Work From Home Style, Fall Week 3

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a great Halloween yesterday. I can't wait to get caught up on everyone's blogs to see what you guys did to celebrate! But first, last week's outfit recap.

Monday:

My allergies have really been acting up the past two weeks, and so I didn't wear my contacts for once. Glasses bug me to death (I hate not having peripheral vision, and my eyelashes rub against the lenses when I blink), but at least they made me look studious!

Argyle Vest: NY&Co, White Blouse: H&M, Grey Slacks: H&M, Necklace, Earrings and Headband: Target

Grey and Black Pumps: Michael Antonio

Tuesday:

I love this outfit because the skirt is so comfy. It's made out of a stretchy woven material, and feels just like a sweater for my legs.

Short Sleeve Sweater: Victoria's Secret, Grey Sweater Skirt: Target, Ombre Infinity Scarf: Old Navy, Black Tights: My Diva's Closet, Earrings: Target

Black Patent Heels: Paprika

Wednesday:

I have a ton of argyle prints in my closet, and am happy to get to wear them again, since they're mostly sweaters that are too hot to wear for half of the year. This sweater was a Christmas gift from several years ago, and the new burgundy tights I bought this year just happened to match the burgundy in the argyle pattern.

Black, Pink and Burgundy Argyle Sweater: Gift, Black Skirt: JCPenny's (part of a suit set), Belt: H&M (came with a dress), Tights: My Diva's Closet, Earrings: Target

Snakeskin Black Heels: Michael Antonio

Thursday:

Thursday's outfit ended up being a little boring. Earlier in the day I'd also been wearing a grey scarf, but I very gracefully dipped it in salad dressing while eating lunch, and didn't snap these photos until after the scarf had already been thrown in the laundry. Whoops!

Purple and Grey Striped Blouse: JCPenny's, Skinny Jeans: Target, Earrings: Target

Grey Studded Boots: Michael Antonio

Friday:

Friday we went to a party that some of my BIL's friends were throwing, but it wasn't a Halloween party, so I didn't have an excuse to wear a costume. Instead I wore this cream and grey dress with black accessories. Next time I wear a knee-length dress with boots though, I need to make sure I wear high heeled boots, to make me look taller. But at least I was comfy standing around the party in my flat boots!

Dress: Target, Leather Jacket: Victoria's Secret, Belt: H&M, Necklace and Earrings: Target 

Black Boots: Steve Madden

Bonus Outfit - Saturday:

My wedding guest outfit for Katie's wedding. This is the dress that I mentioned last week, that I'd tried on, then walked around the entire mall before coming back and buying it. By itself, I felt the dress was a little boring, although it did have a slight gold shimmer to it that is hard to see in these pictures. But it was a lot better than the taffeta with giant bows dresses I found in the department stores, so I went back and got the dress, along with a bunch of accessories to spice it up.

Pink Party Dress: H&M (couldn't find it online, but it was $24.95 in store), Black Cardigan: Old Navy, Belt: H&M (also worn on Wednesday), Tights: Missoni for Target, Earrings, Bracelets, Ring and Necklace: all new from H&M

 Black Patent Heels: Paprika

I think my favorite part of the whole outfit was the pink owl necklace. Except for the fact that my husband pointed out that I had a hooter on my hooters after I put it on, haha!

I also tried out these Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips last week, since I thought my nails could be another way to accessorize my wedding guest dress. So far, I'm pretty impressed with how easy they were to apply, and how long they've lasted.

Have you had to dress up for any weddings lately? Does anyone else always use weddings as an excuse to buy a new dress?

Work From Home Style, Fall Week 2

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend!

We had a busy, but fun weekend, and especially enjoyed our trip to the state fair (and the food, oh the food!), but that's for another post. :) On with last week's outfit recap!

Monday:

The weather around here has been weird. Some days its in the high 60s, others its in the 80s. Monday was one of the low 80s days (I think we almost hit the record high of 84 degrees!), so I did end up taking off my cardigan and tights later in the day to go grocery shopping. But it my outfit was fall-ish in the morning at least!

Grey Cardigan: Old Navy, White T: Old Navy, Pink Floral Skirt: Kohl's, Black Tights: My Diva's Closet, Black Belt: H&M, Pink Ribbon Necklace: Gift

Grey Mary Jane Pumps: Target

Tuesday:

I was going to wear tights today too, but it was another warm day, so I decided against them. Knee high boots really do keep my legs warm enough most of the time anyway.

