Easy Outfit Formula for Work/Office + OOTD

How many of us have woken up in the morning with absolutely no clue as to what to wear to work, and in a rush to get ready and reach office on time, we often end up wearing the same run-of-the-mill outfits (read button-up with trousers). I know I have faced this ever so often.

Trying to Break Away from the Office-y Mould: Colourblocked Work OOTD- Mustard, Blue and Brown

Hello hello!

Let me start by sharing that I have been featured on Creative Mondays. This spring outfit of mine was chosen by Claire for her Creative Mondays link-up. Super-happy! :)

Some tips for making casual tops/blouses work for Work/Office- Reddish Pink Top and Black Trousers: Work Outfit

We all have days when we do not feel like getting dressed up in formal attire for work (talking about people like me who have formal/business casual dress-code at work). On those days, I just wear an outfit like the one below.

Here I have paired-up a basic reddish pink top with my black trousers. I tucked the top in to the trousers and added a formal black belt to make the outfit ‘work-appropriate’. I added a black/gray scarf which (in my opinion) helped tie the look together (also without the scarf the outfit looked too plain and boring). For footwear I had my black pumps on, and the bag I carried was my regular tan one.

I was not supremely happy with this outfit. But then again, I think the outfit looked work-appropriate and I am not complaining. J

Here are some tips and tricks (which I use) for making casual tops/blouses work for Work/Office:

   -Always make sure that you are wearing formal trousers or formal pencil skirt.

   -Try tucking the top in to the trousers/pencil skirt.

   - Always add a belt to the trousers/skirt.

   - Keep the rest of your accessories formal- for footwear, pumps in neutral colours (black, white, gray, nude, beige, fawn) are the best bet. And it helps if the bag is structured and again, in a neutral palette. We don’t want a neon bag screaming for attention at work please (unless you work in the creative field)!

   -On days when our attire is not exactly formal, compensating by adding formal accessories is a good idea. So adding dainty jewellery, say a strand of pearls or a silk scarf is a good idea.

   -Also, if you have long hair then wearing it in a bun or braiding it helps give you a neat appearance.

Do you have days when you try to make casual tops work for work?

Tunic Top and Trousers: Work Outfit

I wore this outfit to work a couple of weeks back. I never got down to posting it on the blog, and I cannot remember the reason now. Anyhow, as you can see, the sun was at its full glory (unlike the incessant rains that Delhi is currently being subjected to). I’m sure I wanted to dress comfy that day, and comfy work outfit for me translates into a tunic top and some basic trousers. I love this tunic top- it’s the right mix of ethnic and modern. The prints (which are not quite visible in the photo) are Indian but the piping (in coral, cream and brown) adds a touch of modernity. I always combine this tunic top with my chocolate brown trousers. I wore my nude peep-toes and carried my regular tan bag. And like always, I added some arm candy in the form of my rose-gold watch, some sparkly bangles and bracelets. This is actually one of my go-to outfits for work (when I want to dress comfy or when I have to get dressed in a jiffy).

Tunic Top: Gift

Trousers: Mango

Peep-toes: Balujas

What do wear when you want to dress ‘comfy’ for work?

Button-Up Shirt and Black Trousers- Work Outfit

There’s not really much to say about this outfit except the fact that I love this shirt. Although it is strictly formal, the little floral prints in blue and red give it a feminine vibe. Don’t think you can actually make out the print from the photo, but the shirt has got small florals prints all throughout. The trousers are my favourite black ones. I have little ear studs and a pendant-necklace on. I added a skinny belt to complete the outfit and the obvious choice of footwear to go with this outfit was my black pumps (although nude wedges would have looked ok as well). And the bag I carried was my regular one. The rose-gold watch and sparkly bangles added a touch of interest to the look.

For those of you living in Delhi, I need not state that I did not wear this outfit today (been pouring and hence no sunglasses required). I wore this a couple of days back when the sun was shining in full glory. J

Shirt: Don’t remember

Trousers: Mango

Black Pumps: Tashi

Watch: Tommy Hilfiger

Skinny Belt: Local market

Sunglasses: Marks & Spencer

What do you think of this outfit? I look forward to your comments and feedback.

