Dresses for work visit to India?

[Thisisthedawningoftheageofaquarius]

Any help appreciated! I am due to visit two offices of partner companies in India in October for work; will be there for about 4 working days (but can repeat outfits as different offices)
In the summer I normally wear wrap dresses (think boden style / below the knee / v neck / print) in the office (tho I wfh 4 days pw)
I am mid forties; size 10-12 5 ft6.
I think they are quite conservative there so I expect my normal dresses won’t be appropriate (but I could be wrong?). And am also concerned about heat.
I have two midi shirt dresses (one white with black print from zara and another blue print from Marella) with sleeves to below the elbow (I can button them up as high as necessary). I think another long (possibly shirt dress?) maybe in a dark colour like navy or black might be useful for travelling and I could wear it again?
anything puffy around the shoulders or sleeves is awful on me.
also shoes - are open toe ok (think those tan office wedges) or no?!
any guidance appreciated!!!!

They aren’t as conservative as you think they are! Which part of India are you going to? South perhaps, Mumbai and Delhi not so much. They dress pretty much like you dress here.

Oh thank you; Chennai first and then up north

Black or navy will show up any marks/dust so might now be best for travelling if you need to rewear - a print might be better?

this H&M shirt dress might be better - polyester but would therefore also wash well?

Or this from Cos in viscose?

@ExPreschoolTrustee I love that H&M one - thank you! Enough colour to make it suitable for travelling; think I’d wear it again as well. Tks a mil!

Try seasalt. They have a good range of 100% Cotton which needs to be your number 1 priority so you don't boil!

Personally first trip i would go a bit conservative until you get the feel of your office culture and the locale as well. Nothing too fitted, sleeves(short is fine, but I wouldn't go sleeveless), covered legs ( below knee skirt, dress or flowy trousers or wear leggings under knee length ones), no jeans or fitted trousers. Sandal/open shoes are fine.

youngsters in some places dress in a more Western/ modern style; but i found older males in workplaces could be a bit more conservative ( sexist) in their views about attire- according to my female Indian colleagues.

I travelled to India for work a few years ago (tech company near Jaipur). Shirt dresses would be fine in my opinion, as long as conservative neckline and below knee. I took similar and also trousers with a loose-ish blouse (it was a Boden one that didn’t tuck in) with modest neckline and 3/4 sleeves.

The general rule I go with when travelling to conservative countries is shoulders and knees covered and no cleavage on display.

Also not all of India is hot all the time… I’ve been in Delhi in December/January and it was quite cool.

Those outfits sound fine, good idea to take a lightweight scarf incase you want to visit any temples etc.
October is nice weather generally, but can get cool in evenings so cardigan etc would be handy.

Thanks so much.

have ordered the green shirt dress a pp posted and a few below the knee skirts o think I could wear with a black t shirt. Really appreciate the response and scarf tip!

Hi @Thisisthedawningoftheageofaquarius

I worked in India for three years, working with public and private sector stakeholders in an organisation with a mix of Indians and foreigners.

On weather, bear in mind that in October the pollution will be bad in North India. If you’re going to Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, I’d advise you to get a pollution mask - Cambridge Masks are good if expensive. And plan your outfits for the potential that you might want to wear a mask with them.

I agree with @Sweetwindinmyhead - in the cities, India isn’t as conservative as you think in terms of dress. You can pretty much dress as you’d dress at work here. I think @elaeocarpus advice is sound though, to err on the side of conservative until you get a feel for the place, to avoid being uncomfortable.

Bluntly, if you’re white, there will to an extent be an expectation that you’ll dress ‘western’. If you have south Asian heritage - in your name or appearance - there is more of an expectation that you’ll dress more modestly. This was the experience of my British colleagues with south Asian heritage as well as of my Indian colleagues.

Chennai will likely be pretty hot and humid. Cotton is your friend!

North India will likely be quite cool and pleasant. Again, I would recommend cotton though, just to stay comfortable in case it does get warm.

Open toe shoes are totally fine, in my opinion. Bear in mind, when considering shoes, that pavements and roads are often pot holed, bumping, don’t have great tiling - I stopped wearing heels (except for meetings where power dressing was needed!) pretty quickly.

TLDR: don’t panic, erring on the side of modesty is safest but generally not necessary, cotton is your friend.

Great advice too on keeping a scarf with you at all times in case you go into a temple. For the same reason, shoes that are easy to get on and off are best. Bear in mind you should take them off if you go to someone’s house (although at larger events or indoor-outdoor this is often eschewed eg an embassy drinks party).

Cotton.

If you are white or black, you are likely to get stared at. Prepare yourself, this does not mean you’ve done anything wrong dress wise or that you’ve committed a fashion faux pas (or any other kind of faux pas)! But there is a bit of a culture of mostly young men staring at visibly foreign women, mostly out of curiosity, more so if you go to areas where there are people who may not have seen many white or black people before (eg domestic tourism sites such as the Taj Mahal or Wagah Border). I didn’t find it threatening, and I don’t mean it in an anti Indian way at all - it’s just something to get used to.

finally…did I mention cotton?!

I am of Indian origin and familiar with the south.
Cotton only if possible.
Half sleeves would be absolutely fine.
Conservative neckline and below knee, as pp said. Indian women tend to not show as much cleavage as would be accepted in the west. Though many will be baring their midriffs in saris in the office.
You do not need to cover your hair unless visiting a Sikh gurudwara.
Open toe shoes absolutely acceptable in the office. You may be expected to remove your shoes in certain environments, so best have easy to remove slides and get a pedicure! ( not that anyone will care if you don't). Heels are not necessary.
Jeans or fitted trousers would be fine in terms of conservativeness- everybody is wearing them- except jeans would be too hot in Chennai. Maybe with a flowy blouse.
You could buy a salwar kameez there in very fine muslin cotton for travelling or visiting any religious sites. Anokhi is a good place.
October is likely to be hot everywhere, but evenings in the north will be cool so a cardigan would be fine.

Yeah Indian men will stare like they have never seen any woman before. Even Indian women find it rude. Nothing you have done wrong! Personally, I stare back and they are frightened away.