Business Casual in the Summer

I've got an internship at anMBB/other top tier firm for the summer where the dress code is business casual. If it were fall or winter I'd go with wool slacks, button downs, and nice shoes, but I'm buying clothes right now and don't know what to do for the summer. The office isn't in the south but it will be pretty hot nonetheless. Obviously this will vary from office to office but what's the general approach for summer? Are khakis dressy enough? Lightweight wool?

Comments (12)

11y
LeveragedTiger, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Buy some silk smoking jackets or a white Scarface suit.

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw
11y
TechBanking, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Polo shirts are fine in the summer, but I'd avoid long sleeve polos - those are never ok.

11y
bleedblue82, what's your opinion? Comment below:

These guys are entitled to their opinion but I'd never walk into my office (or any other) wearing a polo monday-thursday. Business casual is, in my opinion, the same whether it's hot or cold - dress shirt, slacks, and shoes. Roll the sleeves up if you're outside, but you'll be spending 90% of your time in a max a/c office. You can wear khakis but it's the same middle-management vibe in my opinion.

I've worked on several cases in the South in the summer - your client wears polos, not you. Also, your client enters and leaves when the sun is up; you really only have to worry about dawn.

11y
kjnsmit, what's your opinion? Comment below:

I wouldn't wear a polo but are khakis pushing it in terms of over-causal? And where would I get summer weight wool pants?

11y
petergibbons, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Yeah, khakis are probably not a good idea for the client site, I've done it before with no problem but some of my colleagues have been chewed out by partners for it. I steer clear of polos in the office, even on our casual fridays.

You're going to be buying clothesbefore you know your client's dress code, so err on the side of caution.

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11y
2x2Matrix, what's your opinion? Comment below:

.

One of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over.
11y
CNNE, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Welp, this has pretty much been resolved... but for what its worth go ahead and throw any khakis in your wardrobe away.

Dark business slacks and nice dress shirts are the standard for business casual. The only real debate should be tie or no tie, jacket or no jacket, and THIS should depend on your client/site/firm's culture.

Either be good, or be good at it.
11y
International Pymp, what's your opinion? Comment below:

summer weight pants and a button down shirt.

No khakis or polos during the week - ever.

11y
kjnsmit, what's your opinion? Comment below:

Any recs on where to get summer weight wool pants? Haven't been able to find any on Brooks and the likes. Or better to just but regular wool pants?

11y
R2 equals 1, what's your opinion? Comment below:

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