Corporate Style: Monochrome Office Wear - Neutral Layering

Two monochrome work wear outfits! One on purpose, one accidental. Neither of which I'd wear again without changing the outfits in some way, but that's the point of style challenges - they push you to try something different. I'm enjoying the Fox in Flats May instagram style challenge. I'm playing along every day on instagram, and just behind a bit with blogging everything I'm wearing.

What I wore:

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace 

Dress: Jeanswest tucked ponte black dress
Shirt: Jeanswest 'Ruby' mixed print shirt
Belt: old silver studded belt
Shoes: Wittner 'Bloomy' black heels
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini in soft grey

Why I wore it:

The style dare for the day was 'monochromatic' and I thought this little black dress would be perfect with this shirt layered underneath. I didn't actually try the outfit on the night before, I just thought the pieces would work well together and set it aside to wear. It wasn't until the morning that I realised this shirt is not the best to wear under the dress. It doesn't have a collared neck and it's just polyester, so it was slipping and sliding under the dress and just not sitting nicely at all - you can see a bit of it at the shoulders in the picture. It was a lovely idea, and I've enjoyed layering things under this dress before, but this was just not the best shirt to try layering under this dress.

The belt was something I added at the last minute for a bit of interest and to try (unsuccessfully) to keep the shirt in place through the day. It's so old I am sure I wore it in high school! I just turned the buckle round to the back so that the studs were at the front. No-one commented on my back to front belt thankfully, but I did feel a little worried someone would notice and ask why the buckle was at the back of my dress!


Last worn: black dress, printed shirt, black heels, Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag.

Other ways to wear: little black dress with red jacket and accessories, printed shirt with burgundy jeans and ankle boots, ankle strap heels with pencil skirts, Rebecca Minkoff MAM with wrap dresses for work.

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What I wore:

Jacket: Zara cream jersey blazer (new-to-me purchase)

Necklace: Tai gold alphabet necklace
Top: vintage print top from The Thrifty Kitten
Belt: Asos skinny pale yellow belt
Skirt: vintage pencil skirt from The Thrifty Kitten
Shoes: Wittner 'Mimi' heels in mushroom
Bag: Balenciaga classic work in 2006 Rouille

Why I wore it:

This was an accidental monochrome outfit! Another neutral one. I had been wanting to wear this vintage set again after having fond memories of the last time I wore the pieces together. I also wanted to wear my new-to-me blazer that I found on ebay. It's the same as my black blazer, only cream. The beigey-brown outfit seemed like a good backdrop for my bright bag.

The style dare for the dare was 'bold bag' and this is my brightest and biggest bag, perfect to meet the challenge. I actually listed this bag in my ebay wardrobe clear out, thinking it would sell quickly as it's in great shape for a chevere Balenciaga. I hadn't worn it since I was pregnant so figured I should let it go. But since it didn't sell, I'm just going to keep it :) I was most likely going to replace it with another Balenciaga anyway, ha!

I think I would have liked this outfit more with a different jacket. I really liked the look of vintage printed skirt suit set together last time I wore it, but this time around I was wishing I'd gone for something different, I think it was all just a bit too dull together, even with the bold bag.


Last worn: vintage print top, yellow belt, vintage print skirt, brown heels, Balenciaga rouille work. First time I've worn the blazer as it is a new purchase.

Other ways to wear: belted printed top, printed pencil skirt with a bright top, brown heels with tights and a printed dress, orange bag with a black dress.

Linking up with Styled Up, Style To Inspire, Bless Your Heart, Mix It Monday, More Pieces of Me, On the Daily Express, Real Mom Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Reasons To Dress, Confident Twosday, Wardrobe Wednesday, What I Wore to Work today.

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