Skirt & blazer, J. Crew; blouse, Simmons; necklace, Banana Republic; shoes, J. Crew; bag, MbMJ
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.
doing The Robot (with extra derp face)
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.]
the details
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.
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.]
casual Friday…
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.
I didn’t think that January could be topped for sheer busy-ness, but I was wrong. Oh-so-wrong. February, I don’t even know where to begin with you, but the gist of it is this: you sucked. In every which way imaginable. The kids were sick almost continuously, work kicked my ass every day (and twice on Sundays), and I barely had any time to sleep (and then there was that time I got the stomach flu), much less celebrate any special moments (ahem, 7 year dating anniversary) with my husband. Honestly, I can barely muster the energy to write this post. But … habits, you know. So let’s get to it before I pass out entirely.
I bought 5 4 things and received one gift (from my husband), bringing the total to 6 5 items for an out-of-pocket cost of $201 $174. That’s a high-ish total, but the 3 things I paid for were all retail purchases bought out of necessity – so, while I did buy them on sale, I didn’t wait for a clearance sale. Anyway, I’m not really sweating it because all of the things I got this month are great pieces for my work wardrobe; considering how much time I spend at work, it’s money well spent.
First, let’s talk about this:
3.1 Philip Lim dressprettiness
You already know the story of my never-thought-it-was-gonna-happen dress, but let’s revisit the financial details for the sake of this budgety post. It cost $157 (down from the never-gonna-happen $815), and I spent $0 out of pocket thanks to a gift card. This is the kind of budget math I could get used to. All that aside, I adore this dress, and I’m not the only one – it’s a compliment magnet. The colour IRL is closer to the second photo, a beautiful rich navy (see it here and here). A minor quibble: the dress is not lined, and the silk fabric is quite prone to static. Considering the original retail price, tsk tsk.
February was also the month of my Pants Situation. As in, I suddenly, desperately needed new pants.
Banana Republic Sloan ankle crop pants
I ended up buying three pairs, because once I took the plunge and paid retail for a pair of BR Sloan ankle crop pants, well … there was no turning back, apparently. I got them in black, grey, and a black-and-white check print. I also finally figured out that my preferred Sloan inseam length is Short; despite the fact that I’m 5’7, I must have extra short legs, because I always seem to prefer the way petite cut pants look on me. BR only stocks Short (petite?) sizes online, so this was also my first experience with ordering through their website. So far, so good. I appreciate that they offer free shipping for purchases over $50 (I’m looking at you, J. Crew and LOFT!).
Banana Republic Sloan Skirt
I also ended up buying the Sloan pencil skirt when it was an extra 40% off. Can you believe this: I haven’t had a black pencil skirt in my closet in nearly 2 years. Talk about missing a closet staple!
[Edited to add: I’ve decided to return the skirt. When I got it and tried it on, I didn’t like the fit or the material. I really want something more similar to my old Tahari pencil skirt: soft ponte fabric, with a good sturdy lining. Black pencil skirts are not that hard to find at places like Winners, so I decided it would be better to keep looking than keep a piece I wasn’t crazy about. I’ve survived without a black pencil skirt for a while, I can make it a few more weeks or months.]
Beige by eci dress (lookalike)
This was an impulse buy at Winners, paid for by my husband, just because. (He’s a keeper, for sure. For anyone interested, it was on sale for $38 and there were lots of 10s and 12s still available.) It’s not exactly the same as in the stock photo, but close; I think the slit in my dress is not as high, and the red is more vibrant/prominent. (The stock photo is of a NY & Co. dress, and I find it odd that two companies would put out such similar dresses.) I was drawn to the abstract print, and the asymmetrical slit; the dress looks work-appropriate, but with a twist. The material is that thick scuba-esque fabric that was all the rage last year, which … is interesting. I mean, I’m interested to see how it holds up to wear, and how it looks with my office wardrobe staples. And, in case you’re wondering, this brings my total dress tally to approximately one bazillion.
Linking up with Franish and the other budgeting bloggers, so get clicking you guys! Then come back and tell me how you did this month.
