Dressing for the healthcare dinner

Lauren, the heroine of Empire of Sterling, attends a high-stakes healthcare dinner. It’s a fictional event but the venue, the Shard, is real. I’ve not actually been to the top of the Shard so I took some liberties with the interior description.

But one thing I spent an inordinate amount of time on was wondering what Lauren would wear. I already knew she typically wore trousers to work, smart flats with an array of heels in her desk drawer. As a Londoner, it’s my work outfit of choice too. Most women wear flats or trainers on the tube (the London Underground) and then change footwear when they get to the office. It’s easy to walk for what feels like miles on the tube if you need to change lines… I never do less that 10K steps a day when I’m in the office.

But for the investor dinner? I knew it had to be full length. I also knew Claudia was going to be in something flimsy, satin based. And I wanted Lauren to be different. Smart, professional, but a bit sexy too. There was a brand I had in mind - Vampire’s Wife - but I knew Lauren wasn’t the kind of person to drop four figures on a dress, even if she could afford it (which she can’t!). So I knew I was going down the route of short-term hire, which is increasingly popular in London. As it turns out, Vampire’s Wife has sadly closed down but many of their previous customers hire out their dresses.

You might say I could have just made up a dress! Which could have been easier.

In the end, the description of her dress boiled down to just a few lines…

The black fabric shimmered with the silver thread that laced it. I slipped into it, not daring to look at my reflection, and smoothed the fabric over my hips. The short sleeves were ruched and the neckline high.

If you want to see my mood board, there’s a Pinterest pin.