| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Media Issues > Topic: Appropriate attire for press event? |
Topic: Appropriate attire for press event?
| Author | Message |
| MsWebWriter | Posted – 9/19/2007 12:28:10 PM | show profile I have a Google press event to go to (YAY! Great lunch!) tomorrow and was hoping for some feedback on proper attire. I've seen some people come to press briefings in suits, some in jeans and sneakers and others somewhere in between. My newsroom is *insanely* casual -- to the point where flip-flops and tank tops are the norm for summer -- but do I need to polish up a bit for the press day? Pantsuit and sandals? Slacks and a cardigan? Can I wear a wool/lycra wrap dress? |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 9/19/2007 1:58:54 PM | show profile I'm sorry ... ...but how old ARE you people? I can't believe these questions are being raised on a PROFESSIONAL message board. You're not in college anymore. You're now a grown-up, expected to LOOK and ACT like a grown-up, particularly in a PROFESSIONAL setting such as a press event. To avoid your employer from facing the embarrassment of explaining what you should already know, here it goes: For GUYS, professional attire is a suit and tie with properly shined dress shoes (black sneakers or anything with rubber soles does NOT count as "dress shoes"). Socks are an absolute must. Slacks and a blazer are passable in many cases, but when in doubt stick with the suit. LADIES, a slacks suit or skirt suit with a blouse (NOTHING sleeveless) or a dress with a blazer. Properly shined shoes (pumps with at least a 1" heel). Sandals ... even strappy sandals with heels ... are inappropriate in any professional setting. And for God's sake, wear hose. Bare legs, despite what Katie Couric says or does, are also inappropriate in a business setting. |
| _tundrah_ | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:03:13 PM | show profile Appropriate attire for press event? HOSE??? Are you kidding me? unless you're 60+ and/or live in the fly-over zone, no one wears hose. you can be perfectly professional and classy in a conservative suit/dress and pumps, WITHOUT HOSE. only a man would even think to say that. yuck. |
| MsWebWriter | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:10:08 PM | show profile Mean-spirited for no reason Manhattan Matt: If you have nothing but venom why spit it out? I've read some of your other posts, and you actually seem like a relatively intelligent human being with *valuable* knowledge to give -- but you always are ready to dump on someone and be really nasty. Maybe you've had to step on people to get where you are, maybe no one gave you break in your life, maybe you are just self-righteous and you've never made a mistake -- and are the best editor in the universe. I for one, hope I never run into you -- because your negative energy probably just seeps into and corrodes everyone or everything that's positive around you. I have professional attire -- my current job just DOES NOT WARRANT IT. And I have seen other PROFESSIONALS (probably with many more years of experience than I have) who showed up to press events in casual gear (when I MYSELF WAS IN BUSINESS ATTIRE) and wanted some feedback on that. Maybe I wasn't clear. For your sake, I hope that you're not as angry and miserable as you seem. I can't imagine living life like that. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:24:46 PM | show profile You're all right. My "bad". Wear whatever the hell you want. What do I know? After all, I'm so obviously "bitter" and a relic from another age. But let's stop to consider something. Since I was in my mid-20s (I'm currently in my late 30s), I've never failed to pull down a six-figure salary. Most of the people on this board are whining about making "only" in the $60-80K range, at best. Maybe ... just MAYBE ... I'm doing something right ... and you're not? And it could be something as basic as your appearance. Consider: most of the people who are in a position to elevate you to professional success are not running around in jeans, halter tops, t-shirts, and sandals during business hours. As long as you don't LOOK like senior management (even if you don't want to BE senior management), senior management will likely never welcome you into their ranks, or take you seriously enough to promote you into any senior position. Is it really that painful for you to pull on a pair of pantyhose? Or do you love those bare legs and sandals SO much that you don't mind sending out the "I don't give a f*ck" message? Just a thought. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:24:57 PM | show profile I agree- hardly anyone wears panty hose anymore, and they are not "required" to look professional. For a press event for Google, considering their corporate culture, I would go business casual - a suit would not be necessary. But I don't think I would wear a wrap dress. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:28:11 PM | show profile ManhattanMatt, you are also in the TV business, which does have a different culture (not to mention salary structure, as far as your six-figure-salary comment goes) than print news and magazines. That much you *can* admit, no? |
