Conferencing OOTD

This is the outfit I wore to present on the award panel of the conference in St. Paul. I had no idea what to wear. Because it was a smaller conference I assumed (correctly) that people weren't going to be very formal. I didn't want to be overdressed or under-dressed. I picked this ponte knit J. Crew Factory dress and layered an old Anthropologie cardigan over top. Because the conference was journalism themed and the award I received was for the study of mass communication history, I carried my newsprint Kate Spade Bon Shopper tote bag. I love a theme!

I think the outfit was a good choice because I was a little more dressy than the audience but not so much so that it was glaring. It was a great experience presenting my work to a packed house of well-wishers and I received excellent feedback on my project.

Special shout out to the very ornate hotel bathroom in which I took this photo. It had a small card catalog-esque built in for warm hand towels and a whole fancy lounging area for grooming and hanging out. It kinda made me wish we had stayed at the Saint Paul Hotel rather than the (perfectly nice but not necessarily historic or ornate) Doubletree!

Details:
J. Crew Factory Dress (current season in colorblock here; similar here)
Anthropologie cardigan
Spanx tights
Ferragamo My Joy flats
Kate Spade tote (current season on sale here)

Sightseeing in the Twin Cities OOTD

In October, I packed up my family and we headed to the Twin Cities. The reasons were multiple but the most immediate was a conference. I presented and received an award for my dissertation at a small conference focusing on a subfield of my discipline. The timing overlapped with my wedding anniversary so I was thrilled that Chris could join me. And because I still haven't been apart overnight from Emilia (#firsttimemomanxiety), her presence was a given.

The conference was located in St. Paul and Chris took care of the majority of our restaurant and sightseeing planning. Though he often does this for our trips (which is awesome) I felt especially grateful that he did so this time around due to the convening pressures of work, my presentation preparation, and the startup. My only request was to visit the Mall of America. Seriously... I couldn't imagine a trip to the area without it, both as a scholar interested in consumer culture and an American interested in shopping!

While there we loved visiting the St. Paul Children's Museum, Minnehaha Park, the Walker Art Center and adjacent sculpture garden, and the open galleries in Lowertown. Above is an abstract selfie from the Walker.

We visited some excellent restaurants too. Le Town Talk is a diner turned French restaurant. They have a champagne cocktail program that is pretty stellar. We really liked our noodle dishes at Tanpopo in Lowertown. We had a delicious meal at Pazzaluna with family that relocated from Pittsburgh to the area. And we enjoyed the cookies and Italian fare at the Cosetta Market. If you are familiar with Dunn Bros Coffee, it began in St. Paul and although it is a chain we liked it enough to grab our morning cups from them. All places were plenty kid friendly!

Although the conference was held at the beautiful, historic Saint Paul Hotel, we stayed at the nearby Doubletree, which was more affordable and (more importantly for Emilia!) had a pool. We did rent a car which I was very glad about. It meant we could venture much further than otherwise possible. I considered applying to graduate school at the University of Minnesota and although I didn't, I did daydream a bit about what my life would have been like as a student there. I am glad I stayed in Pittsburgh but I quite liked the Twin Cities. I hope we get to go back soon!

Outfit details:
Marc by Marc Jacobs Mareika dress (skirt here, top here, dress from same collection here)
Burberry Brit trench coat
Salvadore Ferragamo My Joy flats
Spanx tights
Longchamp tote (current season here)

Conferencing Wardrobe

Alma Mater Blazer (similar here)

DVF Bilboa (similar here; budget options here or here*)

Balenciaga Day

MBMJ pumps (similar here and here)

The major conference of any specific academic discipline provides an exciting opportunity for scholars to network, present their research, interview, and reconnect. Often, organizers rotate the schedule through a series of desirable locations, allowing attendees to have an added benefit of visiting fantastic cities while they do their jobs. 2011 attendants of the annual meeting of the National Communication Association were especially fortunate that New Orleans was selected as the host location. As I've detailed previously, I deeply and quickly fell in love with this wonderful city during my past visits. I was thrilled to return!

Old Navy Chambray dress (similar here)

Anthro belt

Chloé flats

Spanx tights

The cultural richness of New Orleans provided inspiration for critical discussions as well as fodder for intriguing distractions. I was able to do a bit of research for a military museum exhibits project I have been developing because the National World War II Museum is located conveniently in the Warehouse Arts District.

Exhibits at the WWII Museum

I was there as a presenter, but I also hoped to do some networking. This was the first time I was in attendance as tenure track faculty, so I felt a bit of pressure to up the professorial/professional ante. As a first-time search committee member, I found myself on the other side of the table at NCA's job fair. That was a really interesting experience from which I learned a lot! All of these occasions required a versatile but efficient travel wardrobe. My visit extended from Wednesday through Sunday, with travel from a cold clime to a warm one. And I had no intention of checking a bag (stupid fees!). So I planned my outfits to function with versatility, allowing for easy mixing.

 Same as above

I've never been a skirt suit person. I do own one very pretty, somewhat non-traditional brown tweed skirt suit by Nanette Lepore. But when I put it on I feel like I'm wearing someone else's clothes. I decided to leave the skirt suit for higher stakes professional scenarios. If I was on the job market, perhaps it would have seemed more useful or necessary? Instead I packed separates.

Alma Mater Blazer (similar here)

DVF Bilboa (similar here; budget options here or here*)

Balenciaga Day

MBMJ pumps (similar here and here)

My luggage contained:
1 Blazer (I brought two, wearing one as my "outerwear" while in transit, saving luggage space)
2 Black dresses (both wrinkle resistant, nicely tailored, wool numbers by DVF-- the Shawnessy and the Bilboa for DVF-philes)
2 pairs of shoes (one pair of cute flats, one pair of sensibly low pumps)
1 Day dress (for activities outside of the conference)
2 Pairs of tights (because although it is the deep south, it was still brisk, especially in the mornings and night)

To a Tee Blazer (similar here and here)

J. Crew top

J. Crew Matchstick cords

Stuart Weitzman flats

In transit, I wore a casual blouse, a blazer, and matchstick cords with comfy, slightly wide Chloé flats (not pictured... but my in transit shoes need to be a bit large because I always feel so swollen after a day of plane travel).

Although my suitcase was stuffed, causing me to pass on a beautiful See by Chloé coat from United Apparel Liquidators in the French Quarter, I was pleased with the items I brought. Sure, I was bored to death by my options at the end of the trip, but I think it was smart to prioritize conference-friendly clothing over my usual: vibrant statement prints.


*Don't discount ebay when hunting for DVF on a budget. I paid around the cost of the budget options a few years back when I bought my Shawnessy and Bilboa on the resale market. Watch for knockoffs because this brand does have counterfeiters. The helpful women at Fashionism can always offer assistance with authentication questions.