Pink Cardigan: NY&Co, Brown Skirt: JCPenny, Brown Belt: Target, Necklace and Earrings: Target (probably, they're really old)

Dark Brown Stiletto Boots: Michael Antonio

Wednesday:

This is an outfit that I totally picked around these polka dot tights. And an outfit I would have definitely worn to the office back before I worked from home, with the addition of a black cardigan. Also, I'm glad to see a lot more tie neck blouses around the fashion blogs lately. I've had this tie and ruffle neck top for years, and I'm glad I held on to it!

White Tie Neck Top: JCPenny, Black Skirt: Victoria's Secret, Black Belt: Steve Madden, Polka Dot Tights: My Diva's Closet, Bracelet and Earrings: Target (and the bracelet is really a necklace wrapped around my wrist a few times)

Black and White Buckle Slingbacks: Guess

I almost never show the backs of my outfits (can you say awkward!), but I really like the pleats in the back of this skirt. They make it a lot more interesting than just a regular old black skirt, although it's a little hard to see the pleats in this lighting.

Thursday:

And unlike earlier in the week, this day it was actually cool enough to dress this way...that is, if I'd gone outside for more than just to check the mail! This skirt is a bit long on me (and I wear it pulled up to my natural waist, since I'm only 5'2"), but I love the little pleats on it, which are on both the front and back, so I've always been hesitant to shorten it and mess them up.

Purple Cardigan: Old Navy, Grey Tweed Skirt: Victoria's Secret, Purple Scarf: Target, Black Tights: My Diva's Closet, Purple Earrings: Target

Dark Plum Pumps: Nine West

Friday Saturday:

Um, it's only the second week back to dressing up daily, and I already blew it for Friday. I do have an excuse though, that I went to go work out on my lunch break, and then got sucked in to work stuff in the afternoon. And we didn't go out to eat like we usually do on Fridays, since I wanted to save my calories for all of the fair food on Saturday. So I didn't get around to dressing up on Friday, so instead I'll show you the outfit I wore to the NC State Fair on Saturday.

Yellow Cardigan: Victoria's Secret, Floral Print Dress: Target, Belt: Anthropologie, Sunglasses and Earrings: Target

Cognac Boots: Steve Madden

Yes, I caved and bought the Steve Madden Intyce boots in cognac, after owning and loving the black ones for a month. They're just so comfy, although after walking over 7 miles that day (according to my new Fitbit, I walked about 4.5 miles at the State Fair, and another 2.5 around the mall later that night on a never ending search for a wedding guest outfit for next weekend. Just my luck, after searching what felt like every store in the mall, I ended up going back to H&M and buying the very first dress I tried on for $25.) my feet were pretty tired. Although I bet even in tennis shoes, my feet would be tired after 7 miles, so for boots, these are pretty dang good.

Do you own any really comfy boots? And has your weather finally tipped all the way to fall, or are you still experiencing unseasonably warm days here and there like we are?

6 Tips for Planning Out Your Outfits in Advance

A while ago I mentioned that I like to plan out my outfits ahead of time. But I didn't go into too many details, so I thought it might be fun to devote a blog post to my system for planning out weeks and weeks of outfits at a time. Maybe it will inspire some of you to plan ahead, save time, and add variety to your daily outfits!

And since I just went through my outfit planning process to kick start my fall working from home outfits series, I thought now would be the perfect time to share some tips.

Outfit Planning Tip #1: Start With a Clean Work Space

It takes some space to lay out a lot of clothes, so I like to start by cleaning my closet bedroom, hanging up all of my clothes into groupings (keeping like items together, like all of my skirts in the same place), and putting all of my shoes up on their shoe racks.

Full disclosure, my closet was a huge mess last weekend. I still had moving boxes in the middle of the floor, with clothes piled high on them, and shoes everywhere. I seem to have a never ending problem with hanging up clothes! Want to see how bad it was?

(Anyone having flashbacks to this old post?)

I was able to make some space on a shelf in my closet for about half of my purse collection, so the box in the middle of the room wouldn't be overflowing, and I shoved it in the closet, along with two other unpacked boxes of shoes, to free up some floor space.

Look, there was wood floors in there!

Anyway, back to tip #1, start with a clean and organized closet area before you begin the process of laying out your outfits. Several hours after I started, I finally accomplished that step. And I finally had room for my flea market chaise lounge bench!

(Although I've decided to wait until we move next spring to recover the chaise it in different fabric--there's too many other things I'd need to tie everything together in my closet bedroom, like a big area rug under it, wall paint and an actual vanity, instead of a plastic shelving unit with a mirror propped on it. It's just a better idea to wait until after we move, when I'll know what size of room I'll be working with in my new closet bedroom.)

