a printed pencil skirt.

george button-down {thrifted/similar}

j crew factory skirt   ·   mossimo wedges {similar}

happy monday!  i'm starting the week of wearing this fun, brightly colored floral skirt -- honestly, i've never met a j crew/j crew factory skirt i didn't like, but i tend to browse their sites and wistfully add items to my cart more often than i follow through with making a  purchase.  i'm not sure what led me to j crew factory a few weeks ago, but there was a pretty reasonable clearance sale going on with this skirt, plus i had an extra percentage coupon from my birthday and money in my paypal account, so i took the plunge to add a new printed pencil skirt to my collection (and this lovely blouse).

my only gripe?  the skirt is unlined!  (and i'm annoyed i didn't pull it down before i took this picture, oops).  i wore a slip, but it still bunched up around the hem where the slip didn't reach as i walked due to the friction against my tights -- grr!  this won't be that big of a deal during the summer if i wear this skirt without tights, but i'd expect a skirt originally priced at $85 to be lined.  i'm willing to see past that since it's already in my closet and has been worn - and i love the colors.  have you found a solution for unlined skirts?

june 27th {easy stripes}

merona top, bottom, and shoes

i haven't worn this skirt in a while and was looking for something easy to pull on this morning, so instead of thinking too much about it i just threw on a coordinating navy oxford.  or maybe i didn't have time to really dream up a better outfit as i spent all last night reorganizing my closets.  i picked up this double closet rod from bed, bath, and beyond yesterday {what a compliment that one of the employees that i was purchasing it because i'm heading off to college... nope, i'm just a 30 year old with a small closet!} and hung it in my bedroom closet with all of my skirts on the lower rung {they were previously hanging out in the hall closet with my shoes}, and i think it will really help me to better see what skirts i have and pair them with the tops that are hanging right above them.  i really recommend this item if you have a small little closet like me--so far it hasn't fallen down, anyway, so it can definitely hold a lot of weight!  i might have to update my closet tours posts soon as i'm pretty happy with how my hall closet, which is quickly turning into the shoe closet, is looking these days!

thanks for visiting!

january 14-15 {blah}

is it just me, or do you get discouraged with getting dressed and posting to your blog if you have an outfit or two early in the week that were misses?  this is what i wore on monday and i felt so incomfortable in it all day.  i was thankful to be holed up in my office all day aside from one quick meeting with my boss so i didn't have to see anyone!  what's wrong with it? 

i wanted to bring in another color and immediately thought of the magenta pumps on the left i got at target over the weekend.  i have a goal this year to add more colored shoes to my closet and was willing to take the plunge at $14.98.  they're my normal size, but something about the hidden platform and higher than high heel made them incredibly uncomfortable and pinchy.  i was thankful i wore flats into the office and carried these in my bag to change into and didn't wear them outside as they were promptly returned.  i wanted my shoes & necklace to match, but even though i have a lot of accessories, i am still missing certain colors of necklaces.  the necklace is more red/coral toned and my eye can immediately pick out that my shoes and necklace didn't match as well as i would have liked.  finally:  the button-down is another boy's shirt from the goodwill, donated target stock.  it fits but it's still a bit baggy in the sleeves and of course the sleeves are too short length-wise so i had to roll them up so it didn't appear as if i had shrunk the shirt in the dryer.  the cut and fabric of the blouse also feels more casual paired against the full, girly skirt.  maybe i should stop buying little boy's shirts?? 

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here's what i wore on tuesday--i love this skirt, but the sweater is too tight and showed too many lumps.  i tried the tank-top trick over the button-down so the buttons didn't press through and show through the sweater, but it just made for too many layers and i couldn't get them smoothed out.  maybe i also have bad posture!

let's chat / do you share your "outfit fails" on your blog?  what are your thoughts my outfits so far this week?  you can be honest, seeing as how i've already pointed out all of the flaws i see!

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 {standby}

eddie bauer button-down   merona skirt

merona mari heels   simply vera wang necklace

standby / please standby for more regular posting on this blog.  my parents are in town visiting right now and so my time has been spent cramming in as much time with them and other family members as i can, sewing up a storm with my mom {we have three projects going right now and are taking a trip to a giant fabric store today}, and, oh yes, still going to work.  this outfit is definitely a standby for work - a printed skirt whose colors lend themselves easily to be matched with simple tops in my closet when time is lacking to come up with anything more creative.  i have a feeling this is going to be a long summer - i hope i can find some different combinations of skirts & tops in my closet to keep it interesting!  i hope you all are doing well!

thursday (repeat)

 old navy v-neck sweater   j crew striped button-down {thrifted}

banana republic martin fit slacks {thrifted}   mossimo virginia heels {thrifted target stock}

i had another day today as i did yesterday, so enter client uniform again.  i really enjoyed reading what a few of you shared with me in yesterday's post about how you dress for your different work days, i like knowing that there are a lot of us who aren't just throwing on an outfit to make a good blog post or highlight on "on trend" item but for what our day requires us to be doing.

this has felt like an awkwardly long week for me so far, with so much going on and so few resolutions.  i guess that's the nature of my job, though... we're always working on something and sometimes there's only a short period of stability until a major event happens that needs to be managed.  it keeps me on my toes, though.  have a great rest of the week!

edit:  at first i titled this post WEDNESDAY and in viewing my blog after publishing the post i realized... wait.  it can't be wednesday, this is the fourth time i've posted this week.  i guess i can retract my earlier statement and now exclaim, tomorrow is friday!  yay!

wednesday (eden)

mossimo sweater   merona collection eden skirt

xhilaration rosette bow flats {thrifted new}  simply vera wang necklace

this might be one of my favorite outfits that i've worn in a while - i love this time of the year!  i love having a little bit of a runny nose in the mornings because the temperature is so chilly (really!).  i love warming my hands around my coffee mug as i drive into work.  i love the refreshing feeling that something is starting anew.  and i love tights!  have a great evening!

wednesday (happy)

my coworkers and i skipped out of work a bit early this afternoon to have a happy hour together... and it was definitely a happy couple hours.  as accustomed as i am into my daily rotine, it was a nice break for fellowship with my coworkers.  it gave me a different perspective of them as women and friends and i'm excited to go into work again tomorrow... we work hard but we have fun, too.  have i mentioned before that i'm a part of an awesome team?

this blouse always feels a bit "fancy" to me (shiny=fancy).  yet another merona goodwill find.  it's a nice teal color, that would be more apparent if i knew how to work the white balance on my camera!

weekend (surgery)

i love shopping for jewelry at kohl's.  they have a large selection of everything from costume jewelry to more expensive-looking pieces.  plus, there is always a ton of clearance. today i snagged four pairs of earrings and two necklaces for $8.01, including this lovely simply vera/vera wang necklace (it was $1.70).  unfortunately, it was oddly long (see top picture, it was to the waistband of my jeans!). so i had to come home and do some jewelry surgery.

i'll share a few additional snapshots from my little weekend tomorrow.  ♥