What I Wear to Work

Since I have a job for the summer, I thought I'd post what I wear on a daily basis. My work environment is pretty casual, but I still like to dress up without sporting a full suit. 

All of these looks feature different patterns- I am finally branching out from the floral!

Outfit 1: Leopard Print

Shirt: Target

Jeans: American Eagle

Cardigan: American Eagle

Lipstick: Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 11

Even though it's summer, I still wear jeans and a t-shirt, but I have updated my collection of t-shirts with different prints and styles. I also love wearing red lipstick with a leopard print. Also, my go-to pair of shoes for the summer are some light brown oxfords I bought at Payless. 

Outfit 2: Crazy Colours

Blouse: Dynamite

Jeans: American Eagle

Bangles: Forever 21

I absolutely love this blouse, yet I don't know quite how to describe this print- zigzag? Tie dye? Tribal? Whatever it is, it's something I normally would not have picked out. Aside from the pattern, I like the zipper detailing, which is a change from the normal button-down shirt. Paired with classic skinny jeans and some bangles (or bracelets of your choice), this look is also great to transition to an evening out. 

Outfit 3: Casual Friday

Tank: Ardene

Cardigan: Aeropostale

Jeans: Ardene

Necklace: American Eagle

This final look is the most casual of the three; something I would wear on Friday to dress down a little. I really like the tribal print in the shirt (which is also super soft!) mixed with the lace in the cardigan. 

I realize these outfits are probably not for everyone, seeing that my workplace is more casual than most, but I do have more outfit ideas on the way, including what I wore to my numerous interviews I had in May, as well as some summer appropriate options (think skirts and dresses). 

What do you wear to work?

September Outfits

I have a few different outfits to show you all from the past few weeks that I've been back at school. The weather has been all over the place- one day it was 25 and the next it was 15! I accommodated appropriately (except for the one day the temperature went down during the day...like really?) Anyways, here they are! :)

Shirt & Shorts both American Eagle

I wore this outfit on the first day of classes. I had an intimidating fourth year seminar, so I wanted to look classy, but at the same time, it was so warm out! I didn't accessorize; I only added some pretty brown-ish gold sandals to complete the look. 

Blouse: Eclipse

Camisole: Target

Cardigan: American Eagle

Jeans: American Eagle

Bracelets (if you can see them): handmade

And I'm back to wearing my favourite floral prints, of course :) I love this blouse because it is nice and flowing without drowning me in shapeless fabric (like chiffon tends to do)- the tie at the bottom helps with that. I finished off the look with some pink flats. 

Tunic: Dynamite

Camisole: Urban Behaviour

Leggings: Garage

Bangles: gift

In my attempt to try more prints and colours other than pink and blue, I bought this tunic as part of my back to school shopping. It didn't come with the belt, so I just took a ribbon from one of my blouses and added it on to define my waist. I didn't wear the bangles to school because that would be a bit uncomfortable while taking notes, but they would be nice for a day-to-night transition. I wore pink flats again, and a burgundy coloured jacket because it was freezing by the end of the day!

Shirt: Target

Cardigan: American Eagle

Jeans: American Eagle

Bracelet: gift

I've been meaning to try leopard print for a while, so you can imagine how excited I was when I found this top on the sale rack at Target ($6)! I paired it with some wide leg jeans this time to further vary things (since I'm always in skinny jeans), and some formal black shoes. 

T-shirt: Garage

Cardigan: special order from my school, but it's from American Apparel

Jeans: American Eagle

Scarf: Aeropostale

What do I love about fall fashion? Scarves. I have a drawer full of scarves just waiting to dress up a plain t-shirt and complete my outfit while keeping me warm. I remember seeing this scarf online at Aeropostale last fall, but I could not find it in store; then one day...it was there!!! :) That wasn't a very exciting story but you get the idea. I love scarves. 

Blouse: Bluenotes

Blazer: Eclipse

Pants: Eclipse

Scarf: gift

Necklace: gift

If you can believe it, last week I already had a presentation for one of my classes! I had to give a news report in French, and it was pretty nerve-wracking! This outfit was my attempt at colour-blocking- I love royal blue and mint together! And these pants are so comfortable- they're like knit jeggings; different from leggings in that they do have some structure, pockets, and buttons, but they're so soft that it does feel like wearing leggings. 

