Right, but in a conference, presumably she’ll be sitting inside - what she wears for touring may be different.
I like the EF black pants and black leggings. I think they are a good basic with which to start. You can pair them with anything–plus, the quality of EF clothing is good. Some of the EF dresses would work for a 20-something. But some of them are shapeless. You really have to try the clothing on and see what works for you. Bloomingdales and Nordstroms both carry the EF line. Both of those stores have personal shoppers who could help you pick out clothing to wear for the conference as well.
Enjoy Vienna. It’s a great city.
I’m in the same size range and find the sheath style dresses from Lands End to be both flattering and a good value. You can add a cardigan or scarf to mix things up.
I’d think that EF is more for us moms, not so much for this younger OP. 
Natural fibers are great, but they do not travel well, especially some of the gorgeous EF stuff that has linen in the fabric. I would not dismiss synthetics right away: they are not your polyester pants of the seventies. There are some very light, moisture-wicking fabrics that work better for tops than cotton. Imagine standing by your poster and not being able to raise your arms to point to something at the top because your armpits are sweaty and you are embarrassed of that fact. 
Fort travel, I always pick jersey and knits over woven fabrics, because the former types are easier to manage when it comes to wrinkle control. Also, lightweight jersey packs well and does not take up much space.
What I noticed here in Sweden (and my kid who is currently in Geneva says the same thing) is that only tourists wear shorts! Lots of dresses of all sorts and skirts on the locals, but not a single Swedish lady in shorts could be seen downtown Stockholm. Men also wear long pants; only joggers and some hipster types venture out in shorts.
Bunsenburner- I live in a tourist locale popular with people from all over the world, the European tourist to my city wear shorts. Maybe they don’t wear them at home but they do when they travel. Granted the shorts on the men tend to be longer almost a capri length. Maybe they reserve short wearing for when they are on holiday.
I prefer dresses with a lightweight cardigan for summer travel. I like natural fibers because I fine them cooler and I like how they look on me. A few summers ago when in France I noticed that most of the women were in linen dresses. Though I agree that jersey packs nicely and takes up less room in the suitcase.There were many a stall selling linen in the open markets.
Though in the OP’s case I think jersey works.
You know who has great casual summer dresses - on sale now? Eastern Mountain Sports. I got this dress recently you can dress it up or down and it’s soooo comfortable: http://www.ems.com/k%C3%BChl-verona-dress/300038002.html?dwvar_300038002_color=7042#start=16
mom60, I’m sure they wear shorts in the US to blend in with the locals.
Wow, everyone! Thanks for all of the super helpful suggestions.
First, I want to thank those who had advice specific to Vienna. A lot of my concern about prints and colors was that I was under the impression that it was a more conservative place. And yes, it will be in the 80s!! I’m a little bummed about the heat but it has threatened to break 100 degrees this week so at least I’m not there now! I appreciate that article about etiquette in Vienna. I tend to be a little reserved with people I’m not super familiar with and also polite to the point of obnoxiousness so I hope I’ll be okay!
I do like some of the EL pieces, but unfortunately don’t live anywhere near a Nordstrom’s or a Bloomingdale’s. However, I did try to keep that sort of style in mind while I was shopping today. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of luck, mostly because I was finding that all of the light-weight pieces were totally transparent (that might be a quality issue as I was shopping in big chain department stores, and not upscale ones). I was wearing a nude bra (sorry if TMI) and it was still totally immodest. If I tried a camisole underneath, then you could just plainly see the outline of the camisole and that didn’t seem too much better. So not too much luck with light colored, lightweight fabrics. I don’t understand why fashion designers are making everything out of transparent fabrics. I think it’s a scam by retailers to make us have to buy new shirts to go under our new shirts. 
If the consensus is that prints and colors are okay, then I might be in somewhat better shape than I thought. I have printed button down that could go nicely with my skirt, and it’s kind of a silky lightweight fabric that isn’t too hot. It looks kind of like this shirt except the black and white are reversed:
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/blouses/by-luck-or-design-top
I will have to try some more of those wrap style dresses on. Historically, I haven’t had a lot of luck with those because one of my most troublesome assets is my gigantic… butt. So while my stomach shouldn’t be that much of a problem area comparatively, all of the fabric tends to get pulled to the back by my backside, leaving my gut looking very conspicuous. Naturally it’s also a nightmare for me to find pants. I think one of the items that I will focus on getting given the advice in this thread is a lightweight, sleeveless black A-line dress. I should be able to make that professional with a chunky necklace and a blazer or cardigan, or could style it differently for an evening out, so it would serve double-duty.
