TBMD

Today's outfit was thrown together with the hot and humid summer heat in mind -- a 3/4-length cotton cardigan that I do not mind sweating profusely in, a silky sleeveless tank that is cool to the touch, and a pencil skirt because legs need to breathe too. There's no practical reason for the accessories chosen other than they are simply some of my current favorites.

Earlier in the year, one of the security guards at work stopped to inquire about my tulle midi skirt. I was disappointed to tell her that it was from a couple seasons ago, therefore sold out. We then reminisced about items that we loved and regretted not buying multiples of. I told her if I ever see this skirt again, she will be the first to know. Lo and behold, Banana Republic came through this season and brought back this skirt in two colors! I wasn't sure which one of us was more excited -- me sharing the news or her upon hearing the news.

Today's fashion inspiration is thanks to Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex at Wimbledon from last month. What is it about British women (she counts now, right? Also looking at you, Victoria Beckham & Amal Clooney) who are just so chic? I'll never tire of perusing through their photos, new and old.

That saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" could apply to outfits as well. I've worn this top and skirt combo before and will continue to do so because they're a great pairing. For today's look, I tweaked the accessories a bit just to keep things fresh for the blog.

This scallop skirt was one of those impulse buys. I liked it enough and also needed more items to qualify for free shipping. Fast forward a few seasons... wow, I'm so glad I took a chance because the skirt has become a closet horse -- one of the most worn and versatile pieces I own. Stay tuned for a ways to wear post in the near future!

How important is the background for making or breaking outfit photos? I'd say judging by today's set, pretty damn important. I try to rotate between a handful of locations for outfit photos... casual, park-like settings for casual outfits, and buildings in the background for work outfits (because nothing says take me seriously by looking like I'm about to walk into a building). So just let your imagination run wild for today's photos.

I wore a variation of today's outfit to a baby (girl) shower over the weekend. I swapped out the pencil skirt for a mini and the work tote for a bucket bag, while the rest of the pieces remained exactly the same. I love the versatility of work to weekend transformations (and vice versa) through subtle tweaks.

When I first put this outfit on, I was thinking the peplum top looked long in proportion to the pencil skirt. Enough so that I was wondering if I should buy another top in petite sizing and save the current one to be worn with pants. Is that crazy talk?! But now that I'm looking at these photos, the proportion doesn't look off like it did earlier in the day... probably due to the lowered position of the camera vs. at eye level. So basically, this outfit looks best to kids.

I call this my grown-up prep outfit. Note all the details: the polo shirt with a crest emblem, the cardigan with varsity stripes, the color navy, the low (and comfortable) block heels, and just a little bit of British plaid. I'm really not sure I can look any preppier.

After I mentioned long cardigans paired with dresses in the last post, I realized I haven't worn that combo myself in awhile. So to the back of my closet I went and out came today's outfit.

Can we keep the focus on today's outfit and not the frizzy mess that is my hair? Scratch that, the focus needs to be on outfits only for the rest of the summer. (There's not much to say except I'm the worst when it comes to hair styling. Lack of patience and passion means I'm never going to improve.)

Back to the topic at hand -- today's outfit. I typically reach for shorter blazers/jackets with dresses because they're more formal and suitable for work. The combo with this dress have always felt a bit off to me. Since this dress is already a few inches above the knees, a short blazer makes the dress look even shorter. Then add in heels and I feel like there's so much skin showing.

The long cardigan with dresses look has been popular for awhile. So I figured I can replicate that look with a longer blazer. I think the end result worked out well! A bit business + a bit casual = business casual.