| MsWebWriter | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:37:17 PM | show profile And there's the valuable wisdom ... Again -- I just wanted feedback since I've seen others who clearly had been in the business longer than I have (and probably make way more money than I do) dressed very casually at press events. But I don't doubt that there's an absolute connection between the way you dress and the way you're perceived (and consequently how much money you can make). Don't think it would have been so hard to illustrate that without all the nastiness, though. So yes ... 'your bad.' |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:38:15 PM | show profile I haven't been in the TV industry ... ...my entire career. When I moved to NYC (and for several years after) I was strictly in radio. But the broadcasting industry as a whole is just as cheap and stingy as print. Excepting the people on air (which in terms of the industry are about as rare as astronauts), six-figure salaries are generally reserved for only the most senior or experienced employees (15 years+). At my network we have quite a few associate producers who work temp jobs or department store jobs in their off-hours just to make ends meet. The fact that I work in television, for the purpose of this particular thread, is a red herring. |
| TVchick | Posted – 9/19/2007 2:50:36 PM | show profile Matt. No panty hose. Sorry. Seriously, it's a fashion crime. Cheers, my friend! |
| edgirl22 | Posted – 9/19/2007 3:11:30 PM | show profile On the topic of pantyhose... On the topic of pantyhose, I remember being told by a high-profile women's editor before an interview with InStyle that I should never be caught dead wearing hose, and it could, in fact, be a reason not to be hired there. Seriously. So leave the hose to the poor gals working outside of media in corporate environments with conservative dress codes. For us: bare legs or fabulous tights. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 9/19/2007 4:01:36 PM | show profile Edgirl ... I'd seriously re-think taking any appearance advice from someone inside the fashion industry. This is, after all, the same industry that's facing widespread criticism for forcing a generation of young women to either starve themselves or toss up every other meal in order to conform to that industry's twisted notion of "beauty". |
| rulebook | Posted – 9/19/2007 4:13:33 PM | show profile Matt, we're all impressed by your cash cow lifestyle. What else can I say but "wow". Secondly, it's fine to be out of touch, but to be so adamant about it! There's another wow! Look, I'm actually in your camp here. I'm appalled by the fact that no one in my industry (advertising) can really wear a suit with confidence anymore. We've gone way too far down the path of sloppiness in many respects. You don't see ties anymore, for goodness sakes. But dude, a suit at a press event? Maybe in your industry that's good style sense. At a Google lunch event? No way in hell is that a good idea. It's not even debatable. |
| Be | Posted – 9/19/2007 4:33:42 PM | show profile the pantyhose debate is the funniest thing I've read today |
| nygeek | Posted – 9/19/2007 5:45:50 PM | show profile Ha! Go naked.... Meh, wear what you want. You're press. You rule. |
| BurbGrrl | Posted – 9/19/2007 9:11:37 PM | show profile But, but ... I'm with most of y'all. Stockings just do not go with short sleeves or sleeveless in my book. But are hose allowable in the winter? There are some outfits that just don't lend themselves well to my much-loved tights. |
| df | Posted – 9/20/2007 11:42:06 AM | show profile my simple rule for females: dress for success, but not sexy. so anything revealing, tight, clingy, cleavage showing or requiring you to tuck and pull is out. Naked arms, backs, upper tights No No No. You want your interview partner to be able to concentrate on your questions, don' you? Panty hose No - unless you are going to a southern baptist conference. Also anything you are really uncomfortable in is out - because then you'll be thinking about your f%$#@ outfit instead of the genius question which will put you ahead career wise. Your dress for success really depends on the surroundings. obviously google will be a bit more casual - lol - and so should you be. Because the one thing I learned during my time as a reporter is that your target will be most likely to open up to someone like him/her. So google - again lol - the guys & girls from the company who's press conference you are attending and check out hat they are wearing in their corporate head hots. And dress like them. |
