Neutral Mix

Many of the new (or new to me) items that I brought home from my trip to Minnesota serendipitously worked really well together, so I threw as many of them as I could into this outfit. In addition to the shopping that we did, Sal and I also did a bit of clothes swapping, so I came home with quite a haul. The pants, necklace, and several of the bangles are all things Sal sent me home with, and the open weave sweater and cardigan were purchases. That Sal must be a mind-reader; I searched high and low all last summer for the perfect pair of white jeans, and I never did find them. These are precisely the pair I would have bought, and they fit beautifully.

This outfit illustrates a philosophy of mine: the more neutral shades you mix together, the less they all have to match with one another. In this outfit the only non-black colors that truly match are the gray in the cardigan and the gray boots. Besides those I have a true brown (in the cardigan), a gray-brown (the open weave sweater), bright white pants, off white (in the cardigan), a black tank and jewelry, and both silver and brass bangles. In writing it seems like it would be a mess, but the different neutral tones work together to create texture and depth.

Notice how the hint of black peeking out at the hem of the sweater works as an intense background that makes the texture pop and creates a nice strong contrast at the margin between the sweater and the pants. Black shoes would have been very obvious, however I thought the gray ones picked up the grayish undertones of the sweater, even when I wasn't wearing the cardigan.

This is one of my favorite outfits I've put together recently; it felt put-together but also relaxed. Note to self though: do not wear a spiky ring with an open weave sweater; I had a close call with a snag that could easily have ruined my day.

Sweater: Eileen Fischer via Optiz
Necklace, bangles, pants: gifts from Sal
Boots: Bronx
Cardigan: 5/48, via Saks Off Fifth

Closet Strategy

I feel like lately I've narrowed down the items in my wardrobe that I actually wear to what amounts to a capsule wardrobe. I've been tempted to go through and ruthlessly purge my closet's contents, but I suspect this is probably just a phase and if I'm too hasty in my zeal for closet efficiency (I am a Virgo, after all), I'll only end up on a massive shopping spree at some point in the near future. So here are these green pants again, and this tunic that you've recently seen, and again with the shoes. But hey, if you're looking for ways to style the same pieces over and over, you've come to the right place.

Part of the problem is that I really haven't done much serious shopping since I started my new(ish) job, so I don't have the constant influx of new items that cause me to feel experimental about my clothes. Part of it is that commuting by public transportation or on foot is a whole different ballgame than jumping in the car, walking to the office from the parking lot, and spending most of the day at my desk. And part of it is that I'm really enjoying the simplicity of paring down to a more manageable wardrobe and sticking to my favorites that I know are winners. I've also gained a lot of knowledge over the last several years about what the real winners are, and how to dress creatively while still flattering my figure and achieving the kind of vibe I'm going for. Am I evolving, or am I just getting lazy?

What's your closet strategy? Do you prefer a vast array of choices, or a more carefully curated and smaller collection?

Tunic: Asos
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Pants: Joe's Jeans
Shoes: Cole Haan

Respectable

This was an outfit I wore for a recent Girls' Night Out. Laura had free passes to the Gaultier exhibit at the De Young museum, so we went to check it out one last time before the exhibit closed. This outfit was comfy enough to wear all night and walk around in, warm enough for the chilly summer evening, and just stylish enough to look respectable at a fashion exhibit.

Jacket: thrifted
Tunic: Asos
Pants: Club Monaco
Boots: Brako
Bag: Boktier
Necklace: Metal Pointu

Red Letters

This t-shirt just seems like such a natural mate for the blazer, and with the punchy red pants to pick up the red lettering in the shirt, the outfit just came together perfectly. I didn't actually wear these pants 2 days in a row, it's just that I'm not taking pictures every day anymore, which explains why I'm not posting as often anymore either. It's good though; the looser schedule works well for me and although I miss the more frequent feedback that posting every day brings, I also enjoy being able to just throw on a previously-worn outfit and get out the door some mornings. The blog archive is great for those days when I don't really want to think too hard about it.

