Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Today's outfit came about because of a couple constraints I had based on my day's schedule. I had to start the day in jeans because I was part of some top-secret filming wherein I needed to look like a student. After the filming, I was going to change into a more professional teacher outfit, so as I considered that outfit, I wanted it to be something easy to pack and change into at school. Thus we have this ensemble:

The shirt here worked well as a casual top with my jeans for the "student outfit," but transitioned well to the nicer outfit later. It's important to remember that casual cotton tops can be worn as part of professional work wear, but they need to be carefully paired with more structured, formal pieces, like this tailored pencil skirt.

I'm wearing the same sandals as yesterday, and I will admit that I wish I could have come up with something different to avoid that repetition. But to be honest, I felt that these were the best options to match the outfit while looking nicer than ordinary flip-flops, and they really are quite comfortable too.

The bracelet is mother-of-pearl, and the necklace is a glass starfish that my BFF bought for me on vacation. She bought it because she knows orange is my favorite color, and I don't often think to wear it, but it was perfect to bring out the orangey-coral stripes in the top.

Tomorrow is a blue-and-gold-day, so get excited for JEANS! For today, however...


Get the look for yourself:
Shirt - Target; similar here.
Skirt - Target; similar here.
Shoes - DSW; similar here.
Bracelet - Target; similar here or here.
Necklace - Gift; similar here or here.

Case of the Blues

I don’t know about all of your morning habits when it comes to waking up, but I am one of those people who absolutely needs “snooze” time. My alarm is generally set for about an hour (sometimes more) earlier than I need to get up, because I need about an hour (or more) of time to hit the “snooze” button and go back to sleep. Alarm, snooze, sleep. Alarm, snooze, sleep. And etc.

Eventually, I do wake up and force myself out of bed. Depending on how tired I am, sometimes that point comes early, but sometimes it comes about four “snoozes” later than it should have, and then I am in a mad rush to get to school. During those extra “snooze” minutes, I sometimes try to make up the time by planning my outfit for the day. “I can sleep longer,” I tell myself, “if I use this time to plan exactly what I’m going to wear when I do get up.” You can imagine how often I make good use of this time when I’m clearly exhausted and half-asleep. (Hint: It’s very close to never.)

This is what I did this morning, and by the time I actually rolled out of bed, I was not only already 20 minutes behind schedule, but I still had no idea what I was going to wear to school. Reaching into my pants drawer, I found a number of pairs of wide-leg pants, but it was way too soon to do that look again, since I just did it on Monday. Moving further and further into the drawer, I eventually came across this pair of fitted boot-cut navy pants:

I opted for a monochromatic look, pairing a neutral white ruffled tank with a bright blue cardigan. The two blues in the pants and sweater are far enough from each other to avoid seeming like one giant blueberry, especially when broken up at the neck by the white blouse.

For the shoes, I wanted something open-toed because it’s been so warm lately; I don’t know about you, but I feel much warmer when I am wearing closed shoes, and about ready to pass out from heat stroke if I’m also wearing socks. These 1.5” sandals are the perfect combination of cute and comfortable, so I’m glad I went for them instead of my Keds.

Finally, the accessories here are all pretty neutral. My ring, bracelet, and earrings are all silver, and I added a tortoise-shell headband to keep my bangs out of my face.

All in all, I’m pretty happy with my last-minute outfit choices. Maybe I should add extra snoozes more often? (Answer: No.)

Get the look for yourself:

Pants – The Gap; similar here.

Blouse – Target, available here.

Cardigan – Target; similar here.

Shoes – DSW; similar here.

Bracelet – Express, available here.

Earrings – Express; similar here.

The Red Shoes

I'm a big believer in the "pop of color" concept in my outfits. Sticking mostly with neutrals - especially black and white, which is a classic combo - can sometimes seem too boring without some bright spot to liven it up. The easiest way to do a pop of color is usually with the shoes or the purse; if you want a heavier "pop," you can do both shoes and purse. (I hear you all gasping in amazement.) Other accessories you can use to add color to an outfit include scarves, hats, and belts. In my case, I stuck with the shoes:

In addition to the pop of color in the ballet flats, you can see the balance concept I'm often talking about, since I've paired a loose blouse with skinny black pants. Since, as I mentioned, neutral-only clothes have the potential to seem somewhat "blah," I like the interesting pattern on the shirt to keep it fresh and chic.

