Dressing for the Message: How I Choose Outfits for Different Speaking Contexts

Your outfit is making a statement before you even open your mouth.

I learned this the hard way early in my career when I showed up in Brussels for an internship wearing what I thought was “approachable professional”: an ill-fitting pale grey suit with a pink blouse underneath. Basically something that didn’t fit and in colours that did not work for me. Nothing about the attire was “me”. I was trying to wear the “professional person” costume that I have referred to in previous posts. I felt beyond uncomfortable, kept fidgeting and was so preoccupied with my discomfort that I bombed during the interview.

My outfit had undermined my confidence and authority before I’d said a word.

That was the last time I left my appearance to chance.

The Full Suit: Commanding Immediate Respect

When I’m presenting to executives or speaking at high-stakes regulatory panels, I reach for a full suit in the same colour. Not black, that often photographs poorly, is a bad colour for me and blends into the background. I prefer structured pieces in cream, teal, chocolate brown, mink or occasionally a variation of red: burgundy for 2025 for sure.

The psychology is straightforward: a well-tailored suit signals that you take the situation seriously and expect to be taken seriously in return. It creates visual authority that gives your expertise room to breathe. When you walk into a formal setting in a suit that fits you well, it gives an instant authority signal.

The key is fit. An expensive suit that doesn’t fit properly undermines everything you’re trying to communicate. A well-tailored suit from Zara will outperform a designer piece that pulls in the wrong places. I am not endorsing fast fashion here. However, I live in the real world and most of us cannot afford to fork out thousands of euros on a Loro Piana moment. 

The Strategic Casual: Blazer and Jeans

For technical audiences and tech conferences, I deliberately dial down the formality. I’m happy wearing jeans, a structured blazer, and quality shoes. Sometimes I’ll add a belt around the blazer for visual interest. Often these days are busy too so the jeans are practical when you have to dash from your conference onto a plane.

A more casual choice bridges the gap between executive presence and technical credibility. When I’m explaining how to operationalise a legal requirement, I need the audience to see me as someone who’s actually built these systems, not just studied them.

The blazer maintains authority and a level of formality, while the jeans signal accessibility. 

The Conference Power Play: Standing Out Strategically

At industry conferences where I’m competing with dozens of other speakers for attention, my outfit strategy shifts completely. This is where bold colours earn their keep. That bright yellow suit is not just the colour of summer 2025, it can also make sure your post conference photography assets really have you pop!

Think about every conference photo you’ve ever seen. Everyone blends together in navy and black. Be the bright spot that catches the eye. When people are scrolling through LinkedIn three months later, you want them to stop at “oh, that was the one who talked about (insert your area of expertise here)”.

The Psychology Behind Every Choice

Here’s what most people miss: your outfit isn’t just about looking professional. It’s about removing barriers between your expertise and your audience’s ability to receive it.

A suit does some of the work answering the question: “does she know what she’s talking about?” so you can get straight to demonstrating that you do. Jeans and a blazer remove the “is she too corporate to understand our operational challenges?” barrier. Bold colours remove the “which speaker was that again?” problem.

Your clothes should never be the most interesting thing about your presentation, but they should never undermine it either. They’re the frame, not the painting.

The Practical Framework

Before any speaking engagement, I ask myself three questions:

What’s my relationship to this audience? Am I the expert they’ve hired, the peer they’re learning with, or the authority figure they need to trust?

What’s the setting? A boardroom calls for different choices than a developer conference or an academic symposium.

What barriers might exist? Age, gender, industry outsider status, what preconceptions might my audience have, and how can my appearance help overcome them rather than reinforce them?

Your expertise is what gets you invited to speak. Your outfit does play a role in whether people are ready to listen when you start talking. I am not saying I like this reality or that I think it is fair, but it is a real one, especially for women.

The Investment Reality

I won’t pretend this approach is fully budget-neutral. Quality pieces that photograph well and maintain their shape through travel cost money. But think of it as professional equipment, like investing in a good laptop or camera for virtual presentations.

You don’t need a massive wardrobe. Three well-fitting blazers in strategic colours, two pairs of perfectly tailored trousers, quality shoes that work with multiple outfits. Build a capsule that works across contexts rather than buying trendy pieces you’ll wear once.

The goal isn’t to have the most expensive outfit in the room. It’s to have the most strategically chosen one that makes you feel and look your best.