What I Wore: June Work Wardrobe Capsule

I feel like I write this every month, but here goes anyway: June was busy, you guys. Between work, and the kids, and the house, and the blog, and the book I’m trying to cram in on top of everything else … I basically didn’t exhale all month. My husband and I had a lovely mini-break at the beginning of July, but now life is back to “hectic” mode. I just have to give up the idea that things will “settle down”, and embrace the madness.

What does all that have to do with my outfits? Not much, except for the fact that I rarely have any time to think about what I wear. Or what I buy. Or style in general. I’m just grateful that I have a wardrobe that functions well without requiring too much thought on my part. Coasting is the current name of my style game. With that, on to the outfits!

one, two, three
one, two, three
four, five, six
four, five, six
seven, eight, nine
seven, eight, nine
ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen
ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen
fourteen, fifteen, sixteen
fourteen, fifteen, sixteen
seventeen, eighteen, nineteen
seventeen, eighteen, nineteen
twenty one, twenty two, twenty three
twenty one, twenty two, twenty three

With everything going on in June, I’m pretty pleased with how the month’s outfits turned out. As always, seeing them all lined up puts them in a new perspective, but they were not altogether as heinous as they could have been. My favourite piece was probably the neon tweed J. Crew dress, with the floral Boden skirt a close second. And as much as I don’t like the quality of my blush pink Topshop blazer, it’s a great summer piece. My fave outfits were #1, #9, #11, #15 and #22.

I just want to take a quick sec to thank you guys for sticking with BCRL. I know that posting here has been increasingly sporadic, and I’m not as present as I’d like to be (in the comments here or in the comments of my fave blogs – you know who you are), but I truly appreciate your continued support and I love hearing from you. I do spend more time on IG these days – easy procrastination – so feel free to give me a shout there (or email me!) any time. Cheers!

Stripes to the Rescue

Blazer, J. Crew Factory; skirt, Boden; top, Gap; shoes, Ferragamo; bag, Mulberry
Blazer, J. Crew Factory; skirt, Boden; top, Gap; shoes, Ferragamo; bag, Mulberry

I love this skirt so, so much but the fact that its colour palette is navy, red, and brown is not making my life too easy. Black is the backbone of my wardrobe, and … noticeably absent from this skirt’s print. My re-mixing options are, consequently, rather limited and mostly of the “one note” variety. Think “cream top or navy top?” and “brown shoes or red shoes?” How could I keep this outfit formula fresh?

Stripes, of course!

when in doubt, stripe
when in doubt, stripe

It helps that this old Gap top is that indeterminate colour that is either black or dark navy, but is best described as who-the-hell-knows. It works perfectly in this case! And I’m always happy when I can sneak in my fave florals-and-stripes combo into an office outfit without feeling like a fashun blogger fail come to life.

mannequin arm!
mannequin arm!

An Outfit to Remember

Blazer & shirt, J. Crew; pants, Banana Republic; shoes, Stuart Weitzman; belt, Tommy Hilfiger
Blazer & shirt, J. Crew; pants, Banana Republic; shoes, Stuart Weitzman; belt, Tommy Hilfiger

Admittedly, this is not a ground-breaking outfit from a fashion perspective. It IS an outfit to remember, for me, because I wore it for a very special event: running my first hearing as lead (sole, really) counsel. Considering the somewhat meandering path of my career over the last 10 years, I’m as surprised as anyone to find myself celebrating this particular milestone … and thrilled. If I can pause here for a second and give some unsolicited advice to recent grads in all professions (but especially law), allow me to say this: hang in there. The early years are often tough and unfulfilling, and you may find yourself wondering if you made a mistake in your choice of career. And, in some cases, the answer may be “yes”. But a lot of the time, the answer that might seem right is only a reflection of the difficulties you are experiencing – and, first and foremost, of the fear of failure. Give yourself time to learn and to get better, stronger, more confident. You may be amazed at the path you end up building for yourself. A path to success.

boring black? maybe not ...
boring black? maybe not …

Back to the outfit. Since my hearing was administrative in nature, the dress code was more relaxed than it would have been in a courtroom. Hence – a pop of colour! Blue and red are my fave combo, so I thought it would be auspicious choice. I felt cool, calm and collected (and prepared!) that day, so I’d call that a win.

nervous?! naaah ... (only a little bit)
nervous?! naaah … (only a little bit)