5 Easy Work Outfits to Try When You Hate Everything in Your Closet

We all know the feeling. Those mornings you wake up, tear apart your closet, and end up with an 'oh-my-gosh-I-could-bury-a-body-in-this-it-so-huge' pile of clothes on your floor. ... and you still have nothing you want to wear to work.

Fear not, there are some tricks you can use to create an outfit you actually want to wear from the pieces you already have in your closet. Below are 5 work outfits to give you some business casual outfit inspiration. For each outfit, there is one key tip that you can use when you just don't know what to wear to work. 

1. Wear a Bold Blazer AND a Print (Full Outfit Post Here)

Chances are you have at least one colored blazer (or cardigan) in your closet. Chances are that you likely wear it with white or black. Grab your bright colored blazer or cardigan and pair it instead with a printed top. You've just created a chic, bold, work outfit simply by "re-pairing" items of clothing that were already in your closet. *happy dance*

2. Opt for a Pleated Skirt (Full Post Here)

Step away from your go-to pencil skirt. Pair whatever shirt you would normally wear with your trusty pencil skirt, with a pleated skirt instead. Pleated skirts are still office appropriate, but they change the entire silhouette of your work look.

3. Add a 1-minute DIY (Full Post Here)

Whenever I am in a blah mood. You know, the "every outfit I am picking out is boring" mood, I use this little trick. Simply take any button down shirt that you have in your closet and pin a pair of earrings to the collar. The touch of bling is still work appropriate, but it gets you out of your style rut!

 4. Go Monochrome (Full Post Here)

Like most young professionals, I often wear a matching suit set and I use my shirt to add a pop of color to the outfit. This can get monotonous. To change things up, go for a monochromatic look from head to toe. A cream blouse with a cream suit, a black knit with a black suit, etc. The result is chic business casual.

5. Throw on a Sleeveless Blazer (Full Post Here) 

If your go-to pants and top are just not working for you, try adding a sleeveless blazer to top of the outfit. Or, if you were going to wear a blazer, try a sleeveless one instead. This is a great trick because it works all year long. In the summer you can wear a t-shirt underneath, as I did in the outfit above, and in the winter you can wear it with long sleeve blouse or turtleneck.

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linking up with: let it shine // #howifall // hello monday // on trend tuesdays // style swap // TFF

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Where to Shop to Build Your Work Day Wardrobe

original photo c/o pink pot

Finding clothes to wear to work that don't cost an arm and a leg can be a daunting task. Below is a round-up of the places I think are best for office wear. I've also picked out some favorite currently available items (so many beautiful pencil skirts!) from each of these stores. Enjoy!

Nordstrom: 

Pro: SO many options. Nordstrom is the mecca for wear to work shopping. My personal favorite brands for office wear are Halogen & Anne Klein (both extremely affordable). I also love Theory (though their clothes are much more expensive).
 
Con: They have far more online than in store. This means a lot of shopping without trying on. If you are in America though, they have a free shipping & returns policy so buy a ton and just return what doesn't fit! Shipping is $10 to Canada.

Some great options:

Club Monaco:  

Pro: Feminine work wear styles. High quality material.

Con: Expensive. I find that shopping their sale section online is that best way to get affordable items.

Some great options:


 

J Crew:

Pro: Timeless, Classic items. You can wear J Crew pieces season after season and still be fashionable.

Con: Expensive. Styles don't fit all body types (I hear many women complain that J Crew just doesn't fit them right. Try some items on and see how they feel for you).

Some great pieces:


 

J Crew Factory:

Pro: Affordable, classic pieces. Also- lots of "mix and match" items with different cuts of pants, skirts & blazers all in the same fabric/color.

Con: Lower quality material. I find the stitching is more likely to come undone, hemlines are more likely to fall, etc.

My favorite items right now:
 

Express:

Pro: Extremely affordable. "Trendy" items.

Con: Not much selection. Very fast turn around in products (ie. if you like it, buy it. It may not be there next week!)

My favorites:
  

White House Black Market:

Pro: Affordable. Very stylish.

Con: Some of their "work wear" items are not the most work appropriate - sometimes they make v-necks that are a little low, slits that are a little high, etc.

My top picks:
 

Ann Taylor:

Pro: Quality materials. They are also really quite good with returns and exchanges.

Con: Limited number of pieces each collection/season (only really a con if you're planning on doing a large haul of work wear)

Some of my favorites:
 

linking up with: casual friday // WW // friday faves // flashback fashion friday // friday favorites  // hello monday // 

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How to Shop the Nordstrom Sale if you are in Canada

~Above are my favorite purchases from last year's #Nsale~

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts Early Access on July 13th. Below are some answers to FAQ's about the sale, and how to shop the Sale as a Canadian **note: this was updated as of 09/07/17**

What is it?

