Distressed denim. It’s been happening for quite a while. However, I’ve always been torn (no pun intended) about whether it’s appropriate for even very casual work environments. For those of you that enjoy denim-approved casual Fridays in more conservative offices, I’d recommend sticking to the rip-free kind. This has been true for the vast majority of my work experience in more formal offices, so for this outfit, I’d swap in a tear-free pair like this. However, for those of you that work in very casual and/or creative environments (i.e. start-ups or the set of Wolverine III) I’ve come to understand that certain kinds of distressed denim, when done right, can make the grade. The jeans I’m wearing today have distressing, but as you can see, the distressing is done minimally, and no skin shows through the holes. Conversely, versions like this one or this one, which are great for nights and weekends, are probably too much for a professional setting―pretty much no matter where you work. When wearing these puppies, I recommend balancing the distressed bottoms with richer elements in the rest of your outfit. This can be done with a silk blouse, a blazer and heels, or in my case today, with studded boots, this cross knit cowl-neck poncho, and soft curls. What do you think? Is distressed denim an absolute no-go or (if done tastefully), is it passable for casual days at your workplace? I’m all ears, so fire off in the comments below. Happy Friday! P.S. If you want to get a leg up on holiday shopping (shudder) take an extra look at Barrington. I’m an ENORMOUS fan of these bags (also styled one in this post), and a monogrammed gift is always a home run.
If you’re a person that travels a ton like I do for work and play, you know the importance of trusty travel bags. In the last several weeks, these two bags have zig-zagged across the country with me, and have absolutely blown me away. Please note that the above pictures were taken after I lugged them through six different airports and seven different cities over the course of three weeks. Needless to say, these suckers have taken a beating, and as indicated by their current condition photographed above, you’d never know. The black and white printed tote is super lightweight, yet large enough and sturdy enough to safely carry my 15″ laptop with lots of room to spare. The larger brown weekender bag is the perfect carry-on size and somehow Sole Society has managed to create a vegan leather that’s both incredibly durable and optically equivalent to the real thing. In person, you won’t believe it. The rest of my look today is a favorite casual friday ensemble, or of course could work for a dressed-down travel day. For those of you that operate in casual work environments and can sport this outfit any day of the week… well just don’t rub it in.
Check out more of my Sole Society favorites below!
High-waisted skirts, fitted sheath dresses, tailored button downs tucked into form fitting pants… something along these lines is happening most workdays. And that’s a good thing. Occasionally, however, I would like to reserve the right to wear something that tricks the outside world into thinking I am a supremely put-together person, when in fact, I am a hungover person wearing a nightgown disguised as a cute work-appropriate dress. This is that dress. It’s long enough for the office and has just enough wool in it to deliver an elevated texture and drape, while the knit fabric and dolman sleeves still maintain their supreme comfort factor. Also helpful in pulling off the hoax is the gold zipper detailing along both sleeves. Because wearing anything that is adorned with zippy gold embellishments is sure proof that I’m totally on top of my game today! Psych. I was literally just napping in the supply closet. Michael Kors, you get me.
Ok just for the record, I’ve never actually napped in a supply closet (bucket list) and am not suggesting you do so. But for real, some days you just want to be a bit more comfortable, and this Michael Kors number allows you to make that happen. Shop more of his amazingness below:
Capes are in it to win it again this fall and winter, so above I’ve provided a round-up of some of my favorites. As you can see in this post, this post and this post, I’m a fan. However, it’s important to note that my fondness for the chicly shapeless outerwear goes beyond just a desire to occasionally pretend I’m Hermione Granger (as discussed here) and/or cover up a Chipotle-induced food belly. Not only do I find them very attractive and oh. so. comfortable, but they can also be absolutely clutch when wearing a blazer or suit to the office (as worn in this post). If you’re someone that works in a business formal environment and find yourself awkwardly trying to stuff your suit jacket sleeves into the sleeves of a coat or trench, you probably know the misery of this process, not to mention the irreversible wrinkling effect on your suit jacket/blazer sleeves that are subsequently on display throughout the rest of your work day. Enter the cape, which allows for the abandonment of the awkwardly over-stuffed arms, yet still provides that critical extra layer of warmth. So go ahead, get your cape on.
