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Monday, March 14, 2016

Packing for Business Trips









I had to travel for work the first week of March and I'll be doing so again for the last two weeks this month. This means, I'll be doing my fair share of packing (yuck!). I packed for my first overnight business trip in the fall of last year, and realized I had no idea what I was doing. Somehow packing for work was way more complicated than I expected it to be (and harder and less exciting than packing for vacation). 

So, I decided to go with a black, white, and grey capsule wardrobe. It allowed me to pack only black tights and black shoes (instead of mixing in navy) which saved me a lot of space (I packed for a week in a carry-on).  This is one of the outfits I packed. I know, it's nothing terribly exciting. But, these pants are the the best fitting dress pants I've found in years. I prefer to purchase lightweight wool pants that are lined for work even though that means I have to get them dry-cleaned (I have to say, I welcome the lighter load of laundry). I find that they last longer, hold their shape better throughout the day and between cleanings, and are more professional looking. I was a little in between sizes so I sized up and the slight stretch worked to my advantage - they don't become baggy by the end of the day. 

This shirt is made out of what feels like heavy drapery. I'm not kidding. But in an awesome kind of way, because we know how much I love jacquard and peplum. So, of course I had to have it. I almost passed on it because when I tried it on in store (which I never do), the zipper was extremely hard to manipulate. I got stuck in the shirt in the dressing room. The sales associate had to rescue me. For real. But for the love of all things peplum, I had to buy it. And I'm so glad I did; with just a couple of wears, the zipper loosened right up!

Pants: here | Top: here | Cardigan: here | Necklace: here

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Office and Wedding Wear






Hi! I'm back! I was out of town last week for work and although we took photos in advance, I left the flash drive with all of my photos at home so I couldn't post. 

I just realized we have five weddings this year and the first is fast approaching. So, when I saw this dress during JCrew's last rollout I thought it would be the perfect option for weddings and the office. I love to pair floral or patterned dresses that aren't necessarily work wear with a blazer for work during the summer (see favorites here and here). I picked this one up on sale and I have to say the print and fit are spot on in person. The v neck appears to be very low in the stock photo, but in true JCrew fashion, it's completely work appropriate on. I will also pair this necklace with lower necklines if I'm concerned it's too low; I didn't wear it for that purpose here, though.

I'm not sure if I want to keep it - I love how this outfit photographed, but given my stomach issues, I'm afraid the dropped waist may make me self-conscious. Note that that the dress has a waist line immediately below the bust with vertical seams that create a drop waist. I'm just not sure I love the drop waist on me when I experience stomach problems. But it's so awesome, I want to keep it.

Dress: here | Blazer: old, new version here | Necklace: here