<p>Blouses, blouses, and more blouses. She will need far more tops than pants or skirts. </p>
<p>I agree with Bunsen - the Limited actually carries some very nice suits for young women. If you find black slacks that fit well - I would buy two pairs and find jackets and dressy sweaters to mix and match. Nobody notices if you wear black slacks more than once a week. </p>
<p>Good idea about the simple CK dresses!</p>
<p>Racha–I have a very good friend who dresses impeccably and does it all out of Salvation Army (and occasionally Goodwill). Only problem is that it takes quite a bit of time (it’s her favorite thing to do! whenever she has a spare few hours she heads to SA). I just really don’t have the time to spend perusing the racks. (On eBay, you can put as many search terms as you want to narrow it all down–“tahari suit 8” or whatever. And that TV ad they had on a few years ago was right–it <em>is</em> fun to “win” things!)</p>
<p>Scout, I would suggest contacting the person she knows there and ask what they would suggest. I personally go with dress pants… I have a million… Black, brown, khaki, grey, plaid, striped, etc. If she finds a pair that she likes, buy more then one. It’s taken me years to get my self dress pants that I absolutely adore. A nice shirt… I get a lot of my shirts at NY&CO and Banana Republic. I’ll also do black leggings with a dress. Do they have casual day? Find out what she can wear for that if so. Not that she has to buy clothes for casual day but she doesn’t want to be the only one coming in wearing shorts and a tshirt (not that she would, just making an example;) )</p>
<p>Oh and shoes. Some places don’t allow open toed shoes. I know my sisters work doesn’t. Mine doesn’t care however no flip flops or plasticy sandals.</p>
<p>It depends on how much time she will spend meeting with clients – and whether she will know in advance whether she will be meeting a client on a given day.</p>
<p>Presumably, she would be expected to dress more formally (usually defined as an outfit with a jacket) for days that involve client meetings than for days when she would only be in the office. Unfortunately, dressing more formally usually means wearing clothes that require dry cleaning – a problem in the summer because people sweat up their clothes more and a problem for interns because their business wardrobes are usually very limited.</p>
<p>Somebody earlier in the thread said to stick to two colors. Here in the Washington, DC area, young women seem to have decided that the two colors are black and gray. It’s a bit dull, but it’s practical, and those who are not purists can wear one colored item with an otherwise black and/or gray outfit (e.g., black jacket, gray pants, colored blouse).</p>
<p>Thanks you, thank you, thank you! Your suggestions are wonderful. She was thinking that on less formal days (i.e., no clients) she could get away with nice pants and a nice blouse/top (conservative! not tight! not low-cut!) She will be working in the audit division and has already been told that she will be out visiting clients at least three days a week. (I assume that translates into suits on those days, but I will have her contact someone to find out for sure.)</p>
<p>Shoes.
Dry cleaning.
BR, the Limited, JCrew, Ann Taylor, CK, and Thrift stores…
Check!</p>
<p>Scout, I got a few of my dress pants in the Juniors Career department at a Kohls if you have them out there. I got really great prices on them and they are always sending out 30 percent off coupons.</p>
<p>I am go on a limb here, I would stay away from Limited, Ann Taylor, or Banana Republic. The reason - she will find same outfits at work worn by everyone else. Through out my professional career, I have made a point of wearing business clothes with a twist. </p>
<p>Last year, D1 had her real summer internship which lead to a permanent position. I bought her clothes from outlets (discount but high quality), and I paid full for few latest styles at some high end stores. Elli Tahari has nice suits that are very tailored, but uses stretchy material, great for tall girls. Michael Kor makes some great sheared dress (sleeveless), a nice cardigan or a jacket would make them look very professional. D1 wore dress or a silk blouse with fashionable pants(high waisted bell bottoms, or skinny tailored pants) when she wasn’t seeing clients. She wore more conservative suits for client meetings. I stayed away from grey suits, instead steel, chocoal, black, pinstriped. With shirts, I bought striped, cloorful shirts made or silk or pima cotton, instead of oxford (soft fabric tend to look more feminine, even if it’s pinstriped). </p>
<p>I would also invest in a nice bag (conservative for your daughter because she is in accounting), and few pumps or ballet flats(they don’t have to be matron looking, but closed toes).</p>
<p>Whatever you buy for your daughter for this summer, she should be able to wear next year when she starts her professional life. I think it’s better to invest in quality clothes (especially work clothes) then to buy throw aways.</p>
<p>Every designer(brand) cuts their suits differently. I would take your daughter to try them out to find out which one is most flattering to her. D1 is tall, and she finds Ellie Tahari fits her very well. Now, I am always watching out for sales. </p>
<p>I think a woman could be professional looking, and at the same time fashionable and feminine.</p>
<p>Summers in Chicago are often hot and humid. That makes dresses a bit of an investment as they have to be cleaned often. I think two business-appropriate skirts, two jackets and two-three pair of pants will get her through the summer if they coordinate well. Some of her current tops can be pressed into service if they aren’t too casual or revealing. Accounting firms are fashion-backward 
Look for non-wrinkling, easy care fabrics in medium to dark colors - she’ll be commuting and the buses and el trains are dirty. She can leave one suit jacket at the office for air conditioning, and probably won’t need more than a raincoat for outerwear.
