This post was inspired by a request I received in an Instagram DM to talk about styling 5 basic work staples. My first reaction was “hmm, but my staples would be so boring”; to which, the response was “yeah, but that’s the point: how do you make those interesting?” And that is a good question. I don’t know if I do manage to make my outfits interesting, but for the purposes of this post, let’s assume that I do. Cool?

The other necessary caveat to this post is a quick line about context. Obviously, my 5 staple pieces (as well as the ways in which I wear them) are influenced by my lifestyle and personal sartorial preferences. This isn’t intended to be a “one list fits all” type of exercise. One of my pet peeves is the recommendation of white button-up shirts as a working wardrobe staple; for a variety of reasons they do not work for me, yet they always seem to turn up on every “classic items you MUST own” list ever written FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHYYYYY. Don’t get me started on wrap dresses. Anyway, I hope my post won’t trigger the response in you … it’s a mileage may vary situation all the way.

Work Staple #1: Black Trousers

Look, I told you this list would be boring. I am only delivering on my promise. In all seriousness, I seem to spend almost half my working life in trousers, and they are usually black. I have tried both solid coloured (non-black) and patterned pants, but I always end up going back to black as my first preference and default. This is simply a function of my preferred outfit formula; I prefer colourful tops and/or toppers paired with neutral (i.e. black) bottoms.

I used to love the super skinny, ankle crop pant silhouette made popular by styles such as the Sloan from Banana Republic, or the Minnie from J. Crew.

As my style has shifted, I have come to prefer a slightly looser (though still slim cut and cropped) silhouette in a less stretchy fabric (crepe vs. ponte). My favourite pair is from Aritzia, and while I don’t know the specific name (it’s probably an older, discontinued style), I think they currently have a few versions in stores that would work for me, should I need to replace mine.

At the risk of stating the plainly obvious, you can do a lot with black pants, styling-wise. My typical outfit formulas are black pants + top + blazer and black pants + sweater

Nothing groundbreaking here. Visual interest comes from the “add on” pieces (tops, blazers, sweaters). In the first example above, the blazer has really unique sleeves; it’s also impeccably tailored, which immediately elevates any outfit. In the second example, the sweater has interesting lines and movement to it. I often play around with different textures, especially if I am doing a monochromatic outfit.

As a sidenote, with any outfit, I always consider my accessories. I have moved away from colourful shoes (which is always an easy and fun way to inject personality into an outfit), but I do still wear jewelry most days. I have pared down a lot in this category, though, so most of the time, I pick one item – and make it a statement. So, for example, large statement earrings. Or a stack of bracelets. Or a chunky necklace. I rarely wear two accessories, unless they are both very subtle. And sometimes, I don’t wear anything at all, if I am aiming for a truly stark, minimalist look. It comes down to intention. I assess the outfit in the mirror, and think about what feeling/mood/message I want to convey with it. Accessories are the final piece (whether present or intentionally absent) that tie it all together.

In addition to the above formulas for wearing trousers, one of my emerging favourites involves layering. This is a theme you will notice elsewhere in this post. To wit:

Obviously, the focal point with these outfits is NOT the pants, but they do provide the supporting foundation. These types of looks are definitely on the non-conventional side, so they are not for everyone, but they represent the avant-garde edge of my personal aesthetic. I am still exploring that territory for myself, so I don’t have any “how to’s” per se, but the point here is to encourage you to experiment for yourself, and explore the possibilities of traditional pieces used in non-traditional ways.

Work Staple #2: Black Midi/Maxi Skirt

I used to be a devoted fan of pencil skirts, but have abandoned that silhouette in favour of the midi/maxi – purely for aesthetic reasons, don’t yell at me. Again, black is my default here as well. I have a few iterations: some with pleats, some with side slits, some knit, some cotton, you get the idea. In my experience, styling these is a different matter than styling a pencil skirt. The waist is the focal point when wearing a pencil skirt; for me, the midi is all about the vertical line. I have a couple of formulas I alternate between:

Work Staple #3: Black Turtleneck

I think we have established that black is the backbone neutral of my wardrobe, but why a turtleneck? Answer: I live in climate where the air hurts my face for about 6 months out of the year. Turtlenecks are eminently practical. They keep me warm, and they extend the life of other pieces in my closet – dresses in particular. To be clear, I actually have 2 staple “black turtlenecks” in my closet: a double ply cashmere one (worn on its own), and a thin, cotton-blend version (used primarily for layering). Both are slim fitting, and I emphasize that because finding the right turtleneck is key, and not as obvious as it may sound.

