Conference Me In

    I flew to a conference last week (and forgot to remove my name-tag in some of the photos) so I was forced to plan my outfits out ahead of time. It was in Boston and I basically under-packed for the weather. I wish I had brought one extra layer to put over a sweater/ underneath my coat. I wish even more that I had brought a hat. Next time.

     First up, my solution to standing out in a sea of black suiting:

Sweater | 360 Cashmere
Pants | Halogen
Shoes | Coclico Arya

H2T

Dress | J. Crew
Cardigan | Halogen
Shoes | Coclico Banks Sandal 

    When I was in college, I used to watch America's Next Top Model (aka ANTM). It was a totally batshit-crazy gem of a show that pumped out 22 seasons (or cycles, as they would call them) in a little over a decade. I did not watch all of the cycles, but I certainly saw quite a few of them. Supermodel Tyra Banks was the main host, with a rotating cast of judges that ranged from Twiggy (former supermodel herself), to Andre Leon Talley (former Vogue editor), evaluating a set of women (and apparently later men) who were vying to become, you guessed it, America's next top model. 

    I mention it here because Tyra had a lot of mantras and sayings that she would repeat to the ladies over and over, cycle after cycle. One of them was that you had to model from H2T aka from head to toe and when I was taking these pictures, I heard Tyra's voice in my head. Suffice to say, I bring all of this up because I recently got these shoes, I think they are amazing, and I wanted to try to get a good photo that showcases their beauty. H2T.

Workworkworkworkworkwork (sung like the Rihanna song)

LEFT:
Sweater | Uniqlo x Lemaire
Dress | Rebecca Taylor (secondhand)
Shoes | Matt Bernson
RIGHT:
Top | Calvin Klein (secondhand)
Cardigan | Halogen (secondhand)
Pants | Marc by Marc Jacobs
Shoes | Donald J. Pliner

I'll give you two guesses as to what I've been up to lately, although I'm sure you only need one....it is obviously pouring over fashion photos from Cannes.  Well, in addition to that, I've been working and so here are two workworkworkworkworkwork outfits.

Both of these outfits feature old stalwart items. First up, an outfit featuring a pair of shoes I have had since 2013, and which have only recently become comfortable. When I was in New York, one of the first sample sales I went to was for Matt Bernson - it was around the corner from my apartment and I stumbled into it on my way home (also, I do miss that about New York, there is no better city in the world for stumbling upon). As much as I wanted to love these shoes (they are so flattering on my legs and go with everything) they were not comfortable and gave me blisters so I shoved them in the back of a closet. I couldn't part with them, however, because that felt like defeat. Flash forward to today, I now wear them to work, and while they are totally fine for wearing in the office all day, they still start to hurt if I try to walk great distances in them. At this point though, I think they are getting close to falling apart and I feel like I did my part on making sure they were put to use. (Also, as I read this, I think the fact that I've kept them so long is slightly nuts, and they should probably go).

Next up, a pair of work pants that have served me well since 2014. I bought these when I started my current job, and they were a Marc Jacobs splurge from Nordstrom Rack (so I just looked them up because I got them around the time I started keeping my clothing spreadsheet, and they were a whopping $72.68 - however, at that point I was used to buying pants, on sale, from the Gap for like $30). I still love them, and if anything, their streamlined, ponte-pant-ness has become only more and more trendy over the years. They also have fun zippers around the ankles. I went nuts with a half-tucked shirt, because it is the only way I know how to wear a shirt, and was feeling good.

Speaking of Nordstrom Rack (honestly, these posts are never sponsored, but I should look in that, haha, I basically buy all my shoes there) I recently found these babies - comfortable right off the shelf. I've seen a lot of Donald J. Pliner shoes there and they always catch my eye because they seem very well made, however nothing has ever been quite the right fit. These will be versatile work shoes for me and, it is hard to see but there is a little rhinestone border at the edge of the sole, which is pretty delightful.

 Thanks for stopping by!

Vest-igan

Top | Carrie Perry (made in NY)
Pants | DL1961
Vest | Halogen
Earrings | Michael Kors

     I have been trying to stave off a cold, and this is sort of a sartorial salute to the blanket. I tried to take several photos of me spinning, to capture the swish of this long car-est (cardigan/vest), but they were all quite blurry, so I finally just held still, and got the photo above, which I think captures the general idea. I love this vest-igan (from Nordstrom Rack, and purchased for $11). It is so incredibly soft, and I love the movement of it. The sleeves of this silk blouse are also sort of see-through, and I can highlight that with this vest. If I threw a blazer over this top, the sleeves would be lost completely. 
     I buttoned this blouse all the way to the top to play up the more masculine sensabilities of a button down shirt, and the paired it with hoop earrings, to add a little femininity back into the outfit. 

The hoops are rose gold, from Michael Kors, that I bought a few year ago, and are probably down to a cost-per wear below a dollar. They are pretty large, but also very thin, which I like, both aesthetically and because they are not at all heavy, and the rose gold color is subtle and goes with a lot of things. Since they are a few seasons old I don't see these exact ones online, but these are pretty similar.

What do you turn to when you aren't feeling well?

Power of Plaid

I work with a lot of men, and many of them have a similar, repetitive work uniform: dress slacks and a plaid button down shirt. I guess they are rubbing off on me, because I now also own a plaid shirt. This one is Equipment, which I found at Nordstrom Rack (they have some other really cute Equipment tops on sale here). 
When I wore this to the office, I got more compliments from my male coworkers than I have ever received from them before. I think it is probably because it is one of the only outfits I've worn that they can imagine on themselves. Now if only I can get one of them into a trendy, sleeveless knit vest...

Top | Equipment
Pants | Theory
Vest | Halogen
Heels | Banana Republic

Outfit Roundup - Wear to Work

Last week, I test-drove two pretty trendy looks in the office: crop tops and over-sized cardigans.

First up, the crop top. This particular one is Elizabeth and James (this available here), and has shiny metallic embellishments. I paired it with a high-waisted skirt, and layered a tank underneath, so even when raising my arms to put on a sweater (like so), there was no risk that some of my skin would peak out.

Upper abdomen is not really business casual, no matter how you slice it.