Dressing for a legal conference can be tricky.
You don’t want to look too formal, too unapproachable, but you also don’t want to dress too casually. Men can get away with nice jeans and a blazer, but women should go for something more polished.
Practically, you’ll be sitting for long periods of time for lectures and mingling in between, so you need something comfortable and hopefully wrinkle resistant.
And, if you also happen to be a very sweaty person like I am (hello, hyperhydrosis), you also need an outfit that will hold up under what will likely be a lot of stress sweat that comes with being out of your comfort zone.
For a two-day water law and policy conference, I decided to find dresses that made me feel feminine and powerful. My goal was to be outgoing and meet new people, so my typical sheath dress and blazer combination didn’t have as much appeal as a power dress.
For the first day, I chose this Ann Taylor sweater dress. From the moment I walked into Starbucks to get my confidence fuel to the time I left the conference for the evening, I received probably more than a dozen compliments.
Ann Taylor – Pearlized Button Belted Sweater Dress
This dress was also pretty forgiving of my underarm sweat stains. The material is wool, so it wasn’t particularly water resistant, but the color hid my sweat rings relatively well. I loved this dress, although the neckline was originally a bit low for my taste. Before the conference, I very easily raised the neckline by continuing the gathering and moving one of the buttons from the waistline to the neckline. The shape of this dress was perfect, as I am self-conscious about my lower tummy, and the fit-and-flare shape hid that issue for me. The fabric held up very well from hours of sitting in crappy chairs.
For the second day of the conference, I chose this M.M. LaFleur dress (which I purchased new with tags on Poshmark for just more than half price).
M.M. LaFleur – Carly Dress
Admittedly, I did not receive as many compliments on this dress, but I did receive quite a few. But most importantly, a miracle happened with this little number: IT DID NOT SHOW EVEN A HINT OF MY SWEAT STAINS. I didn’t realize this when I purchased the dress, but I found out afterward that this material is water resistant. My super-sweaty underarms were no match for its power, and neither was the energy drink I spilled on my lap (the red beads of Alani Nu just rolled off of the dress). The one downside of this dress is that the wrap style causes the skirt to open up when you sit down. I awkwardly had to hold the slit closed whenever I took a seat or stood back up. A simple stitch would solve this issue, though. The shape of this dress was similar to the Ann Taylor one but was even more flattering in my tummy area with the folded gathering at the waist. This material is also very wrinkle-resistant, so it also looked great even after a full day of sitting.
Both dresses made me feel powerful and helped me let go of my worst insecurities: my tummy and the effects of my hyperhydrosis. I felt confident enough to approach new people and discuss Colorado water issues.