TBMD

Third time's the charm as I finally wore this linen sheath dress as it was intended -- with the accompanying belt. (See previous outfits here, here). I gotta say, the designers were onto something. The fabric belt is the right width and has enough give that the bottom of the dress flared out nicely. I felt quite ladylike. There's nothing wrong with experimentation, but my track record is certainly one of an amateur. Never doubt the professionals.

Casual but slightly dressed up outfits are my forte. I'm a tomboy at heart, and as I've matured over the years, I've found that adding adult touches (aka heels) is an easy way to straddle that middle ground between am-I-supposed-to-take-you-seriously and lighten-up-will-you extremes. It does help that I've found my new favorite pair of heels! A little glam but yet neutral (loving cognac so much lately) while being super comfortable.

The last outfit was quintessentially "me" in my element. In contrast, today's is the complete antithesis. Everything from head to toe was an experiment that... I'm not sure I'll be repeating. I wanted to try my hand at the trendy "fancy" jogger pants (the crepe-y fabric with elastic at the ankles). Most of the ones I've seen look best in dark colors (ie: olive, black), so I thought it was a genius idea to take ankle pants that I already own then fold up the hem for a bunched-up look. Did it work? Not if you look closely, but from far away, it may pass muster. While I think the resulting look is fun, I kinda felt like I was trying too hard.

I had the most fun I've had in awhile playing around with this outfit. There were just so many opportunities to mix and match to create completely different outfits (small details matter!), that it actually took me awhile to settle on this one. Now did I achieve the look I was aiming for? If you're seeing a fun yet glam business casual outfit, then hell yeah.

I've previously mentioned styling struggles when it comes to this top. It took trial and error to find pants that worked with the tad-too-short-top without proportions looking off. To nobody's surprise except mine, I encountered the same issue when trying on skirts. I really wanted to wear a pencil skirt, but anything knee-length just made the outfit look dowdy. The balance looked much better when I went with a shorter skirt -- and dare I say, more youthful? As for the matchy-matchy scallop hems, that can be overlooked because priority for choosing a navy skirt for the color scheme won out.

Continuing the sleeveless trend that I've been sporting this summer (exhibits: A, B), today's outfit is probably more late-summer appropriate as we transition into fall. I happen to snag this sleeveless tunic on super sale recently, and of course, had to wear it immediately, lest I forget all about it. The last time I bought an out-of-season item, I only recently unearthed it from the back of my closet. Sigh. So, here's an outfit that will take me from summer to fall. Then when the weather cools considerably, the tunic can still be worn layered over a crisp white button-up shirt.

One of my most (if not the top) pinned outfit on Pinterest is this gray/black/leopard outfit from 4 years! ago. It's a work classic for a reason, given the items can be found in most closets as well as their neutral color palette. So in a trip down memory lane, I decided to re-create the outfit using current pieces I had on hand.

The more things change, the more they remain the same. I swapped out the black pencil skirt for a textured navy one in the same silhouette. As my tastes have matured, out went the oversized watch and in with all the jewels. What has stayed the same? My trusty gray tote that I still love to this day. Oh, and apparently the way I still side-tuck my sweaters.

I'm embracing this recent heatwave by stepping out of my comfort zone completely. Talk about lots of skin baring (for me!) in a sleeveless top and cropped pants. I chose thin fabrics that are loose but yet still fitted. (Side tangent: the pants are unlined and a tad itchy, so even in this heat, I wish there was an extra layer). I stuck to a neutral palette because... well, the cropped pants already kind of stand out at the office. Of course, a cardigan (in white) is tucked away in my bag for when indoor temps become unbearable.

I feel like my style has been all over the place this year. There's been a decent number of experiments (some good, others ehh), bold color choices, some arm-baring, just to name a few. For today's look, I'm doing a 180 and going back to my roots. Is there anything more classically summer than crisp whites with stripes? I think not. (I resisted the urge to carry the trendy wicker basket, but couldn't help but accessorize with the quirky lime coin purse).

When you're having a great hair day (trust me, this is a rarity for me, and my standards are so very low), it's okay if the outfit isn't 100% on point. The tweed blazer is just a bit too long with the dress (see last photo), and perhaps a bit heavy for summer. It was actually on back-order for awhile, but instead of waiting patiently to wear it during appropriate weather, I just had to take it out for instant gratification. When I tried it at home, the tweed blazer fits and looks amazing buttoned with girlfriend jeans. Outfit to come this fall!

I still remember the first time I wore this embroidered top. I paired it with white, wide-leg cropped pants and thought I looked so chic because everything was flowy! Upon further inspection, it was just too everything... too white, I looked too rectangular, top was too short, pants were too cropped. The only "too" statement I can make about today's outfit is that it's too casual -- but hey, there's a time and place for that (and it's not always a bad thing). The girlfriend jeans are just loose enough to counterbalance the shorter-than-I-prefer top.

I've styled this dress two ways thus far -- paired with a wide belt the first time, then now with a skinny belt. You'd think the dress came belt-less (or perhaps just ugly) given my decision making, but there's actually nothing wrong with the matching belt in the same color and fabric as the dress. I will pair the two one of these days... just having fun flexing my styling muscles for the time being.