Blue Collar Red Lipstick

03
Feb
2015

What I Wore: January Work Capsule

January was a short work month for me, which was probably a good thing this year, what with the whole New Look business; it was a good way to ease into the adulting of my work wardrobe. In total, I wore 20 (ish, I was admittedly ~~lazy~~ sloppy in my math this time around) items in 13 outfits. From a minimalism perspective, this is a dismal effort, so it’s lucky that I don’t pretend to be a minimalist of any stripe. I’m calling these posts my “capsule” series, but please don’t be fooled: they are not really true examples of capsules at all. It’s just a catchy, SEO-friendly title, and we’ve already established that I’m lazy (and, hence, unlikely to try thinking any harder about a more original series title) and not immune to pandering to blogging trends. You can overlook these foibles, yes? If you want to know more about my thoughts on capsules, read to your hearts’ content. The condensed version is that I’m drawn to the abstract idea of minimalism, but conflicted about its manifestation in the blogging world. Also, I love All The Things, so minimalism c’est pas moi.

Anywhooo …

Here are my 13 outfits in all their glory:

work wardrobe capsule; office style capsule — one, two, three

work wardrobe capsule; office capsule — four, five, six

work wardrobe capsule; office capsule; capsule wardrobe — seven, eight, nine

work wardrobe capsule; capsule dressing — ten, eleven, twelve

J. Crew schoolboy blazer orange — (unlucky?) thirteen

Sarcasm aside, I actually like most of them. Some quite a bit. My favourites are #2, #5, and #7. Oh, and #9 too. My favourite individual piece was probably the grey Elie Tahari blazer. I know, I’m surprised too. Picking a “boring” office staple as a fave? Pat on the back, indeed.

02
Feb
2015

The Comfort Zone: Florals + Stripes

categories: style

Silence & Noise floral blazer; floral blazer plus stripes — Blazer, Silence & Noise (thrifted); top, RACHEL Rachel Roy (via consignment); skirt, J. Crew Factory; boots, Ecco; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)

As y’all know, I’m trying really hard to act like a grown-up at work, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t revert back to my true comfort zone on the weekends. And nothing is more comfortable and familiar than florals + stripes. I’ll be the first to admit that I rarely have much reason to get this dressed up on the weekend, but since it’s my only chance to wear some favourite pieces that don’t make the cut at work, I do it anyway. It doesn’t much matter, because the only thing most people get to see is my ginormous parka. I doffed it for these photos since it’s not particularly photogenic, nor does it add much to my outfit, except warmth. And you better believe that, notwithstanding my driveway frolicking, our current weather here (-20C) demands ALL the warmth.

And speaking of frolicking, in case you were wondering why I’m looking so, um, shifty, it’s because it was a very bright (and cold, did I mention cold?) day. Brighter than my mole-like eyes could handle. Luckily, my blogger handbook comes with instructions for a variety of eye contact-avoiding poses. Don’t believe me? I present Exhibits #2 and #3:

What can I say: it’s a skill, you guys.

01
Feb
2015

Black & White

categories: style

Lida Baday black and white floral dress — Dress, Lida Baday (thrifted); blazer, J. Crew; shoes, Manolo Blahnik (thrifted); bag, Louis Vuitton

This is the Lida Baday dress I thrifted for $7 at Goodwill. It has pockets. The print looks vaguely ink-blot-y, but thankfully not in a Rorschach kind of way – that could make for some awkward water cooler conversations. The one thing I was nervous about in regards to the dress was its neckline; it’s square, and cut wide on the sides, which means that I have to go the strapless bra route. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I absolutely abhor strapless bras. As instruments of torture go, they might not be up to Inquisition standards, but they’re usually more than I can handle on a daily basis. Surprisingly, this dress was fairly comfy, undergarment situation notwithstanding. Color me surprised. Not literally, because I’m wearing black and white. Har de har!

[Fifty negative brownie points to the first person who pipes up that black is a colour. One hundred negative brownie points to the first person who starts talking about physics. Party poopers.]