Worn on its own, a black turtleneck is a great aesthetic choice if your sartorial preferences lean towards the “wannabe architect” side of the spectrum, as mine do. I have a relatively small bust, so the neckline works just fine for me; if you’re more well-endowed, I’ve heard that your mileage may vary on that. Again, I do think that finding the right weight fabric can make a big difference. I personally don’t like chunky and/or ribbed turtlenecks, even though I love chunky knits in general – but in turtleneck form, I find them suffocating.

As a layering piece, there is nothing I haven’t tried sneaking a turtleneck under or over. (If layered OVER something, you will need a heavier-weight turtleneck, obviously. That’s why you probably need at least 2 in your closet. If you’re into turtlenecks, that is.) To wit:

Let me also take a moment to sing the praises of the black turtleneck maxi dress. I have two of these, and I love them. I actually don’t like black dresses in general, and rarely wear them … except for this particular kind. It’s basically a combination of two of my favourite staples: the long slim skirt, and the turtleneck. It’s a no brainer! These dresses are wonderful canvases for all your craziest layering experiments (again, if you’re into that sort of thing).

Work Staple #4: Statement Topper

As long-time readers know, I have a bazillion blazers. Some are plain/basic/classic/insert-your-preferred-nomenclature pieces whose purpose is to complete an outfit without drawing attention to themselves. You need those to balance out other statement items in your closet, be they tops, dresses, skirts, etc. [Sidenote: doing head-to-toe statement pieces is certainly a “lewk” but I think it’s very much an Advance Fashion move that is probably outside most people’s realm of day to day style. Hence my preceding statement.] But a good chunk of my blazers are what you might call attention-getters. This works for me for the following reasons: I live in a cold climate and work in an AC-ed office, so I typically need an extra layer; adding a topper is a more “business-y” way of accomplishing that goal, and I personally prefer wearing blazers over other types of toppers (such as cardigans).

But whether we are talking about blazers or some other kind of topper, having a few pieces that can add visual interest to an outfit is an easy way to give some extra oomph to your outfit. The bonus is that you have the option to de-oomphasize your outfit at a moment’s notice – just take off the topper.

Lately, in addition to blazers, I have started to explore the possibilities of the Long Sleeveless Topper. I know we are treading “niche style” territory here, but I’ve personally found these to be very versatile.

This leather Sarah Pacini vest is one of my current faves:

I also have a more blazer-like version from Zara:

And I recently picked up a knit version (also Sarah Pacini):

Because they’re kinda unexpected, these toppers don’t have to be fancy; the statement comes from the lack of sleeves, and the overall proportions. I like to throw them over anything and everything – pants, skirts, dresses, you name it.

Work Staple #5: Denim

I’m actually not a huge fan of wearing jeans to work, but it’s become a fairly conventional option given the popularity of casual Fridays. As potentially un-edifying as the rest of this post might be, please note: I have absolutely nothing groundbreaking to tell you about wearing jeans to work. I prefer to wear them with blazers, if only because I can then control my level of warmth AND formality throughout the day as needed. If I want to be extra fancy, I might throw on a vest, like so:

In dressing up jeans, if you are looking for an alternative to a blazer, you might want to consider a scarf, especially if worn with/over a sweater.

A word on scarves. I typically don’t mess with silk ones because (1) they’re slippery and hard to keep in place (unless you’re a scarf ninja in which case, more power to you); and (2) they can be tricky to style. Blanket-type wool scarves tend to read as too casual, so I would discount them from this particular conversation. Personally, if I want to “fancy up” an outfit, I go with a fine knit, long, rectangular scarf with some (but not too much) volume – something like a pashmina. I would choose a print over a solid colour, because you can get away with a less expensive (lower quality) material in the former case – prints are more forgiving in that sense. I have been known to pin brooches on my scarves, but I wouldn’t do it if I was wearing jeans; the brooches would be too “fussy” for my current taste in that scenario.

So there you have it: my current work staples. I toyed with the idea of including the Sack Dress into the mix, but decided not to push my luck (and your patience). But, honestly, Sack Dresses are the bomb.

