Friday. Even though every day at my office can be casual, I guess I just have this Friday thing in my head. Its the day before the weekend, and we just need to get through it, so lets get through it as comfortably as possible, yes?
Just wearing my old-faithfuls (the jeans) from Torrid, and this shirt that I inherited from my friend, the one that hands me down stuff. The blouse is from Old Navy, and its one of those shirts that I am SO glad my friend decided she didn't like. First, I have almost nothing in navy, and second, I love the little details on it.
You probably can't see very well, because the photography is so weak, but there is pleating at the bottom, gathering at the top, and a keyhole neckline thing going on.

I really need to work on my friendly smile... some serious BRF going on here...

I'm never really that keen on the outfits that I deem casual. Most of the time, I guess I feel (probably erroneously) that if it didn't require some effort to put together, its not really worth an OOTD post. This actually came together quite easily, and I really liked the outcome, even though its definitely filed under "casual."

God is in the details

they say. I really believe that, especially when it comes to what makes an outfit more than just a combination of clothes. Just a plain old pair of shorts, and an older long-sleeved top, but, the addition of the t-strap sandals and the twee little hair bow, its now... an ensemble. Ta-frickin'-da!

Dang sweater... nicely hung up on my booty in all the shots...

So yeah, the whole week was sort of a moving week, so Tuesday was another forced casual day.

I have a great friend, who, when she culls her closet, I get first dibs on them. I don't know how it works out as well as it does, because her style and my style are like 2 parallel lines (even in infinity, they would never intersect), and our body types are very different (she's Amazon, and I have a lot of midget-genes in my pool) but I get a LOT of great stuff from her. This sweater is one of them. As soon as I pulled it out of the bag, I knew I was going to like it. I could just tell from the feel of the material. Not to mention, I really love the color. I also really dig the collar, and the fact that it is meant to just be done up at the neck. Its very different from everything I own, so I am happy to add it to my closet. And that was Tuesday's outfit.

To get back to the casual conundrum, there are a few things I do when dressing comfortably that I feel raise the bar.

First is always have your hair did. For me, it actually works both ways. Call me crazy, but if my hair is looking like crap, I don't bother dressing nicely either. I guess it just feels pointless to me. Here's a basic rule of thumb. If you just let your hair air dry after coming out of the shower... its not done. Unless you are somehow blessed with very straight hair. Oddly enough, my sister can do that... but she's one of the chosen few. Odds are, you need to do something to it.

No shoes... photo shoot almost didn't happen

Here's a shocking confession. I don't think that everyone looks good in everything. I am not that inclusive. While I do believe that you should wear whatever makes you feel good, I don't think that means that you should expect everyone to like it.

I personally think that the combination of wooly socks with sandals is an affront to nature.

I believe that gym clothes (sweat pants, shirts, sneakers/runners/trainers) should only be worn to the gym. Ever.

Ever.

And I feel like its harder for curvy girls to look as good in casual clothes as *skinnybitches do.

I mean, there are things that I see on Pinterest (like the sloppy topknot, or lumberjack shirts) that somehow manage to look so... fashiony (?) on the skinnybitches, that I just know would make me look like I just rolled out of a ditch. Among so many other things that plague us curvy girls, its just so UNFAIR! Yes, I'm whining... deal.

Why am I going on about this? Well, my office was moving locations this week, and that meant that (GASP) there was a high likelihood that manual labour would be required. Now, I am no princess, I've hauled wood, and grouted tile and all that, but I also know you gotta dress for the occasion. But I wanted to have posts for y'all as well. How was I going to do that? It's hard to look "fashiony" and yet still be prepared to get dirty and haul boxes.



So, that's the inspiration for today's post.
While I had to wear something comfortable, that I was comfortable in, I wanted to NOT look likea poster girl for People of Walmart. Really not that much to ask right? Sometimes for the curvy girl, it is.

Anyway, here was my solution. A black cowl-neck tunic top, made of (wait for it) a sweatshirt-LIKE material, with a kangaroo pouch in the front. This is my go-to piece when I want comfort, but want to look like I made a LITTLE bit of an effort.

Hubby was the photographer on this shoot... with the flux at the office, couldn't do a shoot there with my regular camera or photographer

I was wearing my trusty old moto boots from ShoeDazzle that day. And they looked great with it.

*skinnybitch: its a term I use to identify bitches that I think are skinny. If, as a skinnybitch, you are offended by that term, cry me a river... skinnybitch

top right: cuff detail; bottom left: empire-waist tie detail

A little OOTD post for you. I've been so lax in the posting department. I blame the holidays. We took a little day trip out to the aquarium today, and this is what I wore. I apologise for the weaksauce photographs, but I don't have a great camera with me right now, and the iPhone doesn't do so great without natural light.
The shirt is very very old, probably at least 5 years. I bought it at H&M to wear out for my bachelorette... I have 2 toddlers now. Times have changed, but at least I know I bought a shirt that has lasted.
I love the gathered cuff, which I think I didn't captured very well, and the tie at the back. Empire waists are a lovely thing for me, especially since my waist is SO high. A seamstress was measuring me once, and she measured and remeasured, then remarked at how short-waisted I am. It's probably borderline carnie-freak...

Let me open with this... as we are ramping up this blog, our posts might be pretty prolific. I can't promise we'll keep up this pace. Now, onto the "fashion"...