Tag Archives: work

summer brights

work ootd

Summer seems to have arrived in New York. We’ve had a few good beach days, and today is just gorgeous. Summer is my favorite season in the city–I am certain there is no more fun place than New York in the summertime. To bring some of that cheer inside, I brought out some bright colors. Shirt from Marshall’s, shoes from Zara, bag from H&M, watch from the men’s section in Target. Skirt was a gift.

new outfit: blush

pink shirt

Back from vacation means back to work. At least I have new clothes. Shirt is from Marshalls, shoes from Target, purse from H&M, skirt from Zara.

I’m really into the light pink color. I like to call it blush, so I will. I’m also really into this light, floaty sheer fabric. It seems good for summer. I felt feminine and cute, but still professional. Which is a win-win, I think.

I started a new role at work this week. It’s been busy, and I’m not totally comfortable yet, but it’s good. When I’m unsure of myself, I feel a lot better when I am sure of my outfit. Clothes can be like armor, you know?

 

back to work

back to work outfit

I went back to my office last week for the first time since Hurricane Sandy. It was like the Twilight Zone. I had notes on my desk about reports we did three months ago. My calendar was open to October. I found a box of pop tarts in my drawer–they were still good.

I tend to wear more skirts than pants, but I felt good in this outfit. Pants from the Gap, shoes from Target, blazer from Penneys, top from the Loft. I like how the polka dots in the shirt pick up the same colors as the leopard print in my shoes. It gave me just enough pep in my step as I walked around the office for the first time in almost four months.

work-from-home outfit

Since Hurricane Sandy, my regular office has been out of commission. We’ve been rotating between a few of my company’s other offices and working from home. So my professional work outfits have transitioned into comfortable work-from-home outfits. Like this one:

at home

I’m wearing a large tunic sweatshirt thing and leggings from I can’t remember where, a scarf from Penneys, and a puffy vest from the Gap a few years ago. Yes, I am wearing leggings as pants. And yes, it is awesome. This is a far cry from the professional self I like to portray at my office, but who wants to wear pantyhose if you don’t have to?

Working from home was sort tricky for me to get used to, but now I think I’ve got a pretty good thing going. Here’s my desk.

desk_MG_0403

I have a few guidelines that work for me and my job, which will be different, I imagine, for everyone else.

  • I must get up. I can’t work from bed. I know this. I like to have a designated space to work, so when I sit there I’m ready to work, and when I leave there I can switch to playing. 
  • Mute the TV (most of the time). I have a lot of articles coming to me at once sometimes, and I need to focus on what I’m doing. For me, that usually means silence in my apartment. Which is actually a nice change from offices that can get noisy.
  • Have a start and end time. Because other people rely on me to be available at certain times, it’s easier to have a very clear start and end time. Sure there are times I will need to work late, but I generally keep regular office hours. This makes it a lot easier to turn off my computer at the end of the day and focus on home-work after work-work, even though I’m in the same place.
  • Make sure #fatcat gets attention. Because if he doesn’t, he jumps onto my desk in the middle of the day and plays with the mouse. My computer mouse.

I think we may get to go back into our building in the next few weeks, but if I keep working from home or need to again, I’ll be prepared. Even if I look less professional than normal.

Do you guys work from home? What are your tricks?

patterns

 

I am really into patterned blouses lately. I want all the patterns in all the colors so I can wear them all the time. I got this green shirt on Black Friday and even though I’ve been working from home, I dressed up like I was in an office…for five minutes to take these pictures. Pretend with me. Pretend there are boardrooms and cubicles behind me. Pretend I’m wearing make up and not using my glasses to cover my face. Now let’s pretend it’s time for happy hour.

 

Throw on your jacket, grab your clutch, and pretend it’s Friday instead of Monday. Have fun!

polka dots

I love polka dots.

 

Like a lot. So much so that I wore two kinds of polka dots at the same time. Whatchu think? I think it can be difficult to take a playful pattern and make it seem grown up. And I think the key is structure and fabric type.  A structured blazer looks like work, and a silk dress seems more adult than cotton.

Please excuse the wonky picture taking. I’m still working on things like having a tripod.

back to work

The past weekend was really fun, but work has definitely kicked up a notch this week. To keep my spirits up, I threw a few of my favorite things into one outfit. 

Chambray! Again. From Lands End. Skirt from Zara, sweater from Uniqlo (50% off heyyy), necklace from Dannijo, shoes from JC Penny. Belt from Old Navy. I think I’d like to add some jingly bracelets to this look, but I can’t wear too many at work or they jingle too much when I type. Also, you can’t really see them, but my nails are orange. Which I liked.