Conference outfits (only female attending)

[Kellioo]

I don't know what to wear. All men who will be a mix of shirts and ties or shirts and chinos.

I'm a lower level than everyone else. I'm flattered to be invited but wondering why and have massive imposter syndrome anyway.

I want to look professional, confident and like I belong.

5ft 10in size 10 but some excess lbs so not feeling great.

Budget needs to be less than £100.

Might just be me, but I try and avoid artificial fabrics for stuff like this as I find it's a long day with a lot of walking around/sitting in stuffy conference rooms and I worry that I pong a bit!

As others have suggested, I'd go for wide leg trousers, a smart trainer or loafer, and a silk blouse or cashmere or other thin knit jumper.

I’m not sure I’ve ever worked anywhere, across a quarter of a century, where heels were expected as part of my wardrobe. I mostly wore skirt suits or dresses or trousers as a lawyer - nothing like the tight shift dresses shown above. With Manolo Blahnik kitten heels - but they were different times …

Last Spring I wore a plain heavy cotton, below knee length kilt with a very nice shirt and flat shoes to an academic conference and felt perfectly dressed. (Can’t recall what I wore the other days.)

Agree, that's a shit look and definitely will draw attention for the wrong reasons

Black trousers
basic top

This looks very comfortable as well as smart - https://www.reiss.com/style/su030125/495733#495733

Or in red - https://www.reiss.com/style/su259328/n36492#n36492

I just saw a video and the woman built some really nice outfits I never would have thought of! All the stuff was from new look and was this kind of vibe
wide leg trousers with a basic layer and then a long coat like the below would be nice

Yep, industry is incredibly relevant.

Whilst jeans and a jumper were perfectly acceptable at my last law firm (but we all had at least one suit at work for court, clients etc.) I occasionally still regret how limiting it tends to be when it comes to attire.

There is an (in)famous local court case about a young lawyer wearing what was considered an "inappropriate" suit by the judge, who promptly refused to hear him... (I practice in a European country, btw.)

This is good advice. Especially re flat shoes and an extra layer for arctic air conditioning.

Consider what you will be carrying too. Will you be given a tote of crap to cart round with you?

Will seating be Cabernet or theatre style? Don't wear a short skirt for the latter.

My go to is boring black or navy trousers with flat shoes, a thin jumper and a blazer. Then I add an extravagant scarf for colour that also doubles as a blanket.

My workplace is fairly evenly spread across all roles - the room would be a third office based management/admin, a third field based meeting customers in a professional (interview style) capacity, a third trades staff. So there would be everything from work cargo trousers (and sometimes the occasional toolbelt) to bespoke fitted shirts and suits. And everything in between.

Thankfully as long as the clothing is in good material order, not unsuitable for the activity, and clean, they don't care.

i really like this. and on sale.

That's a lovely dress for the right figure. I'd look like a telly tubby in that

I go to a lot of conferences which are very corporate (financial services). I generally wear jeans (usually black but dark blue too), ankle boots and a smartish jumper- often a thin cashmere jumper like a PP suggested. I'll often take a blazer as well, particularly if I'm speaking, but also because you often get wild fluctuations in temperature during the day.

"shirts and chinos"

Doesn't sound formal. No ties? Why do you need to buy an outfit at all. Any sort of 'office wear' that is above hoodies & jeans should do. This dress is £30, btw.

Link to dress.

OP: just how many excess lbs are we talking?

You can’t go wrong with a pair of black wide leg trousers and a tucked in blouse in any colour that suits you.

OP you're a size 10 so you are carrying precisely 0 excess pounds.

Don't wear anything that makes you more uncomfortable or slower at walking around than the men. Brogues, wide leg trousers, nice jumper / opaque tights, knee length / boxy dress, flat ankle boots. Bag you can have handsfree - crossbody or backpack.

I’d agree that, if in doubt, you should go for something fairly basic like black trousers and a shirt in white, cream or greige and then add a bit of colour and interest with statement jewellery, a smart but practical bag and comfortable shoes. A jacket of some sort is also a good idea as PP have said.

“Don't wear anything that makes you more uncomfortable or slower at walking around than the men”

Spot on.

And you’d be better off wearing trousers, so you don’t have to worry about your skirt riding up whilst you’re sitting on those conference chairs, and the blokes next to you looking at your thighs.

I think that, even with the right figure, the amount of cling to the arse is not appropriate for a professional environment.

@lljkk probably only about 4lb, just making my clothes feel snugger than usual.

I think trousers seem the general consensus, I have a gorgeous pair of wide leg camel trousers but they crease a bit, so will try and find some that don't crease over the weekend to wear with a shirt or a fine knit.

Thanks for all your ideas and suggestions, it's been really interesting hearing all your thoughts. Love that Reiss dress, which I might get anyway but not for this, I don't want anyone looking at my bum.

Are you also younger than many of the men there, or just lower professional level?

If younger, I’d suggest that you go very subtle and plain so as not to feed any thoughts that you have been invited as the totty. Def no heels, but I think that’s been made pretty clear already.
Do you have big boobs? That is not a pervy question; the reason I ask is that people have to wear name badges at conferences. They can be clip/pin on, or lanyard style. I find that it’s important to make sure you don’t pin a name badge directly to the most prominent part of your bosom on something like a wrap dress, as it won’t sit straight. On the other hand a lanyard one can settle right into the fold of an ample cleavage or so you can’t win. At least you are tall enough that it won’t end up dangling in your crotch! Use your advantage as sole woman to go to the loos and check the positioning in the mirror before you start to circulate.
Find out if you can beforehand what style the badge will be and plan ahead with an outfit that will let you arrange your cleavage in the most suitable way for being stared at by every new person you meet. A soft blazer is not a bad idea for that reason, or one of those soft round-necked Chanel type jackets if you’re a bit older. (Style not actual Chanel!)

Also don’t wear a pale colour as there is a lot of eating standing up at these things so you want something fairly forgiving if you manage to spill mayonnaise or coffee down yourself.

Make sure you have somewhere to put your phone as you are circulating- a very subtle cross body bag is a great idea, or wide legged trousers with big pockets. Men always have trouser or jacket pockets and it took me several awkward experiences in dresses trying to juggle phone and coffee to realise what an advantage they had.

Hope you have a great and career-boosting time!