Thursday, April 12, 2012

Happy Medium

In This Outfit:
Sweater: J.Crew ($30-ish?)
Top: Thrifted ($3)
Skirt: Thrifted ($5)
Shoes: Thrifted ($4)
Necklace: Swapped
Gold Cuff: Thrifted ($2)
Tights: AA
B&W Bangle c/o Poshlocket

Do you ever put on an outfit, only to realize that it's not quite "you", even if it's one that you've worn before? That's how I felt yesterday when I attempted to recreate this outfit from 2011. See, after working from home in jeans and a tee shirt all day yesterday, I had to find some sort of "professional-ish" outfit for an evening networking event. Or rather, I felt like I had to dress somewhat professionally (in the long run, I don't think it mattered). The downside of an incredibly lax dress-code at work is that all that knowledge I used to have- which wasn't that much, really- of professional wear from college admissions has completely flown out the window and I'm left flapping my hands in front of a closet filled with flow-y summer things (I may have packed away all my more structured winter stuff a bit too soon)...

When I put on the first version of this outfit, I felt so uncomfortable. Like I wanted to jump out of my skin. I'm sure it looked fine, I mean it was exactly the same as before, but it's kind of amazing how your emotions can affect the way you feel. After throwing on this denim top and some jewelry, I felt somewhat better, but still not exactly myself.

How do you feel about "professional wear"? Are you an expert? Or are you like me, completely stumped?