What I Wore to Alt Summit

Alt Summit is known for its fashion, and everyone stresses over what to wear each day.  The evening parties require outfit changes, and there’s definitely that feeling of going to see and be seen.  Clothing is outside the realm of the everyday, and you see color and pattern combinations at the conference that would garner lots of stares in real life.

Here’s what I wore to Alt.  As you already know, I was extremely nervous, so couple that with my absolute hatred for having my picture taken, and you get some really awkward photographs.  I normally take my own fashion pictures (with a tripod in an empty house), but we were on vacation and in a hurry, so I “allowed” Ryan to take my picture each day, in the minimal light of our hotel room.  Don’t judge too harshly.

(My outfit for Thursday morning.)

This was my outfit for Thursday morning, and I felt really comfortable in it.  I tried to combine the things I normally wear in Texas with a few cold-weather additions.  The skirt, sweater, and shoes are over five years old and still going strong, so I added a new top from Anthropologie, a belt for a more put-together look (I abhor belts in real life!), and then I Alt-ified my legs with inky blue tights.  Every single time I looked at my feet that day (which was a lot in all the ice!), I was horrified by the combination of the tights and the pink shoes.  But at Alt, this was pretty conservative, so I fit right in.  I met The Glamorous Housewife that morning, and she approved, so I think I pulled it off!

(Staying warm in my new coat.)

Before heading into the ice, I added my new coat from Anthropologie and bundled up.  The coat was more than adequate, kept me nice and toasty, and I’m quite certain that it will last until I’m an old woman, since it never gets cold enough to wear it here.  Still, it was perfect for Utah, and I love the plaid pattern combined with the more artistic collar.

(My dress for the Clue Party.)

This year’s Alt dinner party theme was Clue, but we were supposed to dress as the colors, rather than the characters.  I loosely interpreted Mrs. Peacock, and went with a navy lace dress from Karen Kane, navy tights, and navy shoes.  I added a band of peacock feathers to my hair, which were beautiful, but hard to see in the dark.  Plus, everyone else there looked much more dramatic with full-on spectator hats and Mardi Gras-style masks, so I felt like a bit of a wallflower.  My dress had a nude lining, and I really preferred a similar dress with a darker lining, but it is consistently sold out, for obvious reasons.  I think the dress looked better in my head, but here it is for history’s sake.  In my mind, it was very Kate Middleton, but in reality, it’s very Mommy Blogger.  Also, you can’t tell from this picture, but my shoes were kind of fierce, if I do say so myself.  I really want to wear them again!

(My lovely peacock headband.)

I found this gorgeous headband by EMarie Designs on Etsy, and I was able to order it before the artist went on vacation for the holidays.  To me, it’s quite fancy, but not really fancy enough for Alt, so now I’m going to wear it just for fun!

(My outfit for Friday.)

On Friday, I went with a bohemian, Stevie Nicks-style outfit, with a romantic skirt as a nod to my typical Texas style.  I wore a sequin top from Ruche with a black cardigan for warmth, and layered a black broomstick skirt under the pink skirt, for warmth and volume.  Again, this probably looked better in my head, but it’s Alt, so anything goes.  I also wore my new pieces from Stella & Dot, which you can see up close here.  After the morning session, we were scheduled to tour a local brewery (more on that later), so I asked Ryan to drive me back to the hotel to change first.  It turns out that wearing two skirts, tights, sequins, and a sweater is really HOT, even in the snow, and I was ready to put on jeans and comfortable flats, which I wore for the rest of the trip.

Thursday’s outfit was my most favorite, and most ME, and if I return to the conference next year, I think I’ll stick with clothes that make me feel comfortable.  Consider this a lesson learned at Alt.

(You can see all of the pictures from this year’s Alt Summit here, including the back of my head.)