Page 134 – MEMORANDUM | NYC Fashion & Lifestyle Blog for the Working Girl

Floral Midi Skirt and Lace-up Blouse

Leave it to the style mavens at Who What Wear to come out swinging with killer workwear (which, obvi, is le jam du moi) at a bonkers price point. You may remember this olive knit dress, this off-the-shoulder beauty on the beach, or this eyelet shirt dress—all additional pieces from their eponymous clothing line at Target. Obsessed much? Guilty. I’m sorry, but when you can get this level of style for basically the price of like half a sock at most retailers, it’s hard not to go hog-wild.

Mmmk let’s talk about this perfect blouse for a sec. You could have probably guessed from my recent post on the lace-up trend that this blouse would be right up my alley. You were right. I’m amazed at its quality (again, at this price point, HOW?!), its extreme wrinkle resistance, and the fact that it’s a very opaque white. If you’re wearing it to the office, I’d still recommend throwing on a camisole (white or nude) underneath. I’m not wearing one in the photos today (my bad!) because when I originally put the blouse on, the laces were tight enough at the base of the neckline opening, so the bottom half was completely closed up. However, as you move throughout the day, the laces naturally loosen a little as you can see in today’s photos, so best to have a little extra coverage there in the front at work. (Duh, Mary.) It’s not at all scandalous if you’re going to dinner or drinks in this blouse, but in front of your boss, best to avoid the awk-fest. ; )

The print and silhouette of this floral pencil skirt is so flipping good. I love love love midi-length pencil skirts, and its especially fun to mix up your pencil skirt game during the summer months with a colorful floral like this beauty. If you live and work in the summer sweat factory that is NYC (or anywhere in the east or midwest, really) and have to wear more conservative workwear (i.e. muchos pencil skirts), this sucker will be your best friend. Before moving to San Francisco, I spent far too many subway rides in wool pencil skirts that made me contemplate my own mortality. This one has such a beautiful shape (the fit is perfect), and the fabric is so incredibly lightweight I couldn’t really believe I was wearing a pencil skirt.

All-together, this get-up epitomizes what Memorandum is all about—the idea that you don’t have to sacrifice style at the office. I’m so stoked that the Who What Wear collection is a a new permanent collection at Target, and that new product will be dropping every month! Huge win especially for those of you new to the working world looking for chic workwear options at an affordable price point.

Happy Monday!

This post was produced in collaboration with Who What Wear.

Mary Orton

April 4, 2016

Creative Office Style

who what wear

DRESS MEMO: SPRING / SUMMER 2016

Thank you for your patience while the Dress Memo loads! Also, be sure to view the guide in FULL SCREEN mode by clicking directly on the page!!

Today, I’m thrilled to share with you the Spring / Summer 2016 Dress Memo! As you know, for the past 30 days on instagram I have posted a new dress everyday for a specific warm-weather occasion. The ultimate goal was to culminate this dress frenzy with a comprehensive guide to dressing for every spring and summer occasion, and I’m so excited to share that guide with you today! As you may recall, I asked you to fill out a survey several months ago to tell me more about yourselves and what you’d like to see here on Memorandum. One of the many things you told me was that your favorite clothing item (by far) was dresses! In addition to this feedback, I started thinking about all of the emails that I get from readers. Some of these emails are styling questions or general nice notes about the blog, but so many of them are specific questions about what to wear to various events. Questions like, what do I wear to a barbecue at my boss’s house? Or, I’m going to a black-tie wedding, do I have to wear a floor-length dress? As you can see, the collision of this feedback and the many emails I receive from you led me to the concept for the 30 Dresses in 30 Days series. More than just sharing a slew of pretty spring and summer dresses, I wanted each dress to showcase styling advice for these spring and summer occasions, and for the series to culminate with a resource guide that offers concrete tips on dressing for every warm-weather event you might face—something that you could come back to and reference all spring and summer long. Today, I’m so thrilled to finally share that very resource with you, the Spring / Summer 2016 Dress Memo! Thanks to all of you who have followed the series throughout this month and offered such sweet feedback. I hope you enjoy the Dress Memo as much as I enjoyed creating it, and I hope it serves as a helpful resource throughout the next many months!

Mary Orton

March 31, 2016

Casual Office Style, Evergreen

DAY 30 — FOURTH OF JULY

Other perfect Fourth of July dresses:

Mary Orton

March 30, 2016

30 Dresses in 30 Days

Striped A-Line Skirt

The perfect neutral piece for spring and summer, this striped a-line skirt is certainly the favorite update to my work wardrobe of late. The tan and white multi-directional stripes give the neutral skirt interest, while still leaving it open to lots of on and off-duty styling options. I can see it with a chambray shirt and sandals for sunday brunch as easily as I can with these snakeskin pumps and white button-down shirt for the office.

Sorry for posting a little less than normal these past two weeks! Surprise, surprise, it turns out my 30 Dresses in 30 Days series has been a ton of work! It’s been so much fun to share my favorite spring and summer dresses all month long with you guys on instagram, but sheesh, it’s been challenging! I’m currently working on that little finale surprise that I mentioned when I kicked off the series, and can’t wait to share with you on Thursday! Until then, hope you have a great week!!