One of the joys of buying this Simons top was the prospect of pairing it with this Zara skirt. I love the silhouette – and I think it loves me back.

Of course, I had to add my red pumps to the mix, at least on this first go-around (I’m sure this isn’t the last time I’ll be wearing this combo) because I can’t help the matchy-matchy. But then I got a little bit stuck on the bag. Red would have been overkill (plus my red bag is a different shade from my shoes), and I felt like my teal-ish blue YSL would have been “blah”. Ultimately, I went with this neutral “stone” Marc Jackbs tote (ancient but still going strong – suede lined vintage MJ bags are my addiction) in lieu of a white or cream bag, which I currently don’t have, and I like how it all came together. With that said, this would be a hard outfit to mess up – not with two such great pieces as its foundation.

Sooooooo … I wasn’t a fan of this outfit. This is going to be a little bit difficult to explain. I think it actually looks very nice in the photos, and I think it worked in real life as well. The colours are flattering, the silhouette is beautiful (we all know how I feel about this Zara skirt), and it all looks nicely put-together. So why this face:

It just wasn’t comfortable. Having two layers tucked in made the outfit feel (if not look) bulky and fussy. And then there was the cardigan aspect. I used to love cardigans, but I’ve been gravitating towards blazers lately as they feel more professional, and I’m wondering if that also influenced my feelings about the outfit. It all felt a little … too girly. I’ve been doing the retro red-lips-and-big-waves thing lately (I blame Taylor and Lana, by the way), and while I think it can work at the office, it requires dialing down the girliness factor of everything else – i.e. the clothes.

In other news, I’m still obsessed with Rimmel Color Rush lip crayons, and have bought a bazillion new ones. Including my new favourite red; it’s much easier to apply than my old go-to (the Stila Stay All Day lip gloss/lacquer/whatever) and it has pretty decent staying power. If you haven’t’ already tried these crayons, what are you waiting for? Go now! Thank me later.