It’s officially the season for boots. A no brainer with a pair of jeans and just as easy with a dress – I love the versatility of a great pair of boots this time of year. I’ve been wearing the two black pairs in row 2 (lug sole and patent pointy toe) for several years now and I just got the middle pair in the top row and am SO excited to break them out.
While some of these are a bigger investment – I really believe in putting a bit of money into a great pair of boots or two that you know you’ll wear constantly and will hold up for years to come. I own about half of the pairs shown here and can personally vouch for the quality and comfort – and the others are all from brands that I really trust and love.
Row 1, Boot 3: Code: Steele15 gets you 15% off your first order withInez.
This past year and a half has drastically changed the way we work. And likewise the way we dress. I’ve been on a ‘hybrid’ model since the start of this year – meaning I work 3 days a week at home and 2 days at our Brooklyn office. And it occurred to me that I’ve started to transition to a hybrid wardrobe to match. A dressier trouser at the office, but just the blazer paired with jeans for video calls from home. A sweater for when it’s chilly at the office that can just as easily be worn into the weekend. If the mantra used to be “dress for the job you want” – I think it might now be, more accurately, “dress for the life you have”.
These separates from Talbots are a great example of pieces that can go from WFH to the office to the weekend – worn more casually or pulled together for a more professional look. A checked blazer, matching trousers, chunky cardigan and relaxed fit jeans. I swapped in one comfortable pair of heels, sneakers, a t-shirt and a button down and the options are kind of endless. They’ll all be getting a lot of wear this Fall and beyond.
Are you getting dressed up for work these days? Or still gravitating towards more casual pieces? I’ll always lean towards getting dressed but still want to be comfortable. All about that hybrid balance.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month – a cause very near to my heart after watching my late Grandmother and Aunt battle the disease – and I’m honored to be partnering with Talbots this month on their ‘Art of the Scarf’ campaign, to showcase styling ideas for their capsule collection of 3 unique silk scarves designed by 3 brilliant female artists – @jessillustrator, @karenmabon, @alimacdoodle.
In the spirit of women helping women, 10% of net proceeds from each scarf sold between now and October 31 will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Care Helpline, which provides education, support and resources in local communities. And to take it even further – I’ll be donating 10% of my own personal proceeds from this partnership to the same cause.
You can see the full styling video over on my Instagram – and details of each look below. Aside from the scarves – which are beautiful and support such a great cause – I just noticed that lots of these cute Fall pieces I styled them with are also on sale right now!
LAIDBACK LUXE:
Fold the square scarf in half diagonally (into a big triangle) – tie the ends behind your neck and then drape the center into loose folds. The look is casual enough for a weekend outing but still a little bit sophisticated looking. I paired with jeans, stripes and this ‘pumpkin spice’ hued jacket that’s my absolute favorite right now.
PRETTY + POLISHED:
Again, fold the square scarf in half diagonally (into a big triangle) and then roll the scarf into a long skinny snake like shape from there. Tie in a bow around the hand of a bag and voila! I love the way the pink and burgundy hues play off this plaid blazer. I’m not back in the office yet but I’d wear these pieces on a zoom call or out on a lunch date where I wanted to feel put together.
CLASSIC + COOL:
Same start – fold the square scarf in half diagonally (into a big triangle) and then starting at the widest side, fold down in two inch strips until you have a long rectangle. Tie in a knot around your neck and leave the ends long. This one feels very French to me!
One of my favorite posts these past few seasons has been a “capsule wardrobe” type round-up featuring 10 core pieces, styled 10 ways with my friends at Talbots. A full IGTV try-on video is live on my Instagram now, but I wanted share the photos of each look + outfit details here for reference. These pieces really can be mixed and matched in endless ways and be worn from work to weekend depending on how you style them.
To note: almost all of these pieces are available in petites, regular and plus sizing (sizes 0-24) and I really can’t say enough good things about the quality and the fit. I’m wearing a size 2 or XS in everything except for the pink sweatshirt (size S) and the checked blazer (size 4) as I wanted a bit more room to layer. I’m 5’4″ for reference.
I love this dress – it makes me think of something Betty Draper would wear on a picnic. It’s perfect on it’s own, but on the left is how I’d wear it at the lake house (where it gets cool at night) – with a sweatshirt over top and the belt tied into my hair as a headband.
LOOK 1:
LOOK 2:
You all already know how much I love a blazer. This lightweight version in a fun check print is great for the office (where the A/C is always blasting) but cute too on the weekends with a pair of white jeans.
LOOK 3:
LOOK 4:
One of my favorite styling tricks is to later a skirt over a dress to make it look like a top. The secret is to pick pieces with similar waistlines and to use a lightweight dress and a fuller skirt so that you don’t add bulk. You practically double your wardrobe this way!
LOOK 5:
LOOK 6:
A sleeveless button down shirt is a great summer layering piece. Underneath this striped linen jumpsuit it adds just a tiny bit of pattern mixing, and on the left – I tied it up high at the waist for a very ‘Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday’ vibe.
LOOK 7:
LOOK 8:
This cute little embroidered berry t-shirt is unexpectedly one of my favorite pieces from the collection. I’ll be wearing this tossed on over a bathing suit, on trips to the farmer’s market and for ice cream dates all summer long.
Admittedly, I’m not a super casual dresser. It’s not a coincidence that I choose to live in a place where if I want to walk down the street in heels and a fancy dress at any hour of the day or night, no one will blink an eye. But that being said – I definitely dress comfortably and practically on the weekends. And since we’re about to head into a nice long, relaxing weekend I wanted to share a few casual winter outfits I’m loving right now. The full try-on session is over on IGTV, but details are here for each outfit.
The fun thing about winter is that you can definitely play with extra prints and textures. Don’t be afraid to layer in a striped turtleneck. Or a metallic vest. Instead of jeans, try a pair of corduroy overalls or velvet jeggings instead. Casual doesn’t need to mean boring. Race you to the long weekend?
P.S. There are a few pieces you’ll see here that are older from my closet. Wherever possible I linked the exact items and in a few cases I linked the closest alternative I could find.
