How to dress for your summer internship

Dress for success: nicer shoes required

Sunday afternoon saw my housemates and I in a bit of a dilemma. With recent news on our various internships this summer, the issue of what exactly ‘smart/casual’ means cropped up. Could you, for example, add denim to your outfit? Or could only a cowboy consider a partly denim outfit to be in any way smart?

The other conundrum concerned how to put together an outfit where places where smart suits are de rigueur, such as a law firm, without looking frumpy. With much wardrobe raiding and magazine flicking though, solutions have been found. So here’s a guide for all you boys and girls to putting together outfits for internships with ‘smart/casual’ dress codes and for those where you must simply look smart.

Smart

It’s all too easy to buy yourself a skirt suit or a trouser suit. The difficulty for girls though is that unless they are good quality and well tailored, these suits can be incredibly unflattering and dull. Just because you need to look smart doesn’t mean you need to look boring. If you are going to go for a suit, it’s worth investing in a good quality one as you’ll be able to wear it each day and just change your shirt and it will come in useful for future job interviews. Alternatively, opt for some well tailored trousers in a light grey (black really isn’t great for summer) with a crease down the front, then team them with fitted ¾ sleeved tops (coral would go well with grey) and a blazer in a different colour (such as cream). This way you get all the smart tailoring of a suit but with enough colour to prevent it being dull and suitable for summer.

Boys, you can’t really avoid not wearing a suit. To ensure you look good in it, check the following: the jacket should fit well around the shoulders (ie not be too loose, a common mistake), the sleeves should not cover your hands in any way, and pay attention when choosing the colour. Too light a colour (such as cream or blush pink) will scream Miami Vice. It is summer though so don’t be afraid to opt for a shade of grey or blue. Wear black if you must, but only if black actually suits you, for many, a dark grey will be better. In terms of shirts, only wear long-sleeved ones. I don’t care how hot it is, short-sleeved shirts are never a good idea. There’s no need for silk handkerchiefs hanging out your breast pocket either (unless you really, really want to look like Spencer from Made in Chelsea), and please, don’t even pick up a double breasted jacket.

Spencer - not really one to copy

Smart/casual

There’s far less of a uniform to the smart casual dresscode. This makes it more fun, but also far more difficult when deciding whether something is too smart or too casual. Generally, avoid any denim. Similarly, if you do decide to go with a tailored item (whether trousers or a blazer), team it with something more relaxed, such as a t-shirt and a cardigan with the trousers or a fun, brightly coloured skirt with the blazer (just make sure you don’t go for anything more than a couple of inches above the knee!). My pick would be some cropped trousers (Topshop do a nice pink pair), paired with a sheer blouse. Dresses are also a good option (again, make sure they’re not too short) and very easy to wear.

For boys, chinos and a smart t-shirt or sweater is a good starting point. Plain plimsolls could work on the footwear front but boat shoes are probably best. Remember the best way to decide whether something is too smart or casual will be by seeing what others wear around the office. First impressions count though, and for your first day, these outfits should mean you tick the ‘well presented’

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