Workwear Wednesday: Power of Patience...and discounts!

Banana Republic is one of the most notable workwear staple stores of today. No doubt, their quality is very good and they offer appropriate trends for even the most conservative offices. As far as affordable goes though, it's one of those places where it's easy to spend over $100 on as little as two pieces.

I do like shopping there though, but I do it sparingly and smartly. Banana Republic offers 30 to 40 percent off their regular prices at least once a week. Sometimes, you can hunt for an item on sale with additional reduced prices.

If you happen to have a factory store in your nearby neighborhood, that would be the best place to stock up on BR gear. The dress below is from the BR factory store and it's one of my favorite pieces for summer. At $49, it works well within an affordable workwear budget. As with almost all my peices, I like them to be versatile. You could wear this with black tights in winter and even with a white blazer for a more summery look.

Today, select styles are on sale at Banana Republic.  Happy shopping!

Written with love,

Leslie

Sophisticated Casual

Good morning!

I wanted to highlight a casual Friday look.  Today my outfit leans more to the sophisticated casual side, which for me usually means wearing flats to the office.  However, every office is different and for some of you lucky ones it might mean wearing dark denim jeans.  It should never mean wearing things you'd wear to do things around the house.  I've definitely been witness to that awful workwear sin.

Blazer - H&M | Pants - Alfani from Macy's | Shoes - Nine West | Necklace - Strawberry | Bag - Olivia and Joy, from Strawberry but Macy's has a nice selection of Olivia and Joy bags here | Glasses - Warby Parker

You can always style this look to be less casual with some heels.  Options for nude pumps: Nine West ; Steve Madden ; JC Penny 

Hope everyone is doing something wonderful this long weekend!  

written with love,

Leslie 

Workwear Wednesday

Good morning!

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to introduce a panel of respected colleagues at an event organized by myself and fellow young leaders in my field.  It's very valuable to get involved in industry organizations and take part in those events.  There were over 80 people attending this panel discussion and it was fully developed and organized by young leaders.  We were glad to have highlighted an important issue in affordable housing today (supportive and homeless housing) and facilitated a fruitful discussion among established leaders in the field.  These affiliations are a great way to bring about positive change within your broader work community and at the same time positively impact your resume and career network.  

Given that there was a substantial audience and it was the first time my group had developed a panel of this kind, I wanted to wear something sharp but also summery as it was a beautiful day in NYC.  I decided on this navy stripe sheath dress from JC Penny paired with a white blazer from Forever 21.  I opted for traditional pearl accessories to offset the linear nature of the stripes.  As always, best thing about this outfit is the price.  

Dress - JC Penny | Blazer - Forever 21, old but similar here | Shoes - Nine West | Bracelet - Lia Sophia, old | Necklace - old, but similar option here

written with love,

Leslie