White out!

I love white out. Actually, I love whiteout tape. Best office supply ever.

I guess I must be inspired by it, because I I dressed to match it twice last week!

That first outfit, I thought up a couple days before my wedding, but didn't have a blue skirt. However, when I found this denim number, I knew it was how I'd debut it!

Weird thing about the skirt, though, no button. No zipper. No hooks. No Velcro. You pull that baby on and hope you don't gain any weight or you'll have to cut it off!

The long and short of things

Now that was a busy and relaxing long weekend, and now we find ourselves in the generally accepted "summer time". As we approached this weekend, I noticed hemlines creeping upward. Naturally, the minute the snow melted, there were half a dozen girls every day traipsing through the city in their booty shorts. I hope my hemline creep was more subtle, professional and above all else, age appropriate. This last week, I pulled on a pair of capris

These were followed by a pair of bermuda shorts (for Tropical party day we had on the Friday before the long weekend).

I contemplated the appropriate length of shorts the previous weekend as well. I didn't actually wear one leg down and one leg up. I took it to be able to cover up one side at a time to see which I liked better. (For these? I like it shorter. A narrower short, I like longer).

Should it stay or should it go?!?

As I said on Monday, it's getting easier to weed through my closet. However, there are still item where I go: "Hmm... stay or go?" This shirt is one of them.

I love the colour. I love the subtle stripe stripe detail. I love the stretchy comfort.

I'm ambivalent on the neckline.

I'm not crazy about the fit (it's big)

But what bugs me is that the elastic in the sleeve has gone. Only on one side.

This item is on probation - out the door the minute I've got a bright colourful well fitting one to replace it!

Fix as we go

 I had two outfits this week that I loved... in theory. In practice I liked how they looked, but how they worked in a day -to-day setting, well, the needed some work. Fortunately, neither was was so bad a few office supplies couldn't fix!

I love this sheath dress. It's the best purchase I've ever made. I love how adaptable it is. This outfit isn't that different from how I've worn it before, but I thought the addition of the patterned tights with the boots worked really well. It must have worked well - one person who I feel isn't warming up to me as quickly as I like at work gushed over it.

The downfall? I went to remove a paper jam from the copier, and caught the tights on my boots and ripped a giant hole in them. I could have cried - I love these tights! Since the gaping hole was above my hemline, I didn't need to quickly strip off the tights in the washroom. I just needed to make sure they lasted the rest of the day without the hole growing any larger. My solution? Our envelope adhesive! On average, I send out about 20 envelopes a day. Licking is not going to happen. And those "just add water" sticks? They never work. These are a combination of glue and water, perfect for a strong seal (always necessary when you are sealing transcripts!). Of course, they are perfect for sealing holes in tights too!

I pinned an outfit like this from one of Taylor's boards. I felt pretty confident in it, despite the fact that a man at the bus stop commented it wasn't my usual look, it was certainly "different". Of course, he also told me I'd hate my job and it would be a long haul to retirement if I stayed there. I now assume the opposite of whatever he says (one month in and I still love my job to pieces). And it did give me an excuse to wear the necklace my parents brought me back from their recent trip to Maryland/DC/Virginia

What didn't work? These shoes just don't fit right. I had blisters by noon, even with wearing my nude fishnets. I knew they'd start bleeding soon enough, so I stuffed kleenex in the toe, and managed to make it through the day.

And the stapler? I don't know. I just thought a third thing looked good!

Star Light Star Bright

I love taking a colour palette and playing with dark and light versions of it. This week, it was blue and green.

I started off last weekend with this outfit, and loved it. All day. And wanted to wear it the next day. I think it's the bright/light colours are just so fresh this time of year. I didn't quite do the "light" on all the colours, as I felt that the darker cardigan added some needed contrast.

Contrast came easily with the dark version! I had seen a girl wear a very similar outfit the week before - only with a plaid trench, and bare (but incredibly tattooed) legs. I went with her flat oxford look, but when I walked past the mirror just inside our apartment building door, I decided I would have liked the outfit better with my black riding boots.

EBEW: Nautical

We had some friends over Friday, so the night was a bit later than anticipated. Saturday morning, when I was supposed to be pulling together my EBEW outfit, was rough. In order to make it into work on time (I had an enticing offer to do some overtime), I threw on clothes that matched, and didn't necessarily fit with the theme. Instead, it meant coming up with an outfit for Monday that fit the naval theme! To me, there is nothing more naval than wide legged pants, striped shirt, and some bright red.

And how fitting - it was a super rainy day, and the puddles were so big, it wasn't hard to imagine that my bus was actually a boat!

Some of my other nautically themed outfits:

Time with my Genes

First of all, thank you for all the great  discussion on yesterday's post. Wednesday's always feel like: "Oh, I don't know what to talk about" and then they always result in such interesting feedback. They're now my favourite post of the week.

But today is Thursday, and that means clothes!

My weekend was filled with family from my sister picking me up from work on Friday to watching The Good Wife with Scott on Sunday. It was good, after a busy week at work, to pull on jeans.

