The Ultimate Women’s Guide to ISTE11 Fashion

Photo By: Rhino Neal

There is no official dress code for ISTE. But I’ve heard that it’s a fairly casual event. I want to look fashionable and professional, but not over do it. What can you recommend?

Katie, you’re so right in wanting to maintain both fashion and professionalism in your look for ISTE!  Summer is a great season for tying the two together. And, thanks to great weather and fun colours, ISTE couldn’t come at a better time for teachers looking to try a few new things with fashion!  Keeping the three B’s in mind when choosing pieces is always essential when trying to preserve a chic yet professional outfit. However, the fact that it’s summer and that we’re attending a casual conference allows for us to ditch the uncomfortable office attire in favour of some fun tops, pretty dresses, and cute shorts – all while keeping our looks classy.

Brightly-coloured, airy dress tops (printed OR solid!) are nothing short of fabulous when paired with a light pair of trousers, skinny jeans, skirts (1, 2), and Bermuda shorts. Opt for tops with some unique and summery details, such as a ruffle, lace, some fab embroidery, or pretty floral prints as a start.  While one style of top suits you better than others, a bonus of fashion this season is that these details are common in all styles of tops, leaving the coverage that you prefer entirely up to you!

Summer is also a great time for us to pull out the cute dresses, giving us an excuse to dust off those espadrilles and peep-toe heels! Banana Republic, Target, and Gap currently have some fantastic offerings right now at budget-friendly prices (I’m talking teacher budget-friendly!) in terms of beautiful summer dresses. I think my favourite dress for summer out of these three shops would be the Raw Ribbons Halter Dress by Banana Republic; the colour packs a sweet punch, and the neckline and dress length are more than suitable for a professional conference.  A few of Target’s hits this season include the Xhiliration Pintuck dress, the Merona Marta Knit dress, and Mossimo’s Sateen dress in beige.  From the Gap, some great ones to check out would definitely be the Drop-Waist Shift, the Strapless Print Maxi, and the Asymmetrical Cascade dresses.

Chances are you’ll want to pack light (OK, we all want to, but…), so be sure to load up on accessories if you’re hoping to spice up an outfit or top that you’ll likely wear more than once. I highly recommend scoping out ModCloth (an online shop); these guys have the most unique accessories and a ridiculously large selection, with most pieces being under $30.

Can you give a few pointers as to how to turn the convention day look into a night look?

Again, it’s all about the accessories when it comes to re-inventing your look.  Downsizing your over-sized day bag to a cute clutch is a nice start in accessorizing your outfit, along with a metallic or glittery cuff to glam it up a notch.  I personally prefer to pack a few choice tops that are more suitable for a night outing and are able to rock my skinny jeans as well. While coloured tops are in season (1, 2), the nightlife also welcomes the return of some darker options, too!

The weather for Philly is suppose to be hot and sticky. But according to Event Services at the Philadelphia Convention center, the temperature indoors will range between 64-66 degrees Fahrenheit (17.7-18.8C). What are cover-up options for ladies?

Brrr! My biggest beef is the over-usage of AC in the summer when we so long for the heat in winter months, but I suppose it’s better to be safe than sorry!  Shrugs, classic cardigans, cropped military trenches, and light blazers are all suitable if you’re keeping fashion at the forefront for ISTE.

However, given the fact that it’s summer and your day bag is probably larger than a clutch, I’d go for the shrug or light cardi; once you’ve left the venue, either of these options are easy to toss into or hang over your bag.  This is up to you and likely depends on the convenience of your hotel location to the conference centre (can you afford the hassle of a bulky coat?).

I don’t typically recommend a wildly patterned cardigan as a “just in case” accessory, either.  Instead, I’ll often stick to solid-coloured cover-ups that generally go with most of the outfits I plan to wear. See examples here and here.

Another recommendation for the conference is to wear comfortable shoes. When I think of comfortable shoes my mind goes to the white Reeboks the school nurse use to wear. What’s in fashion in the comfortable shoe department these days?

Oh, Katie – please don’t wear the nursing shoes!  And if you do, please send pictures…

All joking aside, I truly hate to see fashionistas compromising comfort for fashion – squeezing into a strappy heel, ending up with nasty blisters or sore feet…and having to wear those heinous Crocs anyway!  Yuck.

That being said, great shoes are something that you shouldn’t be afraid to spend some extra dough on.  If you prefer to wear flats, opt for a peep-toe ballet flat or a strappy, comfortable  sandal with some sort of unique embellishment (examples: 1, 2, 3) to set them apart from your casual flip-flops. Ballet flats work best with a skinny jean/trouser; if you prefer skirts or shorts, that would be a great time to rock a sandal instead.

If you’re comfortable adding a bit of height to your soles, a wedge heel or espadrille sandal is optimal for maintaining comfort and style. There are SO MANY great options for wedges right now, making shopping for a wedge extremely fun this season (examples: here, here, here, and here).  Either of these are great as they both add additional support that a traditional stiletto heel typically wouldn’t offer, making them a fabulous and practical choice for trekking to and from conference rooms, schmoozing with fellow educators, and beetling around the city.

I’m hoping that these tips act as a bit of inspiration for those of you hoping to spice up your travel duds for ISTE 2011! If you’re looking for a piece that I’ve listed in my linked examples, I’m quite certain that most (if not all) of the shops offering these great finds also provide online shopping options for those of us in the boonies.

Amy C., is an Artist, teacher, and “fash-u-cation: blogger, from Saskatchewan, Canada. She can be found on twitter as @Teacher_Chic. She blogs at TeacherChic