T-shirt: Stacy Lomman
Blazer: Helmut Lang
Pants: Michael Kors
Boots: Brakko
Bag: Botkier
Rings: Metal Pointu's

Intense

Slim-fitting, bright pants have been on my shopping list for a couple of months now, so a couple weekends ago I set out to find a pair. The effort proved slightly more difficult than I had imagined. I had seen this very pair on the Michael Kors website, but when I popped into the store in the Westfield Mall, I saw that they didn't have any pants on their racks. I then headed to Bloomingdale's, where I proceeded to try on bright teal, coral, fuchsia, yellow, you name it... but they all looked monstrous. What I realized is that the colors I was trying all struck me as being great for a woman in her 20's, but on me they just looked awkward, and not really me. What I needed was what I'd been originally drawn to on the website. What I needed was an intense red, which was the one color I couldn't find on the entire vast, bright-pants-laden floor.

Frustrated, I headed down the escalator to make my way out of the store, only to come face to face with a whole section of Michael Kors clothing, and there, front and center, were the red pants I'd wanted all along. I knew exactly how I'd wear them for their first outing: as a splash of intense color behind high contrast black and white. A sophisticated color combination that still looks fun and springy.

I'll definitely be avoiding things like dizzy floral prints or flowy boho sheers when I wear these pants because I think that has too youthful/trendy an appearance for my taste, but paired with black and neutrals, this is a great way to work with a current trend while keeping it office appropriate and staying true to my personal style.

Cardigan: Survival
Tunic: Asos
Scarf: Alexander McQueen
Pants and sandals: Michael Kors
Jewelry: Metal Pointu

Apparent Lengths

When I put this outfit together I was 100% convinced I had paired this dress and vest before, but on perusing my archives I see it isn't so. Here I thought I was being completely unimaginative and was only changing up the boots, and instead I had created a whole new outfit. Score!

I like the fact that this dress can be adjusted to different apparent lengths simply by scrunching up or pulling down the stretchy lining, since that opaque line is visible through the sheer layer. Here I wore it at hip length to create a longer leg line; I find that for me the upper hip tends to be a flattering spot for tops to sit. The hem of the lining can actually reach nearly to the bottom of the sheer upper layer (on the short side anyway), and if I were going to wear it that low I would probably pair it with a higher heel.


Dress: Asos
Vest: All Saints
Pants: Club Monaco
Boots: Brako
Bracelet, crystal and silver ring: Metal Pointu
Pearl and silver ring: Manu Lizarralde

Shorts Suit

I wore this outfit to the after-work welcome party that my new group took me out for. Which means I waited 3 whole days before hitting them with a shorts suit that shows off my tattooed arms. I'm sure no one cares; our VP, who I worked with at a previous job, only asked, "Are those new?" Biotech is certainly one of the least conservative of the professional fields.

It occurs to me that I might update the look of this jacket by removing the cap sleeves and turning it into a vest. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? On the one hand the cap sleeves give me a little more shoulder width, which is flattering. On the other hand they're sort of puffy and only look good with just the right top. Would removing the sleeves make this piece more versatile, or is it cuter the way it is?

Jacket: BCBG Max Azria
Top: Max Studio
Brooch: Trifari (vintage)
Shorts: White House Black Market
Shoes: Bettye Muller

Excitement

This outfit is pretty much a repeat of a previous one, but with ponte knit pants replacing the original leggings, the red bag to add a little color, and a few accessories to jazz it up. The first time around I was going for a strict minimalist look, whereas this time I wanted to throw in a few more finishing touches. Since it's a repeat there's not too much else to say about this outfit, which is fine because today I have other things to talk about.

In the comments to Friday's post, many of you correctly guessed that my birthday wish was a new job. I'm surprised that no one pinpointed the specifics though: the outfits I posted were the ones I wore to my interviews. And yes, there were 5 separate rounds of interviews, mainly because people that I needed to interview with were either traveling or out of the office on different days, so the interviews were broken up. Good thing I have a wardrobe large enough to put together 5 interview-appropriate outfits.

Finding the perfect job has been my quest these last several years. I haven't been overly thrilled with my current job from the start, to be quite honest; it's a very large company and is mired in convoluted processes and absurd politics. But for all that, I respect what the company does and its commitment to finding treatments for serious diseases, and so I've stuck it out and made the most of it while I held out for just the right opportunity.

