First Up: Some Fun Stuff!
Okay, folks. Here comes your Cristy update, broken up into easy-to-digest bites... I mean, posts.
First, fashion! :) Yay! Some positive before we go into all the stress stuff.
(Note: I realized after starting to publish this one that it's already 11:30pm, so it may take me a few days to get all of these posts out to lj - your patience is appreciated. :) )
About a month ago, I got the happy news that I'd be subbing for a real-life transcriptionist at a real-life neurology office here in town for a week (I'll discuss the experience itself in another post) and... realized I had next to nothing in the work attire department.
Eeek! At first I thought I could just take in some stuff I'd bought cheap over the last few years and "make it work." Well, that plan didn't go so well. Turns out, you can't make a knee-length suit skirt out of an ankle-length, three-sizes-too-big boxy skirt. Did you know that? Well, I didn't. When I called Jan (my wonderful sis-in-law) over to help me figure it out, she deemed the project impossible. Shoot! Sooo... Jan to the rescue! She took me shopping! Wow. We got about half a wardrobe at a clearance event they were having at JCP that weekend. We found some great basic pieces and some really gorgeously colored pieces. I really don't know what I would have done without her help. She's pretty darn awesome. :) Thank you again, Jan!
I bought the rest at Gabe's. Local folks know you can find top label stuff there, but you have to seriously DIG to find those gems AND check to make sure they don't have holes or ink marks all over them before you buy them.
I wanted evidence that I DO actually wear something other than jeans and t-shirts sometimes, so Tom relented to take some extra precious seconds each day to shoot pictures of me in my outfits. You'll probably notice my (signature) wash-and-go hair in some of these. I happen to like what it looks like when it dries naturally (isn't that convenient?), and it dries pretty fast, so why go to the trouble, right? Anyway... A few of these pics were actually taken AFTER a crazy work day, so please adjust the wrinkles in your mind to nicely-pressed, Photoshop'd creases, k? Oh, and the location? Yeah, that's my bathroom door behind me with the blindingly bright red wood you see there. It's the only place we could find in the house that had a solid background. *sigh* A fashion site, this is NOT. Anyway... There were a few days that I just couldn't be bothered, so I said screw it, but we managed to capture the cuter ones, I think. I realized after organizing the pics for this post that I did an *awful* lot of animal print - what does that say about me? Hmm... Also, I tried *really* hard while purchasing this stuff to pay attention to what looked good on my body type. Some were more successful than others, and some I'll keep regardless just because they were so darn comfortable! Anyway, enjoy!
Khaki and turquoise:
Can we say pencil skirt? Wowza, I love this outfit. Thank you, Jan, for picking this top! I came up with using the belt from the skirt on the outside and am pretty happy with the results. What do you think?
Basic black & white:
It's hard to see in our quickie pic, but I'm wearing quite a bit of sparkle to jazz up the b&w of this outfit. This is actually the only "work" outfit I had prior to shopping with Jan. Thank you, again, Jan, SO MUCH! :)
Love this - but a tad too long:
These were new shoes (I didn't have any black flats - how did the Queen of Neutral not have black flats?!?), and I wore this on Monday and had to band-aid my poor heels all week after that. Suffering for fashion, right, ladies?
Most comfy stylish outfit ever:
I could've gone to the gym in this outfit. Absolutely loved how comfy and easy this was. I'm using the belt from the khaki skirt again here, along with a nude undershirt that worked perfectly.
This is all about the bling
I debated for a long time before buying this shirt because it's not very figure-flattering, but I soooo wanted that necklace (that came with it), so I caved. Glad I did.
(Here's the set on Flickr)
Well, that's my first "work wear" in about 3 years. It's sooo much better than the crap I've bought for myself for work over the years. Why did I settle for such icky fabrics and shapes before? Anyway, that doesn't matter anymore. If I have to interview or sub or just stop in to pick up a new set of files, I feel confident that I can *look* the part of a professional now. Awesome.
