Trying Harder

I haven't been doing a good job lately of talking about the specific reasons I've been choosing my outfit pieces lately, nor giving good tips for your own wardrobe choices. For this, I apologize. I can only make the vague "Stuff has come up in my life!" excuse so many times before it starts to sound empty and meaningless. Instead, I will merely move on and attempt to do better in this post.

Thursday I decided I really had to break the sweater-skinnies-boots habit, so I opted for a skirt-blouse combo instead:

The weather was warming up a bit, so I didn't need the comfort and warmth of knee-high boots and sweaters anymore. This blouse is of a lightweight material, so it was weather-appropriate, and wearing the ankle boots kept more of my leg out to get air... Well, as much air as a leg clad in tights is going to get.

I've lost count of how many times I've talked, on this blog, about the importance of balancing your outfits; at the most simplified, it goes like this: tight on bottom means loose on top, and loose on bottom means tight on top. (Keep in mind there are still appropriate levels of "loose" and "tight" for different events/situations.) This outfit is a great example of that. The blouse is loose not only in the torso, but also in the ballooned-out sleeves, and the pencil skirt is well-fitted. The belt at the waist helps define the contrast between the top and bottom, cinching right in the middle.

In the same way that fit should be balanced, I'm a firm believer that prints should be balanced as well. You'll note that there are large polka dots on the top, a very bold print, but a solid colored skirt, solid tights, and solid colored booties to offset that print. You'll see I didn't include any kind of necklace with the top because the print is so... big. The bracelet and earrings are both very low-key as well.

I have no good excuse for having accidentally cut off the top of my head in this picture. Sorry about that.
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Friday was a jeans day at school (or a "blue and gold" day, but I had no gold in my outfit of choice), and I went with my favorite pair, my dark-wash skinny jeans. I opted for a classic white button-down top and my awesome statement necklace, with my fawn-colored flats to complete the look.

I think far too many people, both young and old, underestimate how awesome this combo can be: jeans and a button-down blouse. Do you know how much extra time it takes me to put on a button-down blouse rather than a t-shirt? A little, 'cause, you know... buttons and all. But really, it doesn't add all that much time, and the look in the end is great. The classic white and blue (jeans) combo was a great backdrop for my statement necklace that I love so much, too.

Do you only see button-down shirts as "formal" or "business" attire? Or would you wear them casually? If you wouldn't before, will you consider it now?