wednesday {thrifted}

 

a tagless blazer of unknown origins {thrifted}   ·   calvin klein skirt {thrifted}

isaac mizrahi blouse {thrifted}   ·   merona milena wedges {thrifted target stock}

 

one of the quickest realizations i came to when i started thrifting a couple years ago is that hey, i can put together pretty great outfits from my thrift store of choice (the GW).  this was especially timely for me as i started my first professional job a little over two years ago after obtaining my master's degree.  up to that point i was a jeans-wearer 7 days a week, which is just the way i was used to dressing since high school and into college.  i owned a few pairs of dress pants and what could pass as dress shoes, but i never had a reason for dressing up and certainly didn't have anything in my closet that could guide me into a workplace environment, no matter how casual.

 

i am sure many of you guys have similar stories to mine.  i found that the basics i wished to fill my closets with could be found within the racks of donated clothing, and this avenue has worked really well for me to build and expand my professional wardrobe.  sometimes it doesn't always come through - i can't tell you how long i've been looking for a basic white button-down at the GW.  i have several white blouses that i wear regularly as layering pieces, like the one i'm wearing today, but i'd like a plain, fitted, long-sleeved white oxford shirt.  the ones i see at the GW are never that appealing or in good condition.  since my hunt has been going on for so long and it's still a piece i wish to have in my closet, it's time to perhaps purchase this item new.   however, i've been able to find plenty of other great closet staples and wardrobe basics at my local GW.  this skirt is one of my recent faves - a solid navy pencil skirt in a classic cut and work-appropriate length that will never go out of style.  this tagless blazer is another new addition from my haul on sunday and i think it also has longevity.  it's been really fun to have such success in thrifting and i hope that i can continue to encourage other people to give thrifting a try.  goodwills and thrift stores usually have pretty solid missions and give back to the communities that provide them with donations and there's a big part of me that appreciates that too.

  

i'm curious: how did you begin to build your professional wardrobe when you began your career?

tuesday {rebellious}

the limited skirt {thrifted}   ·   old navy perfect cardigan  

thrifted necklace   ·   merona milena wedges {thrifted target stock}

 

rebellious / the heavier, tweed-like texture of this skirt gave me pause for a moment, thinking that it might only be appropriate to wear in the fall or winter, but i'm breaking it out a few months early!  let's all be rebels with our seasonal clothes, shall we?  lately the temps inside have been tolerable enough to wear longer sleeves or heavier fabrics and i can get away with it on days like today when i do not have any appointments or home visits scheduled outside the building where i'd be running back & forth to my car and to my office building.  i don't normally gravitate towards black & white prints, but i liked the unique texture of this skirt and for a few dollars at the GW it was worth trying something a little different.  are there any fabrics that you only wear during certain parts of the year?  i have a mustard colored corduroy skirt that i didn't wear at all last year because it just didn't feel right to wear in the summer and soon enough fall and winter passed by too.  i'll have to remember to wear it during an early fall day.  thanks for visiting!

monday.

handmade (by me) skirt   old navy cardigan
mossimo wanda wedges   target belt & necklace

my weekend wasn't as relaxing as i usually expect my weekends to be.  sometime between saturday night & sunday morning my car was stolen.  i almost didn't flinch when i learned this.  i think i've done a good job at balancing emotion in times of crisis since i deal with it so often with my clients at my job.  homelessness, shut off utilities, hospitalizations, volatile family members... i know what i need to do (usually), questions i need to ask, and how to start to work on a plan to get through those situations with my clients.  it's still far from easy, but i think it helped me remain detached from the emotion involved in this situation that was about me.  i called the police, my insurance company, my dad.  my sister drove me around our area with hopes of finding my car abandoned in the mall parking lot or by a bus station.  i thought i could outsmart the criminal and anticipate where it might have been left, but it could be across the river for all i know or still conveniently being used for someone else's transportation.  for now, i have a rental car bill to boot and an ear attuned to my cell phone for some hopeful news that just isn't ringing.