Causal Friday is even more vague than business casual, but again, I feel pretty confident in my ability to navigate the murky waters.

It still feels a little odd on Casual Friday to come home and change into something more casual - but I love jeans and a hoodie way more than sweaters and dress shirts when it comes to playing board games and drinking my sister's beer.

I'm hoping this next outfit came out quirky - I have never done the exposed sock before, but it met with some derision from my sister... and my parents... and my not-yet-formulating-full-sentences-niece. However, I am struggling with choosing shoes for skinny jeans in a no-longer-winter-not-yet-summer season.

What do you think? Too bright of sock? The whole sock thing too weird?

Drawing on old favourites

It's exhausting choosing outfits 5 days a week, without being able to resort to jeans and a sweater. I've been trying to return to old favourites - to varying degrees of success.

I loved this look originally. I thought I could make it a little more "cold spring day" and it loses all my interest. In fact, I'm thinking this shirt is nearing its last days.

I like subtly starting to do non-traditional colour mixing. It really wasn't that hard going from a trouser jean to wide leg black pants

And again, fancy-ing up another favourite.

And finally, I did a play on what is still one of my favourite outfits from last year

Business Casual

I was told that there was no official dress code, but general business casual attire was accepted. There is no term that confuses people more than "business casual". To me, the traditional business casual attire is dress pants, dress shirts, and sweaters. So for my first week of work, I wore exclusively dress pants, dress shirts, and sweaters.

Day one, I went with a ruffled collared dress shirt (not properly shown in photo), a shawl collared sweater (new, stolen from my sister), and a blue on black pinstripe pair of trousers. I really hope that they look better in real life than in the photo. Since I knew I'd be walking, I went with conservative black, casual wedges.

Day two, I started pattern mixing, which was a bit strange for me. I don't do a lot of pattern mixing at the best of times. However, I went with a collared green and white shirt with a glenplaid trouser that reads as a solid. I topped it with a black cardigan, and bottomed it with a very quintessential oxford with the twist - a heel.

I even ended off the week with trousers, collared shirts and sweaters! I had seen Cori of La Petite Vie wear a similar outfit and immediately filed it in my inspiration. It was the perfect opportunity to navigate the even more vague "Friday" of the "Business casual world". I felt so confident in this outfit, calling it the "Business casual three piece suit".

Casual Days

Source: the-other-emily.blogspot.com 

via Cara on Pinterest

I pinned this outfit a few weeks ago. I loved how effortless it appeared. Of course, once I threw it together, I realized how much work it takes to make something appear effortless. There was folding and pulling, and stretching... ugh, it took forever and a half. Certainly didn't think it was worth it - I only went grocery shopping.

The outfit and the event did provide the opportunity to test drive my new oxford flats. I find church is a good time to try out outfits, but grocery shopping is great for breaking in shoes - long enough to know if/where they'll pinch, but short enough to avoid drawing blood.

And while I dress up for the grocery store, I dressed down for my last unemployed day. It was a hilarious balance of shopping and playing with my niece... as in doing both at the same time. I tell you, Home Outfitters is an amusement park when seen through the eyes of a 17 month old!

How to: Dress for an interview

After a decade in post-secondary studies, April has always been a time of transition, whether it was from one degree to the next, or from class into a summer job. And finally, like so many others, I am finally leaving my student status behind - and starting a *paid* career in post-secondary schooling. Since I've had a number of interviews over the last few months, I thought I would compile a basic: "How to get a job - without losing your style"

Professional / Corporate Interview - Traditional Suit
I'm all about climbing the corporate ladder, so I have 3 or 4 suits. Lately, my black pinstripe one has been my favourite. Red with black seems to be classic power colours, but adding a brooch, or a scarf can help make you feel a little more "you".

Professional Interview / Corporate- Separates

 
If you can't afford a suit, don't despair. There are many ways you can pull separates together. The key is to stick with a colour palate with one pop of colour. I also strongly suggest including one vest, blazer or item in tweed.

Semi-professional, creative, or second interview

I still advocate using structure, but you can certainly show more personality in these situations. While you do have more freedom with colour, don't go overboard. Keep "odd" colour combinations (like the wine and the orange) separated by a neutral.

While I've arranged the pictures from most to least formal, remember its always best to be over dressed than under dressed. If in doubt, go for the suit with a nice blouse under it - if you show up and feel really overdressed, you can always remove the jacket.

More downtown adventures

You know what's fun? Downtown adventures. You know what isn't? Downtown adventures BEFORE stores open. On a cold and snowy day. I traipsed through the skywalks and the underground concourses, only after discovering the library wasn't even set to open for FOUR HOURS.

If I would have known I would be discovering the mazes (it was fun, I wouldn't have just wandered blindly to kill time), I would have worn better shoes.

But nonetheless, I'm glad I dressed based around outwear again. Even when I got home, it was out of jacket and into blankets. Brrrrrr.I chose a shirt that had a cowl for some additional warmth - but I should have gone for a scarf. And a toque. I did remember mitts though!

