Birkenstocks are the New Black: Curating a work wardrobe is no small task
“They want me to come in tomorrow for an interview. I have no idea what to wear!”
As someone who stresses about every detail of a job or internship interview, moving to L.A., where trendy workplace outfits are common, placed stress on me and my wardrobe. While I love the internship and job opportunities available in L.A., finding the right outfit for the interview can be daunting at best and a complete disaster at worst.
I grew up in a small, traditional town in Rhode Island, which led me to assume that dressing for an interview meant putting on my business formal best. While this is far from the case when navigating the competitive job market in Los Angeles where internships allow greater fashion freedom, opting for a classic business suit did make dressing for work and interviews much easier.
Although I’ve completed two internships, I recently encountered an unexpected situation when I interviewed for a position at a bank in downtown Los Angeles. I had never before encountered a position where wearing jeans to work was not acceptable or encouraged. Through this, I realized that the industry you work in can impact your wardrobe preferences as much as the physical location.
While dressing for my previous positions was not much different from dressing for class, the new challenge showed me not only how business attire has certainly expanded but also how many other industries (and society at large) may or may not accept those changes. With the plethora of stores now stocking business clothing such as Aritzia, J. Crew and even athletic wear companies like Lululemon marketing work pants, purchasing clothing for a new job or internship is now more exciting and fashionable than ever.
However, in fields like law or medicine, where traditional and stringent dress codes are necessary for professionalism and safety, expressing one’s personal style at work can be quite challenging. Fashion has not greatly expanded to accommodate certain industries, but there is room for it to do so by finding more innovative and stylish ways to support people in these fields. At the same time, many people in these industries have found creative ways to help combat the societal norms that are imposed on certain careers through small jewelry or hair accessories.
Despite the rigid norms set by different industries, creative people still manage to let their personal style shine. Although I love the freedom that comes with more relaxed dress codes in Los Angeles workplaces, it is interesting to see the expansion of business formal past simple black and white suits. Shopping for this type of clothing on a budget will definitely pose an additional challenge that I will have to face along with many of my peers at USC when we leave the relaxed L.A. dress code bubble and either change industries or move to a new city. No matter the industry, I know that fellow fashionistas will find a great way to showcase their personal style through even the smallest details.
Lilly Howell is a sophomore writing about fashion. Her column, “Birkenstocks are the New Black,” runs every other Friday.