Fashion file: Can your comfy casual wear find a place in your office wardrobe?

Over the last few years, leisure and yoga wear has become much more street worthy.  The lines have blurred and it's no longer a must to make a complete change after your exercise class before heading out for the rest of your day.  But, can these super comfy pieces find a place in your business wardrobe?   Inspired by Jennifer L. Scott's Ten-Item Wardrobe concept from her book Lessons from Madame Chic, I've been playing with reducing my wardrobe and making pieces pull double duty.  So let's take a look to see how these casual pieces can fit into an office setting.

A soft draped shrug or jacket substitutes for a blazer with tailored pieces for a pulled together, yet feminine look.  Here I've paired a wool herringbone patterned pencil skirt with a cashmere turtleneck sweater (thrifted) and topped it with a tranquiliT cocoon jacket (similar here).

A monochrome palette from head to toe makes casual pieces seem more elegant.  I've paired a tranquiliT Parisian skirt and turtleneck and added a patterned scarf (thrifted vintage find) and more structured jacket like this double breasted sweater to make it a little more tailored.

A slip dress gets an office makeover by layering a long sleeved tee underneath for more coverage, topping a tailored peplum jacket and adding tights and pumps to finish the look.

A ruched pencil skirt is paired with a t-shirt and topped with a peplum sweater jacket.  A pretty scarf to add some color and a belt (both thrifted) complete the look.

For more wardrobe inspiration, see the 10-item wardrobe in action:

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Budget friendly and fabulous fashion

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Creativity: budget friendly and fabulous fashion

Rummage sale treasures and fun

An easy way to put your creativity on display is the way you put together your outfit for the day.  From The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, "A girl should be two things:  classy and fabulous."  And how you decide to interpret that is all up to you.  

To make this an affordable endeavor, I employ some of my favorite words to build my wardrobe:  vintage, recycle and upcycle.  I find that I can find just about anything I want or need at consignment, thrift, vintage or antique stores, flea markets and rummage sales.  The additional bonus is that there are plenty of unique items and designer labels to be found so you can build a quality wardrobe that is uniquely you without breaking the bank.  

This weekend, a few girlfriends and I headed to one of my favorite annual rummage sales in the DC metropolitan area, the DC Junior League Tossed and Found Rummage Sale.  The sale venue changes from year to year, and this year it was held on an entire floor of an office building that was gutted and ready for the next tenant.  There was everything from housewares and furniture to a premium section with jewelry, china and exclusive designer ware. 

Index card lookbook

To prevent overwhelm, I often take a lookbook made out of index cards onto which I collage looks I like throughout the year and make lists of items that I need to replace.  This format makes it easy to add and subtract cards as your tastes and needs change.   It's so easy to get distracted with so many options that you end up spending more than you intended and might not end up with the items that you set out to find.  

Armed with reusable shopping bags, a water bottle with lemon water, my lookbook and the company of fabulous friends, I had a successful adventure to add some color to my and my mother's spring wardrobes.  For under $100, I snagged:

2 pairs of shoes (hello Prada!), 7 tees in bright and basic colors, 2 colorful spring weight cardigans great for a chilly office, a summery maxi dress, a bright scarf, a pretty shimmery bracelet, a purse, cargo capri pants for gardening, a sturdy canvas messenger bag, a cookbook and a darling Bobbi Brown makeup bag to tote all my beauty supplies to dance performances in style.  

I hope this inspires you to keep an eye out for notices of upcoming rummage sales in your area and to explore second hand shops at home and when you travel.  There are always treasures waiting to be found.

"Our clothes are too much a part of us for most of us ever to be entirely indifferent to their condition:  it is as though the fabric were indeed a natural extension of the body, or even of the soul."  Quentin Bell  

Quoted in The Thoughtful Dresser:  The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shipping and Why Clothes Matter

Thanks for reading!

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