The Secret is in the Point

In a pretty stark contrast with my outfit in the previous post, this outfit is all about the structure. The cut of the jacket, the fit of the skirt - they all balance each other out both in color tones - dark vs. light - as well as a rounded cut of the jacket with a pretty streamlined pencil skirt.

I went off the neutral play on this outfit once again - neutrals juxtaposed against a nice, solid black is so sharp this season, and it's a great way to adopt some summer into your wardrobe. I had a neutral-toned boxy top that I found in my mother's closet with a fun paint splatter design across the front in pastel colors. The colors on the blouse are light enough to not throw off the balance of the rest of the outfit. The jacket hits right below the waist with a rounded finish on the bottom, as you can see. It's an interesting cut, because the rounded cut offsets the slightly structured shoulders. The business air of the jacket seems to necessitate heels - I opted for a pair of pointy-toed shoes, but a pair of round-toe pumps would work just as well.

Pointy-toed shoes take a while to adjust to - not in the fit but rather in the idea. It took me to longest time before I was brave enough to go for a pair of pointy-toes. They just seemed so severe. They definitely mean business; you wouldn't really wear pointy-toed shoes to a dinner party (unless they were a slightly taller heel and slingbacks, possibly in patent leather. Then we could talk.) As I've come to own multiple pairs of such heels, I've come to appreciate them. Not only are they crisp (almost violently so, at times), they also help to visually elongate the leg with its shape, making you look taller. When you try pointy-toed shoes for the first time, though, be aware that they do extend a bit further than a normal round-toe should would: hence, the "pointy-toe." I definitely had some "toe-and-wall" contact a couple of times before I could better estimate the slight extension on my toes. Pointy-toed shoes can be great with trousers if done correctly - and don't be afraid to stray from black! A nude pointy-toed shoe can be one of the most flattering pieces for your legs.

Jacket: AnnTaylorLoft | Blouse: hand-me-down (mother's) | Skirt: AnnTaylor | Shoes: Ralph Lauren

Just go with the flow

This really simple airy black dress was different from most other black dresses for the office. While the knee-grazing length and the thick straps were dress-code appropriate, it was made of a lighter material and had some interesting pleating around the neckline. It's a great kind of dress that can stand alone without other accessories, such as a dramatic necklace or a belt. Additionally, with a dress this relaxed, avoid other articles of clothing that are structured or severe. For instance, I wouldn't recommend wearing pointy-toed heels - or even high heels, for that matter. It would seem to ruin the otherwise fluid flow of the dress with something that, in contrast, seems contrived and overdone.

The dress itself has some nice navy chiffon detailing on the shoulder. Navy and black are both base colors - you can pretty much wear any color with it. It is interesting, then, that they go so well together. Except for the risk of having a very dark outfit, the fact that navy and black are both so similar as well as normal base colors does not preclude them from matching. I paired the outfit with a layered navy headband for a polished and yet relaxed look.

Dress: Banana Republic | Headband: Banana Republic

Pomp & Circumstance

I've been dying to try out this new scarf that my mom got me for a while now, and today I finally mustered up the courage to go for it. Due to poor planning, though, I ended up having to google "how do i tie a scarf wtf" at 6 AM. Not fun. Thank goodness for Google. And thank goodness for the lovely people at Brooks Brothers, who posted not one but SEVEN (7) elegant, timeless, classic options for tying scarves! Too bad my scarf was one of the smaller square kinds, not that large ones that they were using in their demonstrations (sorry my scarf is so inferior, people!) .... so that failed pretty quickly.

Nonetheless, their professionally photographed step-by-step directions on how to tie their ginormouse head-scarf-things (for real? I want one of those!) gave me faith that I would be able to make something happen with my training wheels version. So, I continued googling, and I came upon this site, which was equally as helpful (though less well-photographed) and featured scarves that normal plebs like myself can afford. I went with the #7, the Butterfly Knot, because it looked relatively easy, and I like bows and miniature things like that. I had to try it a couple of times because the tag on my scarf kept sticking out (am I supposed to cut that off?), but it ultimately came out quite nicely! Here's a closeup:
I like the Butterfly Knot because (a) it was already 6:37 AM and I needed to catch a 7 AM train, and it only had three steps FTW and (b) it has a little twist from the regular "tie-and-go" kind of a style that seems to be most frequent with these kinds of scarves. When trying out these small, square scarves, you want to avoid looking too flight-attendant-y, and the way to do this is by picking unique colors and/or prints and going for a slightly different tie style. So google around (because google is awesome, like, a google times over), try out some different styles, and let me know if you find some that you like and that I should try out! I would have loved to fan out the scarf a little more and show off the print of this scarf (it's light pink with pale seagreen lining and white bicycles printed all over it! So fun!), but it looks so very bib-ish on me, and knowing my hand-eye coordination, it would probably eventually serve that very function at lunchtime, as well. But I've seen many a stylish lady rock that trend, so try it out for yourself and see if you like it!

