Plaid and a Bow…Perfect!

Plaid and a Bow…Perfect!

Happy Monday y’all!

I don’t know about you but the weekend went by waaaay too fast. But time really does fly when you’re having fun. This was the first weekend in NYC where the weather was in the 60’s the entire weekend too…woohoo!

Since the gorgeous weather is going to continue, I was finally able to break out my Alice and Olivia jacket. This “bolero style” jacket is one of my absolute favorites. It’s constantly in the cleaners because I wear it so much (see my Looking Ahead post for more style inspiration with this jacket). When I first saw this jacket two years ago, I fell in love with it immediately. That bow detail was just too adorable and the mock neck is perfect for those crisp spring and fall days. It came in blush, navy, and black. Of course, I chose black. It was a bit on the pricier side – more than I wanted to spend anyway – so I held off to think about it. Lo and behold, Saks announced its Friends and Family sale about a month or so later (if y’all aren’t shopping at “Friends and Family” sales at your favorite designer boutiques and department stores you’re really missing out on great stuff) and the jacket was included. The jacket still ended up costing me about 300 dollars but it was totally worth it. It’s paid for itself a few times over already.

These buffalo plaid pants are so much fun. I’m a huge fan of having tons of separates for the office rather than dresses because you can mix and match to get more outfits. I bought this red and black pair and a hunter green and navy blue pair from Forever 21 about the same time that I got the jacket. They were less than 20 dollars each too if I remember correctly. They’re actually jeans in feel and design but I utilize them more like dress slacks in my wardrobe. Here’s how I styled the hunter green and blue pair pre-CCB Diaries:

Even if your office attire has to be more on the conservative side, you don’t just have to stick to solid and pinstripe pants. Play around with different colors and patterns to add a little wow factor to your work wear. I have hunter green, red, oxblood, and lavender – just to name a few. And yes, I said lavender. It wasn’t a typo.

These black pumps were my first designer shoe purchase. They’re extremely comfortable and I love the platform. Since I knew I would be spending a lot of time on public transit, I left all of my Loubs in storage and only brought my “comfortable” heels to NYC with me. It was a tough choice but I’m glad I did it. You don’t have to wear solid pumps with these pants either. I’ve worn my striped Loubs with these pants before and the contrast looks amazing. Remember, as long as the base colors are similar, you can mix prints and it’ll work – just like when I wore my leopard pumps with a plaid flannel shirt in my Mixing Prints 101 post.

And making their blog debut this week are my Tom Ford sunglasses. Out of all of my sunglasses, I’ve had this pair the longest – even though I wear my Celines the most. I’m trying to do a better job at wearing all of my sunglasses and not playing favorites. I think I’m off to a great start this week.

May your coffee be strong and your Monday be short, lovelies!

xoxo, CCB

Photography: Kristin Tully

Outfit Details: Alice and Olivia “Addison” bow detail jacket (old), ASOS turtleneck bodysuit (here), Forever 21 Buffalo Plaid jeans (old), Saint Laurent “Janis” pumps (here), Tom Ford “Irina” sunglasses (here)