Category: style

Weekend Pink

J. Crew Dutch floral sweatshirt
Sweatshirt, J. Crew; tee, J. Crew Factory; pants, AE; coat, Winners; boots, Josef Seibel; bag, MbMJ

Weekends have been a little rough over at Casa J over the last few weeks. The kids have been sick a lot, my grandmother was in the hospital for a bit, and I had to work, work, work. With everything going on, there wasn’t any time left for doing much except surviving. If left to my own devices, I tend to allow myself to wallow like you wouldn’t believe, so I’ve been working on staying focused on the things I need to do, and the people I need to help, rather than the negatives. With that said, I won’t lie: it was really nice to get a couple of hours “off” last weekend to spend alone with my husband. We went on a non-date date, and it was lovely.

And I wore my joy-sparking pink coat because, well … see description.

J. Crew Dutch floral sweatshirt
sunneeeeee!

Admittedly, I didn’t get very good photos of this outfit (it was cold and time my husband’s patience was limited), but you get the general idea. After wearing this floral sweatshirt non-stop for while last year, I kinda forgot about it – I don’t even know how. Rediscovering it now (with joy, needless to say) made me remember that I had toyed with the idea of getting the pants version of this Dutch floral print. I need you guys to talk me out of it, because eBay beckons … and we all know how that ends.

J. Crew Dutch floral sweatshirt
in the pink

Pop Quiz

office outfit
Blazer, skirt & shirt, J. Crew; shoes, Manolo Blahnik (thrifted); bag Marc Jacobs

So, this is a pretty straightforward outfit, except for one question: black or white?

office outfit
white or black?

The white Manolos are so matchy matchy, you know they were my first pick. But then I started thinking that maybe they could be a little too “edgy” for a hearing (even a simple appearance on the peanut gallery). So I went with the “safe” black option …

office outfit
“serious professional” option

… and then changed back into my preferred footwear once I was back in the office. But I may have been in the minority with my choice. When I posed my “dilemma” on Instagram, the reaction was mixed, though mostly in favour of the black. What’s your take on it?

Leaving the all-important shoe question aside, can I just say: how nice does this celadon green pair with teal? It’s so … soothing. Maybe I’m just being swayed by my love for this pretty Marc Jacobs bag. With the whole serious-business-neutrals-with-a-side-of-neutrals approach I’ve been taking lately when it comes to my work wear, I’ve been using my neutral colour bags a lot more (surprise surprise) – which is a shame because it means less time for this beauty. Note to self: I need to find more opportunities to wear it.

office outfit
“still edgy” option

Blue & Tweed

office outfit
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.

office outfit
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
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.

office outfit
blue state