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How should I dress?

TSE

TSE

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 25, 2007
4,092
3,740
St. Paul, Minnesota
I recently got an internship at a design firm in the Los Angeles area.

Being from the midwest where we dress extremely casual, and in Minnesota have infamous fashions such as hoodie-gym shorts combos and other goodies, I don't particularly know what I should wear for a west coast design internship.

I have about $800 to spend.

How should I dress, and where should I buy it?
 
People in the creative fields in Southern California dress casually, but that doesn't mean you can dress like a slob. Wear a clean button-down shirt, nice slacks and maybe a sport coat. Any good department store will carry this stuff in the men's department. Get a haircut. Remove visible piercings,etc. Look professional because this internship will open the door to other opportunities for you down the road. As a general rule, when in doubt dress more conservatively. Remember, your bosses will likely be baby boomers who are a bit more formal than college kids these days, even in creative fields.
 
How about asking the person who hired you what the dress code is rather than a bunch of strangers on a forum?
 
Find a shoemaker who makes you a pair of dress shoes for $800.
Then just wear those shoes.
 
Why call where you'll be working and asking them, as rdowns stated. Makes more sense to find out their expectations/dress code then asking on the internet.
 
LA tends to be fairly casual. You might see a lot of people show up in jeans and untucked button down shirts on a typical day, but it varies depending on the place and role. That being said, ask them. It's not taboo question.
 
You should dress wearing whatever you feel comfortable wearing, at the level of formality expected.

What's the level of formality? You'll have to ask the company or observe yourself.

After that it's up to you to determine your own style based on what makes you comfortable. $800 can buy you a lot or a single item depending on where you shop. I'm not sure what you ready own either. $800 should be more than enough to buy some work clothes if you shop in the right stores or don't wear the same, expensive outfit daily :p .
 
rosario1990 said:
Try to make a dress according to the local culture. Know about them what they like to wear.
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TSE said:
Not to be rude, but that's kind of the purpose of this thread...
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Rosario1990's answer deserves better than your somewhat snarky response.

The key is to find out what the local culture is is try to blend into that in a way that you are comfortable with.


tgara said:
People in the creative fields in Southern California dress casually, but that doesn't mean you can dress like a slob. Wear a clean button-down shirt, nice slacks and maybe a sport coat. Any good department store will carry this stuff in the men's department. Get a haircut. Remove visible piercings,etc. Look professional because this internship will open the door to other opportunities for you down the road. As a general rule, when in doubt dress more conservatively. Remember, your bosses will likely be baby boomers who are a bit more formal than college kids these days, even in creative fields.
Click to expand...

Very good post.

rdowns said:
How about asking the person who hired you what the dress code is rather than a bunch of strangers on a forum?
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This occurred to me, too.

Of course, the OP could also do a google search for the company that hired him, take a look at staff photos, the company website, give some thought to what the ambience of the company is (after all, if they hired him, he must have had some sort of contact with their people to date).

maflynn said:
Why call where you'll be working and asking them, as rdowns stated. Makes more sense to find out their expectations/dress code then asking on the internet.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
Arrive to your first day of work wearing business casual: long-sleeve shirt with a collar, a tie, maybe a sport coat. Nice shoes.

You can adjust from there.
 
What kind of "design" firm is this? What do they design? It can make a HUGE difference.

The reason I ask, I work in engineering/architecture and 3/4 of our people work in design, but it's a very different world from, say, software design or graphic design or automotive design, etc.
 
Tomorrow said:
What kind of "design" firm is this? What do they design? It can make a HUGE difference.

The reason I ask, I work in engineering/architecture and 3/4 of our people work in design, but it's a very different world from, say, software design or graphic design or automotive design, etc.
Click to expand...

It's a power sports design company... so motorcycles, trains, boats, etc.
 
TSE said:
It's a power sports design company... so motorcycles, trains, boats, etc.
Click to expand...
Trains?

The general rule for the first day is to dress like you're interviewing, and then acclimate to the standard from there. Don't blow the $800 before you go in; get a standard business dress (sport coat, white dress shirt, conservative tie, slacks, socks and shoes) outfit that will serve you for more than just that day.

On day 1, observe what others are wearing, and always be better dressed than them. Have a baseline dress including a dress shirt, unless you're doing "grunt work," like taking apart engines or digging outside. A good rule of thumb is that if your hands get dirty, a T-Shirt or polo shirt will do, and jeans are acceptable. Otherwise, dress pants and button down shirts are expected.

Other things:
Find a good launderer. A pressed, starched shirt speaks volumes. It should only cost $1-2 per shirt.
Wear undershirts. That way you don't have to launder your shirts every time you wear them.
If you think that you need a shirt that says, "LOOK AT ME!!!" then you need to wear that outside of work hours, not at work. Nothing says immature like needing to have attention on yourself at work through purchasing it. Make your work draw attention. When you're the boss, you can walk around like Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, and those guys.
 
tgara said:
People in the creative fields in Southern California dress casually, but that doesn't mean you can dress like a slob...
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actually it might :p

I've certainly seen T-shirts and scruffy jeans at design offices here in Los Angeles, especially among the younger staff.


tgara said:
...Wear a clean button-down shirt, nice slacks and maybe a sport coat...
Click to expand...

the odds are against a sport coat, although having one handy is a good idea even if it never actually gets worn at work......but the button down shirt and slacks, most likely khakis, are a good starting point for an intern. He may find polo shirts and jeans are easily in the acceptable range too

Best bet is to call and ask what everybody typically wears at the firm

thekev said:
LA tends to be fairly casual. You might see a lot of people show up in jeans and untucked button down shirts on a typical day, but it varies depending on the place and role. That being said, ask them. It's not taboo question.
Click to expand...

definitely call and ask is the thing to do
 
simple, clean

If you are interning at a designing firm, I'm guessing everyone will dress fashionable? I am not sure, but I would say to get your moneys worth, shop at forever 21 and H&M and express. Their clothings are cheap and very stylish. I recommend you to buy nice shoes though like brown leathers shoes with patterned socks, clean white sneakers like adidas, converse, or clean nike free run.
 
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