iblitz39

I am an American (male-age 21) and going to London for a 7 week internship at a sports marketing firm. The the company sent an email which said the dress is "office casual". What does that mean in London? Also, does anyone have any tips on what NOT to wear on the streets of London that will give me away as an American? And what is "normal" everyday wear. I want to blend in and feel like I belong...thx

hsv

I would argue you can pretty much wear whatever you like. One should not judge people by their appearance anyway - and the English appear to be pretty liberal with respect to all kinds of personal style.
In general office casual would imply to me no tie (quite acceptable even in large parts of the financial community). Probably skip the white sneakers.
In general I think Americans tend to wear functional outer wear into the city more than Europeans - if you want to wear your bright orange gore tex jacket, it's certainly fine, but it might trigger the thought of "probably American" with some.

jamikins

Can you tell us where the office is? In my experience Canary Wharf and the City tend to be a bit more formal, so office casual might mean dress pants, dress shirt, no tie.

In more casual places (sports marketing may fall in that category) office casual could mean khakis and a golf shirt.

I would maybe start on the dressier side until you see what your colleagues are wearing...or send the above options and ask HR what is the norm in your office. I would stear clear of jeans, sneakers, hoodies, anything sports related just to be safe.

Enjoy London!

Echnaton

1) Chinos, polo shirt, jacket. No bright colours: dark blue, black, beige is fine.

2) If you want to blend in, follow the directions in this film (it is not made for London, but you can't go wrong with these tips):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAS3Tcli53U

iblitz39

OK--ditching the orange gore tex, got to get some khakis and dark shirts. Thx.

Lynnaustin

To be on the safe side, consider sending an email to the company and asking. The son of a friend of ours did an internship there and casual was slacks, sport coat and tie (instead of a suit). Nothing wrong with asking them.
Have a good time !

jamikins

The one thing I have noticed here - men wear alot of pink shirts compared to N. America! I actually find the dress shirts and ties here much more adventurous colour-wise than in N. America...so dont feel you have to stick to only dark colours.

In fact, in our office right now (business casual), most of the men are wearing light shirts (white, beige, pink, blue, white with small coloured stripes or flowers if they are very brave) and light-weight sweaters over then in darker colours. All are wearing dark slacks.

Hope this helps! I think as you are young you can get away with being more adventurous if you want to be. But in a conservative way - no fish ties for example hahaha

Asterodeia

As an American recently moved to London, and working professionally, I can say that it's very similar to the US. However, I have to differ with an earlier poster about the chinos/khakis. You don't see British men wearing beige or tan pants as often, at least not to the office.

I think shoes are the biggest "I'm an American" giveaway. Stay away from sneakers! Dress(ish) shoes, or at least loafers, please. Even with jeans.

For women, there are definitely more rules about heels (sky-high!) and skirts are much more common. The ballet flats you see in NYC are not as common.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your time in London!

xyz123

....and what do you think....as soon as you open your mouth, you won't be recognized by wqhomever you are talking to as North American (I would think most might have difficulty separating Americans from Canadians unless they listen for the telling eh <g> or the much deeper r's)....trust me no matter what you wear on the streets won't give you away even if it's a baseb all cap backwards, a t shirt, torn blue jeans and white trainers (sneakers)...many British young men dress just as casually and see enough American television to think that's typical North American garb for late teens and early 20's types. So what do you care anyway away from work....there are always plenty of North Americans visiting in London...

JMHO

Echnaton

Since you are working for a sports marketing firm, you can't be wrong with black.

Athletic shoes will be okay, unless they are American-style (white). In Europe, we wear elegant black trainers.

spaarne

The men I saw going into tube stations during rush hour last year were wearing black suits, white or pastel shirts, fancy ties, and black shoes. Maybe casual is without the tie.

Some famous actress said you can never be over dressed or too thin.