I decided to go ahead and add a little more color in some dangly earrings (which I now realize aren't visible in any of the pictures), but I kept the rest of my jewelry pretty simple - you don't want to overdo the pop. The bracelet is a leather wrap cuff and the necklace is a gold owl charm.

What do you think of "popping" color into a bland outfit?


Get the look for yourself:
Shirt - The Limited; similar here.
Pants - The Gap, available here.
Shoes - Payless; similar here.
Earrings - New York and Company, available here.
Necklace -New York and Company, on clearance; similar here.
Bracelet -Street vendor; similar here.

Wide-Leg Win

I *really* love these pants. They remind me of sailor pants from the 1940's or something, and that reminds me of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra, and that makes me happy. Now, wide-leg pants can be dangerous, but white wide-leg pants can be especially dangerous, as there is a very real possibility of making yourself look larger than you are, especially around the hips and thighs. That's why it has to be paired with something fitted and flattering on the top.

Ironically enough, the top I chose with this outfit happens to be a maternity shirt. I AM NOT PREGNANT - I just want that to be clear from the start. I do, however, enjoy looking through the maternity section every time I go to Target, because there are some awesome pieces in there that can be worn by pregnant and non-pregnant alike. This particular shirt really only works for the non-pregnant among us if it's tucked, but since tucking is very "in" right now, it doesn't concern me. Plus, I love the crossover detail at the top.

These pants aren't quite long enough to wear heels, but they drag on the ground if I wear completely flat shoes. So I opted for a 1/2" heel on these wine-colored loafers, which was pretty close to perfect height. I didn't want to wear a necklace because it would detract from the shirt's detail at the neck, so I kept things simple with just a moonstone ring and a leather wrap bracelet with a fun flower detail.

So, what's your verdict on this one?

Get the look for yourself:
Shirt - Target, available here.
Pants - The Limited; similar here.
Shoes -Ross; similar here.
Belt - Target (with a dress); similar here.
Bracelet - gift; similar here.
Ring - The Limited, available here.

Maxi Dress Friday

Last year, I came up with this idea to create my own version of "Casual Friday." At work, we teachers aren't allowed to wear jeans unless given special permission, which usually happens on specific days during the year: the first home football game, the day after Back-to-School Night, rally days, etc. We refer to these as "jeans days," and when they happen, there is much rejoicing. Jeans Day = Casual Friday.

But what about all those other Fridays? How to make a non-jeans Friday into a Casual Friday? I decided to begin the "Maxi Dress Friday" tradition:

Maxi dresses (or maxi skirts) are great for a "Casual Friday" primarily because they're so comfortable. Usually the concept of a "Casual Friday" is set in opposition to the more professional outfits worn during the rest of the week, but maxi dresses (and skirts) are not unprofessional, per se. They're just exceedingly comfortable, like wearing a nightgown, which is why I decided it was a good "casual" choice.

This particular dress is sleeveless with a low V-neck, so to keep it appropriately modest for the workplace, I added a white camisole and a yellow cardigan. Like the black jacket in this outfit, this yellow cardi is a thin cotton with 3/4 sleeves, which makes it a good choice for the warm August weather. I decided that buttoning the cardi would create a weird double-V in the outfit, so I left it open and trimmed the line of the outfit with a wide black belt.

I decided that the yellow cardigan lightened the outfit enough that black accessories wouldn't seem overly dark. The necklace is one of my favorites, purchased from a street vendor in Malawi, and the bracelet is a recent buy from a street vendor in Berkeley. The shoes are comfortable, but nice enough (because of the faux jewels on the front strap) to wear to work.

What do you think of my "Casual Friday" tradition?

Get the look for yourself:
Dress - Old Navy; similar here.
Cardigan - Target; similar here and here.
Belt - Target; similar here and here.
Shoes - Payless, available here.
Necklace - street vendor; similar here and here.
Bracelet - street vendor; similar here.

Mediocre At Best

I can't lie - I am not a fan of Thursday's outfit:

Basically, I feel like I threw something together in a hurry because I was too tired to take the time to make something good. There is nothing wrong with the outfit, per se, it's just that there's nothing particularly great about it either, and that makes me sad.

The shirt is an individual piece that I really love. It's very versatile, well-cut (and therefore flattering), and comfortable. The slacks are a recent purchase from New York and Company, and I love the rich burgundy color.

