How to Dress for a Conference: Printed Two Piece

professional dressing printed two piece Selected
diamanti per tutti ring circle of life moonpeeptoes leather duffel bag printed pencil skirt
professional dressing printed two piece Selectedpeeptoes printed pencil skirt

Shila top, skirt: c/o Selected - duffel bag: GM Z - peep toes: Wonders - necklace: Lobogato

As I'm attending my first conference next week, I've been putting together a list of items that I Must.Not.Forget.

Stuff like my daily make up and a hairbrush (so easy to leave at home!) but also earplugs, safety pins, a list of phone numbers in case of emergency, an itinerary and a map of the location. However, the most challenging part of preparing is, without a doubt, planning the right outfits. I'm only gone for three days and I want to pack lightly, but it's a professional event so I can't exactly wear the same thing three days in a row as I want to make a good impression.

One thing (OK two things) that I'm definitely taking with me is this t-shirt and pencilskirt combination. They work together as well as separates, and the print is abstract enough to be work appropriate for a less conservative professional setting (I think). I wouldn't wear cutesy florals or polkadots all over for a professional event myself, but this print is acceptable to me. Prints like these also hide stains incredibly well, which is great if you're out of things to wear. The t-shirt is a relaxed piece, but the fit makes me think it could look professional enough if I paired it with neat trousers or a solid coloured skirt in a less casual fabric. To top it all off, the top and the skirt are both made of a thick, stretchy jersey aka no wrinkles and ultra comfort!

I'll probably put together a blogpost with the outfits and accessories I selected for my trip. Professional dressing is a totally underestimated challenge, especially if you suck at wearing heels (like me). Is that something you'd be interested in?

16 comments

  1. I think this is a brilliant conference outfit! I really miss my days of regular conference attendance...I went from attending 3-4 each year as a grad student to now being lucky if I make one a year. Conferences are so fun.

    Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines

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  2. aaaah you giving me the thumbs up with all of your experience is such a great feeling, thanks! And I hope I'll have as much fun as you :) the subject is celebrity studies though, so I can't imagine it not being awesome!

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  3. Serieus, de laatste weken denk ik bij elke post van jou: omg dat haar!!!! En uw outfits zijn stuk voor stuk helemaal mijn ding. Duimpjes in de lucht voor uw conferentie volgende week!

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  4. It would be great to see some conference outfits. I certainly wasn't that presentable or stylist when I went to conferences as a grad student. Professional dressing without the 'business suit' is not easy. But are the heels an essential? I never wear them, I had a pair once in my teens & I never got used to them or the pain, so I never bothered with heels again - I'm in my early 30s now. But this can make smart dressing a bit more of a challenge. Luckily I rarely need to be that smart.

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  5. I presented at conferences in ripped boyfriend jeans and sneakers... It's your brain that counts :)
    But shoes! Shoes are reeeaaally important to think about and prepare in advance cause you'll walk A.LOT! Also, take one party outfit. You never know...

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  6. Ik vind het een supergoede outfit voor een conference! Ik draag zelf meestal ook zoiets :) Enkel wel geen hakken, want inderdaad, veel wandelen en op je benen staan is er meestal wel bij... Dus comfy ballerina's zijn meestal waar ik voor kies :)

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  7. I don't know! I guess it depends on the type of conference, as there are undoubtedly more formal vs more informal conferences, but whenever I read something about more formal professional attire women are always told to wear heels or formal flats. I don't find most flats very comfortable either, but better than heels indeed. I won't bring heels to the conference, no use taking up space in my luggage while I won't wear them for an entire day anyway.

    Dressing smart is indeed a challenge, especially if you're on a tight budget and you still want to make the look "your own". It's a learning process for sure!

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  8. I wish I had your guts! :-D I might go for ripped boyfriend jeans and sneakers my next time, but this is my very first conference so I'm keeping it safe. I want to see what other people are wearing and make a good impression on all the other scientists! :-D I will bring a pair of sneakers though. I totally feel like a clean, minimalist pair of sneakers should be acceptable if your outfit is neat and classy, even for a first-timer at a conference.

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  9. Very interested. Niet dat ik ooit naar een conferentie moet maar ik word dagelijks beoordeeld door mijn leerlingen (de 15-jarigen van tegenwoordig zijn best veeleisend) en 'classy' maar niet compleet 'over the top' outfits zijn wel mijn ding.
    Deze is echt wel multifunctioneel. Ik neem op reis enkel dingen mee die ik minstens met twee andere dingen uit mijn koffer kan combineren. Anders draag ik het toch gewoon niet...

    Zien er trouwens best nog comfy heels uit, of is dat maar schijn? :)

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  10. Tof pakje! Ik ben er zeker van dat je dat goed gaat doen, veel succes!

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  11. ze zijn echt nog wel comfy, maar geen ENKEL paar hakken is voor mij comfortabel genoeg voor een volle dag werken inclusief veel staan :D Bedankt voor de input! Ik doe zeker nog een post over professional dressing, tot dan kan je bijv hier ook echt supergoeie outfits vinden:

    http://www.theclassycubicle.com/
    http://www.extrapetite.com/

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  12. Oh bedankt, die eerste blog is echt volledig mijn ding :)

    Begrijp je trouwens volledig hoor. Ik heb de pijn denk 'k gewoon leren verbijten. Maar nu hebben mijn leerlingen examen dus hoera voor sneakers en espadrilles ^^

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  13. Professional dressing is altijd zo'n grote kopzorg: zijn prints te schreeuwerig, de outfit te kleurrijk? Tof jurkje trouwens :)

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