To a business professional conference, I would wear nice, comfortable slacks or skirt and a sweater set – the sleeveless blouse underneath is totally appropriate outside and the sweater makes it comfortable inside. Black/grey pants & pink sweater set or patterned skirt, black sweater set, etc. My other go-to for a conference would be a sleeveless sheath dress, with a cardigan or jacket – that turquoise sheath dress recently featured on C is a great example.

I agree with Mel that open-toed shoes are almost always appropriate (court being the exception), although I would probably not wear flip-flop sandals. We aren’t always super bright, but bright colors never look out of place, either.

And when I say work your ass off, I mean take whatever you think that means and times it by at least 5. It sounds crazy but it’s how it is. . . especially in this economy and outside the top schools.

Good luck!

I feel like they would work for a professional office environment, but I’m concerned the heel is a bit too sexy. I’m planning on working in an office this summer and am looking for nice peep toe shoes to wear.

I don’t think that you need to wear a full suit every day. While it is more appropriate for men to do this, women can often get away with a nice top (button up if you want to be more formal) and slacks or a pencil skirt. Or, if you want to be safe, wear the bottom half of a full suit and take the jacket with you. That way you can be more comfortable during the day but you can put the suit jacket on if you are making a presentation or meeting someone important.

Hope that helps a bit! I’m going to a couple of conferences soon, too!