Last tip - if she is thinking of buying pumps to wear without stockings -first walk around in them without socks to see if they make that horrible sticky popping noise. Some shoe linings are notorious for this.</p>
<p>I agree with oldfort in general – however, if she is just starting out and needs a few pieces, a comparatively little money goes a long way at AT, BR, etc. I do agree with her investment dressing advice, but it may make more sense when in a full time job…</p>
<p>oldfort, while I agree with what you are saying, not everyone can afford to shop at higher end stores (although their outlets might have good selection of higher end clothes at reasonable prices). Nordstrom has its own clothing lines for women, Classiques Entier (sp?), Caslon, and Tahari for Nordstrom. The pieces are very reasonably priced, very feminine yet professional, and are very well made. Very often these brands can be found at Nordstrom Rack (I just almost bought a CE silk blouse, but had to remind myself that my office is a meatlocker even in the summer). So these would be a middle road between the Limited and the high end stuff (although my Limited pencil skirt suit that I got there eons ago still gets lots of oohh and ahhs).</p>
<p>Oldfort, I would LOVE to be able to buy some real investment pieces for D - and I’m sure we’ll do that at some time - but right now, D really just needs some basic things to get her started. I’m not joking when I say that her current wardrobe is Early Garage Band. She has the grey three-piece suit I mentioned earlier that carried her through all her interviews, a black pencil skirt, a couple of blouses,a good pair of black pants, and good-quality black pumps and flats. I would love to see her in smart, fashion-forward business attire, though…</p>
<p>Because she is tall and thin, she can carry off most looks, and her tastes naturally run to the conservative (despit the grunge look of her every-day wear.) Once she finds some labels and styles that she likes, I will start haunting the sales and outlet malls for her. I LOVED dressing her as a baby, but unfortunately she now has a mind of her own.</p>
<p>Check T J Maxx or Marshalls for CK dresses. D is tall and thin, they look great on her and are very reasonable at those stores. Occassionally, they seem to have some sort of “suit event”, and they have a LOT of nice quality suits, but we did better at Ann Taylor Loft than anywhere else.</p>
<p>I think dressy slacks in black, gray, or blue are essential. Then a few nice cardigans over a blouse. Skinny belts over the cardigans. Try for a couple of shells to match the cardigans. I just looked at the J Crew website sale pages. They are having a 20% off womens clothing. There are several nice cardigans marked for final sale.
Congrats to your daughter for landing this internship.</p>
<p>D loves her Easy Spirit pumps from Macys. Inexpensive and she says she can wear them all day.
For those looking for internships if possible make sure your D has several outfits. My D is finding that at her school everyone comes to interview over the same month period. Both last week and this week she had numerous occasions to wear her suit. The problem she is running into is that the suit pants are getting baggy but she has no time to have it dry cleaned. For each interview they have an info session. The info sessions are not as formal but still require dress clothing. I am thinking she needs to really have two suits.
My D’s problem is she is short and petite. Many of the mainstream brands start at a 2P and she swims in them. She is extremely hard to fit. She can not just walk into a store and buy something. It gets frustrating. When she bought the suit she has she hit a several large malls. Eventually deciding on a pant and jacket from Ann Taylor. She found each brand and chain store fit her differently.
