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.