What I Wore During Session

For 60 days I had to get dressed for work every day. A suit most days. A blazer every day. After three years of working from home and needing “real” work clothes only sporadically, it was a struggle. Here are the pieces that formed the foundation of my wardrobe.

VB Miller Dickey Blazer // A.L.C. Amelia Jacket // VB Orrin Jacket

The Blazers. All of the blazers that I wore this session can be rented or purchased from Rent the Runway. I purchased both of the VB blazers during their end of season sale, but they are primarily available at RTR now since they were last season.

I wore the plaid blazer at left — which had hues of green and blue and black in the pattern — with an olive green cardigan underneath. I also wore it with a pine green theory dress. Both looks kept the blazer from looking too staid and professorial.

The black jacket from ALC has a great structure to it. It creates this very long line that makes you look taller. I wore it over this navy dress with a black elastic belt. I also wore it over this v-neck wrap dress with a long necklace.

This brown plaid blazer from Veronica Beard is gorgeous in person. It looked amazing with these chocolate brown pants. I also wore it on the plane on the nights I had to race to the airport, and just put on light denim underneath.

The Suits. I had high hopes of buying gorgeous suits for session. And I did. I bought three Reiss suits. But finding the time to drive an hour round trip to Nordstrom to get them tailored and drive back a week later to pick them up when I was traveling home on the weekends, it did not arrive until almost March. So they sat in their plastic garment bags for most of the session, and when I finally had them hemmed, they were too big. It was an epic fashion fail. Now, I need to figure out what to do with them.

Instead, I wore suits from Express and Spanx all session. They were great. Total workhorses. Could be machine washed on delicate, cold and then steamed crisp. Looked good with nice blouses. Never failed me. And a full suit cost less than a blazer from Reiss or BOSS.

This navy suit from Express was my favorite. This Spanx suit felt like pajamas and was perfect for when votes ran from 9:00am Monday to 5:00pm Tuesday with no break.

Why no Ann Taylor? I ordered multiple suits from AT, and there was something amiss with every one. One advertised as fully lined, showed up with no lining. One arrived in a larger size that I did not order. Another showed up having been damaged in try on by another wearer. After that, I gave up.

The Dresses. I posted three of the dresses I wore most frequently above. I was trying to re-wear the clothes I brought and not buy too much, so new dresses did not make the cut. However, I did wear the long sleeve version of this fabulous Boden sweater dress on casual Fridays. Super comfortable and always drew a few compliments.

The Shoes. Speaking of compliments — no item of clothing was more commented on than these Stuart Weitzman patent tortoise kitten heels. In the DMs. In the hallways. In the committee rooms. In my Teams chats. Ladies wanted to know where the shoes came from. SW also makes them in a flat, and I will tell you they are as awesome and with the investment as they look. I love them so much that I am considering buying these very cool Mary Janes.

The other shoes that are worth a purchase are these Cole Haan boots. I sold them out at the winter sale. Nordstrom Rack has them for $100 in limited sizes. They are worth buying and shoving under your bed. Very comfortable, even with 8,000 steps of walking.

The Jewelry. I kept it really simple this session. Monica Vinader has become my ride-or-die chick. These hoops were worn almost daily. These tiger eye statement earrings jazzed up all black outfits. These bracelets — chain and bangle — were everything. This chain necklace has been around my neck since I bought it after Sloane’s birth. Need color? This aquamarine open-work ring is amazingly cool.

I buy MV pieces and promote those pieces here, and MV gifts me other pieces. It’s a revolving door of gifting and buying. The quality is fabulous. They’re cool, modern and feminine. I love the brand. MV is also having a big sale today, so don’t miss it.

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