What to wear -- Conference edition

[SeriousSillyPutty]

I've enjoyed seeing people's experiences with grad school wardrobe, but now I'm getting ready to attend my first conference, which is a whole new deal.  I assume most people wear suits if presenting, but what about for the rest of the conference? 

For guys -- let me guess: shirt and tie and/or blazer? Must be nice.

For ladies... My office mate said she usually wears dress pants and a blouse that would work under a blazer, and often wore a blazer, but never one that matched her pants as in a total suit.  She, though, is someone who always dresses super class and always wears heals, whereas I shoot for low-end business casual that I can ride my bike in (think cotton dresses and leggings), so I don't have a very extensive business wardrobe... and much of what I have doesn't fit well right now. 

 

To complicate things, I am trying to do four days in a (garment bag style) carry-on, so trying to figure out shoes and such that will work multiple days -- I can't just bring a wide range of options and wing it based on what others are wearing.

 

To further complicate things: It's in San Francisco, at the very end of April.  I will check the weather, but I'm guessing it could lovely or nasty.

 

All tips and previous experience would be appreciated.  Some specific questions:
Heals: Are high heals expected of everyone that doesn't have a doctor's note, or can I get away with flats?

Shirts: Does anyone else have trouble finding dress shirts that work? I have friends who can wear high collars and frills with a nod to earlier days and look cute and retro, but they're all petite.  But at my height/size, I just feel frumpy and matronly.  Sweaters are great, but at the end of April?

Style: This ties in with the last one: How do you approach the balance of looking professional with looking your age?  My mom looks professional in her suits/blazers, but if I wore her clothes I would feel out of place.  Shorter jackets and "princess cuts" seem more fitting for my age, but is it better to just bite the bullet and dress middle-aged?

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[fuzzylogician]

Wow, my conference experience has been very different. I would wear something like you suggested for the casual days for my presentation (dress pants and blouse or nice sweater, cardigan or blazer; high heels that I get out of as soon as I'm done with the presentation). The rest of the time I normally wear a dark jeans with a nice blouse and flats or a low boot. I think I'm probably closer to the lower end of how people dress for conferences but I've never felt like I stand out in my field. People go completely casual sometimes; the only people who really dress up are those who are on the job market and are having interviews.

[rising_star]

This is really field specific. Guys in my field usually wear khakis or maybe dress pants and a polo shirt. If they're feeling fancy, they'll go with a long-sleeved button-up shirt. I don't usually see anyone in blazers, to be honest. And, when I do, I and many other people think they are trying too hard. When they aren't presenting, guys wear khakis and a polo, decent jeans and a button-up shirt, etc. Footwear ranges from Chacos/Teva sandals (on non-presenting days, but sometimes faculty present in them), closed toe shoes, dress shoes (rare), and boots (depends on where the conference is, the weather, and the person). Some poeple, including my former department chair, wear cowboy boots basically daily, along with black/dark jeans, and a loose fitting long-sleeved button up shirt.

 

Girls in my field tend to dress as fuzzylogician described. Some wear blazers or cardigans when they present but most stick with dress pants and a button-down or other nice shirt. For days when they aren't presenting, they wear khakis, dresses, skirts, basically whatever can be described as a bit professional. Flat shoes are definitely common, and aren't surprising when you consider how much walking there often is at conferences. Some people do wear heels but that's a personal choice more than anything else.

 

All this is to say that I am not in a field where most people dress super-formally. We're an outdoorsy discipline based on fieldwork and/or spending hours designing and running computer models/programs, so people definitely do not typically wear suits to our conference (or at any other time outside of their job interview).

[PsychGirl1]

I usually wear some sort of simple black cotton dress and a cardigan, and carry a nice purse. I often see people in full blown suits and jeans and anywhere between. I would say that the pants/skirt with a non-matching blazer look seems to be fairly common at the conferences I've gone to. I'd just aim for "business casual" and try not to stand out too much on any clothing item, and you'll be set :-).

 

If I were you, I'd just bring some sort of semi-nice black flat/wedge/low heel that you can walk in, a few business casual skirts and tops (or a few business casual dresses), and a blazer. Also, maybe one "nicer" outfit for going out with people after talks or at night. As far as style, it's hard to say- I tend to go for the pencil skirt with a tank and a sweater or casual dress look. You mentioned leggings- I would probably not wear leggings, but I'd wear tights or bare legs- if that gives you an indication of "style".

[TakeruK]

I just want to chime in to say that my experience in Astronomy as well as Planetary Science is what rising_star described. The only times I've taken a full suit to a conference, it was only for the banquet dinner or other formal social event. 

[SeriousSillyPutty]

Thanks for the feedback!  I've noticed a big difference in unofficial dress code just in between the education department and science departments at my university, so it makes sense that conferences would vary too.  I will ask some of the people in my department who don't regularly wear heels and such to class what they plan to wear for the conference, and maybe that will help me to gauge things.  At one level, I get the idea of "dress for the job you want to have."  Fundamentally, though, I don't want to be walking around San Francisco in heels if I can avoid it.  I just want to blend in.

[TakeruK]

If this is a regularly occuring conference (annual?) then the conference website (or the website of the organizing society, if there is one) might have pictures of past meetings which you can use to gauge what people have worn. The same website might also have info for first-time attendees/students, such as a page like this: http://dps.aas.org/meetings/attendees I actually think this page has a lot of useful tips that could apply to any conference, not just the annual DPS meetings!

