How to Stand Out at a Work Conference

I'm meeting some awesome personal finance bloggers at #FinCon12 this year (last year rocked, too), and there was no way I wanted to blend into the crowd. You too, my dear reader, can learn to stand out at your next work conference with these easy tips:

1. Wear bright colors. Obviously, this top counts, but I also wore two other dresses (here and here) this weekend in fun colors. (And you guessed it, they are both a part of my great knit dress collection).

2. Wear animal prints. Oh, leopard print linen pants from J. Crew, how I love you. Plus, I scored these beauties for $20 at a great sale.

3. Wear awesome glasses. These Warby Parker specs have gotten me more compliments than any other item of apparel I have ever owned. Yes, that was quite superlative in nature, but it's also accurate. Maybe I should try the monocle next.

 Downtown Denver view is more like track view.

I have a badge and everything. Totes Offish. Ew, I hate that I typed that. But backspacing is for quitters. Oh, and I was in an infographic for the conference, c/o the awesome guys at Budgetable. Look who's a "Rising Star." Hey, girl. Hey.

Old Navy top (exactly)

J. Crew pants (exactly)

Old Navy shoes (similar)

Clothing Lessons Learned at a Work Conference

Sounds like a boring title, huh? I was at a work conference this weekend. The Financial Blogger Conference, to be exact. On top of meeting some really great personal finance bloggers, I also learned a thing or two.

Some of my more unexpected lessons had to do with what to wear at a conference and conference events.

Layers. You can never know what the temperature will be like in the hotel, or the conference session rooms. I kept it simple by layering a cardigan over a tank with a scarf. Cold room problem solved.

Flats. I wore heels (see photo) to dinner one night, thinking I'd have time to change before we went to the dance party. (Bloggers know how to get down.) This was a false assumption, and I ended up dancing for several hours in heels. Some women can do this no problem. I'm not one of them. Ouch.

Something memorable. When it came to being recognizable, I got a little assistance with my Warby Parker glasses (lots of compliments!) and red blazer (new from Sosie.com). When you're networking and passing out business cards, it pays to be noticeable. One blogger said, "I'm going to write 'red jacket' on your card!"

Packable options. Although I was bummed that I didn't get to wear one of the three dresses that I brought (come on, I have a style blog, are you really surprised?), I was glad that they took up little room in my suitcase.

What do you wear at a work conference?

 Sosie blazer, Gap jeans, Old Navy scarf and bracelet, Banana Republic heels