Ask the Strategist: What Should I Wear to My First Internship?
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By now, many internship programs — like the ones at Apple,Tecovas, andEssence— have already started, and others are beginning this week. During my conversations with college students in recent months, I’ve learned many incoming interns don’t know what to wear to the office (even if they’ve already been warned about looking like an “office siren”). So if that sounds like you (or your kid),don’t worry: Determining what office attire works best takes time. To help you learn more about what exactly you should be wearing for your summer internship and how many pieces you’ll actually need, I chatted with some early career experts and recent interns about the items they recommend buying, whether you’re interning at an investment bank or a nonprofit. And since I was an intern not too long ago, I included some of my own recommendations. I still wear many of those same pieces to the office today.
Dress for the internship you have. (As in follow the dress code.)
Especially if you’re in a business-casual environment, “work appropriate” differs from office to office, so it’s a good rule of thumb to hold off on shopping formostof your new pieces until you’ve finished your first week of work. After all, if you’re not doing an investment-banking internship at, say, JPMorgan, youmightnot need to wear asuitto the office every day. Still, “it’s always safe — obviously to a reasonable upper bound — to dress up a little bit the first week; that way, you can see what other people in the office are wearing,” says Jonathan Tristan (@YourFinanceBrother), a former investment banker who now makes early-career-advice videos. After that, he says, “try to basically match what you would consider the top 25th or 20th percentile of what people are wearing.”
You’ll still need an outfit for that first day in the office, so if you’re working in a business-formal environment, a suit (and atie, for guys) is your best bet. For a business-casual environment, slacks and a collared shirt are a safe option. I’ve included some outfit formulas below.
For men, if the office is business formal:
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Tristan recommends buying three suits, two blue and a gray. This is our favorite.
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Here’s our favorite affordable suit. It’s made of merino-wool fabric and has a full lining.
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“The simpler the pattern, the better,” Tristan says. He recommends a solid-colored tie if possible.
For women, if the office is business formal:
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If you’re going into politics or finance, Lauren Berger recommends “a take on the business suit.”
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Black is a great color to start with.
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Our top-rated button-down is the closest you can get to “wrinkle free.”
For men, if the office is business casual:
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Uniqlo’s button-down is thick, substantial, and intern-budget-friendly.
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Our favorite chinos work for both casual and semiformal attire, meaning they’re nice for happy hour.
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For women, if the office is business casual:
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Intern Elizabeth Do owns these classic work pants in cream, black, and brown.
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This is technically an oversize shirt, but you can go down one or two sizes for a “classic fit.”
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Our writer Emma Wartzman describes this cotton cardigan as soft and good quality.
There’s little upside to taking a fashion risk (unless you’re working in fashion).
The first week of your internship is probably not the best time to break out your velvet blazer or cerulean trousers.So when you’re picking out your outfits, Lauren Berger, the CEO and founder of CareerQueen.com andInternQueen.com, says it’s best to “let the style complement you versus letting the style take over the room.” You’ll want to wear pieces you’re comfortable wearing while sitting at a desk all day and won’t distract from your tasks at hand. “There’s minimal upside to making a fashion statement in the office, unless you work in a creative field or something that’s fashion related,” Tristan says.
But if youdowant to have fun with your outfits, do it with your socks or your shoes. (If you’re in a business-formal environment, though, Tristan only recommends having fun with your socks.) While recent Notre Dame grad Kendelle Hung-Ino relied on some kitten heels from Madden Girl during her internship last summer, incoming senior at UT Austin Elizabeth Do lived in Dolce Vita flats. “I would recommend them to anyone. I could walk miles in them,” she told me. Tristan and recent graduate of James Madison University Ethan Tran also recommend loafers. “I have a standing desk, so it’s really important for me to have shoes that are easy to walk in, easy to stand in, but also that are kind of super-sleek,” Tran says. His G.H. Bass loafers are just that.
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“I had one pair in black and one pair in pink, so I could have a pop of color,” Hung-Ino says.
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I own these in two colors and have logged tens of thousands of steps in each.
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Described as “Ivy League, ‘Walcott’ by Vampire Weekend, tennis-lessons-on-the-weekends loafers.”
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Tristan recommends Oxford shoes from Johnston and Murphy.
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Uniqlo makes our favorite men’s socks. They’re available in 40 colors and last for years.
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Hansel From Basel makes some of our favorite splurge-worthy patterned socks.
Think of your office wardrobe as a capsule of pieces you can mix and match each week.
Making sure you have enough office-appropriate attire for your entire summer doesn’t need to break the bank. Don’t forget to consider pieces you already have in your wardrobe — long skirts, khakis, button-ups, and cardigans are all great things to look for — but “thrifting can really, really save a lot of bread,” Tran adds.
Tristan recommends having enough pieces that you could curate at least one distinct outfit for each day of the week that you’ll be in office. For women, Berger recommends picking out 12 to 15 pieces that can turn into ten slightly different looks. (Don’t forget to factor in laundry days. “That stuff takes time, so don’t get caught in a position where you have no clean clothes,” Tristan says.) You’ll also want a more formal outfit, like a suit for guys and a pantsuit for ladies, that you can wear during a potential end-of-summer presentation. However, if you have the budget, it’s better to invest in quality pieces that will last a few seasons rather than clothes that will fall apart after a few wears. “You’re not only going to be wearing [these pieces] for your summer internship, but postgrad when you’re working, too,” Do says. “I think it’s definitely worth it to invest in capsule core pieces that you’ll wear forever.”
More office-appropriate pieces to consider:
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After folding this suit in his carry-on, our writer could shake the wrinkles out of this suit.
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Pair it the blazer with these pants on a business trip — no steamer required.
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We’d say Zara’s oversize blazer is cute enough to wear to happy hour after work.
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“A little more austere than your traditional lady jacket,” stylist Fanny Adams says.
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Our favorite affordable women’s work pants are almost always on sale, including right now.
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We like to call these wide-leg work pants “not-too-basic, not-too-corporate, under-$200 trousers.”
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Good news for our subway commuters, this button-down is more lightweight than the Gap top above.
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One of our writers likes pairing this cardigan with her trousers.
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Here's an all-season cardigan you can wear under a jacket or over your shoulders.
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ICYMI: Banana Republic menswear is really good again.
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Tristan recommends going to Charles Tyrwhitt and Brooks Brothers for dress shirts.
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These are breezier than the J.Crew chinos above, making them ideal for summer.
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Our favorite work bag has padded tech space, a water-bottle holder, and over-the-shoulder handles.
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Here’s an affordable leather bag from Quince. Do is planning to use it this summer.
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The work bag of choice among college-age women.
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We’ve long recommended Rains backpacks as a non-frumpy work bag.
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Dagne Dover’s backpacks have caught Berger’s eye recently.
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We heard about this backpack from actor James Kennedy, but it’s work-appropriate too.
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Even in the summer offices get cold, so it’s a good idea to bring a sweater just in case.
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Writer Anne Whiting says these are “shoes that can do it all and go the distance.”
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I almost exclusively wear J.Crew belts, which last years and are available in tons of colors.
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This belt has a stamp of approval from our men’s style writer Michael Zhao.
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When it comes to T-shirts, Tran says, “No logos, no graphics. Keep it as simple as possible.”
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Uniqlo’s tees are a clean, quality option for the price.
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