It can be hard to figure out what to wear to a convention. See what I wore– the perfect balance of nice and comfy!
Dear girls,
I went to a homeschool convention recently. With 5,000 attendees. In the middle of downtown. In a desert’s July.
AND a bunch of friends and I were exhibitors in the Young Entrepreneurs section of the convention hall. (follow this link to see us author ppl’s cool website of books)
For three. days. straight.
I am kinda particular about clothes. Comfy, not-sweaty, and practical always come first above cute or dressy! But I obviously couldn’t wear pjs to this thing… so I had to think a little harder beforehand.
Day 1: I chose clothes I didn’t have to think about and could do crazy stunts in.
Because we were exhibitors there was a lot of loading and unloading in the hot weather, jumping in and out of truck beds, and diving under tables for things during setup.
Tip– do your hair in a style that will stay out of the way and still look cute.
If you are road tripping to a convention or just getting into a hotel the night before, your first outfit probably needs to meet the same criteria as mine.
jeans// hand-me-downs from friend
white tunic// a few $ from thrift store
red tennies// $3 from Walmart
The first day of the convention is really relaxed, but since we were exhibitors we wanted to make sure we made good first impressions as put-together professionals. Since we had a nerdy writer/book booth I was freer to wear a fun (but still nice) outfit.
Day 2: I chose clothes for a quirky and relaxed first impression.
(Oh, and POCKETS!)
You’ll most likely be sitting through a lot of sessions so you want to wear something long enough that you don’t have to fidget all the time. Think about what facet of your personality you want people to see you as and dress that way! But yo, go with something you know is tried and true and YOU.
Tip– convention centers can tend to overdo on the AC so bring a jacket or sweatshirt.
denim skirt// $5 from thrift store
writer t-shirt// anonymous gift from friends
sweater// stolen from sister’s get-rid-of pile 😀
Day 3: I chose clothes that were more dressed up but still said ME.
Saturday is a bit more of a professional day for the exhibitors so we tried to dress up a little. I got home the night before completely wiped out and without a thought for what I would put on the next morning.
Tip– try taking a “capsule wardrobe” approach with your outfits by packing one bottom and just pairing it with different tops, shoes, and hairstyles.
Lucky you, you don’t really need to think about dressing up, so just go with something casual and comfy enough to explore the exhibit hall in.
brown dress// a few $ from thrift store
A Cautionary Word on Shoe-wear
The year before I made the mistake of thinking “this day I’ll wear my cute brown flip-flops because they go better with my outfit”. Ha HA! Bad move! I ended up going barefoot the whole rest of the weekend my feet were so sore and tired!
Tip– wear your most comfortable shoes the whole time.
This year, convention time arrived with me not having any good shoes so I went ahead and splurged on cute AND comfy shoes. My bro and I swung by Walmart, and I scored these adorable red tennies for $3!!! I wore them all the days. 😛
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope my tips and pictures give you some inspiration for next time you go to a convention!
Tell me, what is your go-to outfit for long events?
Yo, did you enjoy this? Pin it!
ooh! We pretty much have the same fashion likes (except for me I have no clue about fashion so I usually wear the same thing XD) The tennis shoes look neat!
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Aw how cool, Jo! *fist bump* (lol lol that’s usually me… same black tshirt and denim skirt always heehee XD My sisters and mom are good at getting me to try ‘new’ colors tho. 😛 ) Yep, the tennies were amAZing! Best $3 shoes EVER!!
Thanks for commenting, girl!! ❤ ~Anna
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XD I always wear blue. 😛
*rakes up 3 dollars and heads to Walmart*
You’re so welcome! These posts are awesome!
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How cool! Pearl adores blue too. 😉
HAHA right??!! I want to go back and buy up all the different colors of tennies!! *heart eyes*
Aw! So happy you enjoy these. 😀
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*grins* Awwwwll the tennies! XD
And yep! Next one’s gonna be great, for sure!
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Your comments make me happy. 🙂
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❤ 😀
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BLUE! ❤ YES go get yourself tennies, girl!! 😀
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I loved this! Your blog is so fun!!! 😊👍 It is so hard to find comfortable, nice outfits! Thanks for this post and ideas! ❤️
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Yay!! 😀
Ikr?! but it just takes some creativity, headaches, and maybe a little exploring a sister/mom’s closet. (jk mostly) 😉
So glad you enjoyed! ❤ ~A
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Your outfits were SOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!! I loved them so much!!!! ❤
Btw, you are super cute! ❤
And thank you for the outfit inspo. I love these!!!! 😀😀😀❤❤❤
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Awww!! Thanks, Penny! ❤ You're so sweet! *hides*
Yeah, totally welcome! Personally I love just soaking up fun inspo like all year round just for fun so it was fun to make this. XD Happy you likey!! ~Anna
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Yay!! We shall have to do more of this kind!! 😀 😀
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I would’ve gone in pjs 😛
Super cute outfits! Especially love the writers t-shirt 😉
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LOL totally. 😛
Thanks, Liberty!
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Great post! I just wished I was more into my wardrobe. I’m more like, “What’s on top of my pile of clothes? I’ll go with that.” I wish I was short. More things would fit, then. 😦
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Thanks, Amie!
haha That is sooo me!! XD Wait, you have a “pile of clothes” too??!! Because… ya know… it’s so much easier to wade through a mountain of clothes every day instead of just hang them up… *cheesy grin*
Aw girl, you have NO idea how hard it is to find things to fit me too… and I’m only 5’2″. #fashionisapain You can do it!!!
