Yesterday’s purple-ish, sparkle-y necklace with some interesting little details on each bead. I wore it with a pink top and grey skirt – a pretty color scheme I like.
Wearing a necklace every day may be the first New Year’s Resolution I’ve ever kept this long : )
Hope you enjoy your day! Can you believe it’s only Wednesday? I cannot.
I’ve worked in more casual offices the past few years where many of my colleagues wear jeans. Since I generally like to wear skirts and dresses, I sometimes struggled with how to dress up my jeans so I still feel pretty and polished without feeling shlumpy. Because after a few days of tights and skirts, it can be really tempting to go the all out comfy route and just do jeans and a t-shirt.
But I’ve discovered that I can, sort of. I feel like I’m getting the knack of dressing up jeans more and more. Without being fussy and still feeling comfortable, here are the main things I’ve tried to do when wearing jeans to the office:
1. Add casual jackets. I’ve re-purposed suit jackets in the past, but I’ve also picked up a few more casual separates too. Jeans and a t-shirt are pretty much ok with this added piece that adds some flair and polish.
2. Wear nice shoes! I like to wear nice shoes regardless just because it’s fun for me. But I definitely try to up the polished/statement shoe factor when it comes to wearing jeans. I like how my riding boots, for example, aren’t over-the-top fancy, but still become an understated focal point.
3. Throw on a necklace. Especially a bigger, statement necklace that can break up a simple t-shirt or sweater. In fact, I almost have an easier time wearing necklaces with my more basic shirts than I do some of my dressier shirts. I think it brings some visual interest and draws in a statement piece that isn’t necessarily an article of clothing but pulls an outfit together nonetheless. Plus, for me, it fulfills my New Year’s Resolution.
4. Add layers. This kind of goes back to number one. Sometimes I try to add a collared blouse under a cardigan or v-neck sweater to create more texture.
So overall, this has become a bit of my template when I wear jeans. The plain crew neck sweater seemed a lot more fun with a long multi-strand necklace, and I think the jacket added another layer of visual interest – and is great when the office can be either super hot or super cold! Of course, when the weather gets warmer, I’ll be making some tweaks.
How do you dress up jeans for the office or going out? In what ways do you make your jeans feel like part of a more deliberate outfit?
My outfit today is the reason I started my wardrobe project. I had been searching high and low for a navy blazer.
I was even thisclose to buying a really cute version from J.Crew after adding it to my list. You know, the one you keep of the things you say you need but mostly want, which then justifies purchasing them when someone, perhaps your husband, questions why you bought something you’ve been wanting for a while. If it’s on your list that makes it ok.
Anyway, this morning I was visualizing an outfit and thinking, “If I just had that navy jacket….” And then my thoughts progressed to what I could use based on what I already had, given that’s what I’m trying to do through my wardrobe project. And suddenly, a light bulb went off.
Lately I’ve loved pairing navy blue with purple. I think it’s a visually interesting color combination and it’s felt more fresh than pairing purple with black.
This long necklace is basically lots of dangly things in various shades of purple. Really technical there, right? I should probably figure out a better vocabulary for jewelry and such.
I paired a turquoise top with a navy skirt, since they were all in the blue family and then choose this purple necklace as my pop of color. It was a little chilly this morning, so I opted for my light brown jacket to bring a little bit of structure to the outfit.
What color combinations are you enjoying lately?
Even though my office is pretty casual, I’ve discovered I’m most productive at work when I feel like I’ve put some effort into how I look that day. Sort of the whole dress-for-the-job you want concept with a personal spin – because being successful is nice and if looking nice helps get you there, that’s just a whole lot of nice to spread around relatively easily ; )
Plus, with the weather still being hot and lots of errands to run after work, my outfit had to be practical. No high heels, no stiff jeans. Skirts fit my summer dressing vibe incredibly well.
I purchased the necklace in this outfit at Target at least four years ago. And I wore it a total of zero times. Seriously, zero. It’s surprising this necklace has survived so many closet edits.
On a whim, I put it on today to bring more personality into a what felt like a standard outfit. My tank top, skirt, cardigan combo could have been fine on its own, but had lots of potential for something more visually interesting.
I was feeling “bold” and put it on. I’m clearly not doing much else with it. It’s just seven little squares in different sizes and shades of pink. Totally not a big deal to most rational people who actually, you know, wear the things they buy.
I doubt this necklace will ever be one of my favorites. But I think it has some potential. As long as I wear it again before the next presidential administration, I think it counts as a win.
One of my goals is to wear more necklaces. I have a tendency to fall in love with a necklace, wear it a few times and then psych myself out of wearing my bolder necklaces regularly.
But, no more. This is one necklace I’d like to make more regular use of. I purchased it on our honeymoon in Argentina in an accessories store. I’m sure it was the South American equivalent of, like, The Icing.
But I feel like since it’s the Argentina version of an accessories chain, that makes it more unique. Unique-ish. At least in North America. Even if, you know, a bunch of teenage girls in Argentina are running around in this necklace.
Also of note, this photo was taken on a lovely Friday morning. It had just rained and the next round of heat hadn’t come in. It was a beautiful summer morning in Chicago. Those are rare and should be enjoyed as much as possible when they happen.
One of my challenges to myself is to re-purpose what I have to find more creative options in what I wear. These wedges were given to me by a good friend, former colleague and fellow size six when she did a closet edit. They’re classic black espadrilles that would work perfectly well on their own.
Ok, there are a number of things I love today in this. And they’re all incredibly comfortable and easy to put together for a nice, business casual look. For a short week, it’s definitely felt very long. I needed something reliable this morning.
Since I went the easy route in putting this together, I’d have to say my favorite part is my black t-shirt. This shirt it totally one of my wardrobe staples. It fits perfectly, I can add just about any accessory and it always makes me feel a little curvy but in a nice way. Not bad for a humble little Gap Outlet purchase 🙂
Do you have any basic pieces you rely on? What pieces do you pull out when the week feels long and you just need an easy, polished outfit to grab and go?
Ruffly & Sweet 