Category: style

Like an Architect

Banana Republic Sloan check pants
Pants, Banana Republic; sweater, J. Crew Factory; necklace, J. Crew; shoes, Manolo Blahnik (thrifted); bag, Mulberry (via consignment)

“You look like an architect” was the first (and only) thing my husband said when he saw this outfit. He would know: he has a Master’s in the subject. [Edited to add: my husband happened to look over my shoulder when I was writing this post, and he MADE me add this link as the addendum to his earlier comment. He seemed to find it highly amusing. Humph.] Now, this wasn’t my intention in putting together the outfit; in fact, I wasn’t aiming for any particular style statement. I had spent the previous day in bed dying* with the stomach flu, so my focus was simply on getting dressed and getting to the office, period. Black and white seemed like the safest choice for looking put together without a lot of effort and the maximum of comfort. And it worked. Because, while people could deduce the state of my health psyche from my general demeanour, they seemed to find the outfit perfectly fine.

Banana Republic Sloan check pants
the details …

I don’t know if I could wear black and white every single day, but it’s a nice change of pace for me. In fact, after watching the video that amused my husband so, I’m thinking I may need to find a pair of pants with a bigger black & white check print, for added visual impact – maybe even a windowpane print? I know I’ve seen them on other bloggers, so they were probably super trendy for about 5 seconds 6 months ago, but … yea or nay? How do we feel about black & white print pants, peeps? [Say that 3 times fast, I dare ya!]

Banana Republic Sloan check pants
arty … or, should I say, archy black & white

* perhaps the tiniest of exaggerations.

A Spot of Leopard

3.1 Phillip Lim blue silk pleated dress
Dress, 3.1 Phillip Lim; blazer, J. Crew; shoes, Ann Klein; bag. Mulberry (via consignment)

I feel like I’m cheating a little bit with this post, because my outfit is more or less a straight repeat – minus the shoes. I basically wrote this post because of the shoes. Now, I have to confess that my choice to pair leopard print with this dress was not original; I was inspired by one of the stock photos of this dress I found online. Does it work? Ye …eeees. I think that, from a purely aesthetic perspective, it’s a nice, unexpected pairing. For my office, though, it may be a little bit too edgy, shall we say.

3.1 Phillip Lim blue silk pleated dress
still digging this

Nobody at work commented on the shoe-dress combo, mostly (I think) because everyone is still quite taken of this dress. Each one of my bosses has, at this point, commented on how nice it is. Some people might argue that, in a conservative professional environment, this is a double-edged sword; that having your clothes noticed and commented on – even in a positive way – detracts from your professional standing or whatever. I … don’t agree. I mean, I wouldn’t want my work attire to raise eyebrows, but I’m confident enough in my abilities (and my professional reputation) to not be afraid that a little flair in my wardrobe choices will undermine my perceived competence.

And, hey, I did wear a black blazer. That’s the epitome of corporate chic, right? Right.

3.1 Phillip Lim blue silk pleated dress
a case of “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”

Something New, Something Old

Banana Republic Sloan ankle crop check pants
Shirt, Equipment; pants, Banana Republic; blazer, J. Crew; belt, J. Crew Factory; shoes, Stuart Weitzman; bag, MbMJ

Sorry, I hope you guys are not sick of this Equipment blouse yet – I seem to be wearing it a lot this month. But, look! The pants are new! I’ve been stalking the Banana Republic website on the lookout for Sloan pants on sale. I was drawn to this pair because (a) they were under $70; and (b) the check print almost looks grey from a distance. I figured that would make them more versatile. I think I was  … right. Right?

Banana Republic Sloan ankle crop check pants
check, please!
Banana Republic Sloan ankle crop check pants
OK, I’ll stop with the puns now

I don’t normally buy pants online – hello, asking for trouble, my name is Adina! – but I recently tried on the same pair (in a different colour) in store, and knew exactly what size to get and what to expect fit-wise. These pants seem a little more prone to wrinkling than I remember from my old black pair, but it may be simply of function of the colour/print making the wrinkles more visible. Regardless, it’s not quite a deal-breaker for me.

Here’s a close-up of the print mixing, because this blog can’t have enough upside down shots of my lower half, I guess:

Banana Republic Sloan ankle crop check pants
mmm, mixed printy!