White Collar

The more fashion blogs I read, the more convinced I am that fashion does not belong to us white collars. To be fashionable, you have to either dress up as if you were walking down the red carpet or dress down as if you had just stepped out of a homeless shelter. Office is where you find the mediocre: neat hair, light makeup, minimum accessories, and above all, suit, suit, suit! How could this be inspiring? Being professional equates to being lackluster.

All right. I've accepted it long time ago that a proper office outfit is the one that does not outshine your brain. But that doesn't mean that others can't even tell whether you've changed into a new outfit or not. We may not have many options on the silhouette, but still have more or less room playing with colors, patterns and details.

That is why I got this Karl Lagerfeld stretchy blazer. The white stripes on the shoulders and collar add a New England preppy touch to the outfit, and the stretchy material creates a slim polished silhouette. If paired with its matching pants (shown in this outfit), it looks even more sporty and energetic. Here I styled it with a stretchy pencil skirt for a more office appropriate look.

Jacket: Karl Lagerfeld April stretch cotton-blend blazer (review here)

Tee: Abercrombie & Fitch

Skirt: Privee (also seen in this outfit)

Sunglasses: Karen Walker Super Duper Strength

Purse: Louis Vuitton Damier Hampstead PM

Boxy Urban Chic

JCrew的照片太多了，其实我是Club Monaco的粉，只是他家的衣服有点edgy，有点不适合办公室的氛围，所以我比较少穿到办公室里来。为表粉丝的死忠，我捡了个老板不在也没有重要会议的日子把这件大毛衣穿到办公室来，还搭配了短裙（再短就真的不适合办公室了），本来搭配了很漂亮的flats的，可是袜子上勾了个小洞，只好把上下班走路用的长靴穿起来掩饰一下，结果就越发不像上班的样子了。常用的办公室被欧洲过来的同事征用了，于是躲在卫生间里咔嚓了一张，光线就不讲究了，大家凑和着看吧！

这件Claudia Tweed Sweater我很喜欢，线条简明，宽松休闲，颜色百搭，皮袖则增加了一点都市小酷妹的态度，不管是搭配超短裙，还是紧身长裤 or 宽松短裤，都非常青春时尚，有都市感。同样款型的还有这件Claudia Striped Sweater，也很好看，当时这两件挑了半天，似乎后者比前者更宽松肥大一些，而且我觉得白色不耐脏，所以最后选择了黑白混线的那件。这个cut不怎么挑体型，高挑宽肩的瘦姑娘穿是最好不过的了，苹果体型 香蕉体型都可以，可能就是梨型身材不太合适。那麻豆是刘雯吧？估计大部分人穿起来就跟刘雯穿的效果差不多，虽然矮点儿，哈哈！

黑色小短裙是在Intermix买的，牌子是Privee，是个挺小众的英国品牌，Intermix这点非常好，经常能在里面看到不常见的小牌子，整个店也是urban chic的路子，我经常去逛，是我休闲服装的主要来源之一。靴子是Burberry的，靴筒非常的服帖，我喜欢穿这么矮的跟儿走路。

说真的，我不上班的时候，穿衣服基本上就是这么个以舒服为第一需求的风格，跟上班的打扮是不是差别挺大的？:)

Club Monaco is one of my favorite brands for casual wear. Edgy, simple, and sophisticated, it perfectly illustrates "urban chic" in my fashion dictionary.

This Claudia Tweed Sweater features a relaxed silhouette that is both cozy and chic. Its simple cut brings out the confidence of your sophisticated youthful self. Faux leather quilted sleeves completes the cool-girl attitude. it goes well with mini skirts, shorts, leggings or skinny jeans. An alternative is the Claudia Striped Sweater, same cut and different color. This cut looks good on most ladies with apple- or banana-shaped body. It might be a bit tricky on pear-shaped women. (Wonder what these body shapes mean? Click here.)

The Privee mini-skirt is from Intermix. This boutique chain carries quite a few hard-to-find contemporary brands. I am always drawn to its downtown chic style. Many of my casual pieces are bought there.

leather sleeved sweater: Club Monaco
black pencil skirt: Privee
knee high boots: Burberry