Outfit Planning Tip #2: Set Aside Some Staging Space

"Staging" is a term used commonly in merchandising and trade show booth planning, which is some of what my department at work is responsible for. It's basically just laying out a bunch of products in different configurations, to find out what looks best. And of course, you need extra space to play around with your different clothing configurations. So just like in tip #1, having a clean area is key, but also be sure you have some space set aside for your staging.

It can be anything from the edge of a drawer, side of an ironing board, and I like to empty one of my garment racks as well, to leave room for my staging.

(Also, the end of a garment rack is a great place to hang long necklaces, so they won't tangle)

Outfit Planning Tip #3: Make Sure Your Accessories are Accessible

Accessories are a key part of outfit planning, so you want to make sure they're accessible when you're laying out your outfits. I hate forgetting I own a certain scarf, or wearing the same black belt too many times in a row because a different belt slipped my mind.

Usually I store my belts and scarves on this tree lamp, but as you can see, it's kind of a contained mess.

So before I start putting together outfits, I like to lay out my accessories where I can see all of them. That way I won't forget about a single scarf, belt, or pair of tights, and can have that much more variety in my outfits over the coming weeks.

Outfit Planning Tip #4: Write Down Accessories and Shoes For Each Outfit

To go along with tip #3, as I'm laying out my outfits, I like to keep track of which accessories and shoes I'm going to wear with the outfit. Because I'm going to wear the same black belt, say, 3 times over the next 8 weeks, I can't lay that belt out with the outfits, because there's more than one outfit it goes with. So I just use a Sharpie and some printer paper with a little hole in it to keep track of my accessories, and put the piece of paper on the hanger with the clothes. This gives me a lot more flexibility with incorporating the same accessory item with multiple outfits, and also saves space when staging, since things like knee high boots take up a lot of room.

Outfit Planning Tip #5: Start With Special and Favorite Clothing Items, and Work From There

It can be overwhelming to get started with planning out a ton of outfits at once (In my case, I planned out 8 weeks of work from home outfits, or 40 total outfits). Where do you start?

Well, I like to go in with my favorite and specialty clothing items first. Since I try to wear dresses on Fridays, I start by pulling out some dresses to one of my staging areas. Then I figure out how I'm going to accessorize them, and add their tags from tip #4.

Next, I start pulling out favorite clothing items, or ones I just really feel like wearing, like the tie neck shirt below.

Sometimes I'll even start with an accessory I want to be sure to wear, and work out from there, like the houndstooth brown and black tights below. I knew I wanted to be sure to wear these tights, so I built an outfit around it.

Just keep pulling items out a few at a time, like four skirts you like, and slowly begin to pair them up with coordinating tops, writing down your accessories and shoes as you go. And if you plan to wear the same skirt or pair of pants more than once over the coming weeks, just write it down on an accessories paper sheet, and attach it to the hanger of the top you're wearing the repeat skirt or pair of pants with.

Eventually you'll get up to your target number of outfits, and your staging area will be covered with tons of outfits, and you're ready for the last tip.

Outfit Planning Tip #6: Get Organized For Maximum Variety

You've got a ton of outfits put together, but now what? You don't want to necessarily just start wearing them in the random order they're currently in, spread out all over your staging areas. You want to get all the outfits organized by week, so you're optimizing the variety of clothing items, accessories and outfit colors.

I start by rearranging my staging areas into different groupings. This time around, I grouped by:
- Outfits with boots
- Outfits with belts (other than those with boots + belts)
- Outfits without belts or boots

And then within those groupings, I group the outfits with skirts and the outfits with pants.

Once your staging areas are nicely organized, it's really easy to just go around and pull outfits by week.

I put all of my Friday dresses in place on the garment racks, and then, say, if I was wearing boots with that Friday's dress, I knew I could only grab two more outfits with boots that week, for a maximum of 3 boots worn per week. I know I want to wear at least 1-2 pairs of pants per week, so I grabbed from staged areas of pants outfits. And I was sure to keep track of which belts and accessories I'd included by week, so that I'm not wearing the same scarf more than once, and my belted outfits were spread out as well. Finally, I make sure that my outfit colors are distributed enough. The last thing I want is to end up with all black and white or neutral outfits in one week, and five outfits with pink the next week.

It all comes down to a little playing and rearranging, but it's a lot easier if you've organized all of your staged outfits first, and if you go week by week. In the end, you'll have all of your outfits for weeks and weeks laid out and ready to quickly pull on each morning with no thought, other than grabbing some earrings or other jewelry. Unless of course you don't feel like wearing that day's outfit--the beauty of having all of these outfits already laid out is you can be flexible if you want, and just grab another already-put-together outfit if you feel like it that day!