PINK and GRAY: Outfit

Pink and Gray look good together. Well, at least in my opinion they do! So while trying to add some colour to my (almost) boring work attire, I chose a magenta/pink top and teamed it up with basic black trousers. Although the magenta top has ruffles around the neckline, still the outfit looked kind of plain. And I knew I had to spice it up a bit to get me going for the day. So I chose my gray/black scarf which went rather well with the trouser-top combo.

For accessories I had my silver watch on along-with my pearl bracelet and sparkly pink bangles. I also wore little gray (coloured) stone earrings which are not visible in the photo. Black pumps were my choice of footwear and I stuffed everything inside my tan bag, yet again! Someone at work said that my outfit looked well coordinated. J What do you think?

Do you like the combination of pink and gray?

POP of PINK: Outfit of the Day

I am a big fan of colour. I like colour in my clothing, accessories, home décor and everything else. And I have a thing for brights. I just love bright and colourful things. You can label me ‘childish’ but I really don’t care. Bright colours make me happy and uplift my spirit. And if it was possible, I’d be dressed in brights everyday. But since that is far from possible, I try to incorporate colour even when I am wearing a neutral (read bleaaah) outfit.

Coming on to today’s outfit, which is pretty much black, with specks of white on the blouse, I knew I needed some colour to get me going. And so I added a pop of pink in the form of a scarf/stole. The outfit instantly seemed more cheerful and so did my mood. Such is the effect of colour on one’s mood (at least mine). And a pop of pink never fails!

The accessories were simple- silver hoop earrings and my silver watch with pink sparkly bangles and a pearl bracelet. I am wearing a necklace around my neck which cannot be seen in the photo. For footwear I had my comfy black pumps on and carried the huge tan bag. I really need to switch my stuff to another bag but the current one seems so convenient (or I am plain lazy). Monotony has set in and it’s time that I get use out of one of my other bags!

Do you like colours or prefer neutrals?

OPPAN GINGHAM STYLE: Work Outfit

How many of you shook a leg to Gangnam Style? Not me. Honestly, I did not get the humour in the music or the video, so while the whole world was tripping on Gangham Style, I was trying to run away from it.

I cannot say the same is true for ‘Gingham Style’…Checks. They are a classic and have been a constant in the ever-changing fashion scenario. I personally like gingham shirts. They are easy to wear and suit every body-type. So one cannot really go wrong with a gingham shirt paired and basic jeans/trousers.

Coming on to my outfit, I teamed up this red/white gingham shirt with black trousers and black pumps. Nothing fancy, just plain and simple. I believe this shirt is quite common and can be seen around a lot IRL. I had bought it a couple of years back and I think I’ve gotten enough use out of it so it might be on its way out (from my wardrobe).

Do you like gingham/check shirts? How does this outfit look?

BUSINESS CASUAL- Printed Blue Top and Black Pants

On some days, I find it challenging to dress-up for work. Although the dress-code at work is not strictly business formals (unless we have client meetings, conference or Court in which case there is a strict code- black and white formals), one (at least) has to be dressed their best in business casuals. Now what constitutes the ‘business-casuals’ is not easy to decipher. But I try my best to stick to clean lines and crisp silhouettes.

Keeping in mind my concept of business-casuals, I teamed up my sheer blue printed top (obviously with a black camisole underneath) with some black pants. I carried my trusted tan bag, although I think I better switch to another bag cause I have been using this for some time now, and wore my comfy black pumps. And since I woke up on time (which is a rarity) I had the time to wear my long hair in a braid. Overall, I was happy with this outfit.

Do you find it challenging to dress-up for work? 

THAT 70’s SHOW: Outfit of the Day

Who liked watching ‘That 70’s Show’? I did. And I loved Mila Kunis’ style on the show. Colourful, bright and fun. To be honest, I love everything 70’s- clothes, fashion, music, interiors etc.

Coming on to today’s outfit, I have had this sheer, floral shirt for a couple of years now. The bold floral print and the bright colours caught my interest. And I thought it would look nice teamed up with some trousers for work or wide-legged denims for a casual setting. So I paired it up with my chocolate brown trousers and some brown pumps to head to work. As a finishing touch, I added a dark brown belt. And when I looked at the photos of this outfit, it screamed 70’s to me J

For accessories I had my tan leather bag and little gold studs. Sunglasses are a must.

