Life Behind The Purple Door: clothes

We're only 27 sleeps away from ProBlogger, and it's time to start thinking about the clothes we will wear. For fashion bloggers, it's easy to figure out what to wear, because they understand clothes and what suits them, but for bloggers like me who have no real interest or understanding, the idea of dressing for a conference is scary!

What is conference style?

I think the easiest way to explain conference style is as smart casual. The one thing I've read over and over again is that you should stick to clothes you feel comfortable in. BUT if, like me, you wear yoga pants every day, then your style should be a step above yoga pants.

Why does style matter?

We're going to be spending 3 pretty intense days together. Chances are, you won't get outside during that time, because you'll be so busy talking to people who get you (or quietly holed up in your room, recharging from all the people, if you're an introvert like me). And let's face it, we judge people by the way they look. The clothes you choose to wear are your face and brand to the world. Taking the time and effort to "dress up" from your everyday shows people that you're serious about the conference, your blog and your why.

5 tips for getting it right

DON'T wear heels if you don't usually wear them. Heels are great fun to wear if they're not something you wear every day, but if you're not used to them, save them for the networking event on Friday night. There will be lots of sitting and standing, and your feet will get sore.

DON'T wear dresses if you don't like them. I get it. I've worn dresses maybe 4 times since I got married (they're not boob-friendly) Please don't wear any clothes you're not comfortable in. If you don't usually wear jeans, don't wear them. You'll spend all your time worrying about what you're wearing, and not soaking in the words around you.

DON'T buy anything that needs ironing. Unless you always iron everything anyway, adding ironing to your list each morning is going to add stress to your day. Pretend you're on holiday, and pack something else instead.

DO add colour, if you like colour. I've noticed recently that my floordrobe is a sea of black. I can't find anything, because it's all black. But I like wearing colour. I'm not sure when the shift happened, but I'll be injecting some colour into my conference style.

DO buy new underwear. I know, I know, it sounds odd. But hear me out. Do you remember how good it felt getting dressed up for a date? New underwear, sometimes new clothes, and you got a spring in your step because you felt good, even though no one else could see it. New underwear for ProBlogger will have the same effect. You can thank me later.

What's your number one tip for packing?

Click to download my free packing printable.
all images from birdsnest.com.au

I'm not a fashion blogger by any stretch of the imagination. My idea of dressing up these days is a new tshirt and let's not discuss how much angst was caused by the dress I wore to my sister's wedding!

So it was pretty random when I decided to by a maxi skirt before we headed away. I wore it (instead of scrunching it in a ball in the bottom of my bag), and I think I'm converted! I absolutely loved the feel of it! (And it's long enough that I didn't have to shave before wearing!)

But once we were home, I realised I didn't know what to wear with it. So I headed to Birds Nest for some inspiration.