What to Wear to Work: Modern Elegance

With the workplace going so casual, I find myself missing formality, so you will have to forgive my occasional formal outfit posts.  The truth is, I am a formal girl who loves getting dressed up, but due to my working from home, I wear casual clothes much more often than I’d actually prefer.

Wearing beautifully tailored clothing, in the classic style just does