Pic

Let’s debate in the comments

Layers Upon Layers

I didn’t do any retail shopping over the “Black Friday” weekend, but I did a little thrifting – per usual – and found some cool things – per usual. That included these Sarah Pacini over-the-knee flat-heeled boots. They are not only cool, but also more comfortable (and, hence, practical) than my high-heeled pair of OTK boots. The shaft of the boot is made from some kind of nylon-like material, which gives it an interesting “sock shoe” vibe. You can always count on Sarah Pacini to be a little bit different from the usual. Her pieces always push me to think outside the box. This outfit came together through my quest to show off these boots; I just kept piling on layers over my shortest dress to make it wearable in the winter-ish weather. [It wasn’t actively snowing that day, so it technically counted as “fall” in Edmonton.] I really dig the result, especially the light neutrals-with-a-hint-of-lilac colour palette. In contrast …

Lady Goth

Continuing my recent trend of goth immersion, I present you the outfit I wore to my FIL’s surprise birthday party. I would say this is more “rocker” than “witch”, but the more time I spend in online fashion forums, the less meaning any of these labels have. I just like to wear black a lot, yeah? Also, this COS tunic/dress thing is awesome. I found it at My Favourite Aunt’s (local consignment store) and I can’t locate a stock photo online, so I can’t tell you the style info unfortunately. It’s like a regular sweater layered over a silk shirt dress … except it’s all one piece! I think this one has a lot of possibilities for work, so I can’t wait to take it for another spin.

Here’s a peek at my accessories:

Professor Chic, Revisited

Both my husband and my BFF said that this outfit made me look like I was headed to a tenure interview, and I have no comment on that. If dressing like a (stereotypical) professor is wrong, I don’t want to be right. With the exception of the shoes, all of these pieces are relatively recent, and I love how they came together here. Black, brown and dark olive might not be a colour palette that sets the world on fire, but it definitely floats my boat.

I love the details – elbow patches, contrasting collar lining – of the Zara blazer, which belie its fast fashion origins; I have the same one in a different colour (camel) and the quality is great. Both are made from lambswool and have a little extra tag on the inside lapel to that effect; if you run across one of these at the thrifts, it’s worth giving a second look.

The AllSaints sweater is a men’s (I’m 90% sure) and, for lack of a better word, it’s really dense. Like, no wind is ever gonna penetrate that weave. [That sounds a little more suggestive than I intended, but oh well.] It’s warm as hell. Which is why, even though the temperature hovered around zero Celsius that day, I didn’t need an actual coat. It’s a bit itchy, so I layered a thin, cotton long-sleeved top underneath.

The skirt is Babaton from Aritzia, and it suits my current obsession with maxi skirts perfectly. It’s slim-fitting without being too body-con. It’s made out of some kind of knit, which has a fair bit of stretch to it, and is a pull-on style; like pyjamas, except work appropriate. I believe the style is called Johan, though stock photos have it looking a tad shorter on the model.

Here are a few other ways I’ve done “professor chic” in the past.

I have been obsessed with Dries Van Noten for a while; he’s a master of beautiful prints paired with interesting and unexpected silhouettes. As much as I continue to love colour, I find prints somewhat of a challenge now. Anything that might read as “cute” or “twee” is automatically out; on the flip side, clothing pieces that speak to my aesthetic often seem to come in neutral colours or solids. DvN and Marni are, off the top of my head, the two best known design labels who pair my preferred aesthetic with bold colours and prints. (There are probably others, and I welcome all your suggestions in the comments.)

To go back to the former, I know there are many others who are devoted to DvN; his pieces have relatively high resale value on eBay, The RealReal, and so on, and they rarely turn up in thrift stores. The latter fact pains me. In all my years of thrifting, locally and overseas, I have only ever found one DvN piece. The drive to find more is, no lie, at least 50% of what keeps me going back to thrift stores as often as I do, considering that my wardrobe needs, well, nothing.

Most recently, in addition to my general obsession with scoring a “Dries” – any Dries – I have an added and very specific reason to scour the thrift racks. It all started with this inspo pic I found back when I was researching my style avatars.

