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.

Today's outfit is a hodgepodge of styles. A mix of boho (top), glam (bag), feminine (shoes), and vintage (skirt). I could've passed for someone who got dressed in the dark this morning. Or perhaps seen as a risk taker. Or maybe a bit of both.

The last time I wore this exact outfit, I accessorized with all neutrals in the beige/tan/brown family. This time around, I went a little riskier and chose pastels. Give me a few more weeks and I may go off the deep end and re-appear with neons.

As promised, today's post features a semi tucked-in sweater (now $25) with wide leg cropped pants (now $32). I loved how this outfit turned out, with the yellow pants being the main attraction against a palette of neutrals. It's just a tad crazy for my stuffy work environment (government), but not too much so.

Am I the only one who thinks we pretty much went from winter straight to summer? I'm happily pretending it's still spring... and will continue to wear jackets until it becomes unbearably hot (or officially summer), whichever comes first.

We went to a wedding over the weekend at the historic Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore. The architecture style of the venue plus the formal dress code immediately made me think romantic, tulle, embellished dresses -- like BHLDN.

I've never really had a good excuse to wear tulle... until now. I was thinking a Thread & Needle blue/gray tulle maxi skirt with a J.Crew bow top. I loved the swishy-ness of the maxi skirt, but never truly found a top I loved -- one that was dressy enough and went with the skirt. I think subconsciously I knew I would be "settling" so I never completely stopped the search.

Lo and behold, the perfect dress appeared when I was casually browsing Bloomingdale's sale section one day. There was only one problem -- because the color I wanted (navy) was on sale, size selection was limited *cue crying emoji* Reviews were mixed regarding the fit, so I kept debating whether I should give the larger sizes a try (definitely runs small through the ribs). I ended up sleeping on it. When I woke the next morning and refreshed the page, smaller sizes magically appeared -- yay for overnight re-stocks!

I loved this dress even more in person when I tried it on. The color (navy is the new black), the heavy fabric which created the beautiful voluminous high-low skirt that swished as I walked. The only negative was the strapless top -- never been a fan only because I don't have much to hold it up. In all honesty though, a non-strapless top would've made the dress look busier, and I probably would've passed. The simple strapless top balanced out the full skirt.

When I showed DH the dress, he immediately said, "You look... loud." What? But I'm not wearing a bold color! I definitely don't want to stand out and upstage the bride. So he clarified with, "You take up a lot of space." I chalked this up to another example of how guys view things differently -- all my girlfriends gave their thumbs up approval. I know I look good, so he'll just have to deal with me invading his personal space, hahaha. I recounted this story multiple times throughout the night of the wedding because I got so many compliments (pockets were a huge hit!) from other girls.

It's funny how I was so sure of the vision of my initial outfit, only to end up wearing a dress that is a complete 180 -- structured, plain, heavy fabric. I accessorized with a statement necklace to add interest up top, but chose simple nude heels to keep the attention on the full skirt.

Photos thanks to DH!

I've been at the new job for about 2 weeks now. I won't say I've settled into a routine just yet, but am starting to get comfortable enough where I can go on instinct (not having to think) during my commute. One main difference I've noticed between this new project vs. my last one is the age group of my coworkers around me. This project skews a lot younger, so much so that I'm probably one of the outliers. And for the first time in my working career, I'm surrounded by a good number of females -- stylish ones, too! I met a girl in the elevator who wanted to know where I got today's tweed jacket from. When I happily told her, "Zara, and it's recent, so you can find it online," her face completely lit up. It made my day.

Today's outfit is what I dub my "ladies who lunch" look. I've been playing the housewife for a couple of weeks before starting a new job. Unlike the last time, this change is on my terms (my 1099 dreams are finally coming true!) The only downside is the state of this blog. I'll be taking the Metro to the new job, so that means I won't be lugging my tripod and camera along. I'm not sure when I'll find the time and place to take outfit photos... weekends? Should I just stick to iPhone photos? Everything is up in the air right now, so just a heads up that posts will be very sporadic while I figure things out.

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).