What to Wear to a Conference
Photo by @keemsbehindthecam
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It all started with a conference.
A conference for entertainment lawyers, this time last year. I planned my outfit the moment I knew I was going. My favourite suit set - an oversized cream number from Uniqlo - and a bold black and white chunky striped top I’d thrifted. I was going to look good!
Until I walked outside in the rain and immediately slipped and fell on the ground. My cream coloured slacks now had a giant streak of dirt on them. I had to run back inside and do a quick change into a suit set I was less enthusiastic about. Black pinstripes, which thankfully still worked with my top.
I went to the conference feeling slightly deflated in my last-minute look. That is, until I saw what everyone else was wearing. One thing led to another, and I started this blog a few weeks later.
Last weekend I attended Day Two of the Monday Girl Summit at the Park Hyatt in Toronto. I was still jet-lagged from my trip to Japan (more on that soon!) but had a great time meeting other professional women and listening to some insightful discussions.
For a marathon day of networking (and a brain that was still on Tokyo time), I knew I had to be comfortable. And when I think comfort and style (and coincidentally, Japan), I think of Uniqlo.
It can be so hard to find a light shirt that doesn’t go completely see-through. I’m so impressed with the pleated sleeveless t-shirt in off-white. It’s opaque enough that I don’t have to worry about any lingerie showing through.
I wore the “matching” pleated straight pants in black. The natural first thought is to buy the pants in the same colour as the top. I didn’t for two reasons: one, I like to colour block; two, I’m bigger on the bottom than on the top and wearing a darker colour on the bottom helps balance things out.
The blazer I’m wearing is actually part of the ill-fated cream suit set from last year (don’t worry, the stains all came out). This exact style is currently not in stock at Uniqlo, but you can find similar styles here and here. I especially like the Comptoir des Cottoniers collection.
A huge part of conference-dressing is comfortable footwear. Sometimes you have that one pair of heels that you can manage to wear for seven to eight hours. When I woke up that morning, I knew I was not feeling up to a full day in heels.
When I was in Japan, I shopped a lot at a store called GU. GU is actually a sister brand to Uniqlo, and the prices are incredible. That’s where I got this pair of woven cream flats. They went perfectly with the other cream/off-white pieces in this look, and were comfortable enough to last the whole day, plus the walk to and from the subway.
For accessories, I took my tried and true Kate Spade quilted purse (you may have also seen it here, and I’ve linked a newer style here). I’m not a person who usually wears a big chunky necklace, so I opted for a smaller Michael Kors pendant. You can find a similar one here!
Thank you to Monday Girl for having me!
