What to wear to business meeting with fancy pants Americans

[Im0gen]

Background - I work in a fairly traditional but unstylish industry . Men and women wear smart / causal, unless they have a client meeting. To meet clients, senior women wear dresses / suits from Hobbs / Jaegar / House of Fraser at best. M&S style wouldn't raise an eyebrow.

I've never asked anyone where they buy their clothes from BTW, that's just my impression.

Meeting - is supposedly informal one with CF types who want to buy our business, so it's important that we look reasonably trustworthy and business like people. Meeting is at their hotel as they are in transit back to US.

I am a middle aged woman. My personal style is Scandivanian architect in navy and grey.

I have a wardrobe full of smart ish type clothes for work - jersey dresses, knitted jackets, smart trousers which I wear with flat shoes and stylish tops, cashmere knitwear.

Can I just dress as me or do I need to do American Cororate Woman and if so how ?

[SenecaFalls]

But certainly no American tan pantyhose.

I just sent a text to my friend who is a lawyer in New York city. She says when she wears a dress in the winter, she wears very sheer Wolford pantyhose.

[Im0gen]

Seneca - how kind of you to ask your friend ! Is that the same as lightweight opaque tights, so about 40 denier ?

Or sheer tights, like 7 denier ? I assume in black or similar dark colour as no American Tan .

I'm confused by the difference between tights and Pantyhose , which I thought were the same thing .

Bizarrely American tan tights were the fashion at one stage when I was in high school - looked hideous with our black school shoes ( moccasins with crepe soles ) and grey skirt and sweater . I don't know what we were thinking ...

[Im0gen]

oldlaundbooth

Fascinating thread, thanks for the link

[SenecaFalls]

Im0gen, very sheer, 8 denier, in black or in a skin tone that is supposed to look as though you are not wearing any.

www.wolfordshop.com/tights-hosiery/tights/naked-8/10448.html

A word on nomenclature: in the US, "pantyhose" are sheer; "tights" are opaque and thicker. Wolford uses "tights" also to mean pantyhose because they are a European company. On most American websites, the Naked 8 ones shown above would be called pantyhose.

[MizzEmma]

Im0gen rather than worry about your rights which I'm pretty sure no colleague American or otherwise will even notice I think you should be worried about your incredibly odd ideas about Americans.

We live in the Southern US. Corporate women don't look any different to the women I worked with in the UK.

Two thinks to think about if dealing with an American company:

Dates are backwards. Month first then day.

Measurements are in imperial not metric.

Maker sure in both these points whether they are using the American system or U.K. So does 12/11 mean 11th Dec or 12th Nov.

[Im0gen]

Thank you Seneca

[MizzEmma]

Two things not two thinks.

[elastamum]

I spend a lot of my life in meetings with American corporates. This time of year my work look is tailored dress and jacket and knee length boots, or smart shoes and tights depending on the weather. Smart bobbed hair, natural make up. I dont do heels, as I spend a lot of time on my feet.

I find that all corporates are a lot more casual than they used to be in the 80's and 90's (I have been doing this for 30 years). American women are less likely to wear tights in the summer because it is much hotter than in the UK. In summer in NY I dont wear them either. But bare legs in winter would look really odd.

Just dress so you feel comfortable - your look sounds fine.