dotty, crisp white, and...well, a bunch of dots.

[wearing]
dots top: catherine catherine malandrino
jeans: vince
flats: vince

Since any "three things" commentary would mostly be about how I managed to successfully not impale any toddlers at daycare this week while unfolding Maddie's stroller or how baby food bananas smell really good, we'll go with a little more structure for today's post.

creative: This top seems like the prefect combination of pattern and texture.  And yeah, I like me some dots.

young: This is essentially just jeans and a white top, but the longer sleeve length makes the top a bit more serious.

professional: This was a Friday outfit, but it could have been another day of the week with no client meetings since my office is pretty casual.  (Or I could just swap the jeans for some gray dress pants.)

dotty, whitewashed, and monochromisity

[wearing]
dress: rachel rachel roy
jacket: banana republic
heels: charles by charles david
bag: banana republic

creative: All white instead of my typical all black.  (Monochrome still wins though.)

young: This dress is a smidge short for work, but for a day with no big meetings it's fine.  As long as I stay away from spaghetti and paintball guns.

professional: This is definitely a more pretty than professional combination, but it's Summer and I found two off-white pieces in my closet that work well together!

dotty, accessorizing, and an otherwise very boring outfit

[wearing] 
top: day birger et mikkelsen
pants: j.crew factory
heels: vince camuto
scarf: loft
bag: banana republic

creative: I'm wearing my industry's official uniform: black and black.  But I'm wearing fun shoes and a patterned scarf too!

young: Hmm.  Pink bag?

professional: The skinny pants+tunic top combination can look pretty casual and weekendish, but dressing it up helps a bit.

Find more posts like this one over here.

dotty, pineapples, and a pretty standard outfit combination

[wearing]
blazer: zara
pineapple print tank: zara
pants: wayf
loafers: gap


creative: I'm pretty sure this giant pineapple counts as my graphic flair for the week.  I really should have worn it on a day that I meet with the branding team.

young: There's elastic cuffs on the bottom of these pants.  And at the waistband too.  If I had paired them with a onesie this might be trouble.

professional:  I put on a blazer and some respectable shoes to turn my comfies into workies.  Like I always do.  I should note that I work in a jeans office, so I'm pretty much always more dressed up than my co-workers.  (Even when I'm wearing incognito pajama pants.)

Find more posts like this one over here.

dotty, fancy flats, and lots of triangles

[wearing]
cardigan: twelfth street by cynthia vincent (new version)
top: labworks for target
pants: silence and noise (sim.)
flats: j.crew
bag: phillip lim for target


creative: Triple patterns!  And all of them are triangle-ish.

young: About all those triangles...yyyyeah.

professional: Can pointy flats and a structured bag turn a comfy outfit into something more dressy?  Maybe on days with no meetings.

dotty, marble pants, adding heels

[wearing]
top: day birger et mikkelsen
cardigan: acne (sim.)
pants: zara (sim.)
boots: bcbgeneration
bag: phillip lim x target

creative: My pants look like marble.  They are a big hit with the interior designers at work.

young: I've seen some really awesome printed leggings around, but since leggings are not pants, these coated pants are super trendy AND have pockets.

professional: I got in a bit of a shoe rut this summer and wore black flats to work almost every day.  Wearing heels is such an easy way to make my usual skinny-pants-and-slouchy-top combination look more dressed up.

dotty, navy prints, and black tunics

[wearing] 
top: day birger et mikkelson
pants: silence and noise (sim.)
scarf: souvenir
shoes: bcbgeneration (sim.)
tote: madewell

creative: I'm mixing navy and black together again!  A navy print makes it a bit easier than a solid color though.
young: Slouchy fit print pants.  I really hope all the young kids are wearing these because they are crazy comfy.
professional: Heels and black.  In my office that's totally enough.

dotty, yogging, and comfy pants

[wearing]
jacket: zara
top: day birger et mikkelsen
pants: wayf (similar)
wedges: elie tahari (similar)
scarf: marc jacobs x target (similar)
bag: marc by marc jacobs

creative: There are certain types of "pants" that are questionable work attire.  (I'm looking at you leggings, sweatpants, and neon jeans!)  These fancy jogger pants wouldn't work in a lot of professional environments, but I work in an extra casual office where they are totally acceptable.

young: Elastic-waist pants can go way young.  Or way old.

professional: Wedges and a tweedy jacket definitely help these pants get dressed up for work.

Find more posts like these one over here.

jeans@work

+ 
I'm pretty new to this whole extra casual work environment, but I thought I'd put together some of my favorite tricks for looking put-together while wearing denim to work.


original posts: one, two, three, and four.


original posts: one, two, three, and four.


original posts: one, two, three, and four.


original posts: one, two, three, and four.

dotty, crop tops, and not really

[wearing]
sweater: vince
blouse: mossimo
jeans: old navy
flats: j.crew
bag: marc by marc jacobs

creative: Pattern/texture mixing!
young: Cropped sweater.
professional: These shoes make me feel like such a grownup.  And they make a delightful clicking noise in the concrete hallway at work.

dotty, abstract leopards, and geometric prints

[wearing] 
cardigan: twelfth street by cynthia vincent (similar)
dress: madewell (similar)
flats: old navy (exactly)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

creative: patterns!  two of them!  by lunchtime i was good with this bold(ish) mix of patterns.  on the way to the train in the morning i was still a bit wary of it.  co-worker compliments always help with this sort of situation.
young: trendy southwest-print leather-sleeved cardigan.  yeah, that covers it.
professional: neutrals, black flats...ya know, the usual suspects.

see more posts like this one over here.

dotty, grids, and black dresses

[wearing]
jacket: zara (similar)
dress: y.a.s. (similar)
tote: madewell (exactly)
flats: old navy (exactly)

creative: this dress has a mesh cutout at the top, but i layered a black tank underneath to make it work-ish.
young: the lattice on this dress is a bit trendtastic, but it's not neon, so i think i'm good.
professional: sometimes i find it funny how so many "creative" types just wear all black.


 

dotty, summer whites, and monster totes

[wearing]
top: labworks for target (exactly)
dress underneath: rachel rachel roy (exactly)
sandals: gap (exactly)
tote: madewell (exactly)
bracelet: h&m

creative: yay!  i found something else to wear this marshmallow top with.  seeing that it's the same color doesn't make this all that creative, but this top has been stumping me lately with all the pants combinations i've tried.
young: sandals.  (it's summer and i work in a casual office, so it's totally fine.)
professional: neutrals?  (well, that's everyday lately.)  a giant tote?  (this bag does tend to make me feel more important.)

dotty, ikat, green shoes

[wearing]
dress: banana republic (exactly)
scarf: merona (similar)
belt: h&m
bag: madewell (exactly)
cloggish shoes: target (similar)

it's been awhile since i've done a workfit breakdown, so here we go...

creative: ever since i got a little creative with my scarf+dress pattern mixing a few weeks ago for a music festival, i've been wanting to do something similar during the week.  two neutral-colored patterns at very different scales doesn't actually seem very crazypants.
young: these clog sandals.  they're not really very professional, but they're a bit dressier than flat sandals.
professional: print shirtdresses are quite possibly the easiest way to dress up for work.