lucilleduquette:

last week i posted one of my ‘professional lady’ outfits on the blog, and got a few comments that you’d like to see more office-wear here. so, i am following through with that- noel took these photos for me at lunch yesterday, in what we call the “magic spot”- a slice of sidewalk between 2 busy streets where the light makes us look approximately 100x more smooth-skinned and attractive than we actually are. i wish i could bask in this spot all day.

anyway, this is another of my typical ‘i have a meeting and can’t dress like a slob or wizard today’ outfits: silk dress, jacket/cardigan, and a bag that fits my computer. the double-leopard patterns were unintentional. i prefer this combo to a pencil skirt + blouse duo because i feel less stuffy if i wear it out after work. 

since i live in nyc and work in a semi-creative industry, i don’t ever have to be too formal. my office is in the financial district where, even in the current 80 degree weather, i see people running around in full suits and HOSE. i pity them until i remind myself their salary is probably 10x mine. how dressy do you have to be for work?

theory blazer, madison marcus dress, prada wedges, mulberry alexa bag, juicy couture sunglasses

have you noticed that my outfit posts have been a rainbow of color lately? this summer has really thrown a monkey wrench in my usual style. i will admit that the problem is partially the fact that 3 of my favorite white/beige/cream dresses, and 2 skirts, have various stains on them, and i am too lazy and cheap to take them to the dry cleaner. i hate hate HATE the thought of dry cleaning- spending $7-10 per piece really adds up and i can’t help but imagine all the new things i could buy with that money. must stop wearing so much silk.

this outfit was saved up from last weekend- clearly it is NOT a workday outfit. i felt pretty ballsy in this getup, both due to the color (i have a hard time with red), and the bra-revealing silk (yes, silk) top. i just wasn’t in the mood to layer this blouse with a tank top, and i’ve had this pretty lace bandeau thing from free people, so i figured i would semi show it off.

i loved the way the sheerness of the shirt looked over the bright red skirt. if it wasn’t freezing cold for valentine’s day in nyc, this would be a good outfit to wear!

i wore large necklaces with this outfit to distract from the fact that my bra (can i call it a ‘short tank top’?) was visible. i like this coral necklace a lot, but it is HEAVY, and the chain it is strung on is very cheap, so it’s always breaking- the back is held together with some big safety pins.

my bracelets are the best part of this outfit- SILLY BANDZ! i’m obsessed with these things. do you know about them? they’re quite popular among grade school kids… and me. they are about $4 for a pack of 20 or so bands, and they come in all different colors and shapes.

the fun thing about them is that when you take them off, they are all different shapes- dragons, fairies, shooting stars, and… that light pink thing. i looked on the package and it’s supposed to be the outline of a woman. even knowing that i still don’t see it. anyway, i’ve been wearing these as bracelets and hair ties and am sad that no one ever asks me about them.

i hope you all have a good weekend!

what goes around comes around blouse, free people bandeau, thrifted skirt, prada sandals, silly bandz, coral necklace, vintage bracelet and plastic necklace

until recently my wardrobe has been sadly lacking in a versatile spring jacket. it’s important to have that extra layer to keep you warm when restaurants crank up the AC too high, or to shield your shoulders from the sun at the park; to throw on over a button-down at work, or over a baggy tee on the weekends. ideally, the perfect spring jacket is something you can ball up and throw in your bag without fear of it coming out looking, well, as if it had been balled up and thrown in your bag. 

at last, I think i have found The One in this ripstop military jacket from LOFT. i’ve already gotten a lot of mileage out of it, so I wanted to show you some of the ways I’ve been styling it.

Look 1: Date Night. this outfit is quite typical of my style- a floaty dress in a pale color, anchored with some heavier accessories. i especially loved the way this wrap-around belt, worn as a bracelet, complimented the style of my lace-up boots. and the fact that my new jacket toned down the sweetness of the dress, and coordinated so well with my beloved pistachio bag was just the icing on the cake.

Look 2: Art Exhibit i don’t mean ‘art exhibit’ in an annoying ‘i am SUCH an ARTIST’ way. what i mean is, i wore this to see a photography exhibit. but actually, i think this outfit is appropriate for most of the things i do day-to-day. i’m all about long skirts lately (no need for shaved legs!), and this one especially because of the sheerness and ruffles. 

all the layers in this outfit give me maximum body temperature control. First the jacket, then my new favorite layering piece- the racerback vest. you’ll be seeing a lot more of this on the blog! And beneath that, a basic slouchy tank (this one comes with a really cool detachable fabric necklace, which i’ll show you later). I also threw on a vintage necklace and gold bangle, and my pyramid cuff.

Look 3: A Walk in the Park. since i’m showing quite a lot of leg in my short-shorts, i like to keep my upper body well covered up. so i layered an older patterned shirt under my jacket. i was quite fond of the way the yellow bag looked with the green jacket.

look 4: Workin It! unfortunately not all of life can be date nights, art exhibit visits, and walks in the park. all too much of the time, i am dressing for a day at work. what I love about this jacket is that i can even wear it around the office- it adds bit of ‘i’m not a wall street drone’ flare to an otherwise dull blouse and pencil skirt combo. then on the way out of the work, i can un-tuck my shirt, throw on the jacket, and not feel embarrassed to meet friends for dinner without going home to change.

so there you have it! at the rate i am going, many more looks with this jacket will be showing up on the blog soon.

