Dress Code: What I Wore {Business Travel Clothes for 50+}

Today I’m sharing a really different post with you. I love fashion and accessories but I rarely post pictures of myself or share things that I wear. I recently was away for a week-long business trip for my day job as a senior marketing manager and documented my outfits. I work remotely from my home office and was traveling to the corporate office for the first time. I planned (shopped) for this trip for a long time because it was a packed schedule with meetings, dinners and more meetings.

As you can see from my post title, I’m in the 50+ age group (eeeep how did that happen?) so I don’t want to dress too young but I also don’t want to dress matronly. So here are the outfits I wore and a few tips that I learned for my next trip in a few months.

Day One: On day one, I’d be meeting the EVP and the President of the company for the first time so I definitely wanted to wear a jacket. There was also a meeting that included our PR Agency (photo of the beautiful conference room behind the glass door) and a photo shoot so I wanted something a little fashion-forward. The jacket is a black woven print although it looks greyish in the photo I took in the badly lit hotel bathroom. I also had dinner after work with friends so the jacket came off and we sat outside and enjoyed the nice warm weather.

Tip: The weather was warmer than expected and this jacket was a tad too heavy for the weather. Next time, I’ll have a back up plan for a change in weather.

Day Two: On day two, I could be a little more casual. There were a few meetings but not as high profile – there was also the second day of the photo shoot and regular work. This was my favorite outfit and I love the DKNY ombre top. These Bandolino shoes also ended up being the most comfortable pair that I brought.

Day Three: On day three, I needed to wear something that would go from office to a manager’s dinner. All the company managers would be traveling in and I’d be meeting over 40 of them for the first time in person. It was between this dress and a cream crochet dress that I wanted to pair with a silver chain belt. This dress was more business-like so I went with this one but I regret not wearing the more fashionable cream dress. Oh well, I’ll save it for another occasion.

Tip: I wore spanx with this black and white dress and that was a huge mistake. Spanx all day in the office and through dinner was miserable. I won’t make that mistake again.

Day Four: Day Four was the big manager’s meeting offsite in a hotel conference room. I had originally bought a new black Tahari Suit for the meeting. It’s gorgeous and the jacket has pretty brushed gold buckle but at the last minute I decided it was too severe looking. I paired the suit pants with this flecked jacket which was way more comfortable with a loser fit and 3/4 sleeves. Under the jacket I wore a simple cream crepe top that has a fun black zipper in the back. I added natural stone bracelets and and a pearl and crystal necklace to pick up the green flecks in the jacket.

Tip: This outfit was so-so. It would have looked better with cream pants or I should have chosen a different jacket altogether. But it’s hard to strike a balance between comfort for an 8-hour meeting and style.

Day Five: On day five, I’d be spending the morning in the office and then heading to the airport at lunchtime to travel home. This outfit was the perfect casual Friday travel outfit. The NYDJ stretch trousers are super comfortable and you can’t go wrong with a lightweight long cardigan for the plane.