So why don't I like them together? I feel like the proportions here are off. I really wish I'd tucked the shirt, although the front ruffle makes this a tough shirt to tuck smoothly. The untucked shirt makes my torso appear longer and my legs appear shorter - in case you didn't already know, that's basically the opposite of what we ladies are supposed to aim for. The black booties just don't do anything for the outfit, and in fact I feel like the color contrast between the black and the maroon is awkward for some reason.

So, yeah, this whole thing is... Well, it's not a failure, but I sure wouldn't count it as a success. I'd give myself a C-.

What grade do you give this?


Get the look for yourself:
No, actually, just don't.

Two-Trick Ponies Are No Good Either

Well, as I mentioned when discussing my Day 2 outfit, I don’t like the idea of being a one-trick pony. At the time, I was talking about switching it up between a skirt-blouse combo and a pants-shirt combo. Within those two categories, however, there remains a HUGE spectrum of possibilities, and so it is important to keep in mind the myriad ways to vary your clothing options even within a given type of outfit.

For the third day of school, I returned to the skirt-blouse world, but somewhat reversed from the outfit I chose for the first day:

Whereas on the first day I paired a loose colored top with a fitted neutral skirt, this day I paired a loose colored skirt with a fitted neutral top. (In these particular examples, the “neutral” in question was black both times, and even that similarity makes me a little uneasy about seeming too repetitive. This could be because I’m mildly obsessive about my fashion choices. But only mildly.)

Far too many people, in my opinion, forget the fashion rule about balancing loose items with fitted items – something I talked about in that first-day post. Combining loose tops with loose skirts makes the entire outfit seem like baggy and – let’s be honest – a little bit like you’re wearing a discarded circus tent. And combining fitted tops with fitted bottoms will, in most cases, just look cheap and trashy. Finding the right balance is important.

The top of this outfit is actually a loose blouse with a tie-front, but over it I’ve put a structured, fitted faux blazer. The jacket is made of thin cotton, which makes it a perfect cover-up for this time of year, when you want to wear a jacket, but don’t want to overheat. With the blouse tucked into the skirt and the jacket over it, the looseness of the fabric doesn’t unbalance the outfit.

Since the skirt has a little bit of a retro feel – it makes me think of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday – I paired it with feminine kitten heels that have a similar 1950’s vibe. The little floral detail at the front is fun, but not too distracting.

Jewelry for this outfit was a little tricky, and trying to decide what to wear helped me to realize a hole in my jewelry options. I adored the pearl necklace with this – again, keeping that vintage feel – and the pearlescent cocktail ring matched the necklace perfectly. The problem came in picking a bracelet, when I realized I have no pearl bracelets; this is a problem that must be remedied as soon as possible. Without a ready option at hand, I settled for a silver hinged cuff bracelet and felt only slightly disappointed through the day.

AND THEN…

Later in the evening, I was going to be attending a small going-away party for a former student. Since I was busy and running late, I swapped the skirt for my comfy skinny jeans and the kitten heels for my sandals, and voila! An entirely new ensemble.

Honestly, even though it was thrown together at the last second, I actually liked the way this outfit came together. I love when a top serves such perfect double-duty, complementing skirts and jeans equally well.

So now, time to vote: Which outfit do you like better? The professional day outfit? Or the casual evening outfit? Vote in the comments!

Get the look(s) for yourself:

Blouse – New York and Company, available here.

Jacket – Can’t remember (I bought it a long time ago), and I haven’t found anything like it in my searching. If you find a good similar one, post it in the comments!

Skirt – Target, available here.

Shoes – Payless; similar here.

Bracelet – New York and Company, available here.

Necklace – Target, available here.

Jeans – Target, available here.

Sandals – Payless; similar here.

One-Trick Pony

One thing I always want to avoid in the world of fashion is becoming a "one-trick pony." What I mean is this: I don't ever want to find one great look and never stray from it again. Do I really enjoy doing the blouse-belt-skirt combo look that I did yesterday? Yes, I do, and I personally think that I do it well. But if that's the only look I can ever do? Well, it wouldn't be very interesting for anyone, including me.

When making first impressions with new people, I try hard to wear a wide variety of different looks, so that no one will think of me as a "one-trick pony."