So that's it for now! What do you like about fall fashion?

Outfits: Crazy & Flirty Skirts

It's been a while since I've posted here, mainly because a lot has happened in the past month, including the fact that I now have my full driver's license!!! (Finally!) My summer course ends on Thursday, which will leave me the whole month of August to blog :)
Today I have a few outfits that I wore to work last week / would wear to work. Sadly, I cannot wear my usual t-shirt and cut-off shorts to give flute lessons or work at a children's clothing store (and if you do either of these, you shouldn't be wearing that either). So here are some more appropriate options that also agree with the warmer weather.

Blouse: Urban Behaviour

Skirt: Simons

In my hurry to change out of my usual summer attire, I forgot to accessorize...but really, you can add anything to this. Personally, I would recommend a statement necklace, either silver or gold, or maybe some bangles. The blouse is sheer, so I added a cami underneath (which you can't see here). 

T-shirt: Target

Skirt: Target

Cardigan: Old Navy

Necklace: Forever 21

My crazy skirt is back again! :P I actually wore it to work with a plain white tee, but realized that black is also a good option! This skirt has so many colours that it goes with anything, like a pale pink, navy, or orange. 

Blouse: Bluenotes

Skirt: Target

The Target skirt makes another appearance! I just wanted to show another cool way to wear it- kind of like colour-blocking. For jewellery I would most likely go with gold here (either a dainty necklace or bracelet, nothing too over the top because the focus is on the skirt) to complement the skirt. 

What do you wear to work (you know, if you don't have a uniform)? Let me know! :)

Spring Shopping Haul & Body Issues

I had a chance to go shopping this week! Well, it was mainly for New York, but these pieces will definitely work their way into my spring and summer wardrobe!

Tank tops: Garage Clothing

Skirt: Target

Bikini: Target

Dress: Eclipse

First of all, I know what you're thinking: that skirt is crazy!!! Yes, I agree. But it's actually really pretty, and there are so many colours in it that makes it very versatile! At the start of this year, I made some New Year's Resolutions, and one of them was to incorporate more patterns into my wardrobe, so I decided to take the risk and buy it. Looking at it yesterday with the rest of my clothes, it goes with a lot of things! You will definitely be seeing outfits with this skirt this summer!

To complement that, though, I did fall back on my usual lace-and-floral pattern with this dress. How many lace dresses do I have now? A lot :P But this one is adorable. I saw it on line and could not wait to try it on in store! I'm bringing both the dress and skirt to New York to be styled elegantly (hopefully!) for my evenings at the theatre! 

I don't have much to say about the tank tops, because, well, they're tank tops...and they were $5! Hello, deals!

Lastly, I did buy a bikini. And no, I don't suppose there's anything special about that either. Except for the fact that I've been wanting to buy one every summer for the past four years at least. So why did it take me that long you ask? I'll give you a simple answer: body issues.

Which isn't a very simple answer when you think about it. I, like millions of other women (and men) out there, have body issues. The truth is that I am very uncomfortable with the way I look. I have been for years, and it's what has been making me stick to one piece swimsuits for the past years (okay, that and the fact that I was on the swim team in high school, but that's besides the point). Now, I'm not saying that because I finally bought this swimsuit that all my body issues are over and done with, or that I now love my body. I don't. I'm just hoping that the fact that I was able to buy it without hating myself was a step towards eventually accepting the body I have and not going to extreme lengths to try and change it.
It goes without saying that being uncomfortable with your body is a problem in our society. I've seen it in the fashion magazines, TV ads and shows, and even at clothing stores- the negative influence subtly urging people to be a smaller size by promoting weight loss, perfect looking models, and not enough larger sizes. Urging even the people who may not need to lose weight to think twice about how they look.
I'm not saying it's all the media's fault for this, because they have been getting better with promoting acceptance and body peace. It may be the media, it may be a comment from someone you know or don't know, or it may be your own obsessive thoughts pointing out your flaws. What I am saying is that we need to stop hating ourselves for how we look, treat ourselves the way we would like to be treated (would you call your best friend fat? Then why say it to yourself?), and learn to accept ourselves the way we are.

Thanks for reading, as always :)

P.S. Go get that bikini, summer dress, shorts, whatever you've been putting off buying because of your insecurities. I promise you'll feel a little better about yourself afterwards.