Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle. – Page 53 – As told by Jessica Steele. Based in NYC.

September 7, 2018September 7, 2018

CASUAL FRIDAY + BEST BLAZERS FOR FALL

Ahhh.. hello Casual Friday! We’ve made it to the end of my “Work” themed week (see the post here that mentions each week’s theme for the month of September) and so a focus on everyone’s favorite day of the work week seemed to be fitting. I’m lucky in that my office has a ‘creative casual’ dress code so my everyday outfits might be considered ‘Casual Friday’ by other people’s standards. That being said, if I’m wearing jeans to work I do try to dress them up a bit so it doesn’t veer too far into the weekend territory. Basically: casual… but make it fashion.

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September 6, 2018September 7, 2018

FALL OFFICE OUTFIT INSPIRATION WITH LONDON TIMES

I always call this time of year ‘Back to Work’, like the grown-up version of ‘Back to School’. After the Summer it feels like the perfect time to brush up your workwear game before heading into Fall. So I teamed up with London Times (the sister brand of Maggy London – both of which are 2 of my favorite brands to wear to work) to serve up a bit of office outfit inspiration for the season ahead.

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September 5, 2018September 7, 2018

SPILLING WHAT’S IN MY WORK BAG

You know what they say – you’re only as strong as the bag you’re carrying. Okay maybe that’s not exactly it, but the bag I carry to work quite literally has to have my back throughout the day, whether I get invited to a last minute event after work I need to spruce up my look or I’m running on empty and desperately need a snack. Below – the things I never leave home on a Monday-Friday without.

SHOP WHAT’S IN MY BAG:

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September 4, 2018September 7, 2018

DEALING WITH STRESS AT WORK

As I write this I am so tightly tied in a knot of stress about upcoming work deadlines that it is going to take approximately 2 episodes of Gilmore Girls and 1 large cup of tea to unwind. A really bad day and you can replace that tea with tequila. Which leads me to the first topic of this week’s ‘Work’ theme: How to deal with stress at work. In my experience there are two main stressors when it comes to your 9-5 (or 9-6/7/8… whatever you’ve got). The first is when you’re at your desk up to your neck in deadlines and you have no idea how you’re possibly going to get it all done. I feel this way several times a week at least. The second, is the type of stress that hits when you’re not even at the office. It wakes you up in the middle of the night. It ruins your Sunday brunch. I experience this a couple of times a month. That inability to keep work at work. To me it’s the worse of the two. Either way, over the years I’ve developed a few tactics I can fall back on to help me. Below – the best tricks I’ve got.

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September 3, 2018September 3, 2018

LET’S CATCH UP 9.3.18

How was everyone’s Labor Day weekend? I stayed put in the city and it was a mix of very productive and very lazy – which I think evens out to neutral. Here – a few thoughts before we run full steam ahead into September.

This month on the blog I’m doing something a little bit different. Each week I’ll be focusing posts around 4 specific topics: Week 1 = Work (office wear, stress-reducing tips…), Week 2 = Fall Fashion (key trends, affordable accessories…), Week 3 = Home (closet and bathroom tours, DIY gallery wall…) and Week 4 = Hair/Beauty (easy date night make-up, hair accessories to try this Fall…). Be sure to check back each week! I’m really excited to share all of what I have planned!
I’m on the fence about the white boots trend – mainly because New York City streets eat shoes alive and they’ll likely be instantly dirty. But if I do pull the trigger – these would be the pair.
I loved this blog post from A Cup of Jo about the merits of listening to podcasts. They keep me company on my walks to and from work each day and honestly feel like a phone call with my very helpful, informed friends at this point.
September is by far one of my favorite months of the year. Last year, we took a quick road trip to Newport, Rhode Island and it was one of my favorite weekends of the entire year. See the travel guide here. I’d love to get back there soon.
And speaking of the season ahead – I’m making it a goal to check off this list of 18 Classic Fall Movies. My favorites from the list are When Harry Met Sally, Practical Magic, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Goodwill Hunting. Although You’ve Got Mail may win best line with: “Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”