For men, clean jeans and a collared shirt, "and even a nice T-shirt," is plenty gussied up, Hammond said. "Girls can wear jeans and a cute blouse or sandals, or a cute T-shirt that's layered with something fashiony."
But T-shirts wouldn't fly at the majority of fashion companies in SoCal. Joie's Dubner, for example, is OK with nice dark jeans, as long as they're dressed up with a blazer, "nice shoes and [for women] a beautiful bag."
Adam Watson, a freelance Web designer based in Glendale, regularly scores gigs in a uniform of dark jeans or khakis, clean Pumas and a dark-hued collared polo shirt. "If you go in with a suit or tie as a designer, you're not going to be perceived as a very creative person," he said.
Kim Calvert, editor in chief of lifestyle magazine Singular and website SingularCity.com, said business casual is the right note to strike when interviewing at the publication's office, which the staff shares with pet dogs and a bird. Nice jeans and a button-front shirt are appropriate for men, she added, and ensembles that "show you're paying attention to fashion and staying abreast of the media" work for women.
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Entertainment industry
There are as many types of jobs in the entertainment industry as there are kernels in a bucket of popcorn, but even if you'll be heading to a film editing suite -- where you could easily spend all day barefoot, if you wish -- the rules for interview dressing for office and production jobs are similar. The nice-jeans-and-blazer look will cut it, but you're far safer in a pair of flat-front pants, casual button-front shirt and a blazer (for guys) and a dress or blouse-and-skirt combo (for gals).
Still, in a few Hollywood offices, personal style trumps formality.
Ryan Patterson, supervising producer for celebrity news show "Access Hollywood," said her office recently hired a guy who came to his interview dressed in a button-front shirt thrown over a rock concert T-shirt, jeans, a newsboy cap, tons of silver jewelry and Puma sneakers because "he looked cool," she said, "like he'd be hanging out with stars he'd be interviewing."
Patterson recommends a blazer and jeans with nice sneakers for men and "a cute dress that you accessorize with funky jewelry" for the ladies on interview day.
But too-cool-for-school won't work at film company Apartment 3B Productions, said Jennifer Klein, founder and president. "I would never wear jeans to an interview. I don't care if they are $200 jeans -- no way. Why risk it?" she said. "I'll remember the geek in the suit over the guy with the T-shirt with food down the front."
Klein recommends keeping an interview ensemble "basic and professional," which boils down to well-fitting suits for men and a flattering skirt-and-blouse ensemble with nice heels for women. She warns against looking fashionable to an intimidating degree. "You feel like that person might be competing with you," she said. And keep super-pricey bags (like Hermes Birkin bags, which start at around $6,000) at home. "I'm going to hire the girl from Oklahoma who seems more hungry instead of the girl from Bel-Air who might have a great work ethic but she looks like she doesn't need a job," she said.
With so many nuanced rules in each industry, your best bet for striking the right tone in your interview ensemble is by doing your homework -- researching the company's corporate atmosphere. Because you don't want a pair of inappropriate Nikes to hamstring your chances. You're better than that.
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