What to Wear to a Conference

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You know what season is coming up? Conference season! Haha, I bet you didn’t see that coming. Okay, actually you probably did if you read the title of the post. Honestly though, don’t all of the conferences seem to start happening once March hits and then carry on through November? You really only get a break once the snow starts!

Old Navy Short Sleeve Dress
Talbots Blazer c/o (similar, similar)
Everlane Day Heels (similar, similar)
Everlane Form Bag c/o

I started going to conferences when I was in grad school to start networking and I was really concerned about what to wear. Deciding what to wear was exhausing and it was actually really concerning for the first three or four conferences. I don’t feel like I really started to nail it until I started to work at my own company’s conference. Now I have my formula down to a tee and it would just be rude of me to not share it with you!

What To Wear To A Conference

These tips don’t just work for when you’re attending a conference for work. You can use them for an academic conference or any work event you have to travel for!

Blazers, Cardigans, and Sweaters, Oh my!

If there was ever a time to whip out your blazer collection, this would be it! Since I don’t need to wear blazers in my office, I love using conferences as an excuse to wear them. I’m also not going to conferences that require a strict business dress code (the perk of working in the nonprofit world). It’s nice because I don’t typically have to adhere to a black blazer. Personally, I prefer a good knit blazer or a blazer with a fun texture to mix it up a bit.

Let’s also be honest here, I don’t want to wear a cardigan every single day. So I mix it up and bring at least one cardigan I can substitute in place of my blazer. Now, why am I so serious about bringing these layering pieces like a sweater or blazer? Well, if you’ve been to a conference, then you know, IT’S COLD. A regular button down shirt by itself just won’t cut it. If you don’t bring one of these layering pieces, then you’re going to be the fool freezing your butt off.

If the convention takes place in one of the chillier months, then I’ll typically pack heavier main layers, like sweaters, and then a wrap (like my J.Crew Cape Scarf) that I can use if I get chilly. But I would not typically bring a pull over sweater as my layering piece otherwise. Because unlike a cardigan or blazer, taking a sweater on or off can get incredibly awkward.

Comfortable Business Casual Dresses

Hellooooo ladies. (I’m assuming.) When I told my boyfriend I was writing this post, he looked at me like I was crazy. “You just put on slacks and a button up and you’re good!” Then I look at him like he was crazy and told him that the topic of what women can wear for conferences and women’s business casual was far more complicated than that. Skirts and dresses is where I think it can get the most complicated.

In your office it can be incredibly confusing (which is also why I started doing my business casual series). But for a conference, it doesn’t need to be. When I go to conferences and I’m deciding what to wear, I like to make my life as simple as possible. I have four or five go to dresses that I’ll choose from and just pack a combination of those for whatever conference I’m going to. I’ll reveal these dresses in a minute, but let’s talk about how I picked them first.

I had been ordering from a retailer I loved on a whim and I picked up this dress from them that was insanely comfortable. It fit my body perfectly, it had a crew neck, and was long enough that it was not quite knee length, but at least work appropriate. It instantly became a go to for my work outfits. When I realized how often I was wearing this dress, I went back to the retailer to see if they made it any other colors. Lo and behold, I discovered that it was one of those dresses that they made it multiple colors. They also had a long sleeve and short sleeve version of it too (in addition to the sleeveless version I bought). Did I stock up? You bet I did.

The retailer? OLD NAVY. Yup, my go to conference dresses (which have also appeared in two of the three business casual posts so far) are from Old Navy. It’s a work horse of a dress and it’s made packing for a conference so much easier.

Business Casual Skirts

I very rarely bring skirts to conferences, but when I do, I keep to a simple pencil skirt that’s about knee length. While that isn’t at all the case for my work wardrobe in the office, I prefer to play it safe in this case. But as I said, this does very rarely happen.

Work Appropriate Blouses

When it comes to blouses, the key is to make sure you can mix and match with pieces (like with my travel wardrobe!). I would suggest keeping to simple colors like black or white (or whatever your power color is) and simple tops. Button down shirts, simple tanks, blouses. Think the “tops” on section of the Ann Taylor website and you can’t go wrong. (Also, don’t knock that section, it has a lot of really cute things, as you can see below.)

Professional Slacks

Now, even though I said above that I always pack my go to dresses for conferences, I also always pack one pair of work ankle pants. I save these for the last day of the conference. Why? By the last day of the conference everyone is feeling a little more laid back and a little more casual. For me, this means pants and a cardigan instead of a dress and a blazer.

If it’s my company’s conference, it also means that I’m going to be doing a lot of carrying and cleaning up that day. All of that is going to be a lot easier to do if I’m in pants instead of a dress.

Now, I’ve talked about this in my winter business casual posts that I’ll always prefer ankle pants if I’m going to wear pants in a professional situational. But there are also some beautiful pairs of non-ankle pants to choose from as well. I’ve share them below so you can check them out as well.

Business Casual Jumpsuits

Yes, you read that right. You can wear a jumpsuit to a conference. You just have to be careful about the jumpsuit you choose. Not strapless, backless, or plunging necklines. Also, I would highly suggest putting a blazer over your jumpsuit if you do.

Now, would my jumpsuit from December be a good option? That depends. It was backless, but I could put a tank top underneath it, and then keep a blazer over it the entire time. If I did that, then yes! It would be okay! Here are some other great jumpsuit options for conferences.

Business Casual Shoes

For the love of god, wear comfortable shoes. I can’t emphasize this enough for a conference. You’re going to be doing a lot more walking that you expect (especially from session to session) and you don’t want to be the person who is dying to take of their shoes in every room.

If you insist on wearing heels, my first suggestion is the Everlane Day Heel. I’ve been able to wear them all day (walking over 7,000 steps) and been perfectly comfortable. If you’re wearing flats, make sure that they’re broken in first, otherwise, you’re going to be in blister city (but you obviously know that). I would, of course, suggest the Everlane Day Gloves, which in the past year have become my all time favorite flats. Read this post to find out why I own them in seven colors.

Do you have any tips on what you typically wear to a conference? I’d love to hear them!

Old Navy Short Sleeve Dress
Talbots Blazer c/o (similar, similar)
Everlane Day Heels (similar, similar)
Everlane Form Bag c/o

Photos by Kimberly Graydon