Blue Collar Red Lipstick

03
Mar
2015

The Test

office outfit — Shirt, cardigan & belt, J. Crew Factory; pants, Banana Republic; shoes, J. Crew; bag. MbMJ

OK, let me start by stating the obvious (?): there is nothing horribly wrong with this outfit. Nevertheless, I didn’t really enjoy wearing it, and the culprit was the shirt. It’s fine; nothing horribly wrong with it either. But to borrow a phrase from Marie Kondo, it doesn’t spark joy for me. So I’m letting it go.

Getting rid of clothes has often been a fraught process for me in the past, but I’ve been increasingly feeling the need to let go of “dead weight” in my life – both in my physical environment and in the emotional realm. I was grappling with just this issue when I came across a couple of posts from Gretchen and Adrien on Marie Kondo and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and they resonated like crazy. So, going forward, if I ever end up with an outfit that feels “meh”, I’m going to figure out the reason, and let go of whatever element is not working for me anymore. Hopefully, that process will help me work through lot of the guilt I associate with “wasted” clothes. If simplifying your life (or your closet) is one of your goals for 2015, I encourage you to check out Gretchen’s and Adrien’s posts (linked above), and consider how you might apply the same or similar principles to help you figure out what sparks joy in your heart.

One thing that definitely sparks joy in mine? This cotton candy pink wool coat.

02
Mar
2015

Blue & Tweed

categories: style

Here’s something you don’t hear every day around here: I really loved this outfit, you guys. I didn’t think to pair the tweed blazer with this skirt … until I did, and they look great together. I also initially thought the blue shoes might be a little too bright and too matchy matchy, but I think they livened up the whole outfit just enough, without being over the top.

I don’t know why I look like Office Barbie here, but the outfit is on point, anyway.

I haven’t been the biggest fan of this blazer in the past, for reasons that I can’t now remember for the life of me, but I’ve come to realize that it’s actually one of the most flatteringly cut jackets in my closet. In fact, I think it works better for my proportions than the retail J. Crew schoolboy blazer. I tend to be wary of J. Crew Factory quality, which is why I’ve never paid a lot of attention to their suiting options, but this blazer is making me want to take a closer look.

[Edited to add: On further reflection, I think I’ve figured out why this blazer seems to fit better than I remembered. Because it does fit better, duh. It’s a (Factory) size 2, and my regular schoolboy blazer is a size 6. I’m currently somewhere around a size 6, but vanity sizing being what it is, the size 2 works better. These numbers are basically meaningless.]

At the risk of beating the deadest horse in all the land, can I just say how much I’m loving subtle print mixing? It’s slowly replacing my love of florals. Who saw that one coming? No one, that’s who.

01
Mar
2015

Black & White, Redux

categories: style

Rachel Roy striped sweatshirt; Ferragamo Flavia pumps — Top, RACHEL Rachel Roy (via consignment); blazer, J. Crew; pants, American Eagle; shoes, Ferragamo (via consignment); necklace, House of Harlow

My last black and white outfit worked out really well, so I gave it another try on casual Friday. Except this time I added some red shoes, because my friend Jenni told me to. She liked my first effort fine, but felt it needed more colour. Sheesh, everyone’s a critic these days. [Just kidding, love ya, girl.]

If I has dressed purely for the casual Friday aspect, I probably would not have bothered with the blazer; I had to pop in and out of client meetings all day, though, and the blazer seemed like a good idea. The beauty of a black and white outfit, I’m finding, is that it’s kinda hard to muck up, no matter how many extra pieces you pile on.