Blazer, Aritzia; top & pants, J. Crew Factory; necklace, BR; shoes, Manolo Blahnik (thrifted); bag, Marc Jacobs (via eBay)
Personal style at the office can certainly seem like a complex conundrum of messages and subtexts and politics, but at the same time it can be pretty straightforward. If you find a “uniform” (or two, or three) that works for you, it can be very simple indeed. For me, a “uniform” works if it checks off the following boxes: (a) it feels comfortable, (b) it makes me feel confident, (c) it makes me feel at least a tiny bit excited about the day ahead (even on the worst days), and (d) it fits my office dress code. Can’t forget that last one, sigh.
My blah, blah, blahs aside, this was a pretty solid outfit. I finally found some dressier tanks at J. Crew Factory, and bought one in white, blush, and black ($10 a piece, totally worth it). As much as I love my prints, a solid colour top is sometimes just the ticket.
green for the win!things are looking up … up, I tell you
Tomorrow is the last day to submit your Office Style #OOTD to EverywearYEG for a chance to be featured in next Tuesday’s (October 6) spread in the Edmonton Journal. I was thrilled to be asked to help “curate” this theme, and I have been having a lot of fun checking out everyone’s amazing office style on Instagram. Hey, it’s not too late to wow me, so come and join in the fun!
As I threatened promised last week, here is my Proust questionnaire. The questions that Vanity Fair uses appear to vary from issue to issue, so I picked a bunch that seemed the most interesting.
Oh, and here’s a photo of the man himself:
Photo credit: Entertainment Weekly
I lied. That’s not Proust at all. Are you mad? Didn’t think so.
Onwards!
What is your idea of perfect happiness: Reading a favourite book, curled up on the couch in my library on a rainy day, with the kids playing (nicely! together!) nearby. While getting a foot rub from my husband. Hey, this doesn’t have to be their idea of perfect happiness, ok?
What is your greatest fear: Failure.
Which historical figure do you most identify with: Elizabeth I, minus the daddy issues.
Which living person do you admire most: Malala Yousafzai
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself: Ego
What do you consider the most overrated virtue: Humility. Just kidding. Honesty – way too often, people use it as an excuse to be assholes.
What is your favourite journey: Life. Hey, I like to wax poetical sometimes.
On what occasion do you lie: When faced with strangers’ babies and other pet projects.
What do you dislike the most about your appearance: My nose. It has some good angles, and some “holy crap, is that the same person?” angles.
Which living person do you most despise: Anyone who takes pleasure in hurting another creature, big or small. Except spiders. Now, to be clear, I’m not advocating that people should enjoy killing spiders – they just have to do it, and quickly, preferably with fire.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse: Inter alia
What is your greatest regret: Not learning more languages as a child.
When and where were you happiest: Whenever and wherever it was, I didn’t realize it until later. At some point in time, this may be the happiest I’ve ever been.
Which talent would you most like to have: To sing like Adele. Every cool talent I would have picked when I was younger (reading minds; seeing the future; time traveling) has way too many downsides.
What is your current state of mind: Anxious. Where are the correct answers for this quiz?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be: I would be more patient. And two inches taller. Dammit! Well, patience is overrated anyway.
What do you consider your greatest achievement: Surviving the following (in chronological order): the first semester of law school, the first year of motherhood, and the writing of my first book.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be: A brilliant, good-looking, funny, much-loved billionaire. If I can choose, I’m going to go for the top, you know? With that said, the reality is that I would probably actually come back as a cockroach. I hate cockroaches *shudder*
What is your most treasured possession: My kids. They’re mine till they turn 18, yes?
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery: Oh God, this answer is sending me into an existentialist tail-spin. Let’s just go with the superficial answer: being stuck in traffic on the way home from work, listening to the same Katy Perry song on repeat, on a hot day, with no air conditioning, while hangry – forever.
What is your favourite occupation: Spa reviewer.
What is the quality you most like in a man: Kindness and fairness.
What is the quality you most like in a woman: Why is this a separate question?
What do you most value in your friends: Loyalty.
Who is your favourite hero(ine) of fiction: Elizabeth Bennett and Jon Snow.
Who are your heroes in real life: My parents.
What is it that you most dislike: Rudeness. It’s an epidemic.
How would you like to die: Feeling that I lived a fulfilled life.
What is your motto: Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face (borrowed from Mike Tyson)
I bought this cropped jacket, from now-defunct Canadian retailer Tristan (previously Tristan & Iseult), back in early 2010 from a local consignment store. I remembered seeing it at the mall, at least a couple of years previously, and lusting over it and its matching skirt. Alas, it was too expensive for my budget at the time, so I was thrilled to find it for a more manageable price ($32) secondhand. (Too bad I never found the skirt as well. Sad face.) It’s a beautiful piece – the detail work is quite impressive, and it looks expensive – and I always get compliments on it when I wear it.
The truth is, I haven’t worn it very often in the last 5 (almost 6!) years because the cropped silhouette never seemed to lend itself to my wardrobe. Here are a few of my attempts:
2011 / 2012 / 2013
However, I held on to it through the years (even when it didn’t fit) because it always felt like a “special” piece to me. And now, I’m determined to find new ways to wear it. Well, this first effort is not exactly new … it’s just the same jacket + dress combo, except with a different dress. I’ll wait to blow your socks off with my creative styling till next time. (All the LOLs, but let’s roll with it.)
Speaking of the dress, this is the Tahari number I mentioned in my last thrifting post. It’s a very nice dress for all of the $8 I spent on it. It does have this weird tie thing at the back:
back/waist tie detail
At first, I thought it was super cool because you can adjust the waist tighter or looser depending on mood, size of lunch, etc. However, I quickly realized that if I use the last snaps (I.e. tightest “setting”), they immediately un-snap as soon as I bend down or make any similar movements. So, I’m stuck using the middle snaps, which makes the dress quite loose through the waist – admittedly, not the biggest problem as the dress still has some definition to it. I’ve debated having it tailored, but it doesn’t seem worth it; I think I’ll keep it as is, as insurance against weight fluctuations.