I went with a lacy shift with a tan/neutral underlay and then a pale, baby blue cardigan and pale pink pointy-toe pumps. I was a little nervous to rock the scarf because it's pretty different, and I did end up taking it off halfway through the day - not because the scarf itself was a problem, but rather on further reflection, the scarf + lacy dress combo was just a bit too frou frou for my taste/for the workplace. I think if I had worn a plain black shift, the scarf would have worked out quite well - so, for now, scarves are still definitely a GO!

The pale blue cardigan still ended up working out quite well with just the lace shift sans scarf (the shift in itself is overpoweringly girly, so in retrospect it really didn't need dainty little scarf with it). Nonetheless, the dress is a bit short, and shift dresses have more give when you sit down, so unfortunately I will not be wearing this dress to the office again, but I'll save it for a day out with the girls!

Lacy Shift Dress: AnnTaylor Loft | Bicycle Print Scarf: Talbots | Silk Blend Cardigan: The Limited | Pale pink pointy-toed pumps: Cole Haan | Bag: Coach

Give Me Liberty

The day before the 4th of July holiday weekend - uh, of course I have to dress up and show my love for America! I mean, does it matter that I'm the only one in the whole office decked out in red, white, & blue, and three days early, at that? Of course not! America's awesome, people. George Washington was totally the man.

I promise the red stripes were a coincidence, though (and no, I didn't count out that there were thirteen. And white stars on a navy jacket would have been totally tacky. Seriously). The tank top is from a sweater set that my very fashionable aunt gave me, and it's made of this glorious stretchy summer-friendly material. It looks very Parisian vintage bathing suit chic, no? (I mean, the French supported the Americans in the revolution, right? So this is totally legit.) I think everything with red/white stripes is so Parisian - love it. I threw on a cropped navy jacket with oversized buttons for my "blue" - though my navy cardigan would have worked just as well. I like where this jacket hits - right at my waist, as it tops off pencil skirts quite nicely! With a boxy jacket such as this, avoid full skirts or pants. The boxy cut itself is a bit wider and shapeless, so make sure that your skirt or pants are well-defined - otherwise, your body will get lost underneath all that shapelessness! A well-planned touch of boxy, though, can be just the thing to offset some more curve-hugging pieces, so you can draw people's attention to just one area - after all, an ADD admirer is no admirer at all.

My red-toned metallic flats topped off the patriotic look! Yay America!

Tank top: hand-me-down (aunt's: Anne Klein) | Skirt: Banana Republic | Jacket: New York & Company | Flats: J. Crew | Bag: Coach

The Flora Expo

It was a beautiful day out, so I decided to add a bright splash of color to the office with this psuedo-psychedelic floral print T-shirt from Mango. I got it in Manhattan two summers ago when I lived in Union Square, New York, within walking distance of SoHo (which was an exceedingly dangerous setup for my bank account). I'm making an effort to explore the various neighborhoods of Chicago, some of which are quite fashionable, but I still don't think there is anywhere else in the country that is quite as chaotically soothing - or soothingly chaotic, depending on how you think of it - as that stroll (READ: frantic hustle) down Broadway south of Houston ("How-ston," as my friend patiently explained to me on the phone). (On a sidenote, I am VERY excited that TopShop is opening on Michigan Ave. in Chicago this summer/fall. I just hope that it opens while I'm still in Chicago, though I'm sure my parents are hoping for just the opposite...)

Because this top is so loud, I definitely had to keep the rest of the outfit understated. For some reason - maybe because the shirt had so much personality - I felt that a pencil skirt wouldn't do it justice, it just somehow wouldn't contain the loudness of the shirt. Instead, I paired it with this flowy, A-Line skirt that was my mother's in college. When my mom was in college, she was TINY. My hands could probably fit around her waist. (Kind of gross, if you really think about it ... Okay, now stop thinking about my mother's waist, please.) I love this skirt, but I definitely have to wear it high-waisted because the waist is so incredibly small. The good thing, I guess, is that the waistline is the only constricting part about it - this skirt is exactly one of those that flares out when you twirl around. When it lies flat, it makes the most beautiful hourglass shape - even if you don't have one! They really just don't make em like this anymore!

Top: Mango | Skirt: Hand-me-down (mother's)

New Heights

As per the last post, here are the four-inchers I was telling you about. They're slightly angled round-toe pumps (from Target!), with a small platform and then a four-inch heel. The black patent-leather is a very young look, and it's a pretty strong statement when combined with the killer heel, so just be careful. The small platform is subtle, but it makes SUCH a difference in a shoe, so if you go for four-inch heels, try to go for ones with a little platform under the toes, as your feet will be thanking you afterwards. The reason for this is because you get the extra height, but the incline between your toes and your heel is not a true four inches but rather, say, three and a half inches. This makes a difference on the balls of your feet (the little padded area in between your arches and your toes - ladies, it's the part of your foot that kills after a night out dancing in heels). So, if you're short and need the extra height like me, try a small (0.5-inch or less) platform under your toes for a little bonus height boost! Anything more than a 0.5-inch heel is too Spice Girls - and there's a reason why they didn't go for a desk job. (Sporty Spice was always my favorite, I was never a big fan of those 1-inch platform shoes ... I always wondered if they would be able to walk on water with those things, considering the foam-to-weight-ratio. idk.)