If more information about my body type would help, in addition to the previous information about me being a 14-16, I am also very short (5’1"), and very pear shaped (I have been compared to Johnny Bravo’s mom, in case any of you had kids who watched the show).
Also I really enjoyed reading LasMa’s thread, and I think that in the future I would love to see a personal shopper. I’ll look into seeing if we have any boutiques or department stores around here that offer that kind of service. In the future, I’ll plan a trip to the nearest large shopping center that has better stores, so I can invest in some nice staples and not have this sort of crisis again. Part of the issue is that I have largely restricted my shopping to clearance racks and thrift stores, which leaves options somewhat limited (hard to find something stylish, in good shape, AND in my size).
One final question - would short sleeved button downs in bright-ish colors look out of place? I have a sort of royal purple button down and another royal blue button down that have flattering cuts (thrift store finds). I also think that I look good in jewel tones (get a lot of compliments when I wear saturated colors, though that might just be out of shock that I’m not wearing black and white). Again, thanks for much for your advice! I’m so glad that now that I’m (kind of) an adult I have a place to go where there are fashion-conscious, professional women I can talk to about this. My graduate mentor is a man and I don’t think I have a close enough relationship with any of the female faculty that I would trust for fashion advice to ask that sort of question.
I LOVE that dress mathmom!!!
I loved it so much I went to 6pm to see if they carry that brand, Kuhl - they do!
Here’s the same dress but in a color - only available in an XS or XL but a great price! Would the XL work out for the OP??? 50% off!
http://www.6pm.com/kuhl-verona-dress-vino
This one might be too warm for summer, but wow what a great buy and available in all sizes! Under $30!
http://www.6pm.com/kuhl-grace-dress-raven
The black and white blouse will be great!
I can’t picture the other blouses based on your description, so I can’t weigh in on those
Julie, thanks for giving some more details about your body type. My little kiddo has what she calls “bubble butt,” and definitely dresses with skirts that flare away from the body work best for her. Something like this:
BTW, that black and white print is awesome and would not be out of place, IMO.
I’ll second the suggestion to look at lands end dresses. I was just at Sears, where they carry some Lands End in stores-- I do most lands end shopping online, and they were having a mega sale. I got an $80 dress for $20. They tend to be more “structured,” which I appreciate as a size 14-16, anything too flowy and sheer is just too unforgiving for me. I just got a great dress with pockets! These days I am shopping for dog shows, which means conservative, travel friendly, and comfortable to run around outside in in 100 degree heat. If I can wear it to a dog show, you would be comfortable in Vienna.
Call me crazy, but I think there is a difference between “appropriate” and “trendy.” I wouldn’t stress yourself out too much about not looking like an American-- you are an American and nobody in Vienna is going to shoot you for it. As long as it’s APPROPRIATE and flattering, don’t stress if you can’t put together the perfect Viennese business casual wardrobe. Better to be a well dressed American than attempted to blend in and mess it up. Do you have any colleagues attending with you who you could ask for advice? In my world, “business casual” doesn’t exclude colors and prints as long as skin is covered and you’re not wearing neon. Classic cuts look better than trendier ones.
IMO, you can get away with a pop of color in a blouse especially if paired with a conservative skirt, maybe a lightweight blazer or cardigan. And, imo, shoes can really set the tone for the outfit sometimes.
@alh, I have lots of Flax by Jeane Inglehart linen pieces that I bought years ago. In fact, I’m wearing one of the shirts right now! Haven’t seen any in years. I love them.
Simply not true. I travel with linen and cotton in the summer all the time. If you want a crisp tailored look, no, that won’t work as well. If you have items that can take some natural rumpling, no problem at all.
But Julie needs business casual… Rumpled is not business casual. Silk jersey, OTOH, is my fav for that purpose. Anyway, the clothes we are discussing are out of her price range.
Julie,
The people attending a conference in Vienna will be pretty much the same crowd who would attend a conference in the same field if it were held in the US or anywhere else. So the fact that it is in Vienna really doesn’t need to enter into your wardrobe planning very much, except to be prepared for the weather. I lived and worked as an academic in Zurich for several years and I did dress slightly more “dressy” for work there than I do in the US, but it was still business casual.
I agree. Get the fact that it’s Vienna out of your head. You’re just looking for flattering business casual.
Julie, I like your idea of a universal dress that can be used for both daytime and nighttime outings. Have to say that international traveling with just a carryon eliminates a lot of hassles. A black A-line that can be easily washed and hung to dry is also a fine choice.
I think traveling in such a way is extremely elegant and not checking a bag is a huge help at customs.
You do have to find carry-on sizes of your make-up and toiletries.