You secured a summer internship, Congratulations! You begin to picture yourself in the role and it all starts feeling real. That is when your eyes travel to your closet, and you realize your one career fair outfit is not going to cut it anymore. It’s time to build your professional wardrobe, but where do you start? Here are some of my recommendations to build a starter wardrobe for your summer internship.
Pants
Let’s start with one of the easiest elements of a professional wardrobe: the pants. If you don’t already have a pair of black dress slacks, this should be your first purchase when shopping for clothes for your internship. These will become a staple in your weekly outfit rotation, so invest in a pair of slacks you truly love and feel your best in. You can even invest in another pair in a different color, preferably a neutral color such as gray, tan, or brown. This will help increase the versatility of your wardrobe so that you are not limited to one color of slacks. This should be a good start to your professional closet.
Tops
Shopping for office-approved blouses is when things can get a bit more difficult. Until you are able to assess what your coworkers in the office are wearing, I recommend staying on the conservative side for tops until you know what is acceptable. A great place to start when it comes to this is purchasing a collared button-down shirt. This is something that can be worn on its own or dressed up with a blazer, making it a useful piece to have. In general, stick to blouses that are on the looser side that cover your shoulders and have a modest neckline until you know what is okay to wear. Having at least four neutral-colored professional blouses in your wardrobe is a good place to start until you assess the situation.
Shoes and layers
Now for the fun part: the shoes! This will be more dependent on your style, but it is essential to at least have a pair of closed-toe heels and a pair of flats or loafers in your closet. I recommend having a black pair of slingback, pointed-toe heels of a low or medium heel height, whatever you are most comfortable with. A simple pair of ballet flats or black loafers are nice to have to increase your outfit options. If your office allows it, having a nice pair of white dress sneakers that you only wear to work is a nice addition. Aside from shoes, you absolutely need a blazer if you do not already have one! This is useful to have if you have a presentation one day or you want to make a good first impression. Finally, your office may be really cold, so a simple gray or white cardigan is always a good idea to have on hand.
Where to shop
So now you know what to get, but where do you shop? My favorite budget-friendly stylish workwear hidden gems are H&M, Old Navy and the Gap Factory. If you have the money to invest in higher quality pieces, Aritzia and Express have a great selection of professional clothing that you will wear well beyond your internship. Happy shopping, and good luck this summer!