I’ve been meaning to do a post about what I wear when I travel for work. I travel quite often these days (typical twice/month, sometimes three times) so I have gotten good at packing. I nearly exclusively wear dresses because I feel most confident in dresses and they take up less space than pants, a top, and a jacket would. I do not own business suits anymore because I hate how I feel in them!
I should preface this post by saying that I am not super into fashion (for fashionable content, see Lag Liv’s blog! She works with a stylist and has a very large, beautiful wardrobe.) I’m pragmatic about dressing - I want something comfy that won’t wrinkle that looks professional and ‘put together’. So most of these outfits are made of a fabric that does not wrinkle and feels good on my body. I’m also a minimalist when it comes to my wardrobe. I don’t have a capsule wardrobe but my wardrobe is capsule-adjacent.
For this trip, I flew to Charlottte for some client events. I had 2 client dinner reception events and I moderated 2 panels (and also did 32 zooms that week as it was a week that sales was encouraged to book lots of meetings).
Here is what I wore that week with pretty crappy bathroom selfies which is the best I could do.
Night #1: client dinner reception
I flew in, checked into my hotel, and quickly freshened up to meet 2 portfolio managers for a drink/chat before the client event started. I wore a striped dress from Boden. I have this dress in 4 colors (this striped version, black, navy, red). When I find something I like, I tend to buy it in multiple colors. I love that this dress has pockets!
Day #2: moderate panel + lots of zooms
I moderated a panel with the portfolio managers fairly early in the day and then had a day of solid zooms. I wore a dress I bought at a boutique in a suburb of Minneapolis last summer. I loved this dress so much that I ordered 2 more this summer (brand is Gretchen Scott). The fabric is wrinkle-proof which is key for travel. This is my favorite of the 3 dresses - I think it’s the most flattering since the pattern is a darker color. I didn’t have any post-work client commitments so I went out for dinner with one of the portfolio managers that was on the panel (she lives in Chicago, the other PM is Charlotte-based).
Day #3: lots of zooms + another client dinner reception
Today’s dress is the same as yesterday’s, but a different pattern. This dress is my least favorite of the 3 as I don’t wear a lot of pink but I still like the dress.
Day #4: moderate a panel, do lots of zooms, fly home in the afternoon
Finally, the last day of this intense trip. This dress is the same brand as the other 2 but has a different neckline + pockets!I look so tired in this photo because I feel so tired. If I zoomed in more, you’d see circles and bags under my eyes. This trip was intense with all the meetings and client interaction! It was TOO MUCH. I am glad I am unlikely to have a trip like this again. It was the combo of in-person client interactions plus so many zooms that really pushed me over the edge into complete exhaustion.
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And there you have it! These are the kinds of dresses I wear during the warm weather months. Now that it’s getting colder, I shift to wearing dresses + tights. I can wear tights with the last dress but the other 3 dresses will be moved to the ‘summer’ section of my wardrobe and will only be worn if I travel somewhere warm like FL or CA, etc.
What kinds of outfits do you feel best in? How do you dress for work? The outfits above are what I wear when I go to the office, too.
11 comments:
I LOVE Boden dresses. I have one that may or may not be exactly the same as your first picture (if it's not, it's very similar) that I wear all the time. For me, it's perfect because the long sleeves keep me warm in the air conditioning but the light material isn't too hot when I'm outside. I wear dresses quite a bit - especially during the summer - because there are times when I don't want to wear shorts, but I hate sweaty legs so pants are a no, lol.
These dresses are perfect! So pulled together and cute. Love the idea of capsule adjacent. I would like to curate this for myself instead of just having TONS OF STUFF, some of which I don’t actually like. Also, I am pretty into Rothy’s these days— so polished, so comfy, and WASHABLE.
I agree with every word that you wrote. I feel more comfortable in a dress than I would in a suit or in separates. Wrinkle free, washable, pockets, and color/patterns are all my jam. And noooooooo to uncomfortable shoes. Just no.
I AM HERE FOR THIS CONTENT! Lisa, you look so fabulous and so pulled together. I love dresses but don't get much chance to wear them. I think you look so great in them - so professional, and much more flattering than a suit. I used to wear suits to work and they are so bulky. Not to mention the whole "dry clean" thing. I love the wrinkle-free fabrics you have - you really have this down to a science!
Ohhh. I love this sort of post. These all look fabulous and I think it's so smart to buy multiples of a cut/fit you like!
You know I love dresses. They are what best suit my body type and I always feel more put together and polished when I'm wearing them. Just yesterday I was daydreaming about what it would be like to live in a climate where I could wear dresses year-round. I wear dresses regularly in the summer, but in the winter it's mostly just to church (our church is super casual, but I feel like wearing a dress helps me slip into worship better?!) because I find it hard to stay warm enough in Canadian winters in a dress! I don't have to wear specific clothes for work (aside from occasional Teams meetings, when I only have to think about waist up), so I tend to work in comfortable clothes since I'm at home...but I chose to wear dresses to church because
Those dresses are great, and you look amazing in them! I wish I could wear dresses again, but everything I try on fits weirdly. I loved dresses when I taught high school and early in my career- one piece so no worries about untucking or matching. Recently, I bought a dress I didn't really like for an event this summer, and I will keep wearing that as necessary until it wears out. If I ever get serious about dresses again I'll have to look at Boden.
My style is super similar, I tend to change for evening work activities, just because it helps me perk up. I also make sure to pack a sweater/jacket as hotel air conditioning in meetings rooms drives me crazy.
Your outfits are lovely! They look comfy and professional. I wear a uniform at work so I leave the house each day in tshirt and jeans and change when I get to the office. I recently attended a professional conference and had to buy a new wardrobe for the 3 days as it had been 4+ years since I had attended anything like that and nothing from before fit. I like the wrinkle free, flowy dress pants (always black!) with short sleeve tops (also wrinkle free fabric) and a cardigan. I have a larger bust and have never found button down shirts to be comfortable, though I do like the look. I do not wear skirts/dresses professionally after an incident my senior year of college. My industry often does onsite interviews that include a tour of the manufacturing facility and I (naively or just uninformed) showed up to my onsite interview in my interview suit with skirt (my mom and I found it at a consignment store and I was so proud of it!) and they said I could not attend the tour with a skirt (catwalks and maybe “loose” clothing). They found a one piece coveralls for me (ridiculously huge) and I attended the tour in that and I was so embarrassed. I only wore the suit for on campus interviews after that and after I accepted my first job, I have never worn a skirt/dress in a professional setting again!
Yes!! Dresses for life. So easy to accessorize and it's just one piece. I think we dress similarly for office life.
I love your travel work wardrobe. So cute. These dresses look great on you. I am unfamiliar with Gretchen Scott and I might need to change that. I am not super into fashion either. I dress for comfort, and pockets are always a great bonus. I am a big fan of dresses, but prefer them in the summer. I'd rather not be bothered with tights. Fortunately, my workplace is fairly relaxed. Ha. When I'm babysitting, I will kick myself if I choose something without pockets. I'm terrible at accessorizing and I do not have pierced ears.
I'm exhausted just hearing about this work trip. I'd have to build a nap into my schedule, which I'm not sure would fly with an employers. Reason #764 why I have an in home daycare. ;)
I'll echo the other commenters! These dresses are flattering on you, look professional and seem very low-fuss (ha, can you imagine if you actually had to IRON something on a business trip?) And your shoes look perfect- very glad you don't wear heels. Just seeing someone in high heels makes my feet hurt.
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