This, to me, is the epitome of chic. I love the silhouette, the dimensions, the balance between restraint and exuberance. Later, I went back and figured out this outfit was part of DvN’s S/S 2018 collection. As I began to do more research, I quickly fell in love with all iterations of this idea:

The skirt:

The dress:

The blazer:

The problem with hunting for something this specific, exclusive, and recent is that the chances of finding it secondhand (in Edmonton) are pretty slim. Possibly f*cking none. Online, they have been popping up with some regularity on eBay and TRR in the months since I started my search, but the prices are if not downright prohibitive, then certainly second-guess-inducing. For example, the lowest price I’ve seen for the skirt was over $400 CAD, not including shipping and customs. I pondered that listing for a long time, by the way; in the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to spend so much on a single item that isn’t a MaxMara camel coat – not in the current economic climate, and not at this stage of my life, anyway.

But being responsible sucks. I still loved that skirt (and dress, and blazer) and couldn’t stop thinking about it. And so, with all apologies to Mr. Van Noten, I began looking for an alternative. A DIY alternative, to be precise.

After all, how difficult could it be?

Well, not easy. This is the genius of Dries Van Noten, master of print mixing. He makes it look easy, but finding two completely different patterns that create a perfect, unexpected-yet-brilliant, beautiful pairing is hard AF. I looked for suitable scarves in clashing-but-matching, bold-but-not-gaudy patterns for months, with little success. I was almost ready to give up, and go back to stalking the real thing, when I came across this Echo scarf at Swish, a local vintage/consignment boutique.

This one came with print-mixing already baked in; I liked the contrasting patterns both individually and together, and while neither was as interesting or unusual as a DvN print, they were pleasing to my eye. The scarf was also large enough to drape nicely, and to create a sufficient amount of “drama”. Unlike the scarves used in the DvN skirt, it was not silk; however, since I didn’t have a silk skirt to pair it with anyway, this wasn’t a problem. The cotton twill actually worked better with the wool skirt I initially planned to Franken-Noten.

I was all set to attempt the deed – trying to figure out how the original piece had been sewn together from the stock photos available online was DAUNTING, y’all – when another lightbulb moment occurred.

Why make a skirt when I could make …

… a belt! A scarf belt that could be used interchangeably with various other pieces in my wardrobe – dresses, skirts, pants, you name it. Genius! And so much easier to DYI!

The only thing I had to do was source a stretchy black belt from the thrift store. I had a couple of similar belts at home already, but they each had embellished closures that I liked and didn’t want to sacrifice. I decided to look for something with minimal hardware – basically, just an elastic band with a couple of snaps, that could ideally adjust to several widths (my natural waist and something closer to my hips). After a couple of weeks of searching, I found a likely candidate:

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Crap quality, but it otherwise fits the bill. I had planned to sew the scarf to the belt, but when the time came, I couldn’t bring myself to do it; instead, I safety-pinned the whole thing. To get the drape, I laid the scarf flat in diamond configuration, then folded down the top corner about 1/3 of the way. Like so:

The top (flat) part is what I ended up pinning to the belt. I don’t have a picture of it, but it was easy enough to do – trust. Because I didn’t want to secure it too much (to avoid permanently damaging the scarf), it does need to be adjusted a bit every time it’s put on, but this isn’t too much of a hassle.

I tried my contraption first with a blazer/pants combo, as in this inspo pic:

Then, I tried it with a skirt:

As a DYI project, I think this was fairly successful, in that my belt scarf functions as intended. I do think the scarf is a distant second best to having an actual DvN patterned version, but (thrifting) beggars can’t be choosers. The thing that surprised me was that I felt a little bit … well, self-conscious wearing these outfits. Like, maybe having a scarf attached to my hip is where my enthusiasm for the avant-garde meets the limits of my willingness to draw attention to myself. I like these outfits in principle, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to wear them out and about – say, at the office. And this made me wonder if, had I splurged on that $500 skirt, I would have felt the same. Could it be that I just saved myself $500 worth of regrets? Possibly. I have noticed that, while my Dries stalking continues (online and IRL), my lust for the scarf pieces has cooled significantly.

I haven’t decided yet whether I’m going to attempt to test out my DYI project in public, but I’m psyching myself up for it. If you’ve gone through a similar experience – falling in love with a more avant-garde piece, only to realize later that it might be somewhat outside your actual comfort zone – I’d love to hear about it.