I knew it was really time to leave this job when I started blaming "the company" for irrational things such as the lousy South San Francisco weather. Admittedly, at times it really does feel like our campus was designed specifically for maximum discomfort and walking hazards, from the building layout that funnels in the icy afternoon wind, to the high-heel-destabilizing textured floor of the parking garage, to the multiple loading docks with their procession of large trucks that have to be crossed to reach the front door of the building I work in. Eventually I had become so ready to leave that every little inconvenience just soured me more and more.

I remember vividly getting off the bus one morning and seeing people smiling and greeting each other, and thinking, "These people seem to be happy here; what the hell is wrong with me?" But rationally I knew that it wasn't me, and it wasn't the company; it was like that relationship where although you care for the person and wish them well, you know that you can't continue as a couple because you bring out the worst in each other. It was simply time to move on. Luckily, that perfect opportunity I'd been hoping to find materialized at precisely the right time.

You guys, I could not be more excited about this new job. It's a very small start-up biotech company that's working on an exciting new technology for cancer indications. My job will take me in lots of different directions and although it'll be a lot of work, there's a real chance to make a substantial  difference. Additionally I know several people there, including a very dear and trusted colleague who is also one of my best friends. But here's the kicker: the company is located in the heart of downtown San Francisco. My dream is realized!

So now you know one of the things I've been so preoccupied with these last couple of months. It has been hard to be patient, but finally I was able to give my notice and settle on a start date at the new place. Next Tuesday is my last day, and I'll start at the new job the following week. Not only that, but Mark and I are in the process of buying another house. In fact, we close escrow the same week that I start my new job. How's that for excitement?

Tunic, cropped top: Asos
Pants: Club Monaco
Shoes: BC Footwear
Bag: Foley + Corinna

Bumble Bee

Just look at that sweet little puppy face, will you? Spencer decided to give me a good pose this time. He's doing really well; he's starting to settle into the household and learn the daily routine. He's still a handful when he gets in his rowdy moods, running all over the place and randomly grabbing all sorts of stuff he's not supposed to have, but once he settles down he sure is sweet and snuggly. Once his injured leg is healed up and we no longer have to carry him up and down 2 flights of stairs every time we need to take him out, he'll be a lot less work. In the meantime I'm seeing a noticeable improvement in muscle tone in my legs, so I guess it's not all bad. Carrying 40 pounds of puppy up and down stairs is a great workout.

I've decided that I love black and yellow together, even though it's sort of a taboo combination due to the association with bumble bees. But it occurred to me awhile back that there really isn't anything wrong with looking like a bee; in fact, bumble bees are pretty darned cute. As Katie pointed out, most bees aren't even yellow anyway. Nevertheless, the easiest way to avoid bee comparisons, should you wish to do so, is to add an intervening color to break up the black and yellow. Here, I've added the long white tunic to separate the yellow cardigan and black pants, and then splashed in a little purple and green with the scarf. Brown can also make a great intervening color, as the cords did in this outfit.

Note that in this outfit, where I have large solid expanses of black and yellow, I separated the two main pieces with the intervening color (though I threw the black belt in to integrate the two halves of the outfit). In general the larger the blocks of color, the more you'll want to separate them if you're working with a difficult combo. Unless, of course, you think it's perfectly fine to look like a bee.

For more on difficult color combinations, check out this post from Sal.

Tunic: Asos
Ponte knit pants: Club Monaco
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Scarf: vintage
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Shoes: BC Footwear
Bangles: Amrita Singh

Suitably Fun

I wore this outfit on a day that I was going directly from work to meet a friend for drinks. Thus it needed to be comfortable enough to wear all day, and warm enough for the chilly evening without requiring me to haul around an additional jacket; it also needed to be suitably fun for an evening out. I thought the pirate flair of this outfit accomplished the fun element, while the stretchy layers and flat boots gave me the warmth and comfort I needed.

These ponte knit pants are incredibly comfortable, and have in fact become a staple for evenings out. They have the sleek, fitted look of leggings, but are thick and opaque enough to wear as pants. Plus, the stretchy waistband is comfortable after several hours of sitting down -- and even after several beers.

Jacket: Forever 21 (original buttons replaced with vintage ones)
Tunic: Asos
Scarf: Alexander McQueen
Pants: Club Monaco
Bracelet: Leslie Danzis

Crazy Long Shirt

I saw this long, striped shirtdress on Asos and instantly fell in love. The fabric is very sheer and light, and I knew it would be great layered up for interesting office looks as well as more costumey outfits. As a dress, it really doesn't have a whole lot of shape, but worn open as a crazy long shirt I feel like it works really well. When I saw the picture on the Asos site, this is exactly how I knew I'd be wearing it.

