Seminars, I don’t know how I feel about them. If they are free, they often are too much sales pitch, too little real tangible interesting content. Great for networking for sure. But I suppose it’s mandatory to at least attend a few per year just for networking purposes.
The autumn seminar season has begun, and my first pick was a HYPE 2014 The Digital Revolution seminar by Gartner and a few other partners. It was pitched as the “Event for REAL future leaders” for ICT and business management.
![Sea of dark suits, the lady in front of me became one of my new connections.](https://hourglassy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/20140918_091753-e1411408427179.jpg)
This was not purely an ICT seminar and it also wasn’t free of charge, so I had to take it quite seriously. So the major problem “what am I going to wear” hit me. I hadn’t figured it out even the night before the seminar! I woke up really early before the alarm went off and just thought about it.
- I wanted to feel comfortable
- It was going to be a warm and sunny day
- I could not wear heels because of a sore ankle
![OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA](https://hourglassy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/P9200310-e1411408235830.jpg)
I quickly decided on the black jumpsuit (the one I wore at the Big Bust Clothing Swap last month) because it’s super comfortable, goes well with flat shoes, and with its leather detailing and simple look it’s professional enough – but only with a formal jacket. So black jacket? White jacket? I was worried that I’d not feel comfortable in a white one and I could wear my colorful Marimekko accessories with the black to make it less dull. BUT I’d still be wearing all black in a sea of dark suits. So white it had to be. Black and white is always a classic! And I LOVE how Kerry Washington’s character Olivia in Scandal wears white jackets and coats all the time and looks so chic.
![It was a chilly morning so added a Luhta snood. Bag is by Brooklyn Industries.](https://hourglassy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/P9200305-e1411408567268.jpg)
![This was actually a replication of the look so my hair is messier and had time to play with my dog.](https://hourglassy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/P9200315-e1411408604109.jpg)
I’m glad I did! The seminar was a huge success and partly because of what I wore. I got complimented on my outfit by other professional ICT leader women and got to know people through that. I’ve always been a bit doubtful over the phrase “dress for success”, but hmm, maybe there is something to it after all. I made some pretty impressive new contacts there which I hadn’t even dreamed of and it was a busy and fun networking day full of great ideas.
I love your outfit! I will keep it in mind though I haven’t found the right jumpsuit for me yet. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Kate! I was actually looking for a maxi dress but this jumpsuit was in the maxi dress rack and I just thought I’d give it a try since I liked the leather trimming around the pockets and shoulders. Surprisingly it worked on my curvy body. Hope you can find a jumpsuit too! They are actually quite brilliant after all.
I’m impressed by 2 things. First, that you could get away with loafers and still look so polished. Second, the reasoning that went into choosing the white jacket over the black. So smart!