Versatility

c/o Chico’s:  SUIT JACKET  |  PANTS  |  SANDALS  |  TOP  |  NECKLACE  |  CUFF EARRINGS: Argento Vivo  |  SUNGLASSES: Stella McCartney  |  BAG: c/o Henri Bendel  |  RING: Kathy Kamei (similar here)  |  POLISH: Nails – Essie (Vanity Fairest); Toes – Essie (A-List) c/o Chicos: LACE JACKET (also similar here)  |  TANK  |  TRACK PANTS SHOES: Topshop  |  BAG: Vince Camuto (similar here)  |  RING: Kathy Kamei (similar here)  |  EARRINGS: Argentino Vivo  |  NECKLACE: vintage but similar here c/o Chico’s:  POLKA DOT JACKET  |  PANTS  |  COLORBLOCK TOP  |  CHOKER SHOES: Kate Spade (similar here and here)  |  BAG: c/o Henri Bendel  |  SUNGLASSES: Stella McCartney  |  EARRINGS: old but similar here   c/o Chico’s:  LACE DUSTER  |  WHITE SHIRT  |  JEANS  |  NECKLACE EARRINGS: old but similar here  |  SHOES: Saint Laurent (similar here)  |  SUNGLASSES: Stella McCartney If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I’m all about versatile pieces that can be worn in a variety of ways and a variety of situations—both in and out of the workplace.  From a practical perspective, it’s important to have pieces that can easily transition from desk to drinks when you don’t have time to run home and change before your après-work activities begin.  Beyond practicality, however, having a separate office-only part of your closet comprising “work outfits” that you only wear from nine to five isn’t a great idea anyway.  You should make your work-ready clothing a contiguous part of one fluid, cohesive wardrobe, rather than feeling like you have to ascribe to a “corporate uniform” of pieces that don’t really feel like you Monday through Friday.  What you wear is not only representative of who you are, but also has proven effects on how you feel and perform professionally. Within the bounds of what’s appropriate in your workplace of course, there’s no reason you can’t wear clothing Monday through Friday that really represents you and your personal style. This week, I’ve teamed up with Chico’s, a brand that epitomizes exactly this concept.  As you can see above, each ensemble consists of versatile pieces that can be easily dressed up or down. For example, I wore the white suit above to a business meeting last week, and afterwards ditched the suit jacket and heels for a jean jacket and flats when running to the grocery store. Similarly, I wore the all-black ensemble shopping and running some errands while getting ready to leave for fashion week, and then wore the same pants with heels and a blazer this week for meetings in NYC.  One of my favorite pieces is the lace duster jacket that can be worn as styled above for a Casual Friday look, or with a dress for dinner and drinks… speaking of which, is it the weekend yet? Happy Friday! Follow @maryorton on instagram!