Outfits: One Necklace, High and Low

Oddly enough, the Teak Web Necklace from Anthropologie (reviewed in the second part of this post) is currently the most versatile piece in my wardrobe. I can wear it with anything. To prove my point, here are two outfits I wore to work for different occasions.

First: we went on a fieldtrip to the National Gallery of Art to check out classical and biblical allusions in famous works. This was right before Thanksgiving break, and a warm spell had hit. I didn't have to bundle up too much, and since we would be walking around a lot I could keep it on the casual side.

Sweater: Free People. Tunic: Gap. Pants: Anthropologie.
Bag: J. Crew. Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell. Hat: Velvet Lounge.

This outfit is built around a great neutral palette. The cream sweater has a nubby weave while the white tunic has a silky look to it. The necklace is the right finisher.

The pants are the popular World Over Cargoes from Anthropologie.

This is the gray color, I believe. The reviews are right: these stretch out, so size down. The website sells down to only 25s, so I was lucky enough to find a whole rack of 24s in one store. These cargoes are comfortable, slimming, and affordable.

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Second: I wanted to return from Thanksgiving break with a bang. And what screams "schoolteacher" more than a pencil skirt? So I put my own twist on it.

Skirt and booties: Anthropologie. Shirt and tights: J. Crew

My, that's quite a mustard yellow, isn't it? The color didn't seem so aggressive in person, but I think it goes well with the autumn theme of the outfit. I have these tissue turtlenecks from J. Crew in a whole stack of colors. Next time, I think I would go with almond, which is almost a cream. If I wanted to go in the opposite direction and bring it over the top, I would pair the skirt with the Gathering Harvest Cardigan. Wool and tweed galore.

The skirt is the Higgedly-Piggedly by Eva Franco. It got bad reviews for being unforgiving to curves and being hard to walk up stairs in. Both are true; fortunately, I have no curves to speak of and only one flight of stairs at work to worry about.

The booties are my treasured Times Three by Schuler & Sons. They're gorgeous with brown tights. If you pair booties with tights or pants of the same color, they elongate your legs instead of cutting you off at the ankles.

Two different outfits, both completed by the same statement necklace. In its product shot, it doesn't look like it could go with much, does it? Appearances can be deceiving. I can't wait to style it with my spring/summer wardrobe.

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Outfit: Tan Cashmere on Black Wool

December is a cold bitch. Maryland has the most miserable weather of all the states: in the summer, the humidity makes the heat unbearable; in the winter, the humidity makes the cold unbearable. And lately we're getting freezing gusts that scourge the skin from your face as you valiantly walk around downtown. I live fifteen minutes from work, and I commute on foot every morning and late afternoon. I do it, as I do everything else, in style.

From last week:

Sweater, coat, and winter accessories: J. Crew.
Trousers: Madewell. Wingtip oxfords: Jeffrey Campbell.

The overcoat is last year's Shipley cut in stadium cloth. The sweater is from this year's collection, and it has a zippered collar that falls forward in a wave. The hat, scarf, and gloves are made of delicious cashmere. I was so enamored of the color combination that I opened the coat for modeling purposes. I don't walk around, obviously, with my coat flapping open in the dead of winter.

Lovely December? Only if the wind isn't blowing.

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Outfit: Cables and Chai

Shame on me, it's been over a week since my last post. Rehearsals for the school play has begun, and I'm at the stage most nights. In fact, this is what I wore to our first meeting two Mondays ago. Winter has arrived good and proper, and I wanted to be both cozy and stylish. This is a true fallback combination for me.

Sweater: BCBGMAXAZRIA. Shirt, hat, and boots: J. Crew.
Jeans: AG Stevie. Hot chai: Starbucks.

I got the sweater from BCBGMAXAZRIA on Black Friday. Normally I find the brand overpriced, but sweaters were 50% off. The cabling is gorgeous, and I like the sophisticated ease of the dolman sleeves.

Close up, I'm wearing my silver-studded wood ring from Sundance, and a one-of-a-kind Australian opal bauble I found in the gallery shop of the Textile Museum in Dupont Circle last summer. The splash of marbled blue is a little surprise for whoever happens to be looking me in the face.

Let me conclude this with a shot of me sitting and showing how my oversized sweater drapes. I really can't get enough of oversized sweaters, especially with jeans and boots. They are designed for curling up in one of the oversized leather armchairs at the coffee shop and sipping hot chai while the wind blows cold outside. Every year, I look forward to winter precisely so I can do this. Lovely December . . .

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