What to wear?

Cory D

Hello! I'm new to this forum but really excited I found this website I am going to be a "guest of honor" at this big dinner in exactly 9 days. It's a mini-gala at someone's mansion, with a ton of rich bankers and businesspeople who have funded my scientific research, and I am going to be giving a Q&A about my work. So, I will be in front of a lot of rich, classy people and need to look like the promising young professional and scientist they gave lots of money to! I have no idea if it's going to be in or outdoors (hopefully indoors), I am guessing it will last at least 2 hours, and I will probably be doing a lot of mingling, as well as a photo shoot with the entire group. I realized last night I have no idea what to wear! I have some professional looking dresses, I have dress pants and nice skinny jeans, blazers, blouses, but... I don't know what would feel right. Dress or pants? I want to be comfortable above all else, and I definitely don't want to feel constricted. Any ADVICE!?!? For reference, I am 5'3", 120 lbs, with an hourglass figure......... THANKS DOLLS!

12 years ago

General

8 replies

Latest reply was from froggiebecky

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Congratulations -- this sounds really exciting!

A couple of questions: where is this located (i.e. geographically) What is the temperature/ weather likely to be?

What do your professional looking dresses feel like to you? Would you be comfortable in them?

I would suggest one of those dresses or a suit, depending. Pants could work if they are dressy (as in part of a good suit).

You definitely want to wear one of your best colours near your face if you are giving a presentation, and nothing too distracting in terms of pattern.

12 years ago

trix

Active Member

Congratulations! That's great for you (and especially in this funding climate).

I don't know where you'll be (I tend to assume East Coast means more formal) or what kind of research setting you work in, but if I were in a similar situation, I'd go for my sharpest pantsuit or jacket/dress combo, with a scarf to add color, as Suz suggested. (I somehow don't feel comfortable in skirt suits -- can't say why, somehow I feel too conservative in them.) The decision of pantsuit v. dress would depend on several things: a) Which one looks better on me (this includes quality of the cut/fabric), b) which one I feel more comfortable wearing (you have to feel comfortable to look comfortable giving the presentation), and c) what the general feel of the location and audience is.

In my case, I'd be choosing between my one (much-cherished) Theory ensemble of Gracie jacket and matching pants v. a jacket over a J. Crew dress, as they're probably the nicest-looking and most professional items I own. Since I wear pants most days, I would probably wear a pantsuit if I thought it suited. But if it's a dressier evening event that doesn't feel as purely worklike, I would go for the dress. (And to tell the truth, I'd probably stash a cardigan in my bag in case I got there and discovered the jacket was the wrong thing.)

If this is a foundation or development event, you might be able to ask either your development office person or the foundation contact what the dress code will be.

Best of luck, and congrats again!

12 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Wow, congratulations! As a fellow scientist, I personally would go for a dress (because I'm assuming it's an evening event and I don't think you want to look super businessy) and a blazer. You could either go for something like a sheath-like LBD (or a colored version) with a black suit-type jacket, which is more conservative, or a more glamourous cocktail dress with the same black suit jacket if the event is going to be more evening-ish. I like to have the suit jacket because you can then gauge how businessy the event is - if it is more businessy then keep the blazer on, but if it's more cocktail then lose the blazer.

I don't think I'd go for a real (matching) suit; that seems more like interview and not celebratory.

Oh, and comfy shoes are a must!

ETA: Like the last photo in my post here:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....nge-artist

12 years ago

Makrame

Veteran

Congratulations! Sounds exciting!
Another thought - what about something like good quality dark trousers and a white blouse (not a plain white blouse but something with a bit of flair, like an Ann Fontaine blouse? I did a Google image search for "trousers and white Ann Fontaine blouse" and one of the first photos that came up was of Angie! http://youlookfab.com/2011/09/.....nd-pearls/
But I was thinking more about wide-leg trousers.

12 years ago

Cory D

Member

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE ADVICE, IDEAS, and CONGRATULATIONS! You are all brilliant and supportive stylistas, and I'm happy to see a fellow scientist who cares about fashion (@Diana) :-).

So the weather is going to be pretty chilly @trix! It's at a mansion on St. Clair lake in Michigan, and the 7 day forecast says 54 high, 37 low for that night... burrr...... I get cold very easily!! :'-(

@Suz, I do look good in black (who doesn't?) so I will definitely be thinking of a black dress or the wide-leg trousers in black that @Makrame suggested. I love that idea because I do have wide hips and long pants with a wide leg will definitely help play that down! I have plenty of silk blouses that I could wear with pants too.

Tomorrow I am going to the mall to look for look for the trousers and some dresses... just to try on different options... I love the idea of a LBD that I can wear with black tights and my go-to CK black heels that I can walk around in all day. Do you think throwing my black leather jacket over the dress would be too casual? It's short (hits at the waist) but it's so cute and will keep me warm! I do have a H&M blazer but don't know if it would make me look too business-y. ?

In terms of what I already have and avoiding going out and spending $$ (because I'm broke, just bought a car this summer)... I was thinking to wear my very dark wash Joe's Jeggings with golden zippers that go about 6 inches up the ankle (on the inside seam). They are super tight but I love them! I also have tan and gold wedges that are super comfortable and make me about 5 inches taller. I could wear my favorite "tiger" blouse (white with black graphic of tiger faces looking at one another) with the H&M blazer over that, and add my favorite gold dangling onyx earrings to elongate my face. That is definitely closer to a dressed-up version of my day-to-day style and I know I'd be comfortable in it. I'll be warm, too...

Any thoughts? <3

12 years ago

trix

Active Member

Hi Cory, hope you still have a few more days! I suspect that I end up dressing more conservatively here (I think my town and field are more conservative fashion-wise, I'm probably a little older, and I also am pretty boring in my style (-: ), so my ideas may not be as useful for you, but here are my thoughts. I tend to think that anything denim or leggings-like would be too casual for anything described as a "gala." But someone who's young and stylish can probably get away with one striking item as long as the rest is a bit more understated, so if you have a different bottom, the tiger blouse could work (with the dressy earrings and shoes that you mentioned). I do think LBDs are always a good investment -- if you're driving, maybe you could bring both the leather jacket and something a bit less edgy, and swap them out when you arrive depending on what everyone else is wearing/how you feel.

Would love to hear what other straight science/research types think...

12 years ago

Greyscale

Veteran

Another scientist!

Can you email a contact person from the event? I bet they're used to scientists being unsure what to wear to fit in. I can't tell if it's going to be dressy or business-y but I'm guessing medium-dressy. I'd go for a knee-length dress. I think your idea of LBD with black tights and heels is spot on.

I went to a similar gala for the department where my boyfriend is faculty, and I think I went a little too formal on my clothes: black silk top, long fishtail skirt just like Angie's here:
http://youlookfab.com/2011/05/.....h-friends/

In retrospect I wish I'd emailed the awesome department secretary because she would definitely know what people wear to the annual event.

12 years ago

froggiebecky

Veteran

Hi Cory,

Another scientist (in training) here! I think your description of what you had in mind (the jeggings and tiger print top) sounds a little too casual for this type of event. I agree with the others, that a dress (either in black or another color that makes you feel great) would be very appropriate for this event. You could pair the blazer you already own with it, and shoes you can stand in (I'm assuming you'll be meeting and greeting during the event as well).

Let us know what you find!

12 years ago

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