I envy those whose kids can easily shop off the rack.
Adding- this past weekend she was at a Macys and said they were having great sales on suits if you can find find your size.</p>
<p>mom60, I’m not the same size as your daughter but I can understand her trouble finding clothes that are her size. I’m 5 ft 5 in 125 lbs so obviously not very large and you’d think I’m easy to dress but I have long legs and a short torso that apparently aren’t proportionate with each other! I so wish womans clothes were measured the way that mens clothes are!!! I’m a different size in every single brand! If I shop in juniors I can be anywhere from a 5 to a 9! If I buy a 5, it has to be cut very long. If I buy a 9, they have to be cut short, if I buy a 7 it can go either way depending on the maker! If I shop in womans I can be a 2, a 4, or a 6! I drive my younger sister nuts! 15 pairs of pants will get tried on and I’ll wind up with 0 at the end of my shopping trip. That’s why I tend to buy things up quickly once I find something that fits!</p>
<p>For us, when D was doing an internship at a TV station, we went out & bought her a few dressy items–a nice reasonably-priced suit at Macy’s (it was the only place that had anything small enough to fit her properly). She happened to have a pair of dressy slacks and dressy low-heeled sandals (OK in HI). She also had a few dressy tops appropriate for business attire.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s better not to buy a ton of things all at the beginning before you have a good idea of what is popular and what works & what doesn’t for you & your workplace. We got quite a few nice tops at Ross, & a few at BR. My niece likes Ann Taylor, but she is older & needed clothes for her law firm; D didn’t find much appealing there, tho I shop there.</p>
<p>I still have a wool suit I bought from Saks 5th Ave in 1982 when starting my legal career that I have had altered and still love, so yes, investing in quality clothing is a good thing.</p>
<p>Having blazers and slacks and nice tops is a much less expensive way of looking professional without blowing through as much money. There are some very nice slacks & tops that are washable instead of always having the entire wardrobe dry clean only (haven’t found many blazers that are washable, unfortunately). Surprisingly, even Costco sometimes has nice things–have bought blazers there and some slacks. Nordstrom’s Rack is hit & miss, but there are some good deals there if you can find your size & style.</p>
<p>It’s nice to see the replies still coming in. DD and I have been emailing suggestions and links back and forth to one another. Recently she received an email from the intern coordinator at the accounting firm, and I suggested that she email back with a questions about dress codes.</p>
<p>I’ve also kept my eye on the thread about womens’ coats - we’re looking for a trench coat, too. I keep finding things that I like, but apparently I’m not as fashion-forward as I would like to think I am!</p>
<p>Our D bought a nice very fitted, lightweight unlined trench coat for LA. It would not work for cold environments but she does like it & it was very reasonably priced & on sale at Macy’s in HI.</p>
<p>Has anyone tried the suits from J Crew? How is the fit compared to some of the other store brands?</p>
<p>Just bumping up this thread one last time to say thanks for all the fashion advice. D started her internship last Friday and seems to be one of the more appropriately-dressed interns. (“Mom! There was one girl here who wore jeans with frayed cuffs and sneakers! How is THAT business appropriate?”)</p>
<p>She wound up with two suits (the original gray one from BR and a black Halogen suit from Nordstrom’s). We did a lot of shopping at a nearby outlet mall that had an Ann Taylor and BR - so we got plenty of tops and cardigans. Shoes are/were harder to find. She did snag a great pair of Cole Haan pumps at a Nordstrom Rack (at $80!) but the flats are giving her fits - she doesn’t like buckles or ornamentation on her shoes, but without SOMEthing the shoes look blah. Still searching, but she has enough to get started.</p>
<p>One gripe about office dress codes - a few weeks ago she got an email saying that the office dress code is “business casual” but strictly business (jacket and skirt) when they visit clients. Then they defined “business casual” for men but not really for women - for women, it’s more like “nice slacks and a top.” </p>
<p>Really? You couldn’t give us a better definition? Turns out that business casual for women actually meant “jackets not required, but if you’re not wearing a jacket, you need to have your arms covered by a cardigan or sweater.”</p>