MIX Not MATCH

Since I had to go and proclaim my intention to try harder, to reach past the easier first choice to the second choice, it ended up taking me more than an hour quite a while to choose my outfit for the annual meeting at work today.  For comparison, last year, I decided what to wear that morning while brushing my teeth.  This time, I came up with several potential outfits and liked them all but thought my mixing might be a little too much for the second day in...but be warned, they're coming!  Instead, I settled on this:

London Times dress $9.10, Gray belt $2.10 

Banana Republic blazer $9, Clarks booties $10

All VV Boutique

First choice was the dress belt-less with a cardi and brown sandals.  Then, I remembered my proclamation and started searching for ways to style up the dress.  The reason it took me so long to get to this pairing is because it didn't even occur to me that the blazer and dress neckline would work together, and the blazer is navy and white while the dress is brown and cream.  Then throw in the light gray belt! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

 

 Facial expression: "Please don't let the bus driver pull around the corner and see the apparently vain woman getting her child to take photos of her by the side of the road."

Even though it is "casual Friday," this is the only time I will see some of my colleagues all year and I want to make a good impression.

 Warm smile: "I am a polished highly professional professional being professionalish on the side of the road.  Come to me for all your OT needs."

This dress has an amazing fit.  There were a lot of pastries and candies going on (which some people left on the table untouched??? Wha??) and this dress gave me a false-sense-of-skinny.  While resisting yet another bathroom-selfie, I thought, "Hmmm, looking pretty good better have more pastries."

 You can't always get what you want.  Like a head-to-toe shot without the jacket.

If you look closely, you can see the light gray, white and cream.  All mixed together.

It was harder than I expected to pry my hand off the cardi and try the bootie/skirt combo, but I am glad I did because the end result was great!

Just like in Vogue, I sometimes have wild animals prancing through the background nonchalantly.

All in all, it was a great outfit for a great day at a great job!  I am blessed!  And I came up with my September motto: "Mix Not Match."  Say it with me now...