This is how we do it

If you follow me on Twitter, (or Facebook, if it still steals my tweets), you'll remember I had 2 interviews last week. Despite having different titles, and being at two different organizations, it was for essentially the same position. It was interesting to note the differences between the two, as it provided me the opportunity to compare the organizations without different details of the job getting in the way. And really, what I've learned over the years that positions can change, but the company stays the same.

It was a cold day, so I knew a jacket was necessary. Of course, once you have to contend with a jacket, the traditional suit is pretty much out the window as I only have one or maybe two blazers that fit under my early spring / late fall jacket. Next best option? A vest!

I'm still not in love with my eShakti dress (now being certain it is a size to big, all over... and totally not good enough quality to justify taking it to a tailor... Mom, do you want to give it a try? Even just the skirt portion so I don't have puffy hips?), but I decided to go with it. The ruffled neckline doesn't work well with a blazer, but I like how it pops out of this vest.

I also had the opportunity to have a second, more casual interview at one of the organizations, over coffee. I scoured the internet for advice on how to dress, but I either found information about "second interviews" or "coffee interviews", and never both. Since I knew it was going to be grey and chilly, I decided to start with a blazer that fit under my coat. From there, it was easy to pull together! (But I may have removed the bow from my Shabby Apple dress to wear it with a blazer. I kept it, and will stick it on clips, so I can wear it with so many outfits!)

While I had very good reason to believe after Friday I would be offered the job, I finally heard back officially two days ago. Starting April 16th, I'll finally get my career underway! Wee! I can't wait to get back into my business tweeds!!

Analogous Colours

I still check the Academichic website any time I'm playing with colours, especially looking at what I called their "scarf tutorials" where they explained different colour combination types using scarves, like their post on triads and analogous colours. I miss those ladies like you wouldn't believe! While I now colour mix much more boldly, whenever I do something new or different, I still check to see: "what colour combination am I wearing today?"

I wore this outfit to hang out with my niece while her parents took in a hockey game. I recently took these jeans in on the sides to tailor them to my shape a bit better. Their fit was all right to begin with, but my beloved grey jeans are definitely too big, and I didn't want to try the tailoring on them. These teal jeans were only $1, so I wouldn't be too upset if I ruined them. Fortunately, they worked out fabulously!

Even though I'm still a "lady of leisure" I find that I'm boring of casual clothing, so while I had envisioned this week's posts to have one picture-filled-casual-post, and one picture-filled-professional-post, you only get one outfit in today's post.

It's about time

When we were in Regina, we noticed 2 friends, who had started getting close just before we left, were SIGNIFICANTLY closer 7 months later. We met up with them, and a few other friends, for supper while we were back. While some of us continued the night elsewhere, the couple respectfully bowed out. You see, Friday nights are their date nights, a ritual they hold dear.

Scott and I have tried, many a time, to hold a weekly date night, but SOMETHING always comes up. We're not very good at it. One regret I have is that I decided against stealing the idea from Meredith (from Boss Report, formerly known as Yours, Mine and Ours: "We count dates later on in the year as presents. Like make a coupon for a specific date idea and cash in on it later on" ), for Scott for Christmas. It's much easier to observe date night when you have ready-made plans.

And that's where my parents come in. They have season tickets for the local theatre (I feel like I'm demeaning it, especially since it was recently give royal assent, or whatever you call it), and they offered us tickets for a weekend when they had alternate plans. Since they drive in from out of town, they do attend the matinee, so we got all fancied up and rubbed shoulders with the early dinner crowd. It may have been an early date, but it was still a date!

Does the outfit look familiar? Maybe you when I pinned it over on Pinterest. Or maybe, you saw the gorgeous Emily from Tinfoil Tiaras wear something very similar last week for her birthday dinner!

Indoor Outdoor

The weather is kind of going crazy here. Like shorts and tanks to winter coats in a matter of days. As a result, I felt like I had to re-learn how to do dress to impress in all kinds of weather.

I had to do some typing and clerical testing for an job for which I hope to interview. Since the testing was being done by a third party, I knew I could likely get away with showing up in any thing, without it implicating my chances at the position. But I also knew better than that. For those that weighed in on the defense-dress, you'll recognize the outfit. I initially ruled this outfit out because it was too short. It certainly wasn't as bad as I thought. And really, it pulled together the secretary vibe of the whole situation, too!

A day or two later, my sister and I embarked on a cross-city mission of vehicular shuffling (also known as picking my parents' car up from the airport, since neither of us were good enough daughters to chauffeur them at 4 am). It was a grey day, so I decided to go full on colour!

All right, I didn't actually make it out the door in this - it was far too cold to be barelegged. I swapped out the skirt for my grey skinny jeans.

Both outfits relied on black jackets. Say what you will about expressing personality through outerwear, I do love my basic pieces. Particularly, the leather jacket from the first outfit is possibly the most handy jacket I have, since it dresses up and down so easily!