You’ve written your senior paper, you’ve planned and executed your entire senior project, and now you have to face your senior boards’ judges in order to deliver your final speech. You’ve written your outline, practiced so many times that your mother can now recite your research in its entirety, and you feel confident in your intended delivery and the content of your speech. The only thing left to do is to decide what it is you are going to wear.

Here are some fool-proof ideas on how to spice up your senior boards’ outfit without overdoing it, without under-dressing, and more importantly, without feeling a little too risque.

What To Wear:

Beauty Look- When prepping for a professional event or speech, you want to look refreshed and well-rested. Brush on a light pink blush to your cheeks in order to give yourself a more cheerful look. Avoid caking on a bunch of make-up, and instead just cover blemishes. Add a touch of lipstick or lip gloss to finish off your look, and try wearing your hair down in soft, bouncy curls to look ‘completed’ but not ‘overdone’. Do not wear dark eye make-up. Smoky eyes and thick eyeliner are more of a ‘nighttime’ look.

Appropriate Attire– To help you decide what is appropriate formal attire and what is not, here is a rule that  is usually always right. “If you have to second guess whether or not what you are wearing is appropriate, it’s not.” Picking out what to wear for a big speech can be rough, but some items that you can never truly go wrong with are fitted blazers, black pointy-toe pumps, or a knee-length pencil skirt. All of these are simple items that can be made more light and fun by adding a mix of colors and prints. Never, ever, ever, ever wear a very short skirt, and better yet, avoid wearing anything that appears to be ‘worn-looking’.

Accessories- While jewelry can definitely add to an outfit, often times if too much is worn it can be a distraction. Avoid piling on multiple pieces and instead pick one bold item to be the center of attention. A statement necklace is a recommendation of a center piece because it adds to your outfit yet still allows it to contain a ‘clean’ and ‘simple’ factor. Keep in mind, you can never go wrong with a pair of diamond stud earrings as long as they aren’t too big and gawdy.

Hemlines and Length– A knee-high hem is a good length that will never go out of style. This allows you to be professionally covered without having to wear slacks or even an ankle length skirt. If you ever doubt your outfit’s length, use the founder of Shetakesontheworld.com, Natalie Macneil’s, “Rule of Thumb”.  Put your thumbs up and keep them up while you drop your arms to your sides. This is the absolute shortest you should ever go. Another thing to keep in mind is that with generally any semi-formal speech, shorts are not okay. Go for a skirt or even a nice fitting pair of slacks, and save your shorts for a day out with friends instead.

While deciding what to wear may be difficult, your speech will benefit from your proper planning. It’s proven that those who feel comfortable in what they’re wearing in front of an audience will be more inclined to deliver a more organized and convincing speech.