Fashion Friday: Presentation Style!

Well, this week's Fashion Friday post is three days late - sorry!  I was attending the SoACE (Southern Association of Colleges and Employers) conference in Tampa earlier last week.  I returned home with a horrible ear and throat infection and have been miserable for days!!  Definitely the most sick I have been in years.

On Wednesday morning of the conference my co-worker, Katie Steuer, and I presented on Strengths Development and Appreciative Advising as tools to use to engage and retain new hires.  We were excited to share some career advising tools with our colleagues on the HR side.  That is what inspired this post.  People often wonder what to wear for a professional presentation at a conference or other places.  We both present in front of college students all the time, but speaking to other professionals and colleagues about your work adds another element to the preparation.  So, I asked Christina to do another version of The Professional vs. The Intern on Presentation Style.  Here's what we came up with...

It's funny how similar Christina and I can be sometimes!!  We both picked the pop of red to pair with other neutrals.  I think it was Bill Blass who said, "When in doubt, wear red".  We do these separately and then share our final picks with each other.  This just reinforces that I did a great job of selecting the most awesome intern ever!

Here are 7 thoughts on how to dress for a professional presentation:

1. Wear close fitting, tailored clothing.  It looks more polished and flattering.
2. Don't wear all one dark color (i.e. black or navy suit).  Break it up with a pop of color, especially close to the face.
3. Wear simple jewelry that won't distract or make noises during the presentation as you move around.
4. Wear a watch to keep an eye on the time.  Nothing makes you look more unprepared and unprofessional then running out of time to finish your presentation.
5. Wear lip gloss.  Color draws attention to your lips and research has shown people will hear and understand you better if they can see your lips.  Plus lip gloss helps your lips from getting dry when you are doing a lot of talking.
6. Complete your look with polished and appropriate shoes, especially if you will be standing on a stage during your presentation.
7. Be the best dressed person in the room!

Here is what I actually wore for my presentation:

I wore this bright purple jacket and grey pencil skirt from The Loft.  I wore a white short -sleeved bouse with subtle ruffles on a v-neck cut.  I really wanted to wear a dress with a jacket but I just couldn't find what I wanted.  This was my "Plan B". 

I was hoping to find a dress like this:

 And, if I could wear yellow I would have really liked this jacket with a grey dress:

What do you wear for an important presentation??