A neutral outfit doesn't have to be boring. I love mixing in textures (calf hair pumps), prints (when in doubt, leopard), varying metals (see closeup shot of jewelry below), proportions (short trench, longer peplum top), and finally, a subtle pop of color that is bottle green. There are so many details to draw the eye, but yet, the overall effect is quite cohesive.

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.

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.

Green has been my favorite color as of late. Not far behind is a rich cognac brown. Today's outfit combines the two as I'm slowly easing into fall -- a jacket for the cooler mornings with a summer-y dress. (Nothing wrong with loving fall, but I'm not ready to let go of summer yet!)

I wore a similar outfit a couple of weeks back -- same top, bag, and white/green color palette. I had high expectations for the outfit because it looked amazing in my head. But in reality? ...not so much. I think the sweater tee ended up looking too "heavy" with the delicate tulle skirt.

Today's outfit is my second attempt at finding the right balance for this white sweater tee and green pairing. Though the lace of this pencil skirt is fairly delicate, I think the structured shape of the skirt ended up working better than my first attempt.

I'm not a morning person at all. So when I'm forced to wake up at the crack of dawn, you bet I'll take my sweet time enjoying the first rays of sunrise. I kept my outfit simple (coordinating colors, minimal mixing and matching) which worked out well because the peachy colors of the sunrise really is the star of the show.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As I was trying on a white cardigan with today's outfit and debating whether it's a good addition, I heard DH say, "That's an interesting... leisure suit?" Guess it wasn't a hard decision to leave off the cardigan after all.