look 1: LOFT ripstop military jacket and wrap belt (both courtesy of LOFT), ny&co dress, ann demeulemeester boots, pistachio balenciaga city bag

look 2: LOFT ripstop military jacket, racer back vest, tank top, and pyramid stud cuff (all courtesty of LOFT), vintage skirt, necklace, and bracelet, loeffler randall sandals

look 3: LOFT ripstop military jacket and pyramid stud cuff (both courtesy of LOFT), free people shirt, old navy shorts, prada shoes, zac posen bag

look 4: LOFT ripstop military jacket (courtesy of LOFT), elizabeth & james blouse, uniqlo skirt, marni shoes, balenciaga day bag

ps, remember you can follow noel and i on Live.Love.LOFT this month!

as noel mentioned earlier this week, all of a sudden it is swelteringly summertime here in nyc. before moving to the city, i was firmly anti-shorts. i don’t think they’re flattering for 99% of people (including myself), and i also don’t often find them comfortable. but somehow the heat in nyc feels a lot worse than it does in ohio- the tall buildings block the breeze, there are crowds everywhere, and the humidity is out of control. when this happens, i tend to relax all my usual fashion ‘rules’. thus, i end up in shorts, a big tee, and a pair of flats.

the goal becomes finding a pair of shorts that aren’t completely awful. i really reallllly don’t feel great about my thighs (i was sweating bullets just looking through these photos). so the length of the shorts is tricky- you would think longer is better, but for me that seems to be worse. and of course i don’t want them too short. 

my friend melanie gets the credit for finding this pair. she really loved these chloe shorts:

since they are hard to find and quite pricey, she wanted an alternative, and picked up the yellow ones from urban outfitters. when i saw them, i wanted them too! as did all three of the sisters from where are you from originally; so, we all took a shopping trip together. i am hoping we’ll see one of the sisters wearing them this week, and that it will be my very favorite sister (hint: my favorite is not raina).

overall i think i’m as happy with these shorts as i can be. the slightly high rise is nice, and i like the length, and the fact that they aren’t skin tight around my legs. i chose a size larger than i normally would for these, in order to get the extra leg room- i then got crafty and added 2 darts to bring in the waist for a better fit.

though summer forces you to make some fashion choices based on comfort rather than style, on the plus side, it allows you to show off some fun nail polish colors. the second it got warm, i painted my toes with lippmann superstar, which is the most disco-ball-glittery polilsh i know about. do you have favorite summer colors?

urban outfitters shorts, jcrew blouse, prada wedges, lanvin bag, coach sunglasses

some of you may have noticed my penchant for wearing white. i also have a lesser penchant for wearing silk, and tulle, and bows, and frills. when added together, these favorites of mine create a somewhat bridal picture.

this crazy vintage dress was love at first sight. when i saw that it was described as, er, a wedding dress, i didn’t let that stop me. as you can see, i actually EMBRACED the dress’s bridal nature- but just for a moment. i promise i am not wearing it out and about, trolling for a groom.

in truth, i don’t have a lot of interest in getting married just yet. BUT, i absolutely LOVE weddings. in college, i worked for a catering company over the summers. it doesn’t sound like a fun job, but it IS- every weekend i got to see a different wedding, check out the bride’s gown, and stuff my face with leftover wedding cake.

this year my little brother, plus two of my best friends are getting married, and not a ONE of the brides is properly obsessing over her dress! it’s a letdown for me- all i want in life is to help someone shop for a wedding dress. 

well, now i have my OWN, thankyouverymuch. i’ve been so excited to photograph this dress and show it to you- please excuse the huge amount of photos.

there is one little problem with my wedding dress- (aside from the fact that i am not a bride)- i can’t walk in it! the dress narrows at the bottom, and there’s no slit to allow movement. i can barely get one foot in front of the other- it’s pretty comical to watch. so i’ve been thinking about my options.

1. leave the dress as it is. hang it on the wall and admire it. pros: i don’t alter the dress at all; cons: i can’t wear it.

2. add a slit in the bottom of the skirt. pros: i could probably walk in it, and i would keep the gorgeous shape of the dress; cons: a floor-length white dress is not exactly versatile.

3. hem to just below the knee, like so. pros: walkable and wearable; cons: maybe less dramatic?

so, i would love to hear your vote on the matter. i’ve tucked and pinned the hem of the dress in order to ensure i can hobble around in it. the idea of cutting the bottom off gives me some anxiety; however, the idea of being able to wear these mummy sleeves out on the town is a pleasurable one.

here i’ve styled the dress in a way i’d probably wear it. i think it needs a few things to break up it’s glorious whiteness and ruch-ed-ness. when i doubt, i throw on my vintage fur vest, and to warm it up a little i added a vintage gold necklace.

here’s a closer look at the necklace. it’s even brighter gold in person, similar to something a rapper would wear.

also, do you notice my blushing bride cheeks here? noel and i took a trip to sephora together recently. neither of us is super knowledgeable when it comes to makeup, but i am pretty sure this blush i got is top notch. it is makeup forever HD microfinish blush- you can see it here. i chose shade #13 called ‘smooth talker’ (yep, that’s me). though i will warn you i have a bizarre skintone, so it may not be a universally flattering color. anyway, it is extremely easy to apply with my fingers, and i really love the color payoff.

just as an aside, while i’m thinking of makeup- i’ve been reading daphne’s post about her favorite cosmetics here obsessively. she has the most glowy skin and nice makeup around, so i am duly taking notes.

anyway, thank you for indulging me in my nutso bridal fascination today. i hope you’ll cast your vote on what i should do about altering (or not altering) this dress! i’m feeling torn about it. in the meantime, i’ll be waiting at the altar, letting my long mummy sleeves flap in the breeze.

vintage wedding/mummy dress, vintage fur vest, vintage necklace, prada wedges, rachel leigh earrings