| prdiva | Posted – 9/20/2007 12:30:50 PM | show profile Wear whatever you want! PR people are glad to have media attending...I don't give a crap what outfit they put on for the day as long as they are a legit journalist. |
| questoo1 | Posted – 9/20/2007 12:54:55 PM | show profile more importantly, how was the food there? |
| detour_memphis | Posted – 9/20/2007 1:36:49 PM | show profile Wear No Underwear...Eat Alot...Enjoy!!! Just do not wear any underwear - eat a lot of food and enjoy your self!! Pantyhose are out, underwear - out, looking like you got a little bit of class - out!!! Take it all off!! |
| wordnerd15 | Posted – 9/20/2007 3:23:15 PM | show profile Someone once told me... that you should dress how you want to be perceived. At the same time, however, you can't please everybody. No matter what you wear, no matter how hard you try, someone will have a negative opinion! All you can do make sure YOU are happy and confident in what you wear. Finally, make sure to bring a blazer. You can always add layers when you get there! Good luck and have fun! |
| Yam | Posted – 9/21/2007 12:48:35 PM | show profile I think this is a really good question. When you're working in an industry where the most popular CEO right now is known for wearing Adidas sandals with socks regardless of the event, well, all bets are off. I'd avoid both jeans and suits. Nice pants and a nice top are probably just right. Wrap dresses would probably be okay, too, except for the fact that they tend to be a bit form-fitting and that's not necessarily the look you want to go for in an industry dominated by men. You might want to take a cue from Google's Marissa Mayer, who is often the public face of the company. Do an image search for her (using Google, of course) and you'll get some ideas. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 9/21/2007 1:46:34 PM | show profile I think we're all forgetting ... ...that WE are the professionals in this particular scenario. Just because Google's CEO dresses down, doesn't mean that WE can, or even should. How you dress is a direct reflection on how you do your job. I have a friend who's "financially independent" (doesn't have to WORK for a living), and much of his days are spent meeting with his financial advisors and serving on the boards of his family's foundations. HE appears at these meetings with Wall Street bankers often in shorts and a Polo shirt. Does this mean the bankers could, knowing they'll be meeting with my friend, dress down in the same fashion? Of course not. THEY are the professionals. THEY are managing my friend's money, and if they weren't buttoned-down, they wouldn't be sending the right image or message to my friend that they are doing their jobs PROFESSIONALLY. HINT: When YOU sell your own internet company for a gazillion dollars and organize your own media events, you can dress however you want. Until then, you're on the other side. Button that collar. |
| Yam | Posted – 9/21/2007 2:14:48 PM | show profile ManhattanMatt: Actually, I generally agree with your stance that dressing up is always better, but I do think there is a difference in the ways people do and should dress on the different coasts. There is especially a difference in the way people dress in Silicon Valley versus elsewhere. I work at one of the few Silicon Valley publications where the men are required to wear a tie. And when we're out reporting, sources constantly call them on it, asking why they're so dressed up--sometimes even mocking them for it. In some circumstances there's a risk in not recognizing your surroundings and adapting to them. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 9/21/2007 2:28:57 PM | show profile Yam ... ... let the sources mock. My friend pokes fun at his bankers for being so "buttoned down" at his meetings. And yet, he told me when a few of them started gradually dressing down (apparently to "adapt to their surroundings, as you suggest) ... he dropped them and went with another IB. Why? Because, he said, he didn't think they were taking him or his business seriously enough. At the time, I thought it was a bit hypocritical on his part, and I told him that. His response? "It's not hypocritical at all. I'M not a banker. THEY are. I expect them to look and act the part when they work for ME. That's the difference." |
