Black Pants for Work 2: Brocade

Today, I'm concluding my second series on black pants for work with another recent work outfit.  Here, I combined black brocade pants with a tunic length cowl neck sweater.

Pants:  LOFT Petites

The fitted pants work with the tunic length, and this was a comfortable and easy look.  During the winter, I can get a little lazy with my style.  I want clothes that are quick to throw on, and nothing is easier during cold weather than pants and a sweater.

Sweater:  New York & Company

Tote:  The Limited

Booties:  Target

To add more interest to such a simple look, I opted for the brocade pants instead of plain black and added the pop of plum.

Gold medallion dangly earrings accent the gold in the pants, while the sweater and simple black booties help tone the pants down enough for daytime work wear.

Earrings:  The Limited

What are some of your winter wear go-tos?

For the pants in other looks, see here, here, and here.
For the sweater in another look, see here.

To catch up with the rest of the series on black pants for work, see here, here, and here.
AND take a peek at last year's series for more ideas on styling black pants for work here, here, here, here, and here.

12 Days of Holiday: Gilded Brocade

Hope you all have been having a fabulous weekend!

Today's look is what I wore to my office holiday party this past Friday.

Pants:  LOFT Petites (Available here)

I love these brocade pants.  They have a subtle shine without being too ostentatious, and I'm having fun imagining ways to dress them down for everyday work wear.

For the party, I decided to dress these fancy pants up with a velvet blazer, heels, and a scarf tied into a big floppy bow tie.

Blazer:  New York & Company (Available here)

Blouse:  Old Navy (old)
Scarf:  LOFT (Available here)

I had an image in my head of this outfit, and this is an instance where I used tailoring to get a look that was close to my vision.

When I first tried these straight leg pants, I looked like all thigh.  They were very unflattering, and I was sure that I was going to have to keep searching to get the look I wanted.  

Heels:  Target (Available here)
Clutch:  Jason Wu for Target (Available on ebay here)

Bracelets, right hand:  Torrid and The Limited (Available here and here)

After having the pants pinned to a slimmer fit, I realized that they would work.  Tapering pants legs is a relatively simple and inexpensive alteration, and since these are special pants not easily found everywhere, I found tailoring to be worth the cost.  The legs were tapered to create more of a skinny fit, and I got the look for which I was hoping after all!

Bracelet, left hand:  Vintage (Similar here)
Earrings:  Torrid (Similar here)

What would you wear to an office holiday party?

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

Hi everyone!  Hope you all had a great day!

Skirt:  Target (Available here)
Blazer:  New York & Company

Today was still a little chilly in my area, but I finally decided it was time to skip tights!!!  I went with my knee-high boots for warmth, but it was so freeing to be able to wear a skirt without tights!!!

Tights can be fun, but I get lazy and find them to be too much work sometimes.

Tank:  Old Navy Petites (Available here)
Boots:  Payless (old)

Tote:  The Limited

I paired my boots with a brocade A-line skirt and simple tank and blazer.  The tank was a little low-cut for work, so I added the scarf for coverage and a little extra warmth during the work day. 

Scarf:  Paul Smith (15+ years old)
Earrings:  The Limited (Similar here)

Removing the scarf makes the outfit perfect for transitioning to dinner or drinks after work.

Ring:  Purchased at local jewelry show
Howlite necklace:  eBay (Similar here)

Do you like wearing boots?  Do you prefer bare legs or tights/pantyhose?
 
For this skirt in another look, see here.
For this blazer in other looks, see here, here, and here.

Brocade and Lollipop Red

On a recent shopping trip, I separately fell in love with this jacquard weave skirt and cheerful red blouse. 

Blouse:  Target Petites (Available here)
Skirt:  Target (Available here)

These aren't two pieces I would normally put together, but I love the color palette.  Teal and coral make me think of the beach, and has long been one of my favorite summer color combinations. I love the idea of winterizing this color combo by adding charcoal and black.  It adds a great punch to a blah winter day.

Turquoise ring:  Target (Similar here)
Tights:  The Limited

The A-line shape is universally flattering  and the tucked-in shirt helps accentuate an hourglass shape.

Blazer:  The Limited Black Collection (Similar here)
Cuff:  The Limited

Shopping tip for petites:  Many retailers carry limited to no selection of petites in stores but have more options on-line.  This blouse is one such example.  My local Target carried this blouse in misses sizes.  I loved it, but the proportions weren't right.  Thankfully, I was able to find it on-line in petites!

Boots: Payless (old)
Purse:  The Limited (old)
Turquoise earrings:  Gift (old)

Do you like to add punchy colors to pep up your winter looks?