Your *hopefully* more stylish,
Cristy
First, fashion! :) Yay! Some positive before we go into all the stress stuff.
(Note: I realized after starting to publish this one that it's already 11:30pm, so it may take me a few days to get all of these posts out to lj - your patience is appreciated. :) )
About a month ago, I got the happy news that I'd be subbing for a real-life transcriptionist at a real-life neurology office here in town for a week (I'll discuss the experience itself in another post) and... realized I had next to nothing in the work attire department.
Eeek! At first I thought I could just take in some stuff I'd bought cheap over the last few years and "make it work." Well, that plan didn't go so well. Turns out, you can't make a knee-length suit skirt out of an ankle-length, three-sizes-too-big boxy skirt. Did you know that? Well, I didn't. When I called Jan (my wonderful sis-in-law) over to help me figure it out, she deemed the project impossible. Shoot! Sooo... Jan to the rescue! She took me shopping! Wow. We got about half a wardrobe at a clearance event they were having at JCP that weekend. We found some great basic pieces and some really gorgeously colored pieces. I really don't know what I would have done without her help. She's pretty darn awesome. :) Thank you again, Jan!
I bought the rest at Gabe's. Local folks know you can find top label stuff there, but you have to seriously DIG to find those gems AND check to make sure they don't have holes or ink marks all over them before you buy them.
I wanted evidence that I DO actually wear something other than jeans and t-shirts sometimes, so Tom relented to take some extra precious seconds each day to shoot pictures of me in my outfits. You'll probably notice my (signature) wash-and-go hair in some of these. I happen to like what it looks like when it dries naturally (isn't that convenient?), and it dries pretty fast, so why go to the trouble, right? Anyway... A few of these pics were actually taken AFTER a crazy work day, so please adjust the wrinkles in your mind to nicely-pressed, Photoshop'd creases, k? Oh, and the location? Yeah, that's my bathroom door behind me with the blindingly bright red wood you see there. It's the only place we could find in the house that had a solid background. *sigh* A fashion site, this is NOT. Anyway... There were a few days that I just couldn't be bothered, so I said screw it, but we managed to capture the cuter ones, I think. I realized after organizing the pics for this post that I did an *awful* lot of animal print - what does that say about me? Hmm... Also, I tried *really* hard while purchasing this stuff to pay attention to what looked good on my body type. Some were more successful than others, and some I'll keep regardless just because they were so darn comfortable! Anyway, enjoy!
Khaki and turquoise:
Can we say pencil skirt? Wowza, I love this outfit. Thank you, Jan, for picking this top! I came up with using the belt from the skirt on the outside and am pretty happy with the results. What do you think?
Basic black & white:
It's hard to see in our quickie pic, but I'm wearing quite a bit of sparkle to jazz up the b&w of this outfit. This is actually the only "work" outfit I had prior to shopping with Jan. Thank you, again, Jan, SO MUCH! :)
Love this - but a tad too long:
These were new shoes (I didn't have any black flats - how did the Queen of Neutral not have black flats?!?), and I wore this on Monday and had to band-aid my poor heels all week after that. Suffering for fashion, right, ladies?
Most comfy stylish outfit ever:
I could've gone to the gym in this outfit. Absolutely loved how comfy and easy this was. I'm using the belt from the khaki skirt again here, along with a nude undershirt that worked perfectly.
This is all about the bling
I debated for a long time before buying this shirt because it's not very figure-flattering, but I soooo wanted that necklace (that came with it), so I caved. Glad I did.
(Here's the set on Flickr)
Well, that's my first "work wear" in about 3 years. It's sooo much better than the crap I've bought for myself for work over the years. Why did I settle for such icky fabrics and shapes before? Anyway, that doesn't matter anymore. If I have to interview or sub or just stop in to pick up a new set of files, I feel confident that I can *look* the part of a professional now. Awesome.
Your *hopefully* more stylish,
Cristy