— Dressing guide · Updated June 2026
What to wear to an interview
What you wear to an interview should make you look prepared and appropriate for that specific workplace — then get out of the way. The rule is simple: find the company's dress code, dress to it, and add one notch of polish. Do that and your clothes stop being a distraction and start being quiet evidence that you understood the room.
The rule
Match the company's dress code, then dress one notch smarter. Formal office = suit; business-casual office = tailored trousers + shirt or fine knit; creative studio = sharp smart-casual. When unsure, err up.
For men
- ·Corporate or formal: a well-fitting navy or charcoal suit, white or light-blue shirt, a tie if the field is traditional (finance, law), polished Oxfords or Derbies.
- ·Business casual: tailored trousers or dark chinos, a crisp shirt or fine knit, an optional unstructured blazer, clean leather shoes.
- ·Creative or startup: your sharpest smart-casual — dark denim or chinos, a considered shirt or knit, clean minimal sneakers or loafers. Still ironed, still deliberate.
For women
- ·Corporate or formal: a tailored suit (trousers or skirt) or a sheath dress with a blazer, in navy, charcoal or black; closed low-to-mid heels or smart flats.
- ·Business casual: tailored trousers or a midi skirt with a blouse or fine knit, an optional blazer; understated jewellery.
- ·Creative or startup: elevated smart-casual — dark denim or tailored trousers, a considered top, a structured bag; polished but personal.
Do
- Research the company first — its website, team photos and LinkedIn tell you the real dress code.
- Dress to that code, then one notch smarter; when unsure, err up.
- Prioritise fit and neatness: pressed, clean, nothing pulling or gaping. Break new shoes in beforehand.
Don't
- Don't wear anything distracting — loud patterns, strong fragrance, jangling or statement jewellery, a logo doing the talking.
- Don't turn up too casual (jeans-and-trainers to a corporate role) or too stiff (a full suit to a relaxed creative studio).
- Don't wear brand-new unbroken-in shoes, or anything you'll spend the interview adjusting.
Getting an interview right
An interview outfit has one job: to remove your clothes as a variable so the room can focus on you. That means matching the company's dress code and then nudging one notch smarter — a formal-dress-code office wants a suit, a business-casual office wants tailored trousers and a crisp shirt or fine knit, a creative studio wants your sharpest smart-casual. When you genuinely can't tell, err up: nobody has ever lost an offer for looking slightly too polished, and plenty have for the reverse. Above all, fit beats price and label every time — a well-fitting high-street outfit reads better on camera and across a desk than an expensive one that doesn't.
The most common mistake
Guessing the dress code down. People reach for 'business casual' when the role is actually corporate, or turn up in a full suit to a creative studio that would have read it as stiff. Research the company (its site, its team photos, its LinkedIn) and match, then add one notch. The other classic miss: new shoes that pinch — you want to walk in calm, not limping.
The pieces here are deliberately ones you can wear again — nothing single-use. A well-cut version of each belongs in a capsule wardrobe and turns up at the next occasion too. To see how a specific piece looks on you before you commit, the AI try-on renders it on your own photo.
Put the outfit together
Build a capsule you can pull this look from, or try a piece on your own photo first.
Frequently asked questions
What to wear to an interview?
What you wear to an interview should make you look prepared and appropriate for that specific workplace — then get out of the way. The rule is simple: find the company's dress code, dress to it, and add one notch of polish. Do that and your clothes stop being a distraction and start being quiet evidence that you understood the room. The rule of thumb: Match the company's dress code, then dress one notch smarter. Formal office = suit; business-casual office = tailored trousers + shirt or fine knit; creative studio = sharp smart-casual. When unsure, err up.
What should men wear?
Corporate or formal: a well-fitting navy or charcoal suit, white or light-blue shirt, a tie if the field is traditional (finance, law), polished Oxfords or Derbies. Business casual: tailored trousers or dark chinos, a crisp shirt or fine knit, an optional unstructured blazer, clean leather shoes. Creative or startup: your sharpest smart-casual — dark denim or chinos, a considered shirt or knit, clean minimal sneakers or loafers. Still ironed, still deliberate.
What should women wear?
Corporate or formal: a tailored suit (trousers or skirt) or a sheath dress with a blazer, in navy, charcoal or black; closed low-to-mid heels or smart flats. Business casual: tailored trousers or a midi skirt with a blouse or fine knit, an optional blazer; understated jewellery. Creative or startup: elevated smart-casual — dark denim or tailored trousers, a considered top, a structured bag; polished but personal.
What should you avoid?
Don't wear anything distracting — loud patterns, strong fragrance, jangling or statement jewellery, a logo doing the talking. Don't turn up too casual (jeans-and-trainers to a corporate role) or too stiff (a full suit to a relaxed creative studio). Don't wear brand-new unbroken-in shoes, or anything you'll spend the interview adjusting.
What's the most common mistake?
Guessing the dress code down. People reach for 'business casual' when the role is actually corporate, or turn up in a full suit to a creative studio that would have read it as stiff. Research the company (its site, its team photos, its LinkedIn) and match, then add one notch. The other classic miss: new shoes that pinch — you want to walk in calm, not limping.