 

Also, I don't want to stereotype too much, but even within the same field, dress codes can vary between regions. I've attended schools and know people on both the east and west coasts and on average, the level of "dressy-up-ness" on the east coast is higher than the west coast. I grew up on the west coast and it was only until I went to school "out east" that I actually saw the majority of scientists regularly wearing things more dressed up than tshirt and jeans. At this point, I had also decided for myself that I wanted to replace most of my tshirts with polo shirts for everyday use. Now that I'm back on the west coast, I think I tend to be one of the more dressed up people at school each day. The people on my floor who are dressed up the nicest did their undergrads out east though! I guess that paragraph was a long winded example to say that even in Education (which sounds like more dressed up than sciences), there may be a difference out west (or maybe your experience has already told you this is not the case).

[wanderingalbatross]

Heals: Are high heals expected of everyone that doesn't have a doctor's note, or can I get away with flats?

Frankly I think nice loafers look just as professional, if not more professional, and are more utilitarian. Why not be well dressed AND comfortable?

[PsychGirl1]

I wear nice black wedges and switch into flip flops if I'm walking far. Flats are fine as long as they are a nice material and look professional.

[pears]

hey! i'm living in SF right now, and as you mentioned, the weather is... well, finicky at best. it's actually been a very mild and relatively clear spring, but we've had some rain this week, so april may shape up to be somewhat drizzly- not bad enough for wellies, but it's worth bringing an umbrella.

 

personally, i like bright solids, so i bring a pair of coral flats, green heels (similar to these, but olive), and/or black pumps if it's a multi-day thing; for one-day events, just the flats in a bag with the green heels. sheer (or no) tights, high-waisted (but never form-fitting!) skirt, tank top, blazer, colorful necklace or scarf, simple stud earrings, hair in a braid or down, peacoat, casual shoulder bag.

 

my field is super informal for the most part, but i find that being on the ever-so-slightly overdressed side of things never hurts. i usually have a casual outfit with me anyway, so if i really feel out of place, i'll mix and match pieces with dark denim.

[SeriousSillyPutty]

1st off: Wowza!  My third grade teacher would be ashamed of me for not knowing my homonyms.  When I'm not typing while sleep deprived, I really do the difference between "heals" and "heels".  I think "high heals" would be like something Jesus did after the Sermon on the Mount.  "High heels" are the things dangerous to those of us with poor coordination.  Apologies. 

2nd - Thanks for more experience and tips.  Some people buy pants long so that they can/have to wear high heels, but I plan my pants for flats, and I do have a nice pair of loafers, so I will maybe shoot for those.  I also like the idea of snooping around the website.  I registered, and checked out the program listings, but it's an established enough event that I bet they do have a page of tips.  (And if not, I will look at the AAS link!)

[juilletmercredi]

I don't wear a suit even if I am presenting.  I wear a dress or slacks or a skirt and a button-down shirt or nice blouse or sweater.  If I wear a skirt or dress, they're always at or just above the knee and I wear stockings or tights; and then I just wear some professional looking flats or relatively low-heeled shoes (nothing above 3" - walking around conferences in teeny tall heels is hell).  I also hate bringing more than like 2 pairs of shoes along, so I usually pick a bunch of outfits that work with black pumps/kitten heels or maybe 2 that work with that and 2 that work with a different color shoe (navy, cream, something neutral.  I don't buy brightly colored shoes, lol).   I also buy my pants for flats!  All my pants stop right at or right below my ankle.

 

I hate dress shirts because they always feel so stiff and the ones that look tailored on me are always too tight around my boobs.  But the ones that work the best for me I find at Express on sale (if you catch a sale, you can get them for $15-25 a piece).  You can find some dress shirts that aren't the traditional button-downs, though; Express has some, New York & Company has some.  Maybe H&M?  They're hit or miss as far as dressy clothes go for me.

 

I don't have a problem looking my age because I look 17 in the face, so even if I dressed matronly I would probably hit my age at best, lol.  But I think going for more modern cuts and fits is the way to go, for that.  Slim-fit pants, jackets that are cut higher (so they hit at the hip instead of the thigh) and have shorter sleeves (maybe three-quarters length instead of full, especially in April), light-colored or printed shirts, and kitten heels or round-toe flats instead of severely pointed shoes or really high heels.

 

I would only wear a suit if I were interviewing.

[jmu]

Consider the weather as well, as simple and obvious as that seems. I just presented at a conference where there was some snow and, knowing that I wouldn't be able to afford to take a cab everywhere, I brought a pair of less comfortable, but more water and slip resistant shoes. I happened to have shoes that look nice but even if they didn't I would have worn them.

[TeaGirl]

For my first presentation I wore dress pants, a nice fitted button down shirt, and a ballet flats. I just wasn't going to spend 3+ hours walking around in heals. I think depending on your field, you can dress it up more with a blazer.

People who weren't presenting wore either business casual or not so formal, which in Arizona meant wearing sneakers and polo t-shirts instead of flip flops and regular t-shirts.

[GreenePony]

I hate dress shirts because they always feel so stiff and the ones that look tailored on me are always too tight around my boobs.  But the ones that work the best for me I find at Express on sale (if you catch a sale, you can get them for $15-25 a piece).  You can find some dress shirts that aren't the traditional button-downs, though; Express has some, New York & Company has some.  Maybe H&M?  They're hit or miss as far as dressy clothes go for me.

 If you're finding mass market shirts too tight in the bust- and depending on just how tight/ how much "strum"- look at more "specialty" shops like DDatelier (love everything I've gotten from them), and Biubiu. Carrissa Rose has button ups (or they may be hook and eye, I forget) and Campbell & Kate has white and french blue button ups but they're bot pricier (I snagged a fit sample from C&K for 1/3 the current price, and I love it).

Thanks to the suggestion to look at past years' photos, I think I'm getting the idea that most people dress as they would in their "real" jobs, maybe a step dressier. Does that seem about right?