Category: style

OOTD On Autopilot

Skirt, J. Crew (via consignment); blouse, J. Crew Factory; blazer, Aritzia (via consignment); shoes, J. Crew; bag, MbMJ
Skirt, J. Crew (via consignment); blouse, J. Crew Factory; blazer, Aritzia (via consignment); shoes, J. Crew; bag, MbMJ

Sometimes, by the end of the month, I’m all outfit-ed out. Know what I mean? I just run out of creative steam, and throw together whatever pieces from my closet catch my eye. In this case, this beanstalk print skirt. Until now, I’ve paired it with its matching top, but I decided to bust out the separates this time. It works, I guess.

step this way
step this way
obligatory blogger "look away" pose
obligatory blogger “look away” pose

I realized that I don’t like wearing these ruffle-collared blouses in the summer (I have 3 different colours), even though they’re sleevesless, because something about the high neck just screams “cold weather” to me. I’ve been on the hunt for plain shells (in navy, white and black) for ages, but still haven’t found any likely candidates. I didn’t think that my requirements were unreasonable – cotton or some breathable synthetic blend, not too sheer, not too heavy, solid colour, scoop neckline preferably. Well, these things don’t exist, apparently. Everything I find is either polyester hell, or tissue-thin, or the wrong colour, or too casual. Gah! I guess the silver lining is that fall is just around the corner, which means my trusty ruffle-collared tops will come back into regular rotation. Sigh.

oh, but I am versatile
oh, but I am versatile

Meowww

Dress, Calvin Klein (gift); sweater, Joe Fresh; shoes, Anne Klein; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)
Dress, Calvin Klein (gift); sweater, Joe Fresh; shoes, Anne Klein; bag, Mulberry (via eBay)

I know … the title is lame, but when you’re rocking two different animal prints, what else are you going to go with? This dress was a birthday present from a dear friend, who apparently knows my style better than I do.

brown on brown on brown
brown on brown on brown
pretty bag ... also brown
pretty bag … also brown

Jersey sheath dresses like this one are a godsend for hourglass shapes, and comfortable as heck as long as they’re not too tight. You can kind of see what the dress does for my figure in the picture below: hello, tiny waist illusion – I heart you!

candid camera - thanks, husband!
candid camera – thanks, husband!

You know what else I heart? This Joe Fresh oatmeal coloured cardigan. I was gutted when I accidentally ripped a hole in it last year, and desperately hunted for a replacement; it was long sold out, and I ended up buying a cream Theory cardigan at Winners for double the price (on massive sale!), but I still come back to this one, every time. Luckily, the hole was fixable, and boy am I glad. I will definitely be crying hot tears when it eventually disintegrates from constant wear. Joe Fresh might be hit-and-miss, but the hits are pretty darn fantastic.

but seriously, all the brown
but seriously, all the brown

The Urge to Chartreuse

Blouse & cardigan, J. Crew (via consignment); pants, BR; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Mulberry (via consignment)
Blouse & cardigan, J. Crew (via consignment); pants, BR; shoes, J. Crew Factory; bag, Mulberry (via consignment)

Here’s a not very juicy secret about me: I pick out my outfits ahead of time. Well, I do about 90% of the time, anyway. It really is a very efficient way to go about getting dressed, especially for work, if you ask me. Which you didn’t – unsolicited advice alert. Ahem. Getting back to the issue at hand, I sometimes pick my outfits so far in advance (weeks) that by the time I have to actually wear them, I’m no longer particularly enthused by my previous selections. So, from time to time, I just wing it.

On this particular morning, I decided that I HAD to wear this chartreuse blouse I recently rescued from the downstairs overflow closet/purgatory. (I’ve decided that maybe I don’t hate ruffles after all. For now.) I also decided that I HAD to wear my new J. Crew Factory leopard print d’orsay flats that I scored for $25. So I tried to come up with an outfit built around those two pieces.

looking over my shoulder ... ?
looking over my shoulder … ?
Oh, there you are
Oh, there you are

When pressed for time, keep it simple. Actually, that’s probably a good mantra for all occasions, but especially if you’re running late/feeling stressed/unsure about what to wear. Black and tan have been serving me well recently, so they seemed like a good bet. And, voila, outfit complete!

ruffly close-up (with pop of colour!)
ruffly close-up (with pop of colour!)
something interesting must be happening over there ;)
something interesting must be happening over there 😉