By Maitri Patel (Team CB)

We all at some point in our life have been made to sit through those boring lectures of even more boring professors telling  us how an internship is the first step towards the world of corporate exposure, what an internship teaches you cannot be found anywhere in the books.  Well! BLAAAH!! Sure they are the most logical clichés that are universally applicable. That is exactly why we choose to go to a college in the first place.

Well, as for me, I have been through 7 of them in my life. From undergraduate to postgraduate (impressed much?). Though the initial days always made me cry, I somehow managed to survive all of them! (I guess Darwin based his theory on ME 😛 )

Coming more to the point, being an acute observer, there are a few fashion blunders that I have noticed over my long tenure :D. Surprisingly, they have remained more or less the same, whether it was a small company or a large enterprise.

So, here I list them for you

Bold Make-up

One big mistake women end up making is wearing a loud make up in your professional environment. Always remember the kind of setting are you applying your make up for and decide accordingly, you need to look like an intern/trainee and not a rockstar.  It is best to avoid too much of eye much up, blush and a special mention for smoky eye-NO!

Guess the NOT-A-ROCKSTAR look. 😛

The DUH look

It is important to wear simple clothes that are not too flashy. Avoid wearing a butterfly top or the ones with animals printed on it or oversized tops (no matter how comfortable they are). They simply do not look professional.  Instead, opt for strips or plane shirts. There is nothing wrong with adding bold colors to your outfit but do not over do it. Another point to remember is to keep your accessories minimal. Too much bling works perfectly for a contemporary social event, not for a professional one.

Professional? 😐

Wet Hair and Clothes

This is an absolute NO NO! An office is a place where you want everyone to take you seriously and wet hair just ensures the opposite. It makes you look sloppy and a kind of person who cannot manage time. A rainy weather can only be excused for a handful number of times. Ensure that you reach the office all dried up. As for clothes, it goes without mentioning how important it is for female interns/trainees to avoid arriving at the office with wet clothes. Thus make it a point to wear darker shades of shirts during monsoon. Apart from that, sweat patches do not look nice and does not give that clean vibe.

Mmmhhmm!! Unacceptable.

Mixing Office and Evening Wear

If you are dressed for work, you need to dress for work only. Its high time that people realize that they cant mix both work and evening wear. An attempt to blend both the outfits will give an impression that your work is not your priority and for an intern/trainee this can prove to be extremely fatal (not quite literally 😉 ). The trick is to schedule your evening out atleast 30 mins after you get off work, giving you room to change into a more comfortable outfit. Imagine how awkward a completely chic but see through sheer top looks does when you are among peers and superiors. Also, if you feel the need to hold your skirt on bending, it should be enough an indication that the skirt is not a professional outfit. You can wear a long skirt instead or simply opt for pants.

This is where high end brands like Zara and Mango (to name a few) have come to our rescue. Most of them have started their range of work clothes that can be modified into an evening wear with elegance.

Vola!!

Your Precious Crackers

Even if your heels are the first and the last thing see when you wake up and probably the last when you go to bed, and even if they look highly professional in those aww so pretty pumps, you cannot wear them if they slow you down at work. Being at the bottom of the pyramid, the life of an intern/trainee involves running around the office to get things done. And when your guide/superior feels you are comfortably walking around taking your time to accomplish the tasks in hand, they might interpret it as your inability to understand priority. So, in order to gain that job you might have to lose your heels.

You Are So Pretty, but ;(

Innerwears

According to me, straps are the most important element of any outfit. There is nothing sexy about your bra strap popping out from your blouse or your underwear showing. Though spaghetti straps are completely acceptable in evening/vacation wears, it is completely inappropriate if it shows at the office.

No Peeping!

Shoulder straps and see through outfits

Bigger the strap covering your shoulder, the better it is- is the rule of thumb for not messing up work outfits. One of the biggest mistake I have seen people make is wearing see through outfits at work. It looks completely unprofessional and works against your wish to be taken seriously at the workplace.

Ask Yourself. Is This Really Worth The Risk?

Being appropriate at a work place is of utmost importance if wish to work at the company you are interning with and the more professionally you present yourself, more will be your chances of getting the job you have been for.

As Marilyn Monroe once said “I don’t mind making jokes, but I don’t want to look like one”, make sure you are on the floating side of the sinking boat.

Do share your office stories and experiences with us. Write in as usual.

Until then,

Stay Gorgeous XOXO.

Picture Courtesy:

www.pinterest.com

www.dailymail.co.uk

www.realsimple.com

www.homeshopAtoZ.com