A mission improbable: dressing an alleged college graduate for the professional world.

Kyle Buis, my fellow summer newsroom intern at the Appeal-Democrat in Marysville, Calif., is about to set sail from the office into the cold, critical world lacking the know-how to dress professionally. With a lot of patience and an open mind, it took us less than $100 to change the slouchy, wrinkled mess that he was into someone who may pass for an educated professional.

Our four-hour shopping excursion was like trying to makeover “The Wizard of Oz” scarecrow. Kyle has a freakishly tiny waist and hairy toothpicks for legs. If only I could have pulled out his stuffing and adjusted it to fit my needs.

The yellow brick road took us to five different department stores and random shops in the Yuba Sutter Mall in Yuba City. Calif.

Kyle left with a new dress shirt, tie, pants, shoes and socks - and a slightly deflated ego after hours of my pushing him into dressing rooms and demanding he tuck in his shirt.

Key to our makeover on a budget was outfit-hunting at a variety of department stores. At each store, we found something we thought was plausible, but decided to wait for the perfect match.

I was kind enough to let him agree to the shirt color, but we argued a bit about the tie. We compromised on the shoes to get something that was dressy enough to pass for professional, but comfortable and versatile enough to wear on a regular basis.

With a new outfit, tips on standing up straight and new shoes, he’s ready to pound the pavement in search of a “real job.”

GET THE LOOK

Dress shirt - A blue long-sleeved dress shirt replaced his wrinkled baggy polo shirts and crinkled rayon lightning-print shirts. I hoped to convey that just because his other shirts had collars didn’t mean they were professional. This snazzy blue shirt is bold and attractive and neutral enough to stand on its own. After convincing him to tuck it in, he almost looked like a real employee.

Tie - While many jobs have downgraded to dressy-casual, Kyle still needs the tie for important business meetings. And the energetic color scheme might even distract employers from his car-salesman grin.

Dress shoes - Something about wearing sneakers with slacks defeats the entire purpose of dressing up. Even worse when they are multiple colors with a giant athletic logo emblazoned on the side. Kyle’s new black shoes will go with any pants he owns and can even step out for fancy outings.

Dress slacks - These versatile black slacks will go with any dress shirt Kyle has, which means he can’t screw up the color scheme even if he tries. It’s a pleasant change from the oddly hanging navy blue pants he tried to pass off as slacks. Fluorescent lights may have hidden his secret, but daylight showed his fashion abomination.

Socks - The man actually thought it was OK to wear the same socks he referees soccer in, despite the blinding yellow and white Adidas logo that exposed itself when he crossed his legs. His new black socks will act like camouflage, even when he’s chasing down potential employers.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to look this good. All it takes is a little shopping around and paying attention to advertisements. (Our total spent includes sales tax; original prices do not include tax.)

Dress shirt and tie: $23.58, originally $40

Dress slacks: $26.80, originally $44

Dress socks: $4.28, originally $10

Dress shoes: $42.89, originally $49.95

Total spent: $97.55 - a savings of $46 from would-be total of $143.55