As summer nears and hiring agents begin to plop dress codes into the inboxes of unsuspecting interns, students must prepare for endless days of sweating through their business casual blazers in the hot summer sun.
The Daily spoke with four students — Medill sophomore Ana Patricio, McCormick junior Thekra Alkadee, Communication junior Bryson Shaub and McCormick sophomore Trisha Krishnan — about how they’re adding personal flair to their internship styles.
These interviews have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
The Daily: Tell me about your internship this summer.
Patricio: This summer, I will be interning at Family Style magazine.
Alkadee: I’ll be interning at Zebra Technologies, and I’ll be a digital enablement intern within (electronic data interchange) operations.
Shaub: I’m interning at (William Morris Endeavor), which is an agency in New York City. I’m going to be a theater intern there.
Krishnan: I’m gonna be working at United Airlines on their supply chain in the analytics team.
The Daily: What would you say people typically wear in the industry you’ll be working in? Is there a dress code?
Patricio: Honestly, I’m kind of worried because I don’t really know what to expect in terms of what the specific dress code is at this magazine. However, it is a smaller magazine … I think InStyle magazine has an intern series right now, and they’re all wearing designer every day and obviously, that’s not realistic for a college intern. That definitely can induce some anxiety. However, with smaller magazines especially, I would think that it’s a little bit more casual. Definitely you have to dress professionally, but it’s not head-to-toe designer or anything of that caliber.
Alkadee: This question was actually asked in the intern group chat around Christmas time because people were like, ‘What should I ask for Christmas gifts?’ specifically about like what attire. The recruitment agents were saying mostly business casual, so dark-colored jeans or slacks, suit pants and then any blouses or Zebra Tech attire would be appropriate for the role.
Shaub: What’s really exciting about the entertainment industry in particular is that there are so many creative people who I think have a really great sense of style, and I think that’s so integral to the workplace. They actually sent us some inspiration outfits for this summer, and it’s business casual, but the outfits they sent definitely have a lot of flair to them. The vibe seems to be kind of a beachy kind of business casual, where there’s a lot of tan colors and blues.
Krishnan: This is half a tech company and half a general corporate company. I would say the tech departments, which I’m part of the technical operations department, are generally more laid back with their dress code. People kind of wear jeans on Fridays and dress pants, but maybe a more casual shirt. Whereas maybe in some of the other departments, like the finance departments, people really dress up and wear suits and things like that.
The Daily: How do you predict you’ll express yourself through clothing while at your internship this summer?
Patricio: There’s always a way that you can bring in your own flair into any outfit. A good way to do that is through accessories … If I’m wearing an all-white outfit, bringing in like a touch of color, whether that be in the shoes or even a little necktie or in a nice statement piece belt, will always bring together an outfit without doing too much. Also, jewelry is always a good way to bring in your own style into the outfit.
Alkadee: The most apparent way I could express myself is I’m Muslim, so I wear the hijab. My clothes have to also reflect that in a certain way. Wearing long sleeves, no short skirts or anything like that.
Shaub: I do a lot of acting at school, and something that, especially as an actor, really gets me into a role, is literally just the shoes I’m wearing. For me, I’ll probably just be wearing brown dress shoes, but I feel like just having shoes that are kind of tight fitting on me gets me in the headspace of, all right, time to do some efficient and productive work. I feel like that’s part of my style I’d really like to show at the internship this summer, wearing clothes that are gonna make me feel confident in the work I’m doing and ready to go up against what’s next.
Krishnan: Wearing something more put together, like some sort of fitted top with a nice sweater or something, just kind of will make me feel more confident when I’m walking around the office and appear a little bit more mature. I feel like sometimes I have more of a younger face and things like that, so if I want to appear a little bit older and easier to work with in the office, I definitely would try to elevate my style and look a little bit more classy.
The Daily: Do you have a favorite article of clothing or accessory that lets you express yourself while sticking to dress code?
Patricio: I wouldn’t be wearing these in the office, but I do really, really love sunglasses. I always, always wear sunglasses. I actually just started experimenting with glasses in college. They never go out of style, sunglasses, I feel like. I also think they’re the epitome of the summertime, of walking to the office with your glasses on and no one can see you. … I do love belts though. I love, love, love belts. I think you can do so much with a belt, especially with an outfit that’s deemed more basic.
Alkadee: I would say suit pants or skirts. I feel like I could wear them with everything, and they still look good. I have a beige satin skirt, and I just love its material. I love how flowy it is, and then because it’s like a light color, a staple color, you can literally just wear it with anything. I’m also really into burgundy or that marooney, plum color, so I think that goes really well with beige also.
Shaub: I’m definitely a sneakerhead. I’m not like a shoe collector or anything, but I love looking up shoes and what shoes are popular right now. I just feel like sneakers are such an interesting part of the market of the clothing industry, and they’re so specific, and there’s so many types of shoes. I’d say that’s an aspect I get really excited about.
Krishnan: For professional settings, I have some, like, nice fitted blouses from Zara that I like to wear under blazers and things like that because they’re also pretty inexpensive. They’re nice to have in multiple different colors. I feel like it kind of helps my outfit be more versatile, but I can still pair it with the same dress pants or something and make them different outfits.
The Daily: How has your professional style evolved over the years?
Patricio: Being a woman entering the professional space, I feel like we are bound to be bombarded with these rules of what we can and can’t wear in the office, whether that be being more conservative in the office and not showing your shoulders. There’s a lot of stress in that front for women that men don’t necessarily have to experience, in terms of showing their body. … My style really has shifted more toward, I don’t want to say masculine silhouettes, but honestly yeah, I think it has, because I used to be scared of showing my body or people getting this perception of me that I didn’t really want them to get. … You want to be taken seriously, but you also have the autonomy of what you can and can’t wear. Finding a meeting point in between both of those spaces, I think, is hard, but once you do … you really are able to work and show up every day to the office feeling comfortable and confident.
Alkadee: As I got older, I’m able to actually express myself through my clothes. I feel when I was younger, maybe I did have my same style, but I wasn’t actually able to find clothes that fit me and still looked good.
Shaub: It’s definitely evolved. I’d say that going into freshman year, my style could use some work both professionally and also at school. Through finding new friends here, especially a couple friends I have in theater who I really feel have amazing sense of style … That’s something I want to discover this summer, is how to keep evolving my professional style in a way that’s changing with how the entertainment industry is changing.
Krishnan: The only professional clothes I would wear in high school were for speech and debate tournaments because that was kind of the only time I had to, and that was very dressed up. I had to wear blazers and pants, a whole suit, every weekend when I competed. I definitely think that I have a little bit more liberty with that when I’m working and doing internships and stuff like that. I think (my style has) evolved to be a little bit more classy and versatile, but I definitely take pride in trying out different outfits and making them fun for myself just because I feel like if I’m excited about my outfit, then I’m excited to go to work.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— From Taylor Swift to Rihanna, here are 2026’s hottest celebrity fashion trends
— Stylish and sustainable: A guide to local thrift and vintage shops
— Aquariums, ice cream and movies: Outfit recommendations for summer outings