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Haha, thanks! It is SO much easier. Or just leave a pile of “to iron” clothes, that only get ironed with it’s a necessity. XD
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Lol Right??!!
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hey nice! I’ve been to a homeschool convention and BOIII it’s so fun right?
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Hi Tess! Ooh yes, it was a total blast!! What was your favorite part about your homeschool convention?
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Hmmmmm….I worked a Teen Staff program at mine, so I’d have to say my favorite part was doing hospitality (trying to give away as many little 4 oz cups of water as you could XD).
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Aw that’s super cool!! The Teen Staff at our convention was the BEST and such fun people!! I bet it’s fun (and exhausting!) to be part of it! So fun!
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Fun, exhausting, and absolutely no food. I ate an entire pizza that day because I was starving. XD
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Aw I getcha! Yikes an entiiire pizza sounds a little gross but a very good reward after so much hard work!! Lol 👏👏👍😂
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It was worth it. XD
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Fun post, girl, and your style is A+! 🙂
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Wow! Thanks so much, Angela dear! 😀
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I really like these outfits =) My go-to outfit is normally a long maxi skirt (gray or black, ’cause I don’t have to think about matching :D) and a 3/4 sleeved top in a solid colour, with a blue jean jacket if I get chilled. And I ALWAYS wear cowgirl boots — which go with everything and are SUPER comfy =)
I totally get the whole capsule wardrobe thing — my grandfather has spent plenty of time in the hospital these last three years, and my grandmother can’t drive, so I play chauffeur…and I normally stay at their house when that happens. I figured out pretty quick that packing a bag of clothes at 1 or 2 in the morning after a full day in the ER or ICU, without waking up five sisters in the room we share is pretty impossible — and who likes grouchy sisters? So I figured that if I had several solid coloured skirts and several tops that I already know co-ordinate with everything else I own, then I can just grab one or two skirts and three or four shirts and be set.
Another tip I’ve discovered: If everything you pack is something that can be folded without looking wrinkled or needing an iron before you wear it, you are saving tons of time (and energy — which can be in short supply at the end of a trip or hospital stay!)
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Thanks tons, Kaitlyn!! Oh nice, your go-to outfit sounds super easy and comfortable! And YAY for cowgirl boots!! So cute! ❤
Yikes that does sound tough… hope your grandfather's health improves! That's smart to always be ready with an emergency kit that all goes together! Wow, and yes, no ironing for the win!!!
Thanks for commenting! ~A
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You are so pretty n you look so good in all the outfits you wore to the convention.
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Aw! Thanks so much!
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You outfits were sooo cute!!! 😀 My favorites were… maybe the first and last one. The dress was adorable! ❤ Gotta love the red shoes! And for some reason, I think you look like Kelby Cano in the second picture of the second outfit… xD 😀 Love and miss you Anna! ❤
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AW thanks, Rosy!! I super love my writer tshirt in the second outfit, but have to admit the dress was probably my fave outfit of the three!
Really?! Haha That’s fun! XD
You too, Rosy! ❤
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Oh my goodness!!! I just realized your related to Paul Willis (I read Crossroads! And was on YDubs when he was.) And Kate Willis (I follow her blog!) FREAKING OUT!!! How did I not know this?! ❤️❤️❤️
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lol Yep! Kate, Paul, and I are the middle siblings in the Willis fam. 😉 We’re also related to Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick if you’ve heard of her? She’s our oldest sister. 😀
It’s always so much fun when people, who know just one of us, make the connection!! 😂😂 Thanks for this fun comment, Erica!
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Your sisters name sounds familiar but I don’t know. Haha
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Aww! Can I just quick say that I absolutely LOVE the idea of having you and your sister have a blog together??!! My sister and I tried it, and….promptly failed. XD So yay!! Love your blog already!! ❤
And smart ideas for what to wear! And yess I 100% agree with the capsule wardrobe idea. XD It makes things 1000% easier. Once I went on a trip to Kentucky to visit the Ark Encounter and then we took like a six hour-something drive down to Washington D.C., AND I was sick the day before we left, so packing clothes was a little bit of a challenge. XD So yeah I found packing a few different bottoms and tops to sort of mix and match around really helped, instead of bringing a new thing for each day. XD Also yess if you can pack things that don't need ironing (or even pack things in a way such that they don't wrinkle that much), it makes things a LOT easier.
Anyways, great post! 🙂
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Hi there! Thanks so much! It started out a tiny bit bumpy but absolutely SO much fun doing a blog together!! What was you and your sister’s blog about? If y’all ever start it up again TELL ME and I’ll totally follow it!
Ooh that sounds rough!! Really smart packing though! Last month I went on a big road trip as a nanny to my four little nephews, and I literally just threw two pairs of jeans, a handful of tshirts, and 1 nice dress (we were attending a wedding) into my backpack and it was so nice and easy!! lol
So happy you found our blog, and can’t wait to chat with you more in the comments sections!
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Haha yeah I’ll bet XD It was about writing and art, because we both liked doing computer art and photoshop type of stuff 😛 It….did not last long XD Haha aww thanks!
Ah nice! Yeah that’s a great hack (four nephews, yikes that must have been a big job XD).
Yesss! Can’t wait to read more of your posts!
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