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Home / New Zealand

Looks that Work: Dressing for your internship

By Zoe Walker
Associate editor, Viva·NZ Herald·
23 Oct, 2013 08:00 PM2 mins to read

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Simple, smart, sensible: live by this mantra for the rest of your working life. Topshop blazer, $175, and knit, $95, from The Department Store. Kathryn Wilson flat $289. Country Road iPad case $34.90.
Simple, smart, sensible: live by this mantra for the rest of your working life. Topshop blazer, $175, and knit, $95, from The Department Store. Kathryn Wilson flat $289. Country Road iPad case $34.90.

Simple, smart, sensible: live by this mantra for the rest of your working life. Topshop blazer, $175, and knit, $95, from The Department Store. Kathryn Wilson flat $289. Country Road iPad case $34.90.

You’ve done it: you’ve scored an internship, the first step towards your dream job . . . now, what to wear?

1. Simple, smart, sensible
You will learn to live by this mantra for the rest of your working life. You should dress to reflect the company or office environment, whether it's corporate or creative. It's not the time to be trendy - even if you're interning at a fashion magazine.

2. Watch your hemline
You're young with amazing legs, but no one needs to see them in the office. Save them for the weekend. Keep things professional by keeping things at the knee.

3. Don't spend too much
You'll likely want to translate all your excitement (or panic) over what to wear by buying lots of new office-appropriate clothes. Don't! You're probably not being paid, and no one will expect you to come into the office in head-to-toe new looks each day. If you buy anything, make it a smart, well-tailored black blazer.

4. The jacket
A good jacket will become your fail-safe uniform throughout any internship, whether you're in a corporate environment (wear it with black pants for a less uptight take on a suit) or somewhere more creative and casual (over a printed dress, or basically anything you have in your wardrobe, except denim or pyjamas).

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5. Shoes: go flat or go low
Loafers or brogues are a great option that will allow you to do whatever is required to the best of your ability (i.e. not hobbling around in pain in heels you aren't used to wearing). If you must wear heels, make them sensibly low without a platform.

6. Ask
The easiest solution? A quick phone call or email to the person who will be managing you over your internship, asking what the office dress code is. They'll appreciate your professionalism.

- VIVA

*For the good things in life on the go, download the Viva iPad app, free now at appstore.com/vivamagazinenz.

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