Remember how at one of the first press conferences I went to featured Princess Anne?
Today I interviewed a Nigerian princess. :)
She's done a lot of good work lobbying the government for health care reform in Nigeria, not to mention she's an eloquent lady who's passionate about what she does. It's interesting -- a lot of patient advocate groups are started by people who had cancer. She was actually misdiagnosed with cancer and started her foundation to make sure it doesn't happen to others.
I met her at a meeting in London on cancer in Africa, which kicked off this morning with a press conference. We got a last-minute e-mail from the press coordinators yesterday noting that, due to the rules of the location, men should wear a jacket and tie and women should dress accordingly. It's not too often that press conferences come with dress codes!
Slightly worried because I left my best suits in DC, I checked the website of the venue, the Reform Club (whose history is actually pretty interesting), to see the dress code:
Dress Code For Members And Their Guests
Members and their guests are required to conform to standards of dress and conduct which are normal in the Club. In exercising their judgement in this respect members and their guests shall give full consideration to the feelings of others.
Members are responsible for ensuring that their guests comply with the dress regulation. (This also applies to functions sponsored by members even when they are not directly responsible for the organisational details).
Porters at the door are authorised to deny admission to anyone considered to be in breach of the dress code.
Gentlemen are required to wear closed collar, jacket and tie. Ladies are required to dress with similar formality. Jacket (but not tie) may be removed:
in the Study, Billiards and Card Rooms
during breakfast in the Coffee Room
in the Garden
Recognised national and religious dress and service dress uniform may be worn at any time.
The following are unacceptable
Denim and other jeans
Track suits, leisure wear, shorts, leggings, jodhpur-style trousers and other similar attire
T shirts, sweat shirts, bodice/cropped tops and similar attire
Training shoes, hiking boots, deck shoes. Plimsolls, flip-flop sandals and other similar sports style footwear
The dress code is relaxed at the weekend after breakfast on Saturday.
So, just so you know, you can't go everywhere in your Other Jeans and Plimsolls.
