If there’s one thing I learned before graduating high school, it’s that business attire for women at most department stores is about as interesting as watching paint dry. Competing on a high school speech team, I spent my Saturday’s dressed to the 9-to-5 in a pencil skirt, blouse, and blazer. Finding even one good pencil skirt to fit was a struggle in itself, much less making sure it was actually cute or stylish. I was frustrated at the thought of having to wear a boring navy pencil skirt and blazer with a white collared shirt every weekend, so I set out to find my own rhythm with my workwear. I eventually found it, in perfectly printed pencil skirts that had just enough going on to be interesting, but not so much that it was inappropriate to wear them in a professional setting.
Unfortunately, my days of competing on a speech team have come and gone, but since those days, I’ve been trying to figure out how to style an office look that I’d actually want to wear outside of work. A couple days ago, I found myself sitting in front of my office not trying to figure out this problem out, but the problem of what to wear to school on my first day. I had an entirely different outfit planned for this top, but the more I started playing around with different pieces, the more the look went from design student going back to school to young professional.
I can’t say I’ve ever loved being in Alphabet City all that much {except to visit my friends, of course}, but this particular time I was impressed by how many interesting buildings I saw down there like the one on the right!
I’ve been crushing on lantern sleeves big time lately. They’re a really simple way to add interest to an otherwise basic top without being as aggressive or dramatic as an oversized bell sleeve. The elastic at the end of the sleeve plays down the volume of it while still retaining an interesting shape. I’m picky about sleeves. I’m all for a big bell sleeve, but if it doesn’t have the right shape or volume to it, no way am I wearing it. I’m still on the hunt to find the perfect bell sleeve top, so DM me your suggestions here if you have one I should see!
Would I wear a miniskirt to the office in real life? No, probably not. A longer, pencil skirt version of this faux leather black miniskirt would be the ideal option. My favorite way to ease in a little style to workwear outfits is to play with the color and texture of office staples. Balance a blush pink blazer with a navy pencil skirt, or swap your normal black suit for a black pencil skirt with a leather, tweed, or boucle blazer instead.
The more I see my friends head off to interviews or even the 9-5 crowd on the streets of NYC during rush hour, the more I realize that America’s idea of appropriate office attire is changing. People are becoming more experimental, fashion is becoming fun again, and the look is leaning towards laid back. Except on Wall Street. There’s very few places I’ve seen more collared shirts in once place than I have on Wall Street, and that list is basically limited to Brooks Brothers, Vineyard Vines, and a traditional church.
My shoes may say “For Walking,” but let me tell ya, the moment this shoot was over I threw on my favorite pink mule bow slides instead. I have a rule against taking off my heels before the day is over, but honestly, my friends live in East Village walk-ups with steep staircases, and when I’m going from Midtown to Downtown to FiDi in the course of a half hour, I just can’t be bothered to physically run in my stilettos {they were walking too fast}. They’re under $40, genuine suede, and as comfortable as they are cute. If I’m heading to work, school, or anywhere that might require a long walk, I throw them in my bag *just* in case my feet aren’t feeling the heels that day.
This outfit may have been more than I was bargaining for when it comes to first day of school outfits, but you can still catch me styling this top just slightly differently tomorrow when the bell rings {if college had bells}. See how I style this top differently tomorrow on my Instagram stories over here.
Loving this look as much as I am? Remember to pin the images to save the style inspiration for later!
xx,
E
IN THIS POST
Photos for this post were taken by Yaron Erkin. You can check him out here.
Lots of great advice here. Nicely Done!