An ongoing love affaire with all things fashionable, tasty and fun

Posts tagged “office-appropriate clothing

Closet Organization

Is there a more intimidating or thankless project than cleaning out your closet? I have to confess that I usually have it on my To Do list for weeks before I get up the courage and fortitude to tackle the project. Don’t get me wrong, I adore a well-organized closet and am somewhat OCD about keeping it clean day-to-day {bf chuckles}, but a full-on cleaning can be intimidating.

I’ve found that approaching the project with a three-fold plan of attack is what works for me. That and spending days hours on Pinterest drooling over beautifully organized closets to get me in the mood… ❤

Closet

  1. Love It or Leave It – First you need to go through every single piece in your closet and decide whether you want to keep it. Tears optional.
  2. Share The Love – Once I’ve created a pile of pieces that need a new home I set up a Closet Party with some friends and after that any remaining items will be donated to the Goodwill.
  3. Live The Dream – Finally, when your closet is filled only with the pieces you’ll be holding onto, it’s time to sort, organize, rearrange, and plan for the future.

Need more details? Read on…

Love It or Leave It:

I become somewhat attached to inanimate objects so after years of carrying clothes that still have the tags on them from one apartment to another, I have had to set rules for myself. If I haven’t worn it in the last year – It has to go. End of discussion.

You may have a home with more storage space or larger closets and be able to keep more clothing and accessories, it’ll be dependent on what you have available to you and how much of a “clothes horse” you are. In general, if you can’t remember the last time you wore something, you probably don’t need to hold onto it. If your shoes are falling apart, you can probably let them go. If a piece has needed hemming or tailoring for as long as you can remember and you still haven’t taken it in, you guessed it, you should probably put it in the “out” pile.

Closet

Share The Love:

My favorite thing to do once I’ve created a pile of things that I’m not going to keep is to plan a closet party – I invite some friends over for cocktails or champagne and free reign of my closets. It’s been a tradition for a few years now and I love to include new friends, it’s a fun bonding event. And what’s left over after the closet party gets dropped off at the donations center of Goodwill.

ClosetII

Living The Dream:

Now that you know what you’re working with you can figure out how best to approach the cleaning of your closet. I like to tackle the reorganizing process in three steps:

  • First I rearrange by type & color {i.e. pants with pants, solids from black to white, then prints}
  • The second step is to consider the season and organize your closet so that the clothes & accessories that you’re wearing now are most readily available. This can mean deploying under-bed organizing trays or boxes to be stacked on shelves out of reach in your closet if need be.
  • Finally, after all of that work, I like to take stock of what I have and how it’s arranged and implement some changes to make getting dressed run more smoothly – Like adding accessories holders, changing hangers, or separating work clothes from play.

ClosetI

{All photos from MCLV’s Closet Porn… Board on Pinterest}

You can find some other tips and suggestions in Sincerely Jules’s Details or Cupcakes & Cashmere’s Closet Clean-Up or her Operation Organization: Closet Edition.

So tell me, how often do you overhaul your closet(s)? Do you have a specific process whenever you get started on this project?


MCLV Style: Prim & Proper

Working in the corporate world means that my office style tends towards classic and traditional – I keep my arms covered and wear knee-length skirts or dresses 4 – 5 days a week. But just because my style is fairly formal doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with work fashion!

{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Embellished Empire-Waist Dress – Donna Ricco from Nordstrom, T-Strap Heels – Zara, Top-Handle Handbag – Zara, Black Leather Bow HeadbandBanana Republic, Geometric Gold Bracelet – BCBG, Gold Wrap Ring – JewelMint & Black Bow Ring – Forever 21}

{You can view this outfit on both Lookbook.nu and Pose}

{Check out outtakes from this shoot here – Just log into Facebook to view}

What drew me to this was the embellished empire waist, it gave the retro-silhouetted dress a little something extra. And because the waist is already so dramatic I usually skip the necklaces with this dress and just pile on bracelets and rings. Or in this case, a black faux leather bow headband – J’adore! ❤

What’s the dress code in your office? Do you usually dress formally, informally, or business casual like me? Do you have a work “uniform” that you usually wear?


Looks of the Week: Pants Edition

This Looks of the Week post is going to be all about PANTS. As you’re stocking up your wardrobe for Fall you’re going to be seeing lots of pants in stores – Every variety you can imagine, from faux leather and brilliantly colored brocades to plaids, stripes, and collegiate tweeds. So before you find yourself standing in front of racks and racks of pants feeling overwhelmed, why not spend some quality time getting inspired by how other fashionable ladies are wearing theirs this season?

Embellished or studded pants are a fun style for weekends. You can go full-on rock n’ roll or you can keep things polished with a trench and classic white button down like in this shot. The look is chic and timeless, but still has an edge.

Holiday sweaters don’t have to be tacky – They can just as easily be the kind of cute pieces that you look forward to wearing all year! This oversized reindeer sweater paired with black leggings and cute flat booties is the perfect look for the holiday season. Festive but oh-so-cute.

If you’re brave enough for a bold animal print than this is the look for you. Take a tip from Lysana, she keeps the look from being over-the-top with minimal chunky gold accessories, a basic black sweater, and cute flat boots.

If you’re thinking about what styles of pants are work-appropriate this shot is a great example of how to make a slim pair of pants fit that bill. Her killer styling keeps the look fun, but still formal enough for a business casual office. The over-the-shoulder bag and similarly colored knee-high boots are the perfect accessories while the chic tweed blazer from H&M tops the look off perfectly.

