well-deserved internship:
1. If you can wear it to a club, don’t wear it in your cubicle…
This means that clothes that are ill-fitting, revealing, or flashy (read: distracting to you and others) should be avoided at all costs. Make sure that lengths of dresses or skirts are long enough so that you can sit, stand, run, and basically function without having to constantly adjust or pull it down. You want to grab the attention of your co-workers? Try a subtler, yet more appealing technique, such as adding jewelry, belts, or hair accessories to your ensembles.
2. If you don’t feel confident and comfortable, don’t wear it…
High heels might look adorable with your pencil skirt and blouse, but 4 hours into the day, you may end up regretting that decision. Consider investing in a variety of flats and, if the business allows, some cute, comfortable, dressy sandals! A good tip to follow is to play it safe the first day, and see what the others at the office are all wearing. Every place of work has its own kind of environment and dress code. A fashion internship versus an internship at an accounting firm will be drastically different in their dress, but still anticipate and approach your outfit with the same level of professionalism.
3. Express yourself, but don’t over-do it…
Avoid gaudy, flashy prints and colors. A neutral pant, or skirt can be played up with subtle pops of color. Add a colored button-up with your favorite black or grey pants or skirt; throw on a headband and pointed flats. BOOM! There’s an outfit. If you want to wear a dress with a colorful print balance it with a solid or neutral blazer, jacket, or cardigan.
To show you what good ensembles may include, there are a few must have items that every woman should have:
- Flats (neutral colors)
- Oxford Shirt
- Button downs
- Blouses
- Pencil Skirt
- Blazer
- Cardigan
- Dress Pants
- Chinos/Khakis
- Dress Sandals
- High Heels (Comfortable to wear for X hours)
- Versatile belts
- Dark Jeans (If office allows; no holes/tears)
- Silver or Gold Jewelry
- Hair accessories, such as headbands
(All outfits shown here can be found at J.Crew)