Style Scenario: Dressing For A Casual Convention

What are you going to wear? Sometimes there’s an easy answer. Sometimes not. Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. This one was submitted by our “style newbie”, Christian, who started his writing career in the gaming industry. With access to events like the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Comic Con, Tokyo Game Show, and more, he picked up how to look good, but still blend in at these things. His outfit balances casual + comfort, and is intended for those days on the job when you’re waiting in line, standing, and searching for a place to sit (any place to sit) among the hordes.

The Sweater: Jcrew Factory Striped Crew Neck – $40ish (when on sale). At these trade shows the air conditioner will be blasting non-stop to accommodate the three to five thousand people that are going to be walking in and out of the conference halls. A sweater is generally the best option since it won’t be too heavy and hot, even when layered with a shirt, and you won’t be walking around wishing you had something to keep that chill off. Yes, there are thousands of people, but the second you stop moving (anytime you decide to wait in line) you will notice immediately how cold it is. This navy striped sweater has a great casual look that can be dressed up a bit with a nice blazer and a solid pair of denim.

The Pants: Dockers Alpha Cords – $54.00 ($68). Slim, so be careful if you’ve got thicker legs. Soft to the touch, and won’t chafe when sitting with your legs crossed. It’s one of the best pairs of pants you can decide to bring to a convention.

The Shirt: Topman Navy OCBD – $50.00. – Honestly, wearing any button up shirt will have you stand out. There’s a lot of tees and costumes. So why not go with a collared shirt in a saturated navy? This option from Topman is 100% cotton, ships and also returns free. You can splurge and get something from TaylorStitch or, maybe find something cheaper than the Topman on sale at GAP.

The Shoes: Cole Haan Lunargrand – $248.00 / Skechers Embolden – $69.00. Walking, standing for multiple hours, jogging down stairs, hopping over the person lying on the ground cosplaying as Jaba the Hut–all strong possibilities that can occur. Get some ridiculously comfortable shoes to handle all this. You can go for the Cole Haan brand Lunargrands OR the alternative Skechers x Mark Nason collab that are about a fourth of the price and are still holding up quite nicely for me.

The Watch: Timex Weekender – $35-$45ish. – Really any watch of any make or model. Doesn’t have to be the Timex. Something durable is always better, but the watch is really more so for the sake of your phone battery. Constantly pulling it out to see what time it is will destroy any life in your phone before your first two hour wait in line is over. Keep that thing put away so you can take pictures, and get an affordable watch. Timex is always great and easy to work with. Go with a Weekender and get some new watch bands for customization. It’s an incredibly solid watch brand that you trust and they’re constantly showing up on Groupon and Woot for dirt cheap.

The Bag: Everlane Canvas & Leather Backpack – $65.00. “HOLD ON CHRISTIAN! I thought you loved totes?” I sure do, but a backpack really works here. Everlane has been on my radar for a little bit now and this reverse denim backpack is going to be an upcoming purchase for me and soon. Great color, stylish, and has plenty of space to hold all of the XXL shirts that they’ll be throwing at you during the convention.

The Suggestion: Bring & use hand sanitizer. Thousands of hands touching the same object you’re about to….just bring some.