the interviewee.

old navy button-down   ·   xhiliration blazer {thrifted}

limited skirt {thrifted}   ·  merona milena wedges

so, yesterday i had an interview.  it's been over three years since i have interviewed so i admit that i am out of practice as evidenced by the chain of emails i had going on with my dad about discussing salaries, but i suppose i could also be out of practice with knowing what to wear.  i get kind of annoyed at the standards in place for interview wear.  maybe behind my quiet, introverted exterior is a rebel within me!?  of course it depends on the company, the position, and culture of the work environment but i don't think a black suit, white button-down, and string of pearls needs to be standard interview garb nowadays... maybe if i were interviewing to be a lawyer or for an upper-level management position? 

i tried to strike a good balance between remaining true to my personal style while ensuring i would be taken seriously with what i decided to wear.  i knew i wanted to incorporate some color and i think the skirt added some interest too despite being grounded by the black tights and black shoes.  of course, this is how my fashion-inclined mind interpreted my outfit... who knows what the interviewer thought or if she even cared what i was wearing -- it was a friday, after all, and she was wearing jeans!

what are your thoughts on interview-wear these days?  do you lean toward the traditional route or do you feel it's okay to wear anything that could be defined as "business-casual"?

get the look:  similar blazer / similar button-down / similar skirt / this season's wedges

august 12th {confidence & risks}

merona eden skirt   ·   old navy crepe shirt

merona emma flats

i've wanted to wear this skirt for a while but it's a couple inches shorter than i would prefer so in my closet it sits until winter rolls around and i can wear it with tights.  for some reason it didn't get pulled into rotation this past winter, but now that i have this bright magenta shirt that matches perfectly i thought again about how much i want to wear it.

i've talked here & there about taking clothing risks; despite knowing what silhouettes you like and  work time after time, there's always room for growth.  i may never wear skinny jeans & booties again (probably never) and i may never again belt a flowy blouse instead of tucking it in... but at least i did it, made it through the day, and gained an inch of confidence as a result of trying something new.

from about middle school through grad school i never wore shorts, skirts, or really anything shorter than capris.  i became self-conscious about my bigger calves right at the worst time of a young female's life--adolescence and the onset of high school--and unfortunately it was something that stuck with me until about four years ago when i was helping out during a summer school program that took place in an extremely old school building with no air conditioning.  in a desperate effort to gain some relief from the heat during the day, i wore a skirt.  and you know what... no one looked at me like i had sprouted two heads.  if anyone made a comment inside their head, i didn't hear it.  (as an aside, kate wrote something along these lines here that is worth checking out).  so, i continued wearing skirts when i began my first job out of grad school.  and since then, i feel like there's been no turning back.

it's funny to look at my archives (2012, 2013) and see that during the spring-fall months i wear a skirt nearly every single day.  maybe i'm making up for lost time?  i'm certainly still not completely confident with my body type or my weight, but i've reached a much more comfortable level and i think it's important that i continue to take risks & share them with others. 

and yes, i realize looking at this picture right now that this skirt looks no shorter than the other target skirts i own (it is, i swear!) and the length likely wouldn't make anyone look twice... but for me, i'm glad it is something that i am now wearing without thinking twice about.  writing this post helped, too, so thank you so much for reading and visiting!

july 30th {hot pink}

o​ld navy crepe blouse · old navy scarf 

j crew skirt {ebayed} · predictions karmen heels 

this is another blouse i ordered recently from oldnavy.com that i got in the mail yesterday. it just felt too easy to pair it with this coordinating scarf and skirt (there is hot pink & this light gray in the scarf if it's hard to see). my only regret is that i didn't iron the blouse first. it has a lovely sheen to it that just amplifies the wrinkles. i'd like to think i'm pretty good about ironing (in fact, i love to iron) so any wrinkles you see in my pictures are a result of sitting for almost eight hours at my desk, but i have to admit that i was this wrinkly all day long. at least the scarf kind of draped over the front of it to mask most of the wrinkles, right? have you scored any good deals at old navy lately? they are becoming my go-to store for colored button-downs!