For this outfit, I created shaping at the waist using my wide elastic belt. Without it the dress is very straight and boxy. You can tell from the back view that I actually had to scrunch a lot of the fabric together in the back to make it hang the way I wanted; elastic is really the best sort of belt for this application because once the fabric is in place it will stay there.

The dress nearly skims the floor on the long side; in fact, without heels I think it would be too long. But I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing heels whenever I wear this, so I quickly vetoed my initial idea to shorten it.

Shirtdress: Asos
Top: Max Studio
Ponte knit pants: Club Monaco
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Boots: All Black
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Earrings: Leslie Danzis

             

Tomato Red

For awhile I considered dyeing this tunic, and I'm really glad I didn't. While it's not the most flattering shade for my skin tone, I don't think it's really as bad as I initially thought, and paired with the bright white and yellow I think the outfit worked really well. The white and yellow softened the impact of the tomato red so that I didn't end up looking washed out.

The jacket is one I recently tracked down on eBay, and I just love how great it looks with my navy blue bag. A cropped, white denim jacket had been on my thrift shopping list for awhile, but after several trips to Goodwill yielded no results, I thought to try online. This one set me back just $15 and is new as far as I can tell.

Jacket: Banana Republic
Scarf: vintage
Tunic: Manuela Roth (Argentina)
Jeans: Joe's
Shoes: BC Footwear
Bag: Michael Kors 

Columnar

 

Here's an outfit that accents my actual figure; by which I mean that it doesn't seek to manufacture curves I don't possess, but rather accentuates the straight, columnar shape I actually have. And I think this is a good thing to develop comfort with, because many of us devote so much time to making our busts look larger, our waists look smaller, and so on, that we overlook the simplicity of working with the shape we already have. Sal is obviously the queen of positive body image writing, so I'll point you to her blog for the more philosophical discussions of embracing your figure; I thought what I'd do here is discuss the mechanics of how this particular outfit plays to my natural shape.

Since I don't have very exaggerated curves, it's easy for me to wear more androgynous shapes; shapes whose lines aren't disrupted by a big bust or round hips. For this outfit, I resisted the urge to add a belt, and instead let the long, vertical lines rule the day. I let the straight-sided cardigan hang open and gathered the scarf into a single line down the middle. I also didn't clutter up the outfit with too many accessories, and let the vibrant red bag be the single point of color.

The sheer black top fits loosely and hangs straight down, and likewise the skirt is a simple column shape. The leggings brought in some visual interest with the horizontal lines, while still keeping the look clean and simple. This was a comfortable outfit to wear, because nothing was pinching or squeezing or slipping anywhere, and I think in large part it had to do with the way the proportions of the garments fit my body's natural proportions.


Over to you. Do you ever try accentuating your natural shape, rather than going for the standard hourglass? What types of clothing play up your real figure, and how do you feel about wearing them?

Top and leggings: Black Market Baby (Etsy)
Skirt: Asos
Scarf ring: from a shop in Buenos Aires
Shoes: Bobbi Blu
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Bag: Foley + Corinna
Cardigan: Anthropologie

A Match Made in Heaven

Here's the third of the new bags purchased this year; the first was the taupe-gray L.A.M.B. bag I got in New York, and the second was the Michael Kors bag I showed you a couple days ago. I snapped up this beauty via Gilt after seeing Sal's review of it and admiring how its capacious tote form coverts to a compact cross-body style. This is a great bag for San Francisco, as it is large enough to carry the compulsory sweater or light jacket that is a necessity even on the most seemingly summery of days. The bag itself is also light enough that filling it up doesn't push it into the realm of unmanageable -- unless you fill it with bricks, I suppose. It could actually hold quite a few, should the need arise.

I didn't even realize until I started writing this post that Sal also inspired the purchase of this scarf. While we were in New York in February we stopped at Saks for Sal to pick out her McQueen skull scarf, and while we were looking at all the options I tried on a red and black one. I've thought about it ever since, so I finally tracked one down on eBay, and boy am I glad I did. My $20 knock-off version doesn't hold a candle to the real thing; the difference in the quality and feel of the fabric is immediately apparent, and the skull pattern is perfectly crisp and clear on this one, whereas it's smeary and irregular on the knockoff.

