"old" is the new "new"

mules, kenneth cole. skirt, francesca’s collections, $15 on sale.
shirt, ae, borrowed from sister. belt, uo.

(this will hopefully be the last of these horrid mirror shots, as my potential photog and i have scouted out a couple of places with promising backdrops for outfit shots. ;) )

with an impending wedding to plan and save for, i have imposed a shopping ban on myself for at least the next two and a half months (until our NYC trip, when the ban will be temporarily lifted). not that i'm that big of a shopper to begin with. i like to keep a fairly edited wardrobe, and this may sound ridiculous to some, but i do believe it's possible for one to own too much clothing (gasp!). besides, shopping bans give you an opportunity take inventory of your closet and rework old and outdated items into something fresh and new.

while i was organizing my closet the other day, these white leather mules caught my attention. i bought them at a kenneth cole outlet over five years ago for ten bucks, wore them maybe twice, and they have since then been collecting dust on a neglected shelf of my shoe rack. i'm not even sure why i bought them in the first place, as they're rather matronly and not really my taste. seeing an opportunity and a challenge, i decided to try to incorporate them into a more updated look. using issa's highwaisted skirt post as a springboard, i threw together this outfit for work.

again, not the most exciting outfit, but unlike issa and jeannie, i work for a company with a conservative dress code (until this year, we were required to wear pantyhose every day!). which brings up a point about age-appropriate and situation-appropriate dressing, a subject that should probably be elaborated on in a future post. ironically, because of the july fourth holiday this week, we were granted a casual week at work. even with the skirt, i think the utilitarian details of the shirt, the raffia belt, and the pops of white keep the look dressed down, and this outfit is a refreshing change from my standard work uniform of wool sweaters, slacks and pumps. i promise to start posting some “fun” outfits soon!

- roz