[On a side note, wouldn't it be great if we could all just agree that fashion doesn't matter in people's impressions of us? In fact, we could form impressions of people based on absolutely no external factors whatsoever! No judging books by the covers, right? Well, sadly, the world doesn't work that way. The fact of the matter is that what I wear DOES affect how people think of me; whether it SHOULD affect how they think of me is, frankly, an irrelevant point. Each and every year, as I greet a new group of students, I have to acknowledge the fact that how I dress will influence their perceptions of me. So yes, I put a lot of thought into what I wear because of that. So it goes.]

I considered a number of different outfits for the second day of classes, but many of them involved skirt-blouse combos, and I wanted something more blatantly differentiated from my first-day outfit. Thus I present to you, outfit #2:

I still wanted to do a "dressy" top, but I wanted the "dressy" to come in a different style than yesterday's. This simple, structured white blouse is one of my favorite recent purchases, and it dresses up just as well as it dresses down. I paired it with a pair of dark green skinny pants, which are, to be honest, technically considered...

*Miss Doyle looks around nervously and lowers her voice to a whisper*

... jeans.

BUT, before anyone gets upset about me breaking school rules, I think it's important to note that I have asked for permission in the past to wear white "jeans" and was told to absolutely not worry about it, since they looked professional and not like traditional "blue jeans." I decided these probably earned the same permission for the same reasons. Plus, I obviously think I put together a professional-looking outfit; if I didn't think this were professional enough, I would never have worn it to school. Seriously, you all know me well enough by now.

I considered a number of different shoe options, most of which were heels, but I ultimately decided to go with these loafer-style, camel-colored flats. Wearing heels all the time (or wearing flats all the time, or wearing boots all the time, etc., etc.) becomes yet another "one-trick pony" danger zone. Plus, wearing heels day after day after day after day... Well, your feet can get very sore after a while. Especially if you have a job where you're on your feet a lot.

The necklace I'm wearing is one of my favorites - it's very versatile. One of the ladies in the front office asked if it had been bought on one of the Ecuador service trips, and I said no. Then she said, "Malawi?" No. Then, because she knows me well, she asked, "Target?" Yes, friends, Target it is.

Sadly, I ended up regretting this bracelet choice; I don't think there's anything *wrong* with this one, per se, but I later thought some of my other bracelets would have worked better. Ah, well - live and learn.

Are any of you in danger of becoming "one-trick ponies" in the fashion world? If so, try changing something up and see if you find something new to love.


Get the look for yourself:
Shirt - The Limited, on clearance; similar here.
Pants -The Limited; available here.
Shoes - Target (see it here), no longer available online; VERY similar here.
Necklace - Target; similar here.
Bracelet -New York and Company, on clearance; similar here.

First Day of School

The "first day of school outfit" is a crucial one for students and teachers alike. I can remember the exact outfits I chose for the first day of school as far back as preschool.

Yes, I'm serious.

Generally speaking, the outfit you wear on the first day is made up of new clothes purchased during a "back-to-school shopping" trip. Sometimes you choose to make an entirely new outfit for the first day - new shirt, new pants, new shoes, new purse, new makeup, new hair accessories, etc. More often, however, I find it's better to spread the new items out over a longer period, so the excitement lasts a little longer than it might otherwise. Hence, my "first day of school outfit" is a new top surrounded by well-loved staples:

I absolutely adore this bright blue shade, and the satiny material classes up what would otherwise be just an ordinary t-shirt. The loose, blousy top is nicely balanced by the more fitted cut of the pencil skirt (especially with the wide belt cinching at the waist), and the shoes are fashionable and functional. Since the shirt is the star of this particular "show," the jewelry plays a supporting role, but without that support, the outfit would seem incredibly plain.

So, do we count this "first day" outfit as a success? Weigh in with your opinion in the comments!


Get the look for yourself:
Shirt - Target; not available online in the blue, but other colors available here.
Skirt - Target; available here.
Belt - hand-me-down; similar here and here. 
Shoes - Cathy Jean; similar here.
Necklace - Target, a few years ago; similar here.
Bracelet -The Limited, on clearance; similar here.

Welcome!

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to my new online home. I plan to update this space with outfits and fashion tips as often as I can, and I hope you're excited to join me.

If you have any special requests or fashion questions, let me know in the comments, and I'll do my best to respond to them all at some point.

Can't wait to get started!

- Miss D.