My initial reaction upon seeing myself in the mirror was, "Whoa, I look frumpier than what I had envisioned." (It's the pants! So used to wearing skinny jeans that trousers + flats throw me off)

But now after seeing the photos? I'm amending my earlier word choice to conservative. There's a time and place for looking prim and proper -- presentations, interviews, and endless meetings. Needless to say, this outfit won't make it into my regular rotation, but will definitely be pulled out when the occasion calls for me to be presentable.

When it comes to wearing statement pieces, I typically alternate between two options: 1) with head-to-toe neutrals, 2) go matchy-matchy on the colors. For today's outfit, I went with the latter to center around these eye-catching preppy silk tie print loafers. I didn't think they were that much of a departure from my norm (or maybe I'm known as the "shoe girl" at work?), but caught multiple co-workers staring and fielded a couple conversational starter-type comments. I'm thinking there is only one way to tell -- an experiment by pitting the loafers against a bold-colored outfit. One has to win out, right?

My office's holiday potluck party was today and there was a host of activities -- from ugly Christmas sweaters to cubicle decorations to spreading positivity through Post-it notes. My excuse for being the Grinch? I don't own any ugly sweaters... anymore? But I added my own twist with a fun (and stylish) winter accessory, a fur stole with a ribbon tie. I remember falling in love with this piece last year and still love it just as much to this day. J.Crew, please bring it back!

Long time no post! Life has been hectic the last few weeks due to unexpected home repairs. Unfortunately the issues have not all been resolved yet, so blogging will continue to be sporadic for awhile. Then there is also all the rain we've been getting lately. We're finally getting better weather now, so hopefully that'll mean I start taking outfit photos again. In the meantime, here is a neutral work outfit from today as we transition from summer to fall.

I've been going through an upheaval at work the last few weeks because the team I was on disbanded. Rumors had been swirling for awhile, so I can't say it was a huge surprise when it happened. However, I did have a hard time wrapping my head around the abrupt end to the team and how things quickly escalated afterwards. Everyone was placed on brand new teams -- some as soon as the following week. Unfortunately I was one of the unlucky ones who didn't get much of a say in where I landed.

A new team also meant a new seat, and so I went from a corner cubicle to a middle cubicle... one without an accompanying coat hook! With the temperatures dropping now, that just won't do. So I snagged a random chair that doesn't really belong to anyone and have been using it as my personal coat rack. It also doubles as a guest chair when others pay a visit. Well, except on days like today when I'm wearing a pink jacket (lest anyone think guys would be caught owning pink outerwear).