October 1, 2012
My talk at the Penelope Lane conference on Saturday went well, and this is what I wore to speak. I don’t dare say great because I’m afraid I rambled a bit too much, my intro about my past life and career went on a little too long I’m afraid, and I may have used the word popular (offhandedly referring to myself, as not being popular), and talked about Louis Vuitton handbags. I now understand why politicians and actors use teleprompters. If anything though I was honest and spoke off the cuff most of the time, not strictly following my outline that I had written. I hope for the most part people got the point I was trying to make; that blogging can be time consuming and frustrating, but if you love it, and write about what you love and stay focused on that, you can turn it into something that pays a few of the bills. If you were at my talk, is that what you got out of it? If not, my apologies, but there you go, that’s the point I was trying to make.
Skirt – Target; Button Up Shirt- J. Crew; Sweatshirt – James Perse; Heels – ShoeMint; Earrings – Kate Spade; Flower Poof – Ban.Do; Ring – Banana Republic
On to the outfit. I’m 5 weeks postpartum now and this outfit greatly benefited by the use of some Spanx. And bright lipstick, heavy concealer and a big pink poof. In all seriousness though, I found this skirt at Target a couple of weeks ago and while pencil skirts usually scream “office attire” to me, I knew I could make it work into a more casual life. I brought it home with me because of the pattern, the price and the fact that it was an elastic waistband, my constant companion these days. Coming up I’ll share 2 more ways I made this leopard skirt a bit more casual and suitable for everyday wear.
For this look I layered a crisp white button up shirt under a casual sweatshirt and added a fun flower poof to tell people “hey, I don’t take myself too seriously!” While this look is still very much office appropriate, the sweatshirt is a more casual option than a blazer or cardigan sweater even. If anything it gives it a different spin. A neutral pump blends in with my skin color and doesn’t stand out that I’m wearing high heels and am ready for a business meeting. A pop of color in my fuchsia lipstick and pink earrings also adds whimsy and makes it a little less serious. Lastly, a sleek ponytail adds the final element to say this look is more fun and casual than all about business.
So how would you style this skirt to make it more casual? Linking up with WIWW and Monday Mingle