How to Wear Style in a Super Casual Office

An old high school friend, Valerie, wrote to me a while ago:
"My job is uber casual like you can wear pj's and no one would look twice. I feel like I'm starting to lose some style and I'm tired of jeans everyday. What are your favorite casual yet pulled together looks? What key pieces should I look for this spring? Also, it's reallllllly cold in the office so layers are good for me since I'm already cold natured."

Valeria, I can totally understand your dilemma! You don't want to loose your style, but you also don't want to walk into work feeling like you're wearing a ball gown. To keeping things casual yet stylish, think of it the up-down factor.

If you're going to wear a dress or skirt (something that's usually more dressy) you would want to style it DOWN - small, simple accessories, flats or boots, denim or leather  jacket or a boyfriend sweater always makes things more casual.

If you are going to wear jeans and t-shirt (something already very casual), you want to style it UP. Add a pair of high heeled boots or wedge sandals. More large statement pieces of jewelry and bold lipstick. Add a blazer or trade the t-shirt for a button-up. 

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Change out those jeans for a skirt. Pair with flats or sandals. 

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One of this Spring's trends is minimalism. Keeping things clean and simple will make you look fresh and fashion forward. 

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Throwing on an effortless sundress is one of the easiest ways to get ready. Throw a cardigan over it to make it appropriate for the office and wear only a few key accessories. 

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Maxis aren't just for the beach. Add a blazer and you have instant professionalism. A crisp oxford button-up & wide belt is the perfect mix of a little funky and a lot classic. The most casual (and most comfortable of all!) is a maxi dress with an oversized throw-over. 

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If you feel something is too dressy, add denim. A denim jean jacket or chambray shirt immediately tones down a look. 

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Stripes make anything look classic and pulled together but not stuffy. Pair it with a blazer and then choose between either a statement necklace or colored jeans. 

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Playing with patterns and bold colors adds a big but easy punch to the humdrum of a boring wardrobe.

You can also take a look at a past Belted Pear post where I talk about how to look pulled together most of the time.

Besides clicking on the links for these photos, a few other resources to peruse might be these ladies' blogs. 

Running Late

J's Everyday Fashion

A Clothes Call

And when in doubt, just ask yourself... WWJAD? 

She epitomizes the perfect blend of being pulled together and chic with simple and effortless casualness. 

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Hope this helps, Valerie! Thanks for asking.
If anyone else has some perplexing fashion situation, feel free to email me at lindseydish@ymail.com and I'll see if I can help ya out! :) 

Ask The Belted Pear: What Do I Add to My Wardrobe to Make It More Vintage-Inspired and Adult?

"Hey Lindsey! I love your fashion blog and I have a big favor to ask of you. I am looking to start building a new wardrobe from the very beginning. I am looking to build a wardrobe that is more adult than my usual jeans and T-shirts and has a 50s and 60s flair while maintaining a classic and timeless look. Does this exist? What pieces should I start buying? I appreciate any help you can give! Thanks!"

My answer for practically any question is: research (I guess it's been ingrained in this English major's mind). Here are some of my favorite fashion blogs that are heavily vintage-inspired. My favorite thing about all these ladies is that even though they truly love vintage clothing, nothing in their wardrobe is entirely true vintage. For one's entire wardrobe to be all vintage, it takes a lot of time, money, and effort that I think most people don't have. These ladies easily incorporate vintage styles, accessories and silhouettes into their wardrobe while still playing with that modern and classic line. Also, take a look at actual photos from the time period. What is it about the 50's and 60's that draws you in? 

Butterfly Loves Snapdragons

VintageSphere

June Bugs and Georgia Peaches

The Soubrette Brunette

Vixen-Vintage

Into the Woods

Someone Like You

Scathingly Brilliant

6 Tips to Get You Started on a Vintage-Inspired Wardrobe: 

Sometimes starting a new wardrobe can be overwhelming, even with lots of inspiration floating around on the web. I think to really create feminine 50's looks and groovy 60's ones, it's all about the dresses, skirts, and small details. 

1. Fit-and-flair dresses - You're in luck! They are EVERYWHERE. They flatter anyone's shape and they're easy to throw on and yet add that instant pulled together look. 

2. Full and A-line skirts - For a vintage look, remember everything goes at your waist. Swim suit bottoms, shorts, pants, and especially skirts. Even skirts that are not particularly full. I can find tons of skirts like this at Goodwill. 

3. Blouses - Adding ladylike blouses to your wardrobe instantly add a more adult, feminine look - exactly what you want for a vintage-inspired closet! A simple button-up is great; make sure you button it up all the way. Puffy sleeves, lace detailing, bows, and collars are other little things that make your outfit go the extra mile. 

4.  Wiggle dresses - These were worn in the 50's and 60's. Think Marilyn Monroe is a slinky, sexy number. Wiggle dresses are a nice change of pace from the full skirt silhouette. And again, this is something tons of clothing companies still create. 

