That “casual” seems rather dressy for the technical side of Silicon Valley computer companies.
Were the interviews on site (i.e. did they fly him there), or on campus? If on site, did he notice how others there were dressed? If on campus, and he was interviewed by a working engineer from the company, did he notice how that person was dressed (though this is less reliable than observations on site)?
Well, I’m neither in the computer industry or in Silicon Valley.
Pokey…where geographically is this internship?
Seattle area is very casual.
Engineers I know, wear anything short of sandals & shorts, although other employees may wear them.
In LA, the young professional guys in fairly casual environments tend to wear slim cut short-sleeved button-front shirts in either solid colors, or subtle plaids, or subtle stripes, NOT TUCKED IN, with slim-cut flat-front khakis or other twill pants, OR very thin, fitted sweaters with high v necks, in either a solid color or stripe. Here’s a typical look:
Nice look in post 25. My husband doesn’t wear short sleeves to work. But he sometimes rolls up his sleeves. But he isn’t a 20 something!
Seriously, I’m going to stress that this is utterly regionally determined, and this really isn’t a good forum for finding out the answer to the question. At my wife’s engineering firm, for example, “business casual” includes jeans (and not necessarily terribly well-kept jeans, even)—but this is Alaska, and I suspect (no, make that I know, given people I’m acquainted with there) that that wouldn’t be even close to the case at an engineering firm in DC.
Here’s a typical lightweight sweater look that you’d see on a 20- to 30- something professional guy in a business casual environment in LA:
http://www.saksoff5th.com/colorblock-wool%2Fcashmere-sweater/0496024822801.html
One thing they DON’T wear are old-school polo shirts or golf-style shirts. If they wear something akin to a polo shirt, it will be in a very thin, fitted cotton, nothing like the old polo shirts in the heavier knits.
Here’s another typical look (which you can recreate for a lot cheaper; just giving you a sense of the style):
Again, this is Southern California. In Northern California, they are a lot slobbier. And even the nicely dressed guys in Northern Cal will be wearing more Patagonia and Northface type casual wear.
When my son started his internship we bought him khaki and black slacks and several button down shirts, many checked. The first day he went to work, he said that no one wore checked shirts!
I will say that all the physical therapists where I’m going for rehab seem to have a dress code that says polo shirts (nice casual shirts for women) and khaki/dress type slacks. Shoes are typically nice sneakers, and the interns (all in polos) tuck their shirts in (men and women). East Coast.
A physical therapist is doing physical manipulations on her clients. It seems to me that that isn’t where I’d look for guidance on business casual, any more than I’d look for guidance on business casual to a personal trainer.
Brooks Brothers makes the best slim cut, no-iron dress shirts, either button down or spread collar. There are not as many fabric options in button down. I have not found RL no-iron, but have only looked at the RL outlet. J. Crew no-iron shirts emerge from the dryer needing ironing, so save yourself that purchase. I have purchased the BB no-iron shirts from both the ‘real’ store and the outlet store, and all have been fine. They last much longer than shirts that have to go to the cleaners as the giant pressing machines broke off the buttons and eventually tore the fabric at the neck buttons. I do not know what is in the fabric, but they really do emerge from the dryer looking pressed—for years!
Bucks are a great option for the summer and forgiving on the feet b/c of the rubber soles.
Old Navy sells very good and inexpensive flat front khakis but they require ironing. I have not tried the BB no-iron pants but have heard rave reviews.
Of course, slim cut stuff only works for skinny guys.
The hardest guys to buy dressier clothes for are the athletically built guys.
As others have noted there’s quite a bit variation in business casual. That’s been my uniform for the past 20 years or so. You can go to the “casual” end of the scale with khakis and a golf/polo shirt. The area I’m living now is pretty casual so I frequently wear an actual golf shirt (preferably with no logo, or just a small one on the sleeve) in a microfiber, or a high-end cotton shirt (fine yarn, high quality cotton, good sheen). The microfiber golf shirts tend to be cheaper and wrinkle-free so usually I go that route.
For occasions where I need to go a little dressier I’ll wear a long-sleeve button-down and a dark pair of slacks. I used to wear wool or silk slacks but I got tired of trips to the dry cleaner so now I’m all about the wrinkle-free cotton blends. Sometimes I’ll break out the dress shoes but usually it’s just a pair of leather loafers with a rubber sole.
For shipping your son off, I’d keep it simple. A couple pairs of Dockers (slimmer fit, medium rise) one khaki and one dark blue. A couple golf/polo shirts in solid colors with no or minimal logos, and a couple fitted button-downs, one white and one light/medium blue. A pair of shoes in dark brown with a matching belt, some fun socks, and you’re good to go. He can hit the stores himself after a couple weeks to fill out those basics once he’s seen how others in the office dress. Oh add a blazer or sport coat just in case, you can get a decent one if he’s done growing and it’ll last him many years. First day into work he can wear the blue slacks, blue Oxford, and blazer. If everybody else is more casual he just hangs the sport coat on his chair, rolls up his sleeves, and he’ll fit right in.
My kid workng in NYC as an IR intern is wearing button up shirt (various colors) and dress pants. Sometimes khakis on Fridays. He’s got a jacket at the office with a tie in the pocket if he needs to dress up. I’d imagine engineers would be a bit less dressy.
@ucbalumnus @thumper1 He’ll be on the east coast. He was flown in for the last round and always wore a suit throughout the process. He didn’t get a feel for the office.
I am really grateful that so many have listed specific stores. As I suspected, there was more to learn on this topic.
On Downton Abbey, Lord Grantham got criticized for slumming it by wearing a tux to dinner, instead of tails.
Here in DC area, H wears khakis and polo or button down. He is an engineer in defense contracting. The guys in my office dress similarly.