Wear to Work - NYFW Fall 2012 - Cynthia Rowley

So far my favorite designers have yet to disappoint. Cynthia Rowley's careful embellishments (courtesy of DANNIJO), whimsical and floral patterns and use of olive leave me lusting for several pieces from her collection. 

All photos courtesy of NY Mag

Wear to Work - NYFW Fall 2012 - Yigal Azrouel

Speechless was the single reaction as I clicked through the pictures of Yigal's Fall 2012 collection. The colors - wine & hunter. The fabrics - leather & fur. The textures and silhouettes...all totally wearable. I would dare to say my favorite collection so far (yeah, yeah, I know it's only Day 4).

And after I swooned at his sexy collection. I swooned at the even sexier man.

Wear to Work - NYFW Fall 2012 - Z Spoke by Zac Posen

Rainy Day

Kenneth Cole Trench / Eileen Fisher Scarf - Similar here / Club Monaco Cardigan / Banana Republic Pants / Michael Kors Hamilton Large Tote / H&M Umbrella / Madewell Golden Braid Bracelet / Ring - Random Street Vendor

New Year's Style Resolutions

1) Wear more pants
2) Smile more in OOTD pics
Others to come...

[Top] Kenneth Cole [Cardigan] H&M [Pants] Zara [Shoes] Stuart Weitzman

Post-Christmas Holiday Sale - Reiss

I may not have gotten everything that I asked Santa for Christmas - although the lovely FH ("future husband") is still on the epic quest to secure my present. In the meantime, I've been checking out the smorgasbord of sales going on.

I have my eye on a few items that are currently on sale over at Reiss (just window shopping for me - I've got a strict budget these days). For those of you who are looking to purchase, yo don't have to feel guilty as these items are all easily transitioned from work to play.

Happy post-Holiday shopping!

Reading One Button Tailored Jacket - $255 | Windsor Lock Detail Satchel - $222 | Ashfield Court High Shoe - $216 
 Tux Oversized Shirt - $155 | Ginger Resin Detail Pendant Necklace - $88

Women's Suiting 2.0: The Quincy Collection

I'm not sure how I heard of Alex & Christina but I could totally relate to them: female MBAs, working girls/entrepreneurs-in-the-making who were frustrated with the selection of suits for women. I also was immediately inspired by their mission: to reinvent boxy and ill-fitting women's suits. I was so eager to check them out but alas they were still in the conception stage when I'd discovered their business idea over the summer. So to say that I was pleased to hear of the Quincy SS12 Capsule Collection was an understatement! Also adding to my excitement is the fuschia fabric lining. Yes, I'm a girl and I (sometimes) like pink!

"We've started with three pieces that are the cornerstone of every working woman's wardrobe: the perfect jacket, pant and pencil skirt."

With affordable pieces and designs that were created "for professional women, by professional women" Quincy Apparel promises to be an interesting case study for what happens when women start to take control of designing clothing for ourselves.

I'm eager to try out the initial pieces of the collection after the new year (completing a personal challenge of no additional clothing purchases until January). But if you're currently in the market for a great suit, check these ladies out and let me know how the pieces fit.

Check out the entire collection here: Quincy Apparel

DailyBuzz Style 9x9: How to Wear Bright Pants to Work

I'd been thinking of how to brighten up my fall work wardrobe and so when DailyBuzz Style 9x9 asked some bloggers to show off ways to incorporate bright pants, I jumped at the opportunity. As some of you more frequent blog readers know, it's pretty tough for me to find the right pair of pants that fit my bodyshape: I have a narrow waist with larger thighs. So this challenge was a real one.

I'm spending the weekend visiting my boyfriend in San Francisco and got the opportunity to check out some of the shops in the downtown area. My first inkling was to go to the larger known brands as they usually have a wider selection in terms of styles and prices but after hitting up Zara, H&M, JCrew, Mango without success, I started to get discouraged. Either they didn't have bright colored pants at all or I ended in a pair that too closely resembled mom-pants. 

I struck gold at Madewell. It was a pleasant surprise since I'd always thought that most of the JCrew's brand extension was far too hippie/casual for me to wear to work. I lucked out in these Colorwheel Trousers in "kilt red". They also come in the Fall 2011 appropriate color of "royal blue."

I'm pairing these bright orangey-red pants with a cream-colored, gold collar-accented flowy top from H&M. My office environment leans slightly more conservative so when wearing this type of bright color to the office, I choose to tone it down by adding a more muted color on top. For a more casual work environment, this would pair nicely with another bright color on top, for some color-blocking action.

[Top] H&M [Pants] Madewell [Shoes] Nine West

How to Wear Snakeskin to the Office

These last two posts (here and here) are proof that I sometimes push corporate workwear boundaries. A girl's got to live and right now I'm loving living in snakeskin.

I prefer this "animal print" to the usual leopard that is also a popular trend for Fall 2011. The snake is sleek, slender and has a regal danger associated with it that screams power.

So if you can't show up to work in a full snakeprint dress like I did, here are some subtler ways to sneak snakeskin into a more conservative work environment.

Snakeskin to the Office by ivie83 featuring leather handbags

Chloé high heels, $585
Alexander Wang leather handbag, £288
CAPULETLONDON leather handbag, £259
Yves Saint Laurent gold plated bangle, $1,565
Kenneth Jay Lane enamel ring, $75
Orange belt, $28
Jimmy Choo Trent snakeskin iPhone case, $250

Business in (Cobalt) Blue

Dress: Kasper for A.S.L, Belt: H&M, Stockings: Calvin Klein, Shoes: Stuart Weitzman 

Would you wear thrifted items to work?

Ever since, years ago, a makeup artist commented on how rich blues compliments my skintone, I wear this color every chance I get. So I've been looking for one of the hottest trends for Fall 2011: a cobalt (royal blue, whatever you want to call this amazing color) ensemble. And guess where I found it?

At my local Salvation Army!

I was actually in search of some thin belts to add to my wardrobe when I stumbled upon this number. I couldn't believe my blue-tinted eyes. This lone dress, transported from the mid-90's, in my size, no snags, stains, etc. It was in perfect condition. And of course the price was right. This baby was practically free at a whopping $8.

Would you Wear this to Work?

Snake skin print, H&M loose flowing dress. Grey Steven heels. Worn to work.
(actual picture was from P. Luca event - blog post coming soon!)

Stylish in Suede

It's officially Fall! I'm definitely looking forward to the slightly cooler weather and to what that means to my workwear wardrobe. I just love deep, rich colors of Fall, trench coats and stockings.

Right now I'm loving the suede shoe trend and all the lovely colors that are available. With this trend and the pop of color I prefer to go with a simpler high-heeled pump. To wear this look to work, I'd keep the rest of my outfit a single color or incorporate an accenting piece - think shirt, scarf, etc.

Steve Madden, CORPRATE $62.97

Stuart Weitzman "Lasagna" Pumps $365.00 

GLAM Green Suede Court Shoes $92.00 

Via Spiga "Callie" Platform Pumps $198.00

 

DVF "Roxanne" Penny Loafer Pumps $280.00

 

Pink & Blue

Work is in full swing these days and so is my travel schedule. For the next few weeks I'm between Philly, CT and Atlanta. So far the travel has not gotten to me but it's only week 1.

With planning my outfits for the week I basically have to know what I want to wear from Monday through Thursday by Sunday night. This can be good and bad.

Good because this allows me to be a lot more efficient during the week. I don't have an entire closet in front of me with a ton of pieces to have to choose from. I only have that which I packed on Sunday night.

The bad is that I can't change my mind mid-week. I'm stuck with the outfit choices that I made several days prior. And if you're anything like me, I change my mind ALL the time. To combat this, I typically try to pack several lighter pieces that allow me to mix and match if I decide that I'm not especially feeling an outfit anymore. This plan worked perfectly this week.

The skirt was amazing. Light, airy and feminine but with a sheen and cut that exuded modernity.

Shirt: Club Monaco, Skirt: JCrew, Bag: Coach, Shoes: Stuart Weitzman