How To Dress For Your Summer Internship

So you’ve finally scored your dream summer internship! Congratulations! Your first day is fast approaching, and while you’ve already mapped directions to the office, set multiple alarms to avoid accidentally oversleeping, and packed a healthy lunch, you’ve been staring at your open closet for over a day and still don’t know what to wear.

We all know first impressions are everything, and while you want to come across polished and professional, the idea of wearing “sensible shoes,” a tasteless white button-down, and snooze worthy khakis is just not acceptable. You may be an intern, but that doesn’t mean that you are forced to abandon all sense of fashion.

You are still entitled to represent some of your personal style in an office-appropriate way. Yes, believe it or not the two worlds can co-exist, as long as you execute your look elegantly. Here are a few very important do’s and don’ts when choosing a warm weather internship ensemble.

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Dress According to the Industry 

When dressing for an internship or any professional endeavor, one of the most important aspects to consider is the industry that you will be entering.

For instance, if your summer will be spent shadowing a lawyer at a top firm, you’re going to need to cover up a bit and stick to a strict dress code. Think more conservative silhouettes and higher necklines and potentially having to wear some form of a suit on the reg.

On the other hand, if you’re interning for a creative industry, such as advertising or graphic design, you’ll most likely have the freedom to dress in a more contemporary style.

Regardless of the industry, be sure to read your environment and check with your manager on dress code basics before rocking jeans, a statement necklace, or an uber trendy get-up. However, a few items that are NEVER kosher include flip flops, super-short shorts, over exposed cleavage, and see-through anything.

Fabric Play

Summer is a tricky time to dress professionally because on the one hand, it’s crazy-hot outside and all you want to wear is, well, nothing.

On the other hand, you’re a working girl now and spaghetti straps and booty shorts won’t exactly fly. A general rule of thumb? The thinner the fabric, the longer the hemline.

If you want to don a mini and it’s acceptable for your specific office, think about opting for a heavier fabric like tweed or thick linen to make sure everything stays covered. If you’re going to rock one of the season’s prettiest sheer blouses, make sure you’ve got a cami or basic tank top on underneath.

Invest in Outerwear

Regardless of the weather or the internship that you’ve acquired, it is very important to own some polished outerwear. A posh structured jacket, or even a simple blazer, can take any basic ensemble to a professional level.

Although you may not necessarily relate a blazer to the summer season, a white or brightly colored jacket is both seasonably appropriate and elegant.

From jeans, to a skirt, to a modestly long dress, simply layer a blazer over your outfit and you’ll be ready for any presentation or Monday morning office meeting.

Club Shoes are For the Club

Although penny loafers may not exactly be your thing, make sure to avoid wearing your favorite sky high, hot pink, sequin embellished stilettos. Trying to keep your balance around the office clutching desks, chairs, and whatever else you can grab to avoid a face-plant is never a good look.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t still rock a chic pump, just be sure to keep the height below 4 inches, skip anything too strappy, and opt for stacked heels or wedges.

Some offices have a closed-toe shoe policy, so make sure to read that intern prep packet before arriving with your new pedicure on full display. If your toes must stay covered up, a classic sling back or appointed pump is a classy option.

Accessorize Intelligently

If you’ve scored a paid internship, take a moment to feel blessed as you are part of a very lucky select few. For the rest of us, budgets are most likely tight, so you’re going to want to be thrifty with your wardrobe dollars so that you still have money left over for things like bread and toilet paper.

That said, if you’re wondering what to spend your fashion budget on, we recommend investing in a quality everyday accessory like a versatile bag. You’ll get a ton of use out of it, and it’s one of the first things people will notice about your outfit.

Choose a chic color that will go with as much of your wardrobe as possible. Steer clear of neon colors for the office, but feel free to go for a bold red, emerald, or cobalt if you’re not feeling classic black.