By Ava Klein
Executive Life Editor
And Ari Howorth
Arts Editor
While many students across Mira Costa’s campus are familiar with the public speaking skills the Model United Nations class fosters, a lesser known skill that Costa MUN stresses to its members is fashion. Delegates pay careful attention to the western business attire they sport at conferences.
Many Model United Nations students at Costa hold that success at competitive conferences is determined more by how a delegate delivers a speech than what he or she actually says. Keeping this in mind, many delegates stress the importance of appealing to the intricacies of formal dress.
“Dressing up for the conferences is extremely exciting, especially because I typically tend to wear clothes that are much more rugged than western business attire to school,” Co-Secretary-General senior Brady Currey said. “Plus, I personally can’t take delegates seriously if they’re not even able to dress themselves; it winds up as both enjoyable and entirely necessary.”
Western business attire for boys consists of a collared shirt, slacks or dress pants, a tie and dress shoes. There are many variations to this outfit, most commonly with the addition of a jacket or sports coat, but nearly all conferences require this formal wear. Belts are also mandatory.
“Honestly, a blazer or sport coat is utterly essential to a delegate’s swag in committee,” Currey said. “It makes the delegate appear polished and classy without being over-the-top.”
Senior Jack Rosenberg won the informal “Best Dressed” award at last year’s end-of-the-year Costa MUN banquet. A teacher’s assistant for the Introduction to MUN class and a frequent attendee of travel conferences, Rosenberg’s extensive experience dressing up for conferences has affected his stylistic choices outside of committee.
“The wardrobe I bring to conferences definitely filters into what I wear to school now,” Rosenberg said. “For example, I have started to wear formal peacoats to school, paired with semi-formal loafers.”
Adding to Currey’s stipulations, Rosenberg holds that choosing the proper accessories to wear to conferences is just as essential to looking professional as the main garments worn.
“Choosing the right tie is absolutely key because it sets the tone of the outfit and who you are,” Rosenberg said. “A bright color says that you are here to compete, and a cool design makes you come off as more of a fun delegate.”
Though their options are less narrow in scope, MUN girls also place great value on the attire they sport. They typically opt for bright-colored blouses paired with knee-length pencil skirts or slacks. Co-Secretary-General Taylor Lewis also greatly values the importance of dressing appropriately for conferences.
“Modesty is key,” Lewis said. “The perfect outfit for a conference is the one that says to the committee that you are there to talk business, but you have a fun side to you as well. Personally, I really like to wear bold tops, usually dark blue, because a strong color definitely makes a statement.”
In order to look committee-ready, both girls and boys make sure their hair is fixed and ready.
“Proper hair styling is very important for the conferences,” Truscott said. “If a delegate’s hair is all over their face, it sends a negative message to the other committee members. I wear my hair in a pony tail because it looks elegant and sleek.”
There are, of course, clothing items and combinations that delegates should avoid when dressing for committee. The color of a delegate’s shoes must match the color of their socks. Clashing patterns attract negative attention and look unprofessional.
“When a boy wears suspenders with a belt, he looks like an absolute goon,” Marine said. “If he wears those two items together, it looks as though he is wearing a harness, which is obviously frowned upon.”
For many Costa MUN delegates, dressing up for conferences and getting acquainted with western business attire becomes a contagious necessity.
“When I see adults who cannot even put their tie in a half-windsor, or can’t even iron their clothes, I just get kind of uncomfortable around them to be honest,” sophomore debater Aaron Chelliah said.
Danny Kelleher contributed to this story.
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