life is so hard for not just some people... but for all of us.  i know how privileged i am with the resources & education that i have tacked on to my faith that gets me through everything, always.  but life is still hard and leads us to do things to get us through or to help us feel like we can get a little more even with the systems we have to work within/against.  sometimes i don't tell the cashier if one of the coupons i use is accidentally scanned twice and more is deduced from my total than should have been.  for someone else, it's stealing a car that is easy to unlock, is in good shape, and has a full tank of gas.  so who is the judge of our transgressions... not me.  so i'm letting this go.  and still getting dressed in outfits that i feel great in.  thanks as always for your support & visiting, it means so much to me... especially on a day like this when i need to feel connected to something that i really enjoy doing--this blog, rather than ruminating and wondering and feeling sad (and mad). 

keep holding on
all i got is holding on these roses
the thorns keep on digging but my soul believes, please {trs}

tuesday.

isaac mizrahi for target scallop blouse {thrifted}   nicole by nicole miller blazer {thrifted}

handmade (by me) skirt     mossimo vassie pumps {thrifted}

merona leather belt {thrifted target stock}   forever21 short beaded necklace

even though i really like prints and outfits with color explosions (hello!), i'm also enjoying putting together more subdued color combinations and just letting one part of the outfit pop.  today it was these printed shoes, so i kept my jewelry pretty simple with the neutral tops.  i think tan & pink go really well together and i really liked the overall effect.  thanks for dropping by!

tuesday (punchy)

handmade (by me) skirt   old navy cardigan

isaac mizrahi for target scallop blouse {thrifted}
lela rose for payless finsbury pumps   forever21 belt

this is the fabric i thrifted last week that i wondered how it would transform into a skirt.  all i can say is that it's punchy and a little vintage and i love it.  i think i will wear almost anything that is colorful and has a fun print to it.  still, sometimes i have to step back from that and think about how others might analyze my outfits - i can't imagine anyone i encounter in my day-to-day life would know what a fashion blog is or understand that for "us" it's no big deal to mix patterns, wear chunky necklaces outside of a blouse, belt scarves, etc.  i love how much creativity i've developed from seeing one person try one of those above looks and thinking, "i am going to do that too."  i think my propensity towards color and boldness has come out of that confidence.  and i definitely have not always been this way so directly or indirectly, thank you for being an inspiration!

isn't it amazing how one little punchy piece of fabric can lead me into this output of insight and appreciation?  hopefully many of you out there know what i mean!  thank you so much for dropping by!

wednesday.

 

 merona cecila skirt   isaac mizrahi scalloped blouse {thrifted}

old navy cardigan {thrifted}   mossimo valonia pumps {thrifted target stock}

i was really happy when i realized that i had another cardigan in my closet that matches one of the colors in this skirt perfectly.  for me, having skirts like this in my wardrobe that i can easily pull a coordinating cardigan on with makes obvious sense, but i still get to have some creativity with it by focusing on different colors.  this outfit couldn't have been easier to throw on & i felt great in it all day.  have a nice evening!

monday (seeing double)

 isaac mizrahi scalloped blouse {thrifted}   merona cardigan

handmade (by me) skirt   american eagle flats   f21 belt {thrifted new}

i actually wore this outfit on friday, but since i'm out of town this week i thought i would wait and post it today.  did anyone notice that i have already made a skirt out of this same fabric, just with a blue print?  no one?  okay, good.  i guess i was drawn to the print but didn't even realize it until i brought this piece of fabric home that i already had it!  that just goes to show you what a fog i can get in when i am roaming the fabric racks at joanns, especially when there is a major sale.  my stash is getting pretty big though, so i either need a full week off to do nothing but sew and/or i need to think of some other simple sewing projects i can make to work down my stash.  any ideas for me?

tuesday (heated)

 isaac mizrahi for target white scallop blouse {thrifted}   banana republic full skirt {thrifted}

merona mackenzie cork wedges   target necklace   target black belt {thrifted new}

so, i work in a small, one room office with four (sometimes 5) women who don't like to turn on the noisy a/c window unit, so the purpose of my outfit today was simple - floaty, full skirt, short-sleeved shirt, open-toed shoes, minimal jewelry, and hair up.  i know many people have the opposite problem in their workplaces (frigid a/c they have no ability to control), but trust me, this is worse.  does anyone have any good tips for battling these types of issues with their coworkers?  the killer is, the a/c unit is in my corner but i feel so guilty wanting to turn it on.  well, here's to hoping tomorrow is cooler!

today is day 2 of freckles in april's 21 day challenge: tuck it in.  i promise, the white shirt i'm wearing is definitely tucked in!