In debuting these shoes, I opted for pants (!). (This is actually kind of a big deal because I went all last summer without wearing one pair of pants to work. Not one. This was due to two factors: one, the heat in the summer, which just makes pants unbearable - boys, I don't know how you do it! and with a tie! - and two, because they say that the power suit for women is the skirt suit, NOT the pant suit. I'm not sure why this is, but it's a curious thought, because it seems to go opposite the notion that women have to be more "masculine" to succeed in the workforce, something which I dislike deeply but have trouble totally rejecting. For an interesting commentary by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook on women in the workforce, check out this inspirational Ted Talk that another very inspirational and successful woman told me about. Ms. Sandberg was also this year's commencement speaker for Barnard College.)

Instead of going for full-length dress pants, say, from my suit, I went with these cropped pants for a couple of reasons: (1) they're more casual than the dress pants and more in line with the dress code at my company, although there are plenty of women who do wear full-length pants, (2) to emphasize the shoes in a subtle and appropriate manner, and (3) to further play up height and make it seem like I'm taller than I am. The trickiest thing about a pair of dress pants is that, if they happen to be just the wrong length, it can wreak havoc on your outfit. Dress pants that are even a half an inch too long look frumpy and are also a hazard to walking. Pants that are slightly too short simply look like you've outgrown them. These cropped pants are great for the summer but still completely appropriate for a business casual workplace.

Cropped pants: Tommy Hilfiger | Blouse: Brooks Brothers | Shoes: Target

these rules were made to be broken

The weather out today was so beautiful, I couldn't help but take advantage of it by dressing in happy pastels! When people think of pastels, they usually think light blue, a silky lavender, or maybe a pale yellow. Easter colors, basically. This pale, pastel green is so fresh, and the soft ruffles complement the color. The cardigan is made of a light, silky knit material, so it was comfortable and not too bulky, leading to a polished office look. When buying a cardigan for the office, make sure to check the fabric to make sure that it's not scratchy and that it doesn't pill easily (those annoying little furballs that crop up on some cardigans ... yes, I know the cardigan might look GREAT in the store, but I've seen one girl's mustard-yellow cardigan end up in little wool balls all across her black dress. Unless you're okay with carrying around a lintroller at all times, stay away!)

I knew that, if paired with other complicated pieces, the ruffles on the cardigan could be a bit overpowering and frilly, so I went for a simple and crisp rest of the outfit with a white pencil skirt and white tank top. Dressing monochromatically also makes you look taller. It presents a cohesiveness and elongation based on the repeating colors. You can simulate this effect by just throwing a cardigan over a full shift dress or, in my case today, wearing a simple skirt and matching tank top or T-shirt in the same color.

I paired this outfit with a pair of pale pink pointy-toed kitten heels. Because this pencil skirt is just a little bit on the shorter side, I didn't want heels that were too high. I usually say that the skirt should not be more than one inch above the knees, but there can be some give. For example, if you're short, you can get away with a bit of a higher hemline, as sometimes skirts that hit exactly at the knees look a bit dowdy on you. For taller girls, on the other hand, sometimes even an inch above the knees is too short. Because your basically have more physical leg that is showing because you're taller to begin with (damn you), be very mindful of your hemline, and it's best to stick as close to the knees as possible.

There can be some give and take with the shoe pairings, as well - for instance, in the case of my outfit today, my skirt was a bit on the shorter side, so I offset it with smaller heels. If I had a skirt that hit a bit lower (right at the knees), I might have opted for higher heels. I usually say 2-3 inches is an appropriate height for the workplace, maybe 3.5 inches. However, as always, read the signals from your own office. In my office, for example, I've seen many a women who have sported the 4-inch stiletto in a tasteful way. I even bought a pair of 4-inch heels for myself (!). So, while I used to hold steadfastly to the 3.5-inch-and-below-only rule, my perceptions are changing based on what I've seen to work for others in my office setting. I think that, as long as you wear them like a businesswoman and not a stripper, you can get away with it. This is achieved by being especially conscious of not pairing it with skirts that are slightly shorter (even by a centimeter!) or tight clothing. I *do* hold steadfastly to the 4-inch rule, though ... any heels that are more than 4 inches belongs in the Red Light District, not Wall Street.

Cardigan: Ann Taylor | Skirt: Banana Republic | Tank top: Banana Republic | Kitten Heels: Cole Haan