WIW-ing: conference dressing part 2

More options for wearing to the conference topic that I started earlier:

- I don't have any slim trousers. They're going on my list though.

#1-#2 I don't think belting is working for me - neither high nor low is flattering (especially on the side view, which I didn't send up). So I'm sticking with unbelted for now.
#3 The slimmest trousers that I have - but they're a medium cool brown (taupe?), and they don't seem to me to be right with the light blue. I really like the brown zipper cardi though.
#1,2,4 I found a slightly longer pair of black slacks. They're a weird synthetic that is almost shiny, but they don't wrinkle for anything, so I I like them. They still seem a tad short for these shoes, I'm afraid. Are they too short?
#5 gray wool trousers. I think I'd wear them with the cardi in #1 and 2, but they're a bit slimmer fitting.
#6 From a different day: a 'boyfriend blazer' that's black 3/4 sleeve and wonderfully comfy, but looks faded next to black pants. (sorry the pic is so dark) I didn't try it with these combos, because it doesn't seem to me like it would work....

Thoughts? Do any of these work better than the others? I'm guessing this is pretty much the end of my options, at least for this conference. Feel free to suggest things that really should be on my shopping list

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13 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

You really have your work cut out for you to style that regulation shirt. They don't make it easy on a woman! Or a man, for that matter. The colour of the shirt isn't bad on you, but it doesn't even go with denim very well so even if you wanted to style it with jeans you'd be a bit stuck.

I like it with the black pants. I think they are a bit short, but for this purpose will probably do just fine. If there's any seam allowance and the length is annoying you, maybe you can let them down?

If the jacket's black and the pant's black don't work together, then that's probably a no go. So, of your options, I like #4 best. The cardi gives a bit of structure.

Anonymous

I like the shirt as belted in #2 and with tht cardigan. The pants in #4 look like a good fit and drape.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

I actually like it belted high, but that may not be comfy for you over time. Unbelted certainly looks fine, though.

amiable

The shirt actually looks pretty good with my darkest jeans (shown below with a chambray shirt), but except for Friday, I don't really think it's quite formal enough. Thanks for the feedback on the black pants - I'll definitely wear them. I originally wore them with super-flat black shoes, but then I walked those shoes to death.

The gray pants, after ironing, I think look better too. But they wrinkle very easily.

And this blue shirt is better than most. You should have seen the year we had to wear traffic-cone orange shirts, but jeans were disallowed. (I wore it with the gray pants from my last post, if I remember right).

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Here's the side views of it belted. It looks really unflattering to me - showing my poofy tummy. Maybe I just need to accept my thick tummy and get on with it

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Kiwichik

I prefer it witj the grey cuffed pants you wore in photos 5&6 of your last post. I think the challenge is to make an essentially masculine looking top more feminine. I'm wondering if a scarf & different shoes might do the trick. Maybe swap the pants for a pencil skirt.

Thanks everyone. I think my 3 pants choices will be the gray cuffed ones from the last post, the navy ones from the last post (maybe with a scarf instead of a cardi - we'll see), and the black ones from this post. I also plan to add a statement necklace or scarf and earrings and such.

shiny

Oh no! The dreaded totally UNfab booth polo shirt! With regulation black pants and black shoes!

I did this a few months back; sorry no pics. It is what got me to finally get over my phobia about tucking and belting. In my case, the dreaded booth shirt was black-- a black that was so cheap, it didn't even match the required/regulation black pants. It was horrible, I tell you... horrible!!

So.. I wound up tucking that darn shirt. Into slacks very much like yours. Slacks I'd normally NOT belt because of my phobia. And I belted.. with a snake skin belt. And wore with red patent leather round toe pumps -- completely ignoring the dress code. I figured if anyone noticed my shoes (under PPL pants), I'd just say I did not own black shoes anymore. People did notice my shoes, but they liked them, and nobody told me to go home and swap them out.

Second day of the conference, I went even bolder, and tucked the dang ugly shirt into a black pencil skirt, no belt, with strappy snakeskin heels -- throwing all caution to the wind! (Skirts were still within our dress code, as long as the skirt was black). I got a lot of compliments on the snakeskin heels. Only one person mentioned the dress code. I smiled and said, "Oh, I figured that was for men only, since men are apt to wear brown shoes and white socks, if we don't spell it all out for them."

I love it Shiny! Maybe I should try my leopard flats or even my lime green loafers.... hmm... And you have me wishing for a flashy snake-skin belt so that I could belt this. My only belts are skinny black, cognac and dark brown. But I do have bright scarves that might make good belts. Hmm....

Kat

I'm really liking shiny's idea of not really trying to make a "blend" with the polo shirt, but do the dressing below the waist as if you were dressed up, tuck the shirt and belt waist, and wear a knowing smile....The rest of the outfit is stylish and the polo shirt is nodding to regulation. Hmm. Might be worth some photos.

A coworker wore hers with a silk square scarf tied around her neck, and tucked into the V. I forget what this style is called -- Angie often does it. It looked great. Just remember that you'll be wearing a lanyard so there will already be something going on around your neck (skip the long necklaces and scarves). What about wearing the necklace in 6? That might work!

I still think you should tuck, even if you don't belt, or use the skinny black belt. Give it a try.

The outfit in 6 looks great!

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