What to wear plus what bag to bring to work?

starfused

starfused

O.G.
Jan 8, 2006
1,029
4
#1
Hello ladies,

It's time when your advice is needed again! In summer, I will be doing an internship in London. I'm going to be interning in a bank (Barclays Private Bank) and the dress code is

Men- suit, shirt & tie. Women- suitable attire

So, what is suitable attire? I am a girl who is turning 21 this year. Will a suit be too formal? I am only 5 feet, so I avoid knee length skirt like crazy cuz I think it makes me look short. Please help me cuz I have no idea. :sweatdrop:

Plus, what bag do you working ladies usually bring to work? I was thinking I should bring a chloe paddington over plus a black LV jasmin. But I need other suggestions too! (Not that I have a lot of other bags.. But...) I have a MC trouville but I thought it would be too loud. I don't think a black chanel classic flap works either.. :sad:

Hmmms..
 
#2
I run to the bus after I get out of the office every other morning to go back to campus for class, so all day long I'm in slacks and a solid top, comfy Tahari heels, and I carry a huge 18" tote (because I work on my laptop out of the office as well, and carry my books for class).

I think any tote would work out for you if anything, incase you have extra things to carry when you're out and about, or something. If you don't mind going for a big purse.

It shouldn't be too formal for you to wear a suit if men need to wear suits as well, so I say stock up on slacks if you don't like knee length skirts. But you could also wear skirts that go a few inches past your knee, unless you don't like those. Simple solid tops, blouses and dress shirts should be fine if you don't want to wear a blazer!
 
#3
starfused said:
Hello ladies,

It's time when your advice is needed again! In summer, I will be doing an internship in London. I'm going to be interning in a bank (Barclays Private Bank) and the dress code is

Men- suit, shirt & tie. Women- suitable attire

So, what is suitable attire? I am a girl who is turning 21 this year. Will a suit be too formal? I am only 5 feet, so I avoid knee length skirt like crazy cuz I think it makes me look short. Please help me cuz I have no idea. :sweatdrop:

Plus, what bag do you working ladies usually bring to work? I was thinking I should bring a chloe paddington over plus a black LV jasmin. But I need other suggestions too! (Not that I have a lot of other bags.. But...) I have a MC trouville but I thought it would be too loud. I don't think a black chanel classic flap works either.. :sad:

Hmmms..
Click to expand...

Congrats on your internship!

Dress codes can really vary by region, but if you are in banking, suits are never inappropriate. Do you have an opportunity to visit the bank and see what other employees and interns are wearing? That can really help.

It's best, in my experience, to err on the conservative side and then adjust as necessary. You can't go wrong with a dark colored suit - navy, charcoal grey, black in a seasonless wool gabardine, for example. Your skirt length doesn't have to be right at the knee; you can have a tailor help you find the most flattering length for your height. Just above the knee works for most. From there you can vary your blouse/top and could get a different blazer that you could wear with the skirt or with a dark colored pair of pants.

For handbags, I use my LV Saleya PM when I'm interviewing or when I'm traveling on business...when I want to be more conservative. It's damier, so it doesn't announce LV like the monogram pattern does, and it's dark colored. I like the idea of a larger dark colored tote for commuting and then throwing a smaller purse inside for lunch time. I think your paddy would be wonderful, BTW! :wlae:

Good luck!! :heart:
 
#4
Based on that dress code, I would definitely wear a suit in a conservative color (gray or navy or black) on the first day and check out what everyone else is wearing. Nice slacks or skirt and a twinset may also be ok, but I would definitely err on the conservative side your first day.
 
#5
Thanks for the advices!

I am only going for 10 weeks and I would like to be prepared before I go there. Since I will be in Asia before I go over to London, I want to be able to buy my work clothes in Asia. I am petite, so it is hard to find suitable clothes, esp. pants that fit me properly! That is why I was wondering what I should buy. :smile:

So I think I will custom made a few suits - pants plus a few skirts that makes me look taller. I have been to London before, but not to their banks. So I guess I should dress up rather than down just to be safe. Thanks for all the advices yeah. :smile:
 
#7
congrats on your internship!!!!
city bankers=boring clothes. sorry but its true. plain suits with a coloured top under will be the best option. it gets hot in the city over the summer.
bring expensive bags and shoes but you will need flats for getting to and from work then change when you get there. bring some nice blingy jewellery too, nice earings. and for your days off you need to hit topshop!you will be a life convert and their petite range is really good. im just over 5 foot and their petite jeans are the perfect length.
 
#8
I'm going to Indonesia ashley. So yeah, the suits there would be pretty cheap. I am planning to custom made a few. :smile:

thanks for the advice cherry pie! there is only so many colors for a suit. I just got one from Banana Republic petite collection! their stuffs suit me pretty well I must say. I love it. Will it be hot in london during the summer? I dont have much expensive shoes but... hehehe.

I have a question for changing of shoes though. If we wear flats, then change into heels? what happens to our pants? if we have our pants tailored to fit our heels, then when we wear flats.. wouldnt our pants be dragging on the floor?

and i will definitely go to topshop!
 
#9
Hi there, i used to work for a swiss private bank and travelled many times to london for bank-meetings.
I would recommend a nice tailored black suit, a medium-sized black bag(LV jasmin sounds great) and a medium heels.As most of the time you will sit in the office you will be fine with the heels.
Good luck and enjoy london!
 
#10
starfused- yes it will be hot and a little smogy in the city. i have my trousers altered so that they just skim the floor when i wear flats and then look good with a medium heel. trust me you will need those flats lol.
 
#11
Pursegrrl said:
Congrats on your internship!

Dress codes can really vary by region, but if you are in banking, suits are never inappropriate. Do you have an opportunity to visit the bank and see what other employees and interns are wearing? That can really help.

It's best, in my experience, to err on the conservative side and then adjust as necessary. You can't go wrong with a dark colored suit - navy, charcoal grey, black in a seasonless wool gabardine, for example. Your skirt length doesn't have to be right at the knee; you can have a tailor help you find the most flattering length for your height. Just above the knee works for most. From there you can vary your blouse/top and could get a different blazer that you could wear with the skirt or with a dark colored pair of pants.

For handbags, I use my LV Saleya PM when I'm interviewing or when I'm traveling on business...when I want to be more conservative. It's damier, so it doesn't announce LV like the monogram pattern does, and it's dark colored. I like the idea of a larger dark colored tote for commuting and then throwing a smaller purse inside for lunch time. I think your paddy would be wonderful, BTW! :wlae:

Good luck!! :heart:
Click to expand...

Great advice! Banking is usally a conservative environment so suits are great.

For a work bag I would choose a classic, structured stype. It looks more polished with business attire than slouchy bags. Also make sure it's large enough for a small wristlet and to carry home papers. Coach, Furla, etc. make some good expensive looking work bags.

I think a paddy would be fine too. My taste is just to not be too flashy for work. Some people take obvious designer goods like LV monogrammed bags the wrong way. I know it's not their business how you spend your money but it happens. A paddy isn't a monogrammed bag but it is recognizable as an expensive bag.
 
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