(I also put out my shoes, other than boots, in the same order as I'll wear them, to make it even easier in the mornings)

So, there's my 6 tips on how to plan out your outfits in advance. I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but it really works for me, and maybe for some of you it will too. I just love the time savings, and the fact that over the coming weeks, I won't have to worry about forgetting to accessorize, or remembering if I wore the same boots two days ago.

It took me about an hour and a half to lay out these 40 outfits (after all of the cleaning I did, that is). Which is much, much better than the 10 minutes a day it would normally take me to stare at my closet and try to pick something out (it would be 6 hours and 40 minutes total time spent on picking 40 outfits if I was spending 10 minutes a day!).

Do you ever plan out your outfits in advance? Got any other tips on how to save time putting together your outfits in the morning?

Work From Home Style, Fall Week 1

Fall is here, and I've revived my working from home outfits posts!

In the two months since I last dressed up for working from home, and kept myself motivated by posting it on this blog, I really slipped. Part of it I blame on the fact that I've been going to Pure Barre classes in the evenings about three days a week, so it was easier just not to bother, when I'm taking showers at night. But a big part of it is because I just got lazy about getting out of my PJs when I wasn't taking a photo of it for someone to see. My cats really do not seem to care if I'm working in front of my computer with yoga pants on, or a pretty dress, so they're no help!

So here I am again, with my work from home outfits for last week. This time around I'm going to be less strict with my rule of not wearing the same thing twice, because I have a whole lot less pants that I do skirts, so I definitely won't be able to go 12 weeks again without wearing the same clothing item more than once. But I'm thinking I might challenge myself to go a while with minimum repeats (like jeans, gotta repeat those, since I only have a couple of pairs), and then go back and rewear all of the same things again, but in a different way than the first time around. But we'll just have to see how long I stay motivated!

Monday:

You'll see a trend this week, boots, scarves and belts. It's no secret I've been dying to wear boots since about mid summer, and since for the last couple of weeks it's finally been cool enough, I've kind of OD'd this week, with wearing boots three times!

Grey Sweater: Old Navy, White T-Shirt: Old Navy, Skinny Jeans: Target, Belt: Mod Cloth (came with a dress), Necklace: Target

Grey Studded Boots: Michael Antonio

Tuesday:

Since Monday's outfit was a little on the casual side, I decided to step it up and go a little dressier on Tuesday. I started with a really simple outfit of a black skirt and berry colored top, and layered on accessories with different patterns to spice it up.

Berry Colored Top: Old Navy, Black Skirt: JCPenny (part of a suit set), Belt: Target (this is like 5 years old, before wide belts came back into style, I actually bought it for a Halloween costume!), Scarf: My Diva's Closet, Tights: Missoni for Target, Headband and Earrings: Target

Wine Colored Pumps: Nine West

Wednesday:

I didn't actually go outside in this outfit this day (since I wore my workout clothes to my class), but felt like showing off my new bomber jacket from Target. It's not real leather, for $40, but I'm really impressed with how soft and leather-like it feels, and it's the perfect weight for fall, when it's still a little too warm out for my wool pea coats. Also, it says it's not sold in stores online, but I totally bought it in the store. Coats are one of the few things I rarely buy online, since I want to make sure I can button/zip them over at least a layer or two of clothes underneath.

Camel Bomber Jacket: Target, Cream Short Sleeve Sweater: Victoria's Secret, Black Pants: Victoria's Secret (Christie Fit), Necklace and Earrings: Target

Camel Heels with Braided Detail: Michael Antonio (and yes, I was wearing knee high nylons to keep my feel warm in these open toed shoes)

Thursday:

I did go outside this day, and it's still an alright temperature in the early evening to pull off just a skirt with boots. In a few weeks it will probably be too cold unless I'm wearing tights or nylons, but for now, my knees were only a little bit chilly.

Navy Blue Sweater: Victoria's Secret, Kakhi Skirt: Gap, Green Knit Scarf: Old Navy, Bracelets: Forever 21

Brown Strappy Boots: Bumper

Friday:

I've decided to continue doing my not-so-casual-Friday outfits, since Friday night we usually go out to dinner anyway. This is a dress that I wore this summer, but I've tweaked it for fall by adding some black accessories, and of course, the third pair of boots I wore this week.

Red Dress: Target, Jean Jacket: Target (I think, I've had it for about 8 years), Belt: Steve Madden, Necklace and Earrings: Target, probably

Black Stretchy Boots: Steve Madden (from Victoria's Secret)

Have you OD'd on wearing boots or scarves since fall started? Or maybe there really is no such thing as OD'ing on such cute accessories? :)