And finally, here are the opaque-but-skintight ponte knit pants paired with the nearly-butt-baring dress; as I suspected, a match made in heaven!

Dress: Asos
Harness: Audra Jean
Pants: Club Monaco
Bag: Foley + Corinna
Jacket: Skin Graft
Scarf: Alexander McQueen
Shoes: BCBGirls

Patience

I bought this dress from the All Saints website months ago, but when it arrived it still had the security tag on it. And since the brick-and-mortar All Saints store is down by Union Square, and since I HATE going to Union Square, it took awhile before I summoned up the motivation to go down there and have them remove the tag for me. But here's the dress at last; it's the same Layla dress style I've been eying since 2009, which I guess explains why I didn't mind waiting a couple more months to wear it. I initially fell for this dress in the blue color, but in the end I decided I liked it even better in oyster, which to me makes it more wearable as a day dress. I also liked it a LOT better on sale for $159, versus the $305 it was when I first found it. Patience finally paid off.

The little cardigan/shrug is also from All Saints. The sequins are actually all made of solid metal, which gives this piece a nice weight and drape.

Dress: All Saints
Shrug: All Saints
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Shoes: Rock and Republic

Sunnies

Kimberly inspired me to put together this outfit after her post about red blazers a couple of weeks ago. I figured since the outfit looked so summery, I'd also show you the sunglasses I picked up for a mere 10 bucks at Century 21 while Sal and I were in New York. I love high quality, stylish sunnies, but I tend to be hard on them, so finding a great deal is important for me. For $10 I won't be heartbroken if these get scratched or I accidentally sit on them.

Blazer, dress: thrifted
Cropped pants: La Redoute
Shoes: Michael Kors
Sunnies: Cole Haan

Style Over Modesty

If you'd seen the listing for this black top on the Asos website, you might have taken one look at the cropped length and bare midriff shown in the photos and immediately passed it by. And ordinarily, so would I. But as it turned out I had also just added this white dress to my cart, and this top immediately struck me as something I could wear with it.

As much as I love the clean look of optic white, it doesn't look great near my face. So I bought the dress knowing that I'd need to wear it with something else, because at the sale price it was a good enough deal to live with the limitation. And since in San Francisco layering is a necessity for much of the year anyway, it wasn't really that big a sacrifice.

The black top, which is made of t-shirt jersey in the front and sheer chiffon in the back, was perfect. With its funky dolman sleeves and asymmetrical hem, it provided an interesting, modern look and a nice sharp contrast against the white.

If you look closely at the dress, you'll see that the opaque lining layer is scandalously short. For that reason I was initially dubious about wearing the dress over nothing but leggings, because it essentially amounts to wearing leggings as pants. In the end I decided I didn't care, because anything I tried to layer under the dress took away from the clean, simple lines of the outfit. And looking at it now, I feel like I was plenty covered up. Score a victory for style over modesty.

Dress, top: Asos....  Leggings: Foot Traffic....  Bag: L.A.M.B.....  Shoes: BC Footwear

Duran Duran

Here's another one of our outdoor locations; this is outside our back door, in front of the awesome wall of bamboo that towers over the property line. This is on the second floor of the building and you can see that the bamboo extends well above where I'm standing. When it's windy it makes the most beautiful rustling sound.

And yes, I tucked my tie into my shirt. It wasn't quite the way Duran Duran used to do it (owing to the fact that the shirt has a zipper up the front instead of buttons), but hey, it worked for me.

As an aside, Mark and I saw Duran Duran live at the Fillmore a few weeks back, and they were awesome. They looked great, they sounded great, and it was a blast to see them at such an intimate venue. Back in the day I saw them at the Oakland Coliseum, which involved considerably more shoving and being squashed than I could ever deal with these days. The recent show was far more civilized; you can tell an audience is mostly 40+ when the cocktail waitress can walk right through the crowd and deliver drinks all the way up at the front.
















Blazer: Helmut Lang
Shirt: J. Peterman
Tie: thrifted
Harem pants: Vera Wang
Sandals: Kors Michael Kors