Wardrobe Planning Hits and Misses Volume 1 Week 16

I’m not going to lie, last week was exhausting and the dreary weather combined with flood warnings didn’t help.  We have had it easy here in Houston though compared to our neighbors in North Caroline who we are all praying for.  Please stay safe and if you are still at home, but think you may need to leave, please check out the bug out bag video Dionne recorded with me after her Harvey experience.  My saving grace was the great outfits that Natalie Weakly put together to brighten my week and help me project a knowledgeable, approachable, fun, stylish, and professional image.  Click on the picture below to watch our video on Youtube and read below to see how she did…

Monday was Rosh Hashanah and I’m Jewish so I took my mom to temple to pray and celebrate the Jewish new year.  We met by beautiful friend Shelly Buchman Pesterfield there because services are always more fun when shared with family and good friends (particularly her).  I loved this Trina Turk dress from my latest Rent the Runway Unlimited shipment and the items Natalie paired with it were perfect.  I wore both my 3 quarter sleeve White House Black Market cardigan and a black shawl to combat the frigid indoor temperatures along with my black suede booties and this fun leather necklace that I acquired in Montreal.  The Trina Turk Plaid Brynne Two dress was comfortable, flattering and had a great weight – heavy enough to provide some warmth, but not miserable in the Houston heat and humidity.  I’ll probably hang on to it to wear to work this week.

Tuesday it was back to my client’s office and I was so excited to wear my old brown duster from Express.  As I mentioned in the video, I haven’t worn this duster in at least 10 years, but I love it so much that I’ve hung onto it.  Originally it was a dress and I actually wore it that way a few times back in the early 90s after it was first acquired.  Over the years it’s shifted to a duster and I’m not sure why I quit wearing it.  The Cynthia Rowley blouse I picked up with Dionne (read about our discount store haul in the Weekly Wardrobe Planning Volume 1 Week 9 post) and my Essential Slim Pants in “Mystical Mauve” from White House Black Market went under the duster.  We decided to go with my brown pumps and then Natalie suggested I go without a belt, but five decades of programming proved too difficult for me to overcome – just couldn’t wear pants with belt loops and no belt.  I also pulled out a gold Gemini pendant that my parents got for me years ago when I was a kid and some simple amethyst colored stone earrings as finishing touches.  This was an exceedingly comfortable outfit well suited to my well chilled office!  And while it projected a very friendly approachable image, it also felt stylish and professional.

Wednesday I wore my Banana Republic pink blazer with my gray wool pencil skirt form a couple of seasons ago.  I would have never put these two together back when light pink was reserved for summer and spring while heavy charcoal gray wool was reserved for fall and winter.  But those rules are out the window these days and I loved this combination.  Blazers always feel professional, but the white tee Natalie included underneath had a more approachable feel while the heavy beaded Legacy necklace from Premier Designs projected style.  My pink patent leather pumps rounded out the look with a touch of fun.  Natalie also gave me two earring options – one more fun, and one more serious depending on what kind of day I had lined up.  This ended up being a heavy meeting day so I went with the more serious mother of pearl Kendra Scott drop earrings.

Thursday was navy blue and caramel brown day.  Per Natalie, navy is a color that engenders trustworthiness and approachability while brown is the color of stability which worked great with my target image.  But, she also added these earrings that I recently acquired on a trip to Cuero, TX – I would have never worn these to work, but with this very conservative outfit, they added just the right amount of fun.  My navy suede t-strap pumps from Charles David served to keep my look current.  As it turned out, the cream colored camisole underneath stayed hidden since we added this thin blue belt at my waist line.  Ironically, the Cuero earrings were the only thing new about this outfit, but it felt very current – amazing what one or two twists can do to update an outfit!

Friday I got to wear one of my favorites dresses in my closet – this navy blue and white jeweled collar dress from Ted Baker.  I love this dress!  The only problem is, it’s a tad bit short for my out of shape 52 year old legs so I usually pair it with navy tights.  But, its still in the 80s to 90s Fahrenheit in Houston so not quite tights weather.  Instead, we went with very shear blue stockings paired with my Invanka Trump nude patent pumps.  I thought Natalie was joking when she suggested I wear dark colored stockings with light colored shoes, but it actually worked quite nicely.  Natalie explained that there is a slight blue hue in the pumps which brought some continuity to the combination (not sure this picture does the colors justice).  The jeweled collar and white cuffs meant no necklace or bracelets were needed, but Natalie did reach for these drop stone hoops that my dear friends from Design at Work Creative Services gifted me a few years ago.  For the final touch, I pulled my grandmother Sara Lee’s mother of pearl purse off the shelf.  I loved this look and felt great in it – even sitting on the hard bleachers at my son’s volleyball game that evening.

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Saturday night was the Deacons of Deadwood Aces and Eights gala benefiting childrens’ charities including Devereux Texas Advanced Behavioral Health for which I am an advisory board member.  We had so much fun rocking out to 80s hair band music from Van Halen to Bon Jovi to Queen.  Natalie wanted me to look edgy, but dignified so she put me in this short, but not too tight turquoise dress with these super fun over the knee black velvet boots.  We went with shimmery tri-colored earrings and a necklace supplemented with some cool leather gloves my friend Rose lent me after we arrived.  My hair stylist David Bamford co-owner of Therapy Hair Studio gave me this fun teased pony tail, but next year he promised to add some red zippers and braids with a little more notice.  I have to say my friends Pamela and Rose put me to shame with their awesome outfits – I was really impressed at how biker babe and at the same time chic they looked!

As always, please let me know your thoughts about our choices with a comment and make sure to check out this week’s video in my friend Leela Madan’s closet (click on the picture below to watch).  It was my turn to take what I’ve learned so far from all the fabulous fashionistas and professional stylists who have helped me over the past few months and use it to help someone else.  Let us know what you think and have a wonderful week!