3Last weekend, I had a work retreat thing which meant a short trip to the mountains and a very loosely-goosey dress code. Just exactly what does one wear when “hanging out” with work colleagues in the middle of nowhere? Thankfully, no camping was involved, and I further simplified my dilemma by carefully avoiding the outdoors as much as possible. (Which was, in retrospect, a rather prescient move on my part, since a couple of my colleagues had a closer-than-recommended encounter with a bear on a hike near our resort. Luckily, it was not a Leo-going-for-the-Oscar type of situation, but scary nonetheless.) In the end, I went with a simple, business casual capsule, heavy on black and warm layers. Conference rooms are always cold as freezers, no matter the season or location.

Here’s what I wore:

I wore this at the office in the morning, then on the bus to Kananaskis. Comfort level: one step down from sweatpants.

Once we got to the hotel, a night of pub trivia and collegial mingling awaited us, so I changed into the mom version of my old “going out” uniform. Comfort level: half a step down from sweatpants.

Saturday went something like this: meetings, lunch, meetings, massage, nap, brief consideration of going outdoors, nap, dinner. I wore my new-to-me Cartonnier blazer (part of a swap with Jen/Life Preloved) during the day, and my Club Monaco dress at dinner. It was all pretty low key, but I blended in well and I count that as a success.

There were more meetings on Sunday, then a long drive home, so I went with my sweatpants-like non-sweatpants for comfort, and threw on a blazer for respectability. I think I accomplished … some of my goals, at least.

In all seriousness, Kananaskis Country is gorgeous and you should go visit if you get a chance. Here’s proof:

Note: Chapter 8 of A Temporary Engagement is now up on my other blog. Check it out here.