Conference Workshops + The Pitch

Workshops
Now I imagine that to portray a professional image at the conference workshops the dress code would be office wear.

But what defines office wear these days?
Checking out the websites of a number of different retailers I found that in many cases their office wear lines included denim jeans. Are these now considered aprropriate for the office? Are jeans dressier then they used to be? Or have office standards dropped?

Ok, to be honest, I don't really care why, just please tell me they'll be ok to wear. Yep, you guessed it - I have jeans!

The outfits depicted here are the ones in the latest catalogues from Myer, David Jones, Katies and Suzanne Grae.

The Pitch
Hmmm. The Pitch. Just the words alone are enough to make me tremble in my boots. Let alone worrying about what to wear!

The image I want to project: professional, competent, organised, relaxed - as I will probably be none of these things (think nervous, sweating, fumbling and bumbling) I need my clothing to try and portray the image for me.

My gosh. What hope do I have at successfully pitching?

Again I have consulted the online catalogues of many of my local fashion stores and gained an insight into what's hot and what's not. You'll never guess where I fit in!

Below are just a sample of some of the models I viewed dressed in what any up and coming author whould be wearing to The Pitch.











What are you wearing?

Brisbane's Weather + E-List Dinner

Brisbane Weather

August in Brisbane. More to the point, Ekka week in Brisbane. To all Brisbanites that week usually signifies the turning point of the winter months. It is supposed to start warming up then. To give you a bit of an idea what to expect following are some averages for August.

max = 21.7'C
min = 10'C
rain days >1mm = 4.6
clear days = 17
@ 9am = 15'C
@ 3pm = 20.6'C

VERY windy westerlies (August is known for being dry and windy)

Just remember, weather is relative. For me, living in Brisbane, this is still cold. But if you are making the trek up from down south, you might think it barmy.

Keep in mind how you perceive this weather when making any decisions about what (not) to wear.

E-List Dinner

The E-list dinner is for all RWA members on ROMAUS. From what I understand it's a casual night before the conference officially begins Friday morning. Now, dressing for a casual dinner may sound easy: jeans, shirt and jacket. My standard clothing for anything.

Before I rubbed my hands with glee and thought, woohoo, this one's easy, I decided to take a quick look at Westfield's Fashions for Winter guide 2009. Boy, just shows nothing is that easy anymore. So, I guess it will be fair to warn you, I'll be the one dressed comfortably and warmly, just not fashionably.

According to Westfield: long cardigans, jungle prints and fake fur, bohemian folksy, tartans, shoulder pads (eek), trousers and denim - this is the look for winter this year.













The four outfits pictured here are the wardrobe examples featured in Westfield's Winter 2009 Fashion Guide.

Arabian Nights Cocktail Party

The Arabian Nights-themed cocktail party sounds like it will be a whole lot of fun. There are so many options when it comes to Arabian Nights. There's a big range of costumes - something to suit everyone. But I wonder how much will be read into the costume you choose? What does your costume say about you?

The Oil Sheik
Powerful, confident, intelligent
Costume - nice and toasty warm, can let it all hang out, not flattering, masculine, mascara moustache makes make-up easy






The Belly Dancer/I Dream of Jeannie
Extroverted, fun, sensual
Costume - freezing cold, have to suck that tummy in, traditionally supposed to be flatter female form, feminine, can bling it up











Sinbad's Arabian Nights
Charismatic, brave, adventurer
Costume - warm, designed to hold your tummy in, masculine, bad hair day can be hidden with the hat




Palm Tree
Any of: Disorganised, antisocial, introverted/extroverted, fun, different
Costume - toasty warm (I mean you could be wearing anything under that), hides a multitude of sins, unique

Me, I'm going for a feminine look, but not one that exposes any bits of me that really shouldn't be seen, something between a very traditional arabian dress and the belly dancer.

So what are you wearing to the cocktail party?