Work Wear Wednesday

Rise and shine! It's the middle of the week, and you are half way there! Before you know it, it will be Friday.  Tuesday was totally my Monday...I was having horrible mommy tantrums, and I am sure I didn't win mother of the year award. Thankfully, my sweetie went to bed happy, so all is well in my world. I often think of 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Boy do I have some weakness, and I believe being a wife and mom brings it out even MORE visibly. Thankfully, I serve Jesus, who knows that I am not perfect, but who's love covers me, and makes me right before God. Goodness, I could never do it on my own.

I have been seeing a lot of great work wear blog posts lately, especially after the big Nordstrom Anniversary Sale opened, so I thought I would share three lovely, seasonally transitional office looks made almost exclusively of thrifted items or hand-me-downs. Granted, because I am using mostly pre-loved items, if you like the look, you may not be able to get the exact items, but maybe it will get your brain in the creating mode, and you can design some new professional looks that would fit your style with clothes that are already in your closet.

No. 1
This look is more on the casual side, but so chic. I know I've said it before, but I absolutely love joggers. They are extremely comfortable, and I have never seen someone look bad while wearing them. I love how it defines the ankles making your legs look lovely. I wore these on our day excursion into Muir Woods last weekend, and I would feel just as comfortable in them at the office as I did in the forest.

The lovely baby pink top was one of those iffy buys, just because I wasn't sure I would really wear it. The material was sort of thin, so I was afraid it may be one of those where you can see everything underneath. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I didn't have any issues. It turned out to be good quality, and a fantastic buy. And those sleeves? Oh my goodness, how lovely is that detail? 

To keep the look more professional and not too informal, I paired this outfit with some black, pointed toe pumps. The shoes are what make the outfit to me. The heels just ties the entire look together. When it came to jewelry, I opted for a choker because I didn't want a longer necklace to compete with the tie on the joggers or draw attention away from those beautiful sleeves. ​

No. 2
This was the most sophisticated of all the looks. I seriously adore blazers and feel like they are an awesome thing to have in your closet. It's amazing how you can add a blazer to almost any outfit and the whole ensemble looks 100x more professional. It's a great option for a day-to-night look, too. Have a dress you want to wear out to dinner, but it's just not right for the office? Try throwing a blazer over it, and you may be surprised at the versatility of that look. 

Something I did with this particular look, that I love doing but don't often do, is mix prints. The skirt and the cami have two very different designs, yet their solid neutral colors, and the fact that the cami's detail wasn't overpowering the navy skirt, allowed both to work together in harmony. The blazer just pulled the whole thing together, and made this a very aesthetically pleasing outfit. 

I didn't want to add a bunch of different colors to this outfit since the skirt and cami detail was stimulating enough, which lead me to keep the accessories neutral. When creating an outfit, remember that YOU wear the outfit, don't let the outfit wear you. This is a great look that appears very professional, and you don't get stuck possibly looking gaudy. It's a chic, subtle look that makes you appear very qualified.

No. 3
Now, this outfit is probably my absolute favorite. Maybe because it's pink, maybe because it's floral, maybe because it's paired with a denim jacket with lepoard detail. I honestly don't know, but it's definitely my fav! 

I definitely wanted to break up all the color with a good, solid neutral. Not that you can have too much pink (hehe), but I didn't want the dress to look like I was headed out to go play Barbie. I wanted this look to be very fun and flirty, but still office appropriate. It keeps the work-place monotony at bay, while not looking unprofessional or disrespectful of your position. 

I am all about wearing your style, but also honoring any dress codes or office expectations. So if you have a piece like this floral dress that you are dying to wear, throw a jean jacket, blazer, or cardigan over it and see if that doesn't professionalize the outfit. 

I kept the jewels simple because the shoes were a bit outspoken, but I couldn't resist them. Some of you like more accessories, some prefer less. Just go with what you think would be a happy medium between your style and professionalism. With a dress this loud, I didn't want to wear baubles that would pull attention away from the dress or the jacket detail. My go-to metal is gold, but silver or rose gold would be lovely too. Even adding a wood accessory in there would give a lot of dimension to the look.

The goal of this post is that this wet your palette for some fun new ideas for your regular office wardrobe.  If you have any suggestions for future work looks, feel free to share in the comments! I would absolutely love to hear from you. Also, don't forget these entire outfits, minus a few accessories, were either thrifted, hand-me-downs, or on sale. Those lovely black pumps from the first look, $1 at Styles for Less! What even? It was a total steal. If you have any questions about where I got any of these items, be sure to comment or message me. 

Have a lovely rest of your day! Praying that Christ's grace would rest on you today, and that you would make it through the day rejoicing in your weakness because it's there you see how much Christ truly cares for you.

Xoxox,
Shell