3 hour train journey to “meet the team” What to wear.

[GargoylesofBeelzebub]

I have stage 4 of an interview process next week. They want me to meet them face to face before formally offering me the role. There’s lunch and then some meetings with the team.

Because the team are spread all over the country we’re to meet in a central location which is a 3 hour train journey for me. I arrive on the day with very little time to spare before the lunch.

Really struggling with what to wear in terms of how formal to be but also something that will survive the train journey without me looking like a crumpled mess. Or should I change just before the train gets in?

I need sleeves as hate my arms and have big boobs so need something that has a waist. Any suggestions?

Fair enough! They are viscose not chiffon - but they are undoubtedly floaty (and really pretty! I have no issue with the lovely dresses. But the second one in particular is clearly marketed as something to wear for e.g. a nice lunch or similar, not a corporate final round interview

"Trust us when we say that the Mariella Dress will be one of the most dependable pieces in your wardrobe. Its relaxed shape and floaty fabric makes it an easy one to simply throw on, but its pretty floral print feels effortlessly elevated. It comes with elasticated cuffs around the sleeves and three tiers in the skirt. The sort of midi you can dress up with heels or down with flats, you’ll wonder how you got by without it."

I would err on a much smarter side for a final interview but perhaps we have different corporate experience. I am sure OP will know how to pitch it for her industry/seniority :)

Its mid summer and very hot. Im sure they wont be expecting suits. I hope not anyway.

I imagine it will be in an air conditioned office, but the choice is not just wool suits v floaty floral dress. Believe me, I have been in corporate wear and corporate offices this whole heatwave 😫

I wouldnt know I havent worked in corporate since the 1990s when I switched to medical. Im not sure what people wear these days. What would you suggest wingwalk?

Not the m&s blouse, its too loud - its hard to explain but if i was interviewing i'd be thinking wow thats a loud blouse rather than focusing on what you were saying - not the jersey dress its too school mum / teacher vibe, personally i'd go for a classic work dress (type hobbs work dress into google) i'm a snr consultant for a large consultancy in banking and I have never seen anyone either in our own offices or the clients office or a suppliers offices in a blouse like that, on the other hand though you'd stand out which might be a good thing.

https://www.hobbs.com/product/rae-sleeved-dress/0225-5015-9322L00-BLACK.html

God I hope this is a high salary role - what a load of absolute BS. How many people are going through stage 4?

You will be far less likely to arrive crumpled after a train journey of that length than if you had gone by car

Obviously being comfortable (not sweaty, not crumpled!) is number one! After that I would go for something structured, OP likes a waist and has big boobs so a fitted knee length dress with a waist would be nice, or wide leg trousers as long as something to balance the top half, i.e. a top with structure to the shoulders (not shoulder pads!) Flats are fine now. I would go for bold or neutral colours / large bold pattern over pastel / small or floral patterns. TBH that is more personal preference though.

I think you can pick up great clothes from all over the place (I posted a very affordable option upthread because I have the same dress and it travels really well), but if OP wants to splash out, I love the workwear from the Fold, they currently have a sale on] also With Nothing Underneath. Some of my colleagues really rate the Row and have loads of their stuff (the idea is to build a capsule) but although it is lovely and good quality I can't bring myself to pay a grand for a pair of trousers I will probably spill coffee on.

I think this is lovely and suitable but I also think £200+ for a polyester dress is taking the piss. But if you've tried it on and it suits you, I think it's a good luck.

Looks like a straight jacket!

The white M&S blouse would get a no from me - I’d get a mark or stain on it before I even got on the train, never mind a 3 hour journey.
It looks like it might crease easily too.
I like the Biden blue shirt dress suggested upthread. Darker colour, looks smart but not suit style formal.

What a lot of flapping! Staying over, bringing an extra outfit. Just purchase a nice dress. The green one you linked to. Smart ballet flats. I’ve travelled via train to work for years and have never arrived a sweaty crumpled mess covered in coffee 😆

. I'm a partner in a large corporate and private client law firm. I haven't seen that sort of stuff in a long time. It"ll do, but it looks very dated.

Interesting, I'm also in corporate / tech law and I think the floaty green dress looks unsuitable the dark green Reiss dress (for example) looks more suitable - although as I have repeatedly posted we wear more structured stuff for formal things like interviews.
Perhaps it just goes to show that there's no real wrong answer, we only really notice stuff if it properly sticks out in a "bad" way 😂

If I saw someone wearing that green dress I'd assume they'd bought it years ago and were trying to get the wear out of it.

I also think the ruching over the stomach looks weird for an office day dress. In fact the more I look at it I don't think it is suitable. The (not floaty) dresses look like day dresses. The ruching, the pencil skirt shape and the shiny material are more wear after work.

Ok! I don't know why you keep saying the floaty dresses aren't floaty. They're even described on the website selling them as floaty 😝
Having said that, if OP likes the floaty dresses and will feel comfortable in something like that, it's much lighter than the Reiss dress which will be nice if it's warm and unlikely to make a difference anyway, sounds like the job is in the bag.
So we can agree to (slightly) disagree (can you tell I don't really like arguing off the clock?)

@PhaedraTwo on double checking the green Reiss dress I do agree with you about the ruched stomach not being a great feature for daywear, I like the neckline which was what mainly appealed to me but I think the stomach bit isn't great (and also would look unflattering on almost everyone)

It wouldn't make a difference if the candidate were any good but I'd wonder why a candidate was wearing that, the more I look at, shiny "after six" Reiss dress.

It looks matte not shiny on my screen... might be the privacy screen though 😂

Thanks. I agree - you notice the neck first, which I agree is nice, but looking at it again, it'd be much better without the ruching.

If you zoom in it looks shiny (least on my phone) need to see it in the flesh.

I’d travel in smart trousers and loafers/smart flats, with a vest/tshirt under a blazer, and pack a light blouse (folded flat in a ziplock bag) to put on in the station bathrooms.

Any dress with tiers or any element of floatiness I would rule out. Like day one of a job, always dress one step up to make a good first impression.

It's nice, but because it's mostly polyester it might feel a bit sweaty on a really hot day.

Go to a posh hotel for a coffee before your appointment and use their glam toilets to get changed and freshen up rather than trying to do it at a station