The New Kid

The first day is always a little tough. No matter how socially adept you might be, it's always going to be a little awkward and out of your comfort zone to show up at a totally new place with a bunch of new people and start conversing right away. I think some people call it networking. Whatever it is, it's torturous. This whole situation, of course, is compounded by the fact that you're trying to make as good of a first impression as possible.

I'll admit it: Dressing for the first day is tricky. Perhaps you've had a chance to scope out the office beforehand when you were applying and interviewing for the job - perhaps not. Regardless, one of the perennial rites of passage for new interns is that uncomfortable realization that ... you're not dressed like anybody else.

Luckily, I was forewarned that my office is a business casual setting and we even get to wear jeans (!) on Fridays.

Typically, if you're not completely certain of your office dress code, you want to err on the side of slightly formal instead of slightly informal. This is the rule of thumb I usually go by, but because I was given a (very well-appreciated) heads-up about my office being business casual as opposed to business formal, I also didn't want to be too formal and seem stuffy. It's truly a gray area of wanting to be professional but then also wanting to fit in to the office culture - sometimes, they seem to lean in the same direction, and sometimes not.

Because there was a little ambiguity as to what would be appropriate in the office, I tried for something that was professional enough to pass as business formal if needed but that wasn't a full skirt suit set - the matching black (or navy) pencil skirt and suit jacket screams, "Corporate America, take me now!" Definitely a no-no, especially if I was being told that the rest of the office was in business casual. I went with a gray sheath dress that I belted for some color, and then added a black blazer - just in case people ended up being on the more formal side of "business casual" (there are a lot of variations between business "formal" vs. "casual" that I will decipher in a later post). With the jacket, I could fit easily in an official business meeting, but without it, I still looked professional but less formal and, frankly, not quite so self-important. While it's bad to be under-dressed for a formal occasion, it can be equally uncomfortable to be overdressed in a casual situation. It's like that kid that still had her mom dress her for junior high school, with the frilly dresses and ribbons and bows when everyone else was wearing oversized T-shirts and jeans. It sucks. I know. I've been there.

The blazer still ended up being more formal than what most people were wearing, but the dress was a great midpoint between super formal and then totally casual. I love the extra detailing on the short sleeves of the dress - definitely some more personality than just cap sleeves. If you're in a similar situation where you're not sure to what degree you should be business formal or business casual, I would recommend to go for a formal cut and style but play around more with the colors. For example, the cut of my dress is pretty structured - if I had it in black, it would be more formal, but because it's gray, it gives a little more leeway and seems a little less boardroom while still staying professional with its built-in sharp, clean lines.

And, of course, I have my flats at the ready just in case the heels become unbearable!

Dress: Banana Republic | Suit Jacket: Anne Klein | Belt: hand-me-down (mother's: Balenciaga) | Black Heels: Ralph Lauren | Flats: J. Crew | Bag: Coach