blouse, DVF (thrifted); pants, Banana Republic (thrifted); shoes, Sam Edelman (thrifted); bag, Gucci (via consignment)
blouse, DVF (thrifted); pants, Banana Republic (thrifted); shoes, Sam Edelman (thrifted); bag, Gucci (via consignment)

Ever wonder how my outfits come together? Probably not, but today you’re going to hear about it anyway. I had planned to wear this blouse on this particular day (a Friday) in my Stylebook app, but the other details were not set in stone; lately, I find that I’m tweaking outfits at the last minute much more than before. Anyway, here was my thought process, in all of its dubious glory:

Hm, it’s Friday which means jeans. Except, shoot, I have a hearing. Better go with pants and a blazer. But hang on, the hearing is via teleconference. Nobody is going to see me. Non-matching separates? Black pants are a must, so definitely not a black blazer. Too much black is blegh. What blazer goes with everything? Ah yes, the greige one.

And so an outfit was born. In retrospect, I should have just gone back to jeans, but I liked how the black pants worked with the blouse, so I just plunged ahead. Being “over-dressed” on a Friday is not the worst thing. I did take off my blazer almost immediately though, so the over-dressing was of a very minor degree. And for the eagle eyed, yes that is a new (to me) pair of BR Sloan pants. Finding a black one in my size at the thrift store is always a small miracle and, in this case, consolation for not being able to find a back-up pair of my fave Aritzia trousers. I do think this particular version of the Sloans is different than my old (now retired) pair; the cut is more straight than skinny, which I find that I actually prefer these days as it looks a bit more polished. With that said, I do generally wish that brands would stop messing with the cuts of their staple clothing pieces because it rarely seems to result in an improvement over the original (this case excepted, assuming this version is the new Sloan not the old, old Sloan). Anyone else with me on this?

blazer, Theory (thrifted)
blazer, Theory (thrifted)
pattern detail
pattern detail

If you look closely, you will see the pin I used to make the blouse office-appropriate. It wasn’t super noticeable in real life, but little details like that bug me when I see them in photos. I think I am going to solve this particular problem by adding a stitch to the neckline using black thread; I expect it will be unnoticeable given the print and colour of the blouse, and it’s a minor enough alteration to attempt on my own. Fingers crossed.

Lastly, I thought it might be fun to try a little outfit “Price Is Right” exercise. Do you think you can guess how much this outfit (minus bag & jewelry) cost? I’ll make it easy, with multiple choice answers: (a) $31; (b) $57; (c) $96; (d) $124. I don’t have any prize to offer you except the satisfaction of being right.

not-so-casual Friday
not-so-casual Friday

6 Comments on Outfit Equation

  1. It’s not your imagination, they definitely changed the cut on the sloans. My recent retail pair are definitely more straight leg than my thrifted pair.

  2. I love hearing about the thought process behind an outfit – I think it’s interesting to get insight into how someone else makes decisions and what factors go into an outfit. My process is roughly similar – what is the weather like, do I have any important meetings, will I be running around a lot or at my desk. All these factor into my outfit thought process!

  3. I love the outfit without the blazer! To me the blazer is very dusty looking and doesn’t really match with the sharpness of the rest. But I get needing to follow the work dressing rules.