dotty, tees, and pencils

[wearing]
seventy: banana republic
pencil skirt: thrifted
heels: vince camuto
bag: madewell
necklace: forever21

[three things]
1. So, I think the last time I tried to pair a casual top with a pencil skirt the combination was much louder.  Like red foil print with leopard.  Whoa, nelly.  Who is this Dotty that wears that much brightness?  And she has really long hair too.  Weird.

2. Pencil skirts used to be my favorite thing to thrift.  This red wool one was definitely one of my best thrift finds ever.  (What's with all the references to my bright color-loving former self?)  I now prefer dresses over pencil skirts, but this charcoal one has survived many closet cleanouts by hiding amongst my wool dress pants.  Sneaky, sneaky.

3. I've been trying to wear heels more to work since my workfits have taken on a generally more casual vibe since my job switcheroo last June.  I also donated every single uncomfortable pair of shoes I owned when we moved.  So none of my oh-but-they-are-only-fifteen-dollars-so-it-is-okay-that-they-are-pinchy shoes made the move with us.  These heel/boot hybrids were a lunchtime purchase and I'm all about the cone heel and comfy elastic back strap.

dotty, saturday mornings, and summer scarves

[wearing]
dress: c/fan (similar)
scarf: target
sandals: gap (exactly)
tote: madewell (exactly)

[three things]
1. the slouchy dress, big scarf, and a big tote combination has been one of my favorites this summer.

2. and shortly after these photos were taken i was all stocked out on michigan-grown fruit and our dining room table has a fresh bunch of white gladiolus.  a few years ago when we lived in a shoebox, i used to buy giant flowers at the farmer's market and then they would loom over the couch all week.  #imposingflorals

3. why have i not worn this dress to work in awhile?  is it because it's a wee bit too short?

dotty, weekend pants, and baseball caps

[wearing]
pants: zara (similar)
tee: gapfit (exactly)
hat: j.crew
flats: chinese laundry (exactly)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)
sunnies: rayban

[three things]
1. i totally want to wear these pants every day.  i'm going to limit myself to wearing them one day/week to work, but weekends are totally fair game.

2. my hair was a little wonky from the night before, but you know what's great for that?  hats, man.  hats.

3. i really like how these shoes look, but i'm sorry they are still a little weird to walk in.  next time i should definitely find a pair with an ankle strap.

dotty, weekend shoes, and some more gray

[wearing]
dress: cos
trench vest: forever21
shoes: tom's (exactly)
bag: marc by marc jacobs (exactly)

[three things]
1. okay, so the only difference between this weekend outfit and the one i wore to work earlier this month is that i'm wearing comfy shoes.  and a different accessory layer.

2. i bought a new pair of comfy shoes after finding these when i was putting together my post about commuter shoes.  my last pair had developed unfortunate holes after being my default bicycling shoes for the last few years.

3. gray.  tan.  white.  that's my summer plan right there.

dotty, field vests, and a casual day at work

[wearing]
vest: forever21 (similar)
tee: cos (similar)
pants: vince (exactly)
shoes: chinese laundry
necklace: h&m (similar)

[three things]
1. i knew i had to spend the day doing some field verification, so i purposefully wore something with lots of pockets to carry around all my measuring+documenting tools.  fun fact: my two first words were snowman and pockets.
2. because i knew i was going to be out of the office and was going to spending time with more people wearing overalls than suits, i dressed accordingly.  i was not violating any dress code rules, but was definitely not dressed for meeting any clients.
3. i've bought two new vests this summer (the other one is white) and i think my vest collection is just the right size now.


(the "weekend" outfit post is over here)

dotty, triangles, and spikey shoes

[wearing]
geometric tee: gap 
jacket: mine (similar)
pants: j.crew (similar)
flats: steve madden (exactly)
purse: target
sunnies: ray-ban

[three things]
1. i wear gray v-neck tees a lot of the weekends, so this triangley shirt is perfect for mixing things up just a tiny bit.
2. this outfit is totes just a bunch of pieces that i've been liking lately plus some excitement about wearing a non-winter jacket.  eep!  
3. look at all those trash cans!  as it turns out our alley is actually meant for trash pickup, not outfit photos.  

dotty, my outfit process, and jackets

i've been cataloging all sorts of creative young professional outfits over the past year-ish and i've gotten some questions lately about how to transform a simple or casual look into something that's more professional.  so, here goes...


there's nothing wrong with some good comfy casual separates, but i've got to at least look like i'm not ready for an afternoon nap on the couch when i show up for work.


this is definitely the biggest step.  i've collected a slew of jackets over the last few years since they seem to always make outfits look more put-together.  


oversized pearl earrings and a clustered necklace add a bit of fanciness.


it isn't always practical for me to wear heels, but these medium height wedges are a good compromise between flats and need-to-hold-the-handrail tall heels.  


i end up putting my hair up around 3pm a lot of the time, but i like to at least start off the day with my hair down.  


well, there you have it!  this is pretty much how i get dressed everyday.  i start with something comfy that i want to wear and then dress it up so that i can wear it to work.  

[wearing]
tee: american apparel (exactly)
pants: j.crew factory (exactly)
jacket: h&m (similar)
flats: cole haan (similar)
heels: merona (exactly)
necklace: forever21

dotty, patterns, and a remix

[wearing]
jacket: h&m (similar)
top: club monaco (similar)
pants: zara (similar)
bag: j.crew (similar)
flats: steve madden (exactly)
scarf: souvenir (similar)

+
re-creating this tank+jacket combination from last june has been on my list for awhile and i finally got around to adding a whole bunch of red and a giant minty scarf.

dotty, magic shirts, and wool pants

[wearing]
shirt: forever21 (similar)
pants: j.crew (similar)
shoes: steve madden (exactly)
bag: zara (similar)
necklace: forever21

+
this shirt looks super casual un-tucked because it has a long back and is all flowy, but then bam!  it loses half its volume tucked in.  it's magic i tell you, magic!  

dotty, purple tweed, and leopard shoes

[wearing]
tweed jacket: c/o eshakti (similar)
sweater: vince (exactly)
jeans: old navy (exactly)
leopard loafers: candie's (similar)

dotty, remixing, and rusty bricky orangey

[wearing]
jacket: michael, michael kors (exactly)
top: joie
jeans: target (exactly)
leopard loafers: candie's (similar)
bag: zara

dotty, giant leopards, and skinny yellow belts

[wearing]
dress: soprano (similar)
belt: forever21 (similar)
flats: old navy (exactly)
giant bag: banana republic

dotty, collars, and innertubes

[wearing]
blouse: many belles down c/o swaychic (exactly)
skirt: club monaco
flats: old navy (exactly)
necklace: c/o swaychic (exactly)

+
i'm totally into this blouse and it's collar that is all doubled up and fancy, yet not uptight.  like if the queen of england was floating down a lazy river in an innertube.  or if...umm....that's really all i've got.