Do you like the 70s for its fashion? Or do you prefer the current trends more? Drop me a line.

MAKING FLORAL PRINTS WORK FOR WORK

You probably know by now that I heart floral prints. And if I could, I would wear them every single day…err…maybe that’s an exaggeration but you get the idea.

So I am always looking for ways to incorporate floral prints in to my work attire. And it is not an easy task because my office does not have a casual vibe. But still, with the right pieces, I try to make florals work for work…hahaa!

Yesterday was one such day when I was in the mood for some floral fun (what does floral fun mean…even I don’t know). So I paired up my olive green floral top with chocolate brown trousers. Since the print on the top is subtle, it doesn't look inappropriate for a business casual work setting. I wore my brown pumps and carried my trusted tan bag.

Don’t mind the hair. They were freshly washed and left unattended thereafter. Also, in case you are wondering why I have those sunglasses on ALL the time, that’s because the sun shines pretty bright where I take photos (and also because I love those sunglasses).

Do you wear florals to work? DO you like florals at all? 

A DOSE OF ANIMAL PRINT FOR WORK

People either love animal prints or they don’t. I fall in the former category. I think the right dose of animal print can add interest and spunk to your outfit. But then again, some consider animal prints to be tacky and garish. I, however, do not think so.

I have a couple of animal print pieces in my wardrobe (tops, dresses, bags and shoes) and I enjoy wearing them in informal as well as formal settings.

What makes animal-print pieces work in a formal/business casual setting:

• They should be added in small doses- a top, pair of shoes, scarf or handbag (animal-print dresses are absolutely inappropriate for work unless you work in the creative field).
•  Pairing up your animal print piece with other more formal accessories- in my case (photo below), I teamed-up the top with formal black trousers and wore black pumps. I think the accessories helped keeping the outfit towards the formal side (although not too formal).
•  In case of a clothing item, it helps if the animal print is subtle and not too loud.

So, getting on to my outfit, I wore a sheer animal-print top along-with my black trousers to work yesterday. My footwear of choice was black pumps and the bag I carried was my regular tan one. Just to make the outfit a little more coordinated, I wore some brown earrings which pulled the brown/black colour of the top rather well.

Brown-ear studs to go with the top

How do you like this outfit? Do you wear animal-prints at work? I would like to know your thoughts on the same.

WORK OUTFIT OF THE DAY

I am all pepped up to dress-up formally now that I am off vacation and back to the ‘lawyer life’. This is what I wore to work the other day- purple gingham shirt paired with some chocolate brown trousers. I added a skinny, croc-leather effect belt. And I wore my awesome dark brown pumps. Since they are new they’ll take a little time to be all comfy and are a little bit of a pain if you wear them for 9 consecutive hours, but I love the height of the heel. The bag I carried was my tan, leather one.

What is the dress-code at your work place? I would love to read your comments.

BUSINESS FORMALS WITH A TWIST

I got married fairly recently and was on a break from work till now. As you know, I am a lawyer by profession and I’m currently working with a law firm. I resumed work from July 2013 and have just been trying to juggle work and home and find a perfect harmony between the two.

The dress code in the office is business formals, but then again not strictly so. While on most days I am suited up in trousers and shirt (and black and white when I have to go to Court), some days  I try to get a little creative and add some accessories (a scarf or some dangling earrings) just to make the outfit a little fun and interesting.

Coming on to my outfit for the first day of work (after the break), I tried to stick o business formals but added my own twist to it- and the twist was in the form of flat sandals that I teamed up with a formal, striped pussy bow shirt and some black trousers. I also wore some dangling earrings (not too clear in the photo). The bag I carried was my tan one- great for dumping a lot of (unnecessary) stuff.

Looking at the photo, I do not think I would wear the flat sandals with this outfit again (it just doesn’t look quite right or nice), but then again I might just get lazy and give my black pumps a miss! ;)

What is the dress-code at your office? I look forward to your feedback.