Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thrifty Thursday: Work Outfit

Hello to my lovely readers, Happy Veteran's Day!  I have the day off today and am enjoying drinking coffee on the couch and catching up on all of the amazing design blogs that I don't have time to read during a normal week.  For you today, I have a bargain of a work outfit comprised mostly of budget-friendly options from Forever21.  The foundation of the outfit is a simple black tank, black pencil skirt, and black round toe heels.  These are basic wardrobe pieces that will be worn over and over in a work wardrobe - pieces that every single gal should have.  Granted, the Forever21 pencil skirt and Payless shoes are not going to be as well-constructed as, say, J.Crew options, but many of us do not have budgets that include $150 dollar J.Crew pencil skirts..... so instead we buy entire outfits for $125
Workday


For those of us with champagne taste on a Natty Light budget, we forge ahead with Forever 21 options. The part of this outfit that really makes it special and put-together is the olive green ruffled sweater jacket. I know ruffles scare some people, but these are big, billowly ruffles. They aren't fussy at all, but they are still feminine - and the coat just looks so comfortable, doesn't it? The last part of this outfit that makes it a little more special than what some of your co-workers might be wearing is the tights. In the winter, bare legs are definitely a no-go.... pick up some interesting tights (but not sexy - e.g. fishnets) for the office to make your regular pencil skirt outfits a bit more exciting.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Neutral Glam

Neutrals can tend to be a little drab if you pick too many similar colors in one outfit, but a good way to give a mostly neutral outfit a little pick-me-up is by adding some interesting accessories.  This creation started when I found the unique green silk top from Forever21 featured below. 
Neutral Glam

Forever 21 continues to produce beautiful silk tops (regardless of some of the awful, cheap looking pieces they make) and every time I visit their website I am immediately drawn to those tops. This green shirt, in particular, is a gorgeous color for Fall - look at how well it pairs with the rust colored Urban Outfitters blazer (and don't you love the elbow patches on the blazer!?). The two colors are perfect together, and they're even better when you throw in a hint of gold and amber through the accessories. The earrings and bracelet are both incredibly affordable pieces from Forever21. The gold necklace is bit more of a splurge from J.Crew, but so worth it for the variety of ways you could wear it - this necklace could easily dress up a simple black dress for an upcoming holiday party.  Finally, the clutch rounds out the entire outfit by pulling together all of the colors featured in the rest of the outfit in a stunning, visually stimulating peacock pattern.

Silk Button Down Top
$34 - canada.forever21.com



League Skinny Jean
$28 - forever21.com



Faceted Elastic Bracelet Set
$6.80 - forever21.com



Lauren by Ralph Lauren Zabrina
$98 - piperlime.gap.com



Wire Detail Earrings
$4.80 - forever21.com



Crystal helix necklac
$88 - jcrew.com



BDG Schoolboy Blazer
$78 - urbanoutfitters.com




Saturday, November 6, 2010

Tweed and Polka Dots and Doves, Oh My!

One of my favorite blogs, Elements of Style, recently had a contest that awarded each winner a piece of a stunning Emerson Made outfit. If you've never heard of Emerson Made, you have some serious catching up to do. This husband and wife team has created a stunning, classic collection of pieces for 2010 that blew me away.  I was drooling over every single element of their fall collection, but the pieces featured in this post's outfit are my absolutely favorite - the tweed jacket was inspired by a vintage 1960's tweed jacket that
Emerson owns - which shows how long tweed has been and will be in style. 
 
EmersonWorkWear
The tie-neck blouse has a tiny polka-dot detail (that is a bit hard to see in the photographs), that makes it so much more interesting than a plain white blouse!  Because the upper half of this outfit is classic and neutral, it is so fun to pair this gorgeous yellow wool pencil skirt from J.Crew on the bottom.  The skirt is eye-catching, but not overwhelming, and is perfectly complemented by understated accessories that allow the skirt to be the center of attention while still adding to the outfit.  The dove earrings from ShopBop are dainty and adorable and the delicate gold bracelet will work time and time again in many different outfits.  The Ralph Lauren heels catch my eye every single time that I go shoe shopping - they are such a classic design (I don't think the picture does the shape justice) and beautiful rich brown color. 

I know dressing for work can often times become more of a chore than a pleasure, and I also know it's easy to get into a style slump, so remember to add a fun piece like this yellow wool skirt to your collection every so often to spark your creativity and jump start your excitement about your wardrobe!

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Zabrina
$98 - piperlime.gap.com

Essie Nail Colour Polish
$1.60 - amazon.com

Love Dove Studs
$32 - shopbop.com

The Ribbons Blouse - Cream Tiny Dot
$128 - emersonmade.com

1960's Jacket - The Tweed
$ 238 - emersonmade.com

$95 - warbyparker.com