5. Mod shift dresses - These are dresses that just hang straight down via Twiggy. Almost like a carefully-crafted box. While the focal point in the fit-and-flair and wiggle dresses is the waist, with shift dresses it's all about the legs! To jump right into rad retro 60's styles, get a shift dress with a peter pan collar, with a bold geometric print, or daisy or plaid print. Again, you are in luck! The 90's are back in full swing and guess what? A lot of 90's fashion was inspired by mod 60's. It's all full circle in fashion, isn't it. 

6. Details, details, details - Now that you've got the silhouette's down pat, you might want to add extra details to pump up the vintage volume. For the 50's, think pearls, scarves around your neck or your hair, hats, hats, and more hats, cat eye glasses, gloves, structured bags, and curls (so many great vintage hair tutorials on youtube!) For the 60's, add knee-highs, mary janes, beehives and wide headbands. 

I hope this helped, Lauren! Thanks for asking The Belted Pear and happy hunting! 

         

Ask The Belted Pear: What Shoes to Wear with Winter Shorts

Ask The Belted Pear

This feature wasn't something I had planned on doing but sometimes the best things just fall into your lap. I've recently had friends email me questions about their fashion problems. I'm no expert by any means and I'm always learning new things, but I'll definitely try and help! So here is my new feature "Ask The Belted Pear". If you have a question that is about fashion, style, or being lazy, I'll be happy to  try and answer your question! You can send me an email at lindseydish@ymail.com or a message on my NEW! Facebook page (and don't forget to "like" it!)  

This feature has been really fun for me to do. I love playing with polyvore. It's like playing with paper dolls - I guess that's why it's a popular site. I think it's also great because it takes the person out of the fashion equation so you can easily imagine yourself in those clothes. 

I'm very flattered and a little terrified to answer these ladies questions. Especially because I consider them to already be very fashionable and know their shizz (no joke). Stay tuned for 2 more segments of this feature!  

What Shoes to Wear With Winter Shorts:

From my friend, Ingrid:

Dear Belted Pear - Help!

I've got a slew of tweed winter shorts... that I love but have no idea what kind of shoes or boots to wear with them. The key word in that last sentence is "winter" so regular high heels won't do. I need stylish, comfortable, and relatively warm footwear. What would you do?

Sincerely, 
Shoeless in Siberanada

Dear Shoeless in Siberanada,

You're in luck! One of this year's biggest shoe trends is booties! And I love booties: you can go low heel, low ankle (shoe 1 - and with the metallic toes, omg!). Or higher heel, higher ankle (shoes 2 & 3). While these do have heels on them, they're low enough and chunky enough that you really won't notice the difference. If anything, it just gives you that little boost to make your legs look longer in those little shorts! A particular bootie I'm currently obsessed with is the cowboy bootie (shoe 5) - a more modern version of the cowboy boot for the urban cowgirl. 

Another trend I'm digging on is winter wedges. They say if you love something you should set it free. If you find wedges you love, NEVER EVER set them free. Hang on to them for dear life and hold them together with super-glue if you have to (mine keep falling apart but I'm currently in denial). Again, these shoes vary in heel height (shoe 4 & 6) but they are much easier to stomp around in Siberanada than heels - and so much more comfortable! An extra bonus is if you get some fleece-lined ones, like in shoe 4.

And last but not least, is the classic riding boot. I bought some for this winter and now I'm mad at everyone around me who let me live without these. They make you feel and look instantly glamourous (I love how good leather will do that to a girl) and yet these things are so comfortable you could take on Genghis Khan's army. No heels at all necessary to look chic.

The great thing about all of these shoes is that they are classy and dressy enough to wear with tweed shorts. These are shoes that can easily be dressed up or dressed down. And they also make your legs look long and sleek - just what you want when you're wearing winter shorts!  

A tip when shopping for any of these shoes is wearing the correct socks. When I bought my riding boots, I was just using the thin nylon sockies they give you at the store and now when I try to squeeze my cozy, warm, fluffy-fleecey socked feet into my boots, my feet aren't happy. If you plan on wearing any of these shoes predominantly for winter, I would give yourself just a little wiggle room. 

And one more tip - tights! Layer up on tights. In the winter, I will wear ugly old, pilling tights (you know how they get bumpy when they get old) and then over them, my nicer tights or even tights that's fleece-lined! Another cool idea is to wear colored tights underneath and a funky patterned nylons over - it will still give you a tiny extra layer but will also look unique with the layering! Then to finish off the look, wear socks over all those tights and slip into your fabulous winter shoes!

Good luck with the cold in that far off winter wonderland, Ingrid!

Terrab | The Baby Shopaholic | The Backseat Stylers | Chic Street Style | Style Notes By Belen

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