What do I wear when lobbying?

April 27, 2009 7:16 AM

What do I wear when meeting my state legislators? Is it the same as what I should wear to meet members of Congress?

I'll be doing some lobbying in my state legislature (Wisconsin) soon. In late July, I'm also planning on lobbying members of Congress. Temperature concerns aside, since we'll be indoors, can I wear the same thing for both these events?

Also, what should I wear? I am a 23-year-old female with short hair. I am usually a ripped-jeans-and-hiking-shirt kind of girl, and am feeling way out of my depth. Do I need to wear a business suit? Are pants acceptable, or do I need a skirt? What kind of shoes should I wear? Should I get someone to put some makeup on me? I have seen that dress code post, but it doesn't mention meeting lawmakers, and is kind of skimpy on the details for us ladies.

Thanks a lot for any advice you can give.

posted by yomimono to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 comments total)

Where are you meeting them? At the State Capitol or in a different setting?
posted by j1950 at 7:35 AM on April 27

My boss does some lobbying in Wisconsin, and when she goes, she wears a suit with pants and dress shoes. She wears heels, but she always does, and I think flat dress shoes are probably fine.
posted by mjcon at 7:36 AM on April 27

I've gone to the state legislature quite a bit to advocate for certain bills, and I have friends who are professional lobbyists. Without exception, the professional lobbyists, men and women both, wear business suits. The majority of women I've noticed do wear skirt suits, but there are pants suits in the mix as well.

Regular people have a greater range of dress, I've noticed, but there is still a definite "dress up" vibe, and it's definitely on the conservative side. When I've gone, I've worn things like tweed pants and a nice blouse with dress shoes, a skirt with a shell and jacket, or a business-appropriate dress.
posted by Stewriffic at 7:39 AM on April 27

Ask your boss/supervisor (from the group you're lobbying for if that's different than work). Wear what he or she says.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:50 AM on April 27

Where are you meeting them? At the State Capitol or in a different setting?

At the State Capitol.

Ask your boss/supervisor (from the group you're lobbying for if that's different than work). Wear what he or she says.

I had actually sent an e-mail off, but didn't expect to get a reply by tomorrow. Surprisingly, one arrived a few minutes ago. Here's what I got: For Tuesday, you should make en effort to dress professionally for meetings with your Legislators. Business suits are entirely appropriate, and spandex should be avoided at all costs! (We're cyclists lobbying for bicycle-related stuff, hence the spandex mention.)

So it sounds like I'll be shopping for a skirt suit tonight.
posted by yomimono at 8:00 AM on April 27

I've done a lot of lobbying on both state and federal levels and from what I've noticed is people tend to dress based on their cause. If you're going to ask for funding for your university don't go in a brand-spanking-new expensive-looking suit. I ran into a group once who was lobbying for better enforcement of boating/water sport safety laws and they all wore life jackets over hunting clothes.

At the most successful meeting I ever had I was wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a tshirt.
posted by geekchic at 8:13 AM on April 27

I worked as a legislative aide for a state legislator. Non-lobbyists types wore what I consider to be business casual attire when meeting my boss. It did also depend on who they were representing. The teachers showed up nicely dressed but certainly not in skirts and pantyhose (it was in Florida. You'd be sick to wear pantyhose there.) The ACORN folks were almost always in jeans and a button-down shirt. I think a nice pair of slacks and a dressy top would be fine.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 9:50 AM on April 27

Business suit. Pants vs. skirt shouldn't matter. Closed toe shoes.
posted by decathecting at 1:28 PM on April 27

This is likely not a large problem for you, but muttonchops & hair down to the shoulders are definitely frowned upon. I was almost laughed out of Congressman Conyers' office at the Capitol Building back in '04 for sporting that look.
posted by The White Hat at 6:34 PM on June 4 [1 favorite]