The Secretary Blouse

Long long ago, there was a new style blogger who thought this classic blouse style was called a tie blouse.  She also thought those shorts could exist in her closet, and has since learned better.  Living and learning... After stumbling across the awesome blog B's Goodwill Hunting, I learned the preferred term for this style: the secretary blouse.  She has a collection of secretary blouses and I love how they look ladylike and can be styled up, down and every which way.  Imagine my delight when I found a vintage perfect-condition secretary blouse in a timely pattern and in the hot colours for spring, black and white...

 Vintage Talbots secretary blouse $6 VV Boutique

 

 Hard to discern the ties in a photo, hence my clever fingers-behind-the-ties photo trick.

At first, I called this my Anthropologie-esque print top, but my style confidante more accurately described it as Banana-Republic-y.  Luckily I had inadvertently followed BR's recommendation to pair my springy black and white print with a bold colour...

 

This is my "I'm secretary and I know it" we-all-know-who-holds-the-power expression.

Not just any bold colour, but the colour of the year in a H&M cardi that I've had for years because green has been my fave long before Pantone declared it worthy.

 

To let my secretary self steal the show, I kept my pants to simple black.  We all know my black pants are not great, but I'm making do until VV Boutique provides me with a perfect replacement! 

 Green flats help.  A little.

When I heard that black and white were the trendy colours for spring, I baulked.  But this delicate print changed my mind...

 

 A close up of my bow.

Note to self: practice tying bows; evaluate bunny ears vs. loop swoop & pull.

Additional note to self: once achieve the perfect bow, never ever ever untie. 

 I love the subtle gathering at the shoulders...

This is a lot of fabulousness for six dollars!  VV Boutique, you're going to make me wear my latest favourite seventeen days in a row again, aren't you?!