Friday, July 31, 2020

A week of work outfits - July 2020

I was called back to work in the office in mid-July for a week, so here's a short return of my work OOTDs! We have been leaving the house very sparingly since the pandemic started, so even though I don't agree with my work leadership's decision to "increase the physical presence" in the office amid rising COVID positive tests, at least I can get some blog content out of it.

Day 1 -
DreamV lace choker top, Ted Baker Blayyke peach ruffle fitted skirt, Jessica Simpson Dany sandals and Kate Spade New York purse
When I was trying to plan out my outfits for the week, this skirt was my #1 priority. It's fun but still very work appropriate and I thought I needed something like that for my first full day back in the office.

Day 2 -
Ted Baker bardot off shoulder peplum dress, Liz Lisa bijou necklace, Flag J sandals and Liz Lisa scallop ribbon shoulder bag
I haven't had a chance to blog this dress yet, but I purchased it when I saw it on sale during the stay-at-home orders and knew there wouldn't be a lot of other opportunities for me to wear it. Since I had bought it with the intention to wear it to work anyway, this just seemed to make the most sense to me. (Expect to see more photos and details about this dress next month!)

Day 3 -
EATME sheer sleeve decollete OP, Liz Lisa many ribbon boater hat, DreamV cross strap pumps and Liz Lisa heart spindle purse
In an attempt to make this mix check print dress more "summery", I thought I'd try to pair it with a boater hat that had a bit of a similar color scheme. I did an IG story poll to see what people thought about it and although the majority who responded thought it was fine, I don't think I'll do this exact combination again. I do love the hat but I'll probably stick to pairing it with sweeter themed outfits in the future.

Day 4 -
Liz Lisa fishtail long OP, Liz Lisa lace up back sandals and Liz Lisa heart spindle purse
It seemed like I was going for a darker/black color theme for the week, but I did want to incorporate some Liz Lisa, so I immediately thought of this fishtail OP. Since it's summer and pretty humid lately, I wanted to take advantage of the AC in the office to wear something with a longer hemline. (It was even cold enough for me to use my blanket as a cape lmao.)

Day 5 -
EATME dot tulle off shoulder blouse, EATME 2-way peplum skirt, EATME single belt sabot shoes and Michael Kors manhattan purse
Despite thinking it's stupid to have to go into the office (during this specific time), I was glad that I finally had an opportunity to wear this skirt that I received shortly after the stay-at-home orders started. It's been waiting patiently in my closet and I'm happy with the simple outfit I created.

Bonus day -
 Liz Lisa sweet confiture jumperskirt, Liz Lisa cardigan, DreamV cross strap pumps, Samantha Vega bijou ribbon purse 
I went into the office for just half a day at the end of the month to do some updates to my work computer and decided I wanted a girlier contrast to the darker outfits I had selected for the previous week. The sweet print and design of this jumperskirt was just the right amount of cute without being too fussy.

Since I only have 6 outfits for this post, I thought the variety between the office setting and my mirror pictures once I got home after work would be nice. As you can see, a tilted mirror is much more flattering but also just so unrealistic in terms of body proportions. (In fact, in the office, I have to tilt my phone forward to get a full length picture so my body is even more stunted in those than it is irl.) Let me know what you think about this format and whether you prefer one or the other! I like to have the in-office photo because my hair+make up etc are still fresh compared to when I get home 9+ hours later but I'll try to keep any feedback in mind! My curls in the morning usually don't make it past lunch during the summer :\

I was able to safely work from home for the rest of the month, but it seems like they're requesting that we come in to the office for about a week at a time per month regardless of the COVID case numbers, so let me know if you have suggestions for an outfit theme next month!

Sunday, July 19, 2020

EATME front zip top & Resexxy back neck ribbon top

EATME and Resexxy are both sold out of the Runway Channel webstore (among a number of other brands) but I actually made two separate purchases for these tops and consolidated at Tenso. I've been looking for a few different types of options for pairing with my darker-toned skirts and I was happy to get each of these with a coupon code. 
I ordered both of these tops back in April and did not anticipate there being postal holds from Japan to the US so I didn't think much of it. By the time I wanted to ship, I realized that I only had surface mail as an option from Tenso, so that's what I decided to go with! (If I had waited, the 30-day hold would have expired before EMS or Airmail would have been allowable.) This is my first time ever picking surface mail because it's not even the cheapest option a lot of the time. They shipped from their warehouse on May 1 and I finally received the package on July 7. I knew it would take a while so I'm not too fussed about anything and I'm just glad it arrived safely. 

EATME front zip lace combination ribbed top in beige

FRONTジップレースコンビリブTOP
This top is supposedly "beige" but as you can see, it's pretty much grey. Not even really like a greige color, just straight up grey. But that's completely fine with me and what I wanted, so I like the color! The O-ring short zipper is functional and its use is required to put on and take off the top due to the high collar. 

with EATME faux leather zip skirt - 

with Material Girl skinny leg pants -

with EATME 2-way peplum skirt -
The grey + black lace matches really well with black bottoms but also looks good with a grey check. I was a bit nervous about the half length sleeves which aren't typically super flattering on me but because of the material, I think it actually looks okay and balanced. Overall, I'm quite happy with this top and I'm anticipating it being very useful.


Resexxy Back neck ribbon knit top in black

バックネックリボンニットトップス
I was on the hunt for another black top that was eligible for the Runway Channel webstore coupon and I realized that Resexxy actually has quite a few options that are pretty versatile. I really like the feel of this type of knit material that is often quite flattering and not too heavy. The solid color and minimal details keep it basic but still interesting, allowing it to be mixed and matched with all types of bottoms. 

with Liz Lisa gingham cafe skirt - 

with Ted Baker peach ruffle skirt -

with Bebe fitted skirt -
I need to get a better understanding of exactly where the ribbon should be tied and then do a better job of tying it myself lol. It was a bit of a challenge for me to get the two ends to be the same length but I think I just need a little practice. I love the look of this top with a side low bun updo and I think it will be quite elegant for work and other events. 

July has been killer while staying inside the house this summer so I've been living in my workout clothes, but my boss's boss's boss called us all back in the office part time recently. We're still allowed to do some teleworking, but when I do go in, I've had the opportunity to wear real clothes in AC which is a slight positive despite Hawaii's COVID cases not looking so promising. Speaking of which, the photo lighting/color is not up to my usual standards in these worn photos but I took them at night in artificial lighting when it was much cooler, and I think they're passable enough. (Hopefully you don't disagree!)
I didn't want to rush and wear everything that was new in the first week, but I can't wait to get around to it soon enough (while doing our best to stay safe when being around a ton more other people for extended periods of time indoors)! Stay safe and wear a mask 😷