Weekly News Update

11 Comments

1. Darling Hive: I would love your suggestions for a new handbag. I am looking for a leather tote (under $300) I can wear over my shoulder that will preferably stand on its own when I put it down. I feel like bags that are longer are more comfortable than wider ones. Any ideas? I usually prefer clean lines and structure, but those are not absolutes.

   1. Also, something that closes at the top would be nice.

      1. Town and Field Tote?

   2. I’m shopping for something similar and the Fossil Sydney tote is on my short list.

2. Continuing the discussion from this morning. I’ve only ever been to 2 conferences (the same conferences, on 2 occasions each) for work, which were much more casual/local and laid back. This one is a national conference, and I suspect it will have a much more professional vibe.

   That being said, I work in a very casual environment (jeans, cardi & keens today), but I own plenty of business attire. What with walking so much, I feel that heels are probably not going to be a great idea. I thought that perhaps skirts/dresses with tights and tall flat boots might be a better option? I am just clueless.

   I am also wondering what other necessities do you find are helpful on such a trip? A bag big enough for wallet, phone, etc, but also folio & tourist-y stuff. A tote? A backpack?

   1. What industry?

   2. Planning/development

   3. Yay! I love these p’osts, and I did read the HAVING it all Article in the NY Times Magazine when it came out. That is what I want. A great job (tho not for a magazine), and a great apartement, a husband that adore’s me, money in the bank, and 2 kid’s! What is so bad about that? FOOEY on people who say I can’t have this!

      As for the OP, I say that you can wear flat’s, or 2″ heel’s at the least, b/c there will be a lot of walkeing and you do NOT want to have a sore back from walkeing around every where. The more I think about it, unless you are very tall, stick with the 2″ heels. I love flat’s but b/c I am not THAT tall, I tend to look paunchy in flat’s and people focus more on my tuchus then they would when I wear high heels (3-1/2 or 4 inch). The higher the heel, the more they look at your leg’s rather then your boobie’s and tuchus. I think it is kind of prime-evil thing with men. If they can mentally over power women (also phycology), they will, but a woman with high heels is MUCH more intimidating to a man, who does NOT want to engage with any of them b/c they fear they will NOT feel equal and will not win the woman over.

      My dad tells me that perhaps I have NOT been successful with men b/c I am wearing high heels, but he also said I need to attract a man, which I can NOT do if I look stocky to them b/c of my tuchus. That is the catch 22 he says. Big Tuchus, no man — too tall, men shy away. In neither event is the guy goieng to go for me. FOOEY!

   4. For conferences where I’m representing my company in a formal capacity (daytime), I usually wear a skirt suit and cole haan air tali wedges (more comfy than flats for me since they don’t put pressure on the arch).
      http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/cole-haan-womens-air-tali-wedges?ID=597642&pla_country=US&CAGPSPN=pla&CAWELAID=120156340000501908&catargetid=120156340000975756&cadevice=c&cm_mmc=Google_Seasonal_PLA-_-All+Products+-+GS_All+Products-_-53151159035_-_-_mkwid_tW0sy3Oy|dc_53151159035%7C-%7CtW0sy3Oy&gclid=CjwKEAiAlb6lBRCBw4jC-bb3uykSJAB55Ti9QzH96ZYsSigddHOtDXlCwEtJOn9CjoPoUtEMae5EFBoCPz7w_wcB
      They’re a great shoe since they have a bit of height, which makes them look less clunky with a dress or skirt option while having a rubbery sole to take the impact of concrete beneath carpet in exhibit halls. They’re also on sale fairly frequently, so I’ve rarely paid more than $100.

      If I’m attending a conference as strictly an attendee (so still want to look professional but not as formal) and anticipate a ton of walking, I’ll usually do a suting dress and cardi or a pencil skirt and knit blazer with the Air Talis. If it’s likely to be even more casual, I might do a skirt and cardi instead.

      If it’s a conference where I’ll have to do a ridiculous amount of walking (for example, I’ve had to be a staff person working large conferences, and there’s a 30,000+ tech conference I’ll sometimes attend), I’ll swap out the air talis entirely or rotate in for one or two of the days a Clarke mary jane wave (http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-clarks-wave-cruise-black-leather-p_id171654?adtrack=gpa&term=Women%27s+Clarks+Wave%2ECruise&offer=&device=c&network=g&matchtype= )

      For evening receptions where I’m not quite sure on dress code (as is often the case), I’ll usually bring a wrap dress and a statement necklace to wear. It’s also great to have the wrap dress as a back-up if I spill something on the suits I brought or if I’ve overindulged and something isn’t fitting quite right or what have you.

      You can probably guess from the emphasis here that you’ll want to pay a lot more attention to foot comfort than you might normally do. I learned the hard way after working a really long conference with a ton of walking and hard flooring–always wear nylons (not bare legs) with skirts or dresses, so you’re less prone to blisters. I also usually pack an emergency kit with blister covers and some baggies that I can fill with ice in a pinch if I need to ice the balls of my feet at night.

      1. Great advice–thank you so much

3. That Avidly link is hysterical!

Comments are closed.