TBMD

The longer I stare at today's outfit, the more I'm getting flight attendant vibes. The brooch can be mistaken for an airline pin. The knotted cardigan sweater taking the place of a neck scarf. The dark pencil skirt certainly is uniform-like. I suppose all I'm missing is a dark blazer? It's funny how inspiration can be drawn from anywhere... and if I'm smart, I will heed the universe telling me to stop working so damn much and please take a relaxing vacation, preferably by plane to a destination far away.

The last outfit was quintessentially "me" in my element. In contrast, today's is the complete antithesis. Everything from head to toe was an experiment that... I'm not sure I'll be repeating. I wanted to try my hand at the trendy "fancy" jogger pants (the crepe-y fabric with elastic at the ankles). Most of the ones I've seen look best in dark colors (ie: olive, black), so I thought it was a genius idea to take ankle pants that I already own then fold up the hem for a bunched-up look. Did it work? Not if you look closely, but from far away, it may pass muster. While I think the resulting look is fun, I kinda felt like I was trying too hard.

I had the most fun I've had in awhile playing around with this outfit. There were just so many opportunities to mix and match to create completely different outfits (small details matter!), that it actually took me awhile to settle on this one. Now did I achieve the look I was aiming for? If you're seeing a fun yet glam business casual outfit, then hell yeah.

One of my most (if not the top) pinned outfit on Pinterest is this gray/black/leopard outfit from 4 years! ago. It's a work classic for a reason, given the items can be found in most closets as well as their neutral color palette. So in a trip down memory lane, I decided to re-create the outfit using current pieces I had on hand.

The more things change, the more they remain the same. I swapped out the black pencil skirt for a textured navy one in the same silhouette. As my tastes have matured, out went the oversized watch and in with all the jewels. What has stayed the same? My trusty gray tote that I still love to this day. Oh, and apparently the way I still side-tuck my sweaters.

Hydrangea season is upon us! Per annual tradition, one who does not have a green thumb shall partake in the festivities by documenting with photos. Is it possible to feel under-dressed in the presence of flowers? Because I sure do, lol. Nevertheless, I really liked how this peplum button-up shirt looks unbuttoned. I was casually on the lookout for a boyfriend-fit white dress shirt, but that's no longer in the works. Love when that works out.

This wicker basket elicits comments everywhere I go. Exhibit A: at work. The other week, my manager asked if it was my lunch bag? If it was anyone else (we have a tenuous relationship), I would have LOL at the randomness. Exhibit B: standing at the hostess stand waiting to be seated. An older lady was so happy to share her bargain hunting find, which meant she is now also part of the straw basket club. Now this was a much more pleasant encounter.

With skirts that fall past the knee, I typically try to balance out the proportions by wearing a top that is tucked in (see exhibits: one, two, three, four). For today's outfit, I experimented with a slightly oversized, and definitely long-ish, double-breasted blazer. It took a few minutes for my eyes to get adjusted to the "stumpy" bottom half. But once it did, this look isn't half bad! What say you -- stick with tucked-in tops or keep the experiments coming?

I'd estimate most outfits of mine to look better in real life than captured in photos. Today's is one of the rare exceptions. Doesn't the tweed dress look blue-ish? Up close and in real life, the tweed is definitely more multi-hued, aptly described as black rainbow multi on the website (I have nobody else to blame except for myself for my lack of reading comprehension). What really drew me to the dress were the gold buttons with the front faux pockets -- so cute! The v-neck is a bit low on me, hence the addition of the layered shirt. But I really liked how the overall fit is on the looser side for the a-line silhouette. If this blue-black-rainbow color isn't your cup of tea, the dress also comes in ivory.

I've now worn this pink dress + pink jacket combo for the third time this season on this blog (see previous two outfits here) -- and even more often in real life! When an outfit works, why mess with a good thing? As always, I switched up the accessories for a different look. Today's features two companions, piglets named Rosa and Scarlett drawn by the talented Catherine Rayner in a collaboration with Strathberry for Chinese New Year. Absolutely. Adorable. When not in use, I display the purse like a piece of art -- it's the first thing I see when I walk into my closet. For those who celebrate, Happy New Year!

There's definitely a correlation between age and skirt length -- the older one gets, the longer the hemline. If I hadn't come to this realization myself, I may have fought harder to hang onto my youth. As it is, life's too short, and changes are to be embraced. That is one lesson I've learned this year and will continue to carry with me onto the next. Hope everyone have a safe and happy new year! See you in 2019!

A lot of words come to mind when trying to describe today's outfit. Not quite athleisure? Wearing all the trends? At least everything is color coordinated in neutrals. Definitely looks comfortable. I will take all of the above because this outfit was born out of my determination to make the most of a regrettable purchase.

The item in question is this sweatshirt with wrist bow ties. Looking back, I was so excited to jump on the wrist bow ties bandwagon that I didn't pay enough attention to the shortcomings. While the wrist ties may be pretty to look at, they sure got in the way of everyday life. The ends would get wet after washing my hands normally. Bows come undone too easily. The sweatshirt was also a bit too short on me.

To fix the first two issues, I ended up wearing the sweatshirt with 3/4 sleeves. No more consciously restricting hand movements throughout the day! For the last issue, I simply wore layers. In hindsight, can't believe I didn't think of this earlier. A longer layer underneath worked well proportionally with the nearly cropped length.

I ordered a handful of items during the Zara sale a few weeks back (still ongoing, but selection is probably better in stores now from returns). The only item that I loved enough to keep? This pair of black ballerina flats with beaded straps (coincidentally, a friend also bought and kept! Great minds especially since we didn't coordinate beforehand).

I was afraid the flats may be too big, but Kefee heel inserts to the rescue once again. Since my initial post about them, I do think the heel inserts work much better than the toe inserts. With more weight pressing down on the toe inserts, they seem to lose their cushion fairly fast.

Today's outfit consists of taking a typical classic winter look (wool coat + suede boots) and adding a fun twist with accessories. Who says winter has to be dreary and boring?