Plaid shirts aren’t just for trips to the cabin anymore, with seriously cute versions available now you can pair one with virtually any bottoms for a chic, stylish weekend look. This look is spiced up all the more with lacy Dolce & Gabbana ankle boots and a killer Proenza Schouler handbag.

They may say “No White After Labor Day” but this amazing white-pants look will change your mind in a heartbeat. The mixture of prints, colors, and textures makes this look fun and interesting – Chambray polka dot blouse, leopard print heels, a red knit sweater, and white denim all come together to make the perfect look.

{Click on the images above to be taken to the original source}

Are you inspired to try a new pair of pants now that you’ve gotten a chance to check out these fun looks? What is the first style, fabric, or silhouette pant that you’d like to try for Fall 2012?


Links You’ll Love

Health & Fitness:

Dark Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Bread

I was quite the little baker this Summer and I have to say that this was one of the tastiest and most creative recipes that I tried out – Dark Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Bread.

A short, energizing yoga workout is a great way to de-stress and stretch out after a long day at the office in your desk chair – Women’s Health yoga video.

Love Thy Self! Gala Darling agrees and wants to help you – 10 Radical Self Love Exercises To Boost Your Summer Lovin’!

A vegetable stir fry with either a grain or soy, tempeh, or tofu is one of my favorite quick & easy mid-week dinners so I enjoy finding new sauces and combinations to try out, like Peas And Thank You’s Szechuan Broccoli and Quinoa.

You don’t need a full hour for a workout to be beneficial, fit in some walking and short bursts of exercise whenever you can! Before work, during your lunch break, before a class starts – Get Fit In Only Fifteen Minutes.

Fashion:

Being able to break out all of your jeans is one of the fun things about Fall dressing. Check out FabSugar’s The Ultimate Fall Denim Guide — Every Trend, Cut, Color, and Fit.

My favorite part about Fall is the outerwear – I love full ankle-length coats, peacoats, trenches, blazers, basically anything that I can get my hands on – Coat Check: How to Take Your Look in a Ladylike Direction.

Most of us wish we could get more sleep, so why not save a few precious minutes in the morning by speeding up your beauty and makeup routine? How To Do Your Makeup In 5 Minutes (Really!)

Dressing for work doesn’t need to be boring, from colorful separates to chic suits to fabulous sheath dresses, Harper’s Bazaar has the answers – Stylish Work Clothes.

Our 6 Favorite Breast Cancer Awareness Products

Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month with some stylish pink finds – From beauty products to accessories and jewelry, no matter what you’re in the mood for you can support this great cause. Mama’s A Rolling Stone – Our 6 Favorite Breast Cancer Awareness Products.


MCLV Style: Pleats & Peplums

Happy – it’s almost the end of the week – Thursday! To celebrate I’d like to share some of my recent looks so that I can show how hard I’m working to meet my June fashion goals.

I have to confess, one of my favorite parts about having a stand-up desk at work is that I can wear pleated skirts to the office without having to worry about the pleats getting squished by sitting on them all day!

It’s the little things in life. 🙂

SkirtVince Camuto from Bloomingdale’s, Wide-strap tank – Zara, Cardigan – H&M, Mary Jane’s – Merona from Target, Rings – JewelMint, Vintage & Juicy Couture, and Watch – Vintage

You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu or shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder or by clicking the hyperlinks in the outfit breakdown above.

When I saw this skirt I knew that it was going to be mine, I loved both the stripes and the pleats. It’s also a fun length, almost like a cheerleader skirt (which I’ve never worn.,I swear). This whole look was inspired by the brightly colored, stripe-filled Jason Wu for Target Collection. And my love of stripes, of course.

Source

I also recently made my first peplum attempt of the season. I’ve seen so many cute variations of this trend lately – from simple peplum tops to fun & wild peplum dresses – and I wanted to give it a try as well.

Source

Liz from Late Afternoon has a fabulous and one-of-a-kind style, she frequently appears in my Looks of the Week posts, and I took her peplum outfit above as the inspiration for the look that I put together below.

Floral Dress – Vintage from Belle Cose, Peplum top – Zara, Patent (faux) Leather Oxford Booties – Wild Diva, Necklace – Express, Rings – JewelMint, Vintage & Juicy Couture, and Bracelets – JewelMint & Forever 21

In these photos is doesn’t appear that my body type is ideal for the peplum trend, but I decided that it was just the silhouette of the dress I’d chosen to wear under the peplum top. Besides, as far as I’m concerned the highlight of this look is the jewelry anyway. The finger-length floral ring is a recent acquisition from JewelMint and I’m madly madly in love.

Peplum Attempt Take II

Peplum Top – Zara, Pencil Skirt – Zara, Black & White Jacket – Zara, Round Toe Pumps – Very Volatile, Tweed Handbag – Kate Spade, Necklace – Asos, and Rings & Bracelets – JewelMint, Vintage, Forever 21 & BCBG

You can HYPE these looks on Lookbook.nu or shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder or by clicking the hyperlinks in the outfit breakdown above.

“I’m a Zara girl, in a Zara world…” I was definitely singing Barbie Girl in my head all morning. 🙂 The pencil skirt did a much better job of complementing the volume of the peplum top than the floral dress that I chose the first day. I’m glad that I gave this another try and didn’t give up after the first attempt was a disappointment!

What do you guys think? Are you willing to try interesting new trends each season? Or do you prefer to stick to your tried-and-true personal style?

A special thank you to my friend Liz for her help with these pictures, I’m an awful subject because I’m so uncomfortable in front of the camera, and I appreciate her never-ending patience with me!