What to wear to an interview when it's 87 degrees out and you're not sure if you have an interview

Hey everyone!

Today I found myself in the predicament of not knowing whether or not I had an interview with someone at Knopf for a fall internship (it turned out I didn't. Oh well.) How does this happen?

Lesson #1 of "the real world": It really pays to know people. Make connections with your professors, Hunter and Macaulay faculty, other students, etc. Right now, I know at least three people who have friends in publishing houses, not including the people I met through my last internship with W.W. Norton & Company. And one of these people was kind enough to put me in contact with one of said friends, and we determined that we're meeting for coffee and/or lunch sometime this week. I tell her I'm free today after class, then all day Thursday and Friday. Well, 8AM comes, and I still haven't heard back, but I don't assume this means I won't see her today; my class didn't end until 2PM, giving her plenty of time to shoot me a quick email asking if I'm free.

Generally speaking, this isn't a big deal. I printed a copy of my resume just to have with me, I know a little about Knopf and a lot about literature, and I'm pretty eloquent on my feet. The big problem, naturally, was what the hell do I wear? Maybe this is less of an issue for guys, but still, one does not want to be stuck wearing a t-shirt and jeans or shorts while speaking with someone he or she'd like to work for! And, were it any other time of year, I'd have no problem wearing a button down and dress pants with heels to Hunter. But it's really, really hot out. Which begs the question - how do you look professional without baking in the heat?

My solution was to pair a sundress with thin straps with a blazer. I actually recommend blazers for everything. This dress would probably be way too informal to wear on its own to an interview or meeting, but paired with a blazer, BAM, I'm a young professional. Walking outside, it was too hot for the jacket so I just took it off and wasn't sweaty at all. That's another thing to worry about - you don't want to have soaked through your suit or dress pants before you even start your interview!

I paired this outfit with a pair of beautiful but sensible shoes, meaning I was comfortable all day, even after walking the 15 minutes to the train:

Anyway, it stinks that I didn't have the interview today, but at least - or so I hope - this means I'll actually know in advance when I'm meeting this person. And I got to feel pretty, anyway!

- Katharine