Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The Start of Something

[Shirt: J.Crew factory; Jeans: James via Gilt (similar); Booties: Report; Necklace: J.Crew factory; Ring: Aloha Sunday; Nails: Essie 'Merino Cool']

I donned this look for the first day of my new job. Growing up, the first-day-of-school outfit always seemed like such a big decision, and that has definitely translated to the first day of work.

As I learned a few weeks into my last job, my office then was a very, very casual place. I think over time I gradually let that sap my outfit choices of creativity. I thought that putting effort into my look would make me look silly. But that all changed once I discovered the world of personal style blogging, and I was totally reinvigorated with my fashion choices, despite not working in the industry (thanks blogging world!). That pushed me to investigate and write more about startups in the fashion tech space, which ultimately got my publication more readers, and made my bosses happy! Moral of the story: pursuing something I was personally passionate about made for a good professional payoff!

Still, once I accepted a new job, I was nervous about what it meant for how I dress. Would I have to go super casual and sporty, given that I was working in the health and fitness space, and with a lot of men? Would looking like I cared about my clothing too much come off as me not being serious enough about work? Because of this uncertainty, I put a lot of thought into what I exactly I would wear on the first day to feel like me, but not over the top and out of context. And here is the result.

Navy is pretty but comfortable color for me, and the oxford shirt, jeans and boots combo is a good classic choice. All in all, it may seem like a vanilla, safe look—and it intentionally was, as I was testing the waters that first day and week, but I added a few touches that felt modern and 'me.' The ankle booties felt current, as did the polka dots and the monochromatic palette I pulled with the dark blues. When trying to show personal style but still be subtle in a somewhat unknown style setting, I look to interesting jewelry. In this case it's the black button anchor ring (on my right hand in the second picture). It's not so splashy that everyone in the room will notice, but it's interesting and genuinely makes me smile when I glance at it when typing away. And it took the outfit from being just the jeans-shirt-shoes thing. Sometimes it's the little things.

To my relief, I'm starting to think that my new office will be a place where I can definitely self express with my style and not worry about being looked down on. It seems like a culture where people are just genuinely open and encouraging of one another, and where plenty of people have their own creative pursuits on the side. It feel like a safe place to dress how I want to dress and not try to dumb down my outfits for fear that showing an interest in personal style would mean I am a less serious employee.

That may not mean stilettos or glitter every day, but I am making a move to wear my first dress to work today (should the weather behave)—which is much sooner than I thought it would. Yeah, that excites me. Again, it's the little things.

I feel like I have so much more to say about the fine line of looking appropriate for the context of your office, and still expressing yourself! What do you think? Am I over-thinking all this and coming off like a crazy person? Or do you think about how you balance the workplace and personal style? I'm talking to YOU, ladies who aren't working in the fashion industry! Is your office dressier or more laid back? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Monday, October 29, 2012

Geometro

[Skirt: Forever 21; Shirt: Gap: Sandals: Madewell; Cuff and Necklace; Joyo; Ring: Aloha Sunday]

I know I know I know. No post in two weeks. Terribly sorry! I was a bridesmaid in a fabulous wedding, spent a week in California after that, and started a new job the day after I got back. Tough break, I know. But all that plus the whole super-busy-photographer-husband thing has led to not much time for outfit photos. 

Luckily, all the chaos has brought plenty of blogging inspiration. I have so many thoughts to share on my new job, what it looks like to express your personal style with new co-workers, and cool things like that. But in the meantime, here's some warm weather nostalgia, from our trip to San Diego and LA. My bare legs won't be showing up on the blog again anytime this calendar year! 

This fabulous geometric mini skirt first caught my eye when blogger Closet Confections showed off the blazer in the same set. I convinced myself it was a sign when I saw the skirt on the racks at Forever 21 when I was doing some last minute vacation shopping! Turns out, the retro vibe perfectly complemented our mid-century-modern-inspired hotel in San Diego, The Pearl Hotel. So many awesome nooks and crannies to photograph there.  

Bye bye sunshine. Time to brace for Hurricane Sandy

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wedding Decor

Photo credit goes to Katie Pietrowski

Last week I brought you a recap of what everyone was wearing for our wedding (1 year ago yesterday!), and I'm checking back in today with a look at how we dressed up everything else that day. 

If you had to say our wedding a theme, I'd call it fun.  That came about a bit unintentionally, going back to our wedding invite suite, which Mikhail created himself (yes, not only is he an amazing photographer, he's also a professional graphic designer. I know, I know; what do I do all day? I'm not sure). We knew we wanted something modern and fun and not super traditional, so splashing the word Yay! across the center of the paper seemed a good way to go. 

As you can see, this Yay! motif worked its way into the labels we made for our favors (traditional Russian chocolate candies), and the sign we hung in front of our sweetheart table. We pulled the font into the signs that hung in front of our sign-in table, and the table number labels, which we stuck right in the centerpieces to keep with the slightly undone feel of our flowers. My florist brought the wildflowery look of the bouquets into the centerpieces, anchored by mason jars that we found at Salvation Army months prior (pre-mason-jar explosion on Pinterest). And I made our menu display with poster board, chalkboard paint, and some messy handwriting :). 

Cupcakes seemed like the perfect cute, fun choice for dessert. And Mikhail's aunt made our amazing cutting cake. I made a hanging blue ombre ribbon banner (pulling inspiration from a few different wedding ribbon decor items I had seen through blog and Pinterest browsing) to frame the awesome desserts. We spruced up our chairs with ribbons, too (also drawn from Pinterest inspiration)

All in all, putting together these wedding details ourselves was plenty of work, but we were so happy with how the day represented us. I'd have to say, though, after thinking about it for a year, being a wedding guest is way more my thing! 


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Wedding Dressing


As promised, here's peek #1 of our wedding style. We held the event on an awesome Sunday afternoon at the Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth, MA. We had a short engagement (May-October), so we had to be efficient and focus in on the details that meant the most to us.

One potential challenge with having a fall wedding was that I did NOT want to go with the classic fall colors of burgundy, rust, and marigold, but pastels and obvious summer tones were also out of the question! I picked my favorite neutral, navy, for the girls dresses, and went with an Alfred Sung number that I liked for the v-neck and the fun A-line shape. A friend later said it was Mad Men-esque, which explains my attraction! We thought the guys' grey suits paired well against the navy, too. I wanted flowers that popped against my dress, so went with purple, and did a mix of purple and white for the girls' bouquets. Mums were in for the season and I thought made for an awesome textured, wildflower-y bouquet.

I've waxed on about how much I love turquoise before, but I realize that color doesn't translate great into bridesmaids' dresses. So we accented with it, in the ribbon of the guys' boutonnieres (wow I spelled it right on the first try!) and in other decor elements throughout the wedding as you'll see in the next post!

Photo credit goes to Katie Pietrowski

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Plummy

[Jeans: Forever 21 (sold out now, similar color here); Sweater: J.Crew thrifted from Salvation Army; Shoes; Restricted via DSW; Scarf: H&M men's section; Ring: Forever 21 (similar); Cuff: Joyo; Leopard Bangle: SoWa Vintage]

So glad I ended my colored jeans protest. And discovered my obsession with thrifting oversized sweaters.In this outfit, I'm also introducing you to some of the colors I used in my wedding. Because—drumroll, please—I'm nearing my one-year anniversary, and am on celebratory trip currently and plan to entertain you with a few wedding style posts toward the end of this week. Yes, entertain. It will be fun. Promise.


All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Friday, October 5, 2012

Like A Boy

[Striped top: Forever 21 (similar); Denim shirt: Mikhail's Closet; Jeans: Old Navy; Trench: Forever 21 (similar); Scarf: Forever 21 (old); Cuff: Joyo]

I usually protest when my husband tells me I've dressed like a boy (that happens about three times a week). Oxford shirts and baggy sweaters, are chic, not manly Mikhail. DUH.

Welp, this time I had nothing to stand on. The denim shirt actually came from his closet. I have a reason for that, though. Blair wowed me with this look on the left (shocker, right? I've never said I like her style before or anything. Ever.) and I was determined to recreate it. I had a red trench, plenty of stripes, new Old Navy black skinny jeans, but no denim shirt/jacket. But I knew Mikhail did... Stolen!

And even though he questions my man-emulating fashion sense, I sure do love him. Yep.


All photos by Mikhail Glabets

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Proportion Play

[Shirt: Target; Skirt: Forever 21 (similar); Shoes: Bandolino via T.J. Maxx; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Ring: Forever 21; Scarf: H&M (old)]

On paper, this skirt and I should not mix. My torso does not take well to skirts, I am typically morally opposed to pleats, and the 3/4 midi length can be just awkward.

What gives? For one, the cobalt blue color. You want to win me over with something? Dip it in cobalt blue. The pleats actually give it some nice shape and detail, and I've come to accept that the midi length skirts are awesome because they can be dressed up or down. They just need the right styling. I love pairing fancier and casual, so I went with the plain white T (not the band). On its own the combo seemed to call attention to my tiny torso, so I added a scarf to balance things out a bit more.

Speaking of balance,  heels are a must with midis! The add length to make the skirt look more knee length, and make your legs look much longer in the process. I also happened to buy this same skirt in black, so clearly I got over a few style phobias here.

All photos by Mikhail Glabets

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