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (aka. the #NSale) is an annual sale in which Nordstrom releases new fall merchandise at ridiculously discounted prices. This is different than any other sale out there, because these are not last season's items. These are brand new items from some of the biggest designers (think Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Sam Edelman) that are on sale for a few weeks only before going back up to regular retail prices. This sale is thus the BEST way to do your fall shopping! 

When Does it Start?

The #Nsale starts early access  July 13, 2017. The sale then opens to the general public on July 21st and runs until August 6th; with prices going back up to regular retail at that time.

What is "Early Access" & Can I Shop it?

Early Access runs from the 12th - 20th. To shop early access you have to be a Nordstrom cardholder. They have a credit card (obviously) but also a debit card - which operates exactly like your regular debit card, withdrawing from your bank account. Unfortunately, you cannot get a Nordstrom card without a U.S. billing address. I called and spoke with customer service at Nordstrom on the weekend to figure out if there was any way Canadians could shop early access to the online Nordstrom website without a card. Short answer? No. But don't be disappointed - there are some things you can do!

What do I do then if I am Canadian?

There are two different options for you if you're Canadian. 

1) Shop Nordstrom Canada:

This year for the first time Nordstrom Canada does have early access to shop within the physical Canadian store locations starting July 18th. Similar to the US early access, to be able to take advantage of this early shopping (which you'll note is not as early as the US, and is only 3 days before public access) you need to become a Nordstrom Credit Card holder. My two cents on this? I'm happy to see Nordstrom is at least trying to get something in place for Canadian's to more easily shop the sale, but, considering it is not online and is only 3 days of early access, it's certainly not the most amazing deal. Personally, I will be waiting to shop the first day of public access. 

2) Have a Game Plan for Public Access Shopping:

 
If you don't live near a Nordstrom Canada location or aren't going to get a Nordstrom Canada credit card for early access, then your first day of eligible Nordstrom Anniversary Sale shopping is July 21st. Below are my tips to ensure you still get the items you want: 

- Review the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Catalog

The catalog is out now and lists a number of the items that will be part of the sale. Go through this now and make a list of the items you want - and put them in priority order. That way you can search for them one by one and add them to your cart right away on July 21st.

- Check your Favorite Fashion Blogs for NSale Posts

So many bloggers are obsessed with this sale, that chances are pretty good your favorites will do at least one (... or 5) posts on their picks from the sale throughout the early access period. This is another great way for you to see some of the items you may want to get come July 21st.
Check out my Top Wear-to-Work Picks from the 2017 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

- Prioritize your Items

I know this sounds ridiculous, but items in this sale go FAST. The most popular items often sell out on the first day. So, once you know some items you already love (from the catalog & your fashion blog research) go and purchase those right away! You can shop the rest of the sale to see if there are other items you want after you have done that.

- Don't forget the Canadian Dollar!

Once you are on the Nordstrom website you can go under the shipping tab and change your preferences to see the prices in Canadian dollars. This will help you make sure you stay on budget! Also, keep in mind that that shipping to Canada costs $9.95 (as a flat fee).

I hope you found this post helpful and I hope you get all the items you want! I'd love to hear about your wants/purchases - keep me posted via comments (here or on later blog posts.) I will be doing a updating my blog throughout the sale so be sure to check back frequently. As posts go live I will include their links below.

1) Top Wear-to-Work Items from the 2017 Nordstrom Sale

2) Top 15 Picks from the 2017 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 

3) 2017 Purchases Review - Work Wear

4) 2017 Purchases Review - Weekend Wear (Sweaters) 

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5 Tips for Summer Office Wear

       Outfit Post (1)    //   Outfit Post (2)    //   Outfit Post (3)   //      Outfit Post (4)     //     Outfit Post (5)

 

1. Embrace White
Incorporating white into your office wear is the easiest way to make your work outfits fit for summer. A good pair of white pants are a wardrobe staple. I personally love these & these!
 

2. Add Bold Accent Colors
Summer colors like bright yellow, pink or orange can be work appropriate in small doses. When used as an accent color in a shoe, handbag or even top, any work outfit will feel more suited to the season.  

3. Add Prints & Patterns
While I recommend playing with prints & patterns year round; they are especially important in the summer months. Work outfits can feel drab and prints and patterns are traditionally more playful and fun - just like summer. As you can see from my summer office outfits, I love floral & stripes.
 
4. Switch to Neutral Basics
Where you would normally wear black - wear white, tan or cream. In other words, switch out those black pencil skirts for tan ones, black pants for white ones, and black heels for nude ones.

5. Add Accessories
Because the summer is traditionally more relaxed - even for work wear - you can get away with wearing bolder accessories than other times of the year. A pair of statement earrings can totally be styled for the office!

 linking up with: creative mondays // shoe & tell // OOTD // let it shine // hello monday // #howisummer // midweek inspirations // what i wore // TFF
 

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Finding the Best Blazer for your Body Type

Last week I posted a guide on how to pick your first suit. Over the weekend I was inundated with emails about the post. (yay for readers finding it helpful!) The one thing so women wanted more information on is blazer styles. Blazers can be a real challenge. They are wardrobe essential for any professional woman but, this wear-to-work item can often leave women feeling shapeless and un-stylish. The good news is this does not need to be the case! Gone are the days of blazers being ill-fitted for women; there are actually a number of companies making great blazers that actually look good on women (woohoo!)

The trick, my wonderful readers, is to find a blazer cut that suits your body type so that you don't end up drowning in shapeless fabric looking like the girl at prom who threw on her date's jacket. (Side note: weird reference?? I have no idea why that's the first thing to come to my mind, but were gonna roll with it okay? okay.)

I struggle with the idea of classifying women's bodies into "types", but I also think it is a helpful way to help you look your best, so I have done my best to come up with terms/categories that hopefully you can relate to and can easily find yourself a styling, well-fitted, suited-to-the-professional-rockstar-that-you-are, blazer. Here goes:

If you are busty:

First off if you are busty; sister I feel. your. pain! Button-down shirts and qork wear in general was not made for us and the difficulty in dressing a larger chest is a massive pain. The struggle is real. That is a rant for an entirely separate post though. For now, let's just talk what you can do to find a blazer that works with your chest.

A single button blazer is the most flattering cut for a bigger chest. Be sure though that the blazer is NOT TOO SMALL. A tight blazer with only button actually has the complete opposite effect on a busty frame- making you look as though you are going to burst-out at any time. If you are between sizes in a one-button blazer, always size up and get the waist/arms tailored.

Also look for blazers with a slim lapel - width can again work against you. Avoid chest pockets or embellishments on the upper part of your blazer. Shop the widget below for some great blazers for busty women.

If you are small chested:

If you are smaller chested you can easily wear blazers with more 'happening'. Three button blazers will be the most flattering on your shape. Look for wider lapels - especially ones with detailing (I love a leather trim or other change in fabric on a lapel). You can also create the same illusion with color but choosing a blazer with a different colored lapel. Embellishments such as pockets also work well for this shape. The widget below has my top picks for blazers for smaller chests.

If you are apple shaped:

A well-fitted blazer is the key if you have an apple shaped figure- meaning you don't have a defined waist. The best blazer for this body type is one that sits at the hips - too short a blazer will "cut you in half" in terms of the look. The longer line created by a blazer that sits longer will be the most flattering.

As well, look for blazers that are made of lightweight materials. Thicker materials will both add width to your frame and also will not move as easily -and a flowy movement will allow the best parts of your shape to shine through. Below are great blazers for apple shaped women.

If you are pear-shaped/hippy:

I am quite hippy and for some reason for years though the best bet was to find a blazer that hit at my hips. Not the case! If you have wider hips you want a blazer that hits just above your hips (show off those curvy hips!) or one that hits just below them- covering them. Anything in the middle will draw attention directly to your hips and make you appear larger than you are.

You also want to avoid embellishments or detailing at hip height. Do not go for blazers with dramatic pockets at the hips! Wider lapels and embelishments on the top, by contrast, look great if you are hippy. Below are my favorite hip-approved blazers. 

If you are a straight build (not curvy): 

If you have a straight build you have a ton of options for blazers! You can play up your straight figure if you wish with a three buttoned fitted blazer. You can also play up the illusion of an hour glass figure by going for peplum waists, or anything with a belt that nips in at the waist. A wider lapel, combined with a nipped in waist, will add to the hourglass illusion.

Below are some blazers I love that would work so well on straight build:

 If you have a straight build you have a ton of options for blazers! You can play up your straight figure if you wish with a three buttoned fitted blazer. You can also play up the illusion of an hour glass figure by going for peplum waists, or anything with a belt that nips in at the waist. A wider lapel, combined with a nipped in waist, will add to the hourglass illusion.

Below are some blazers I love that would work so well on straight build:

linking up with: let it shine // OOTD // #howispring // hello monday // style swap // confident twosday // on trend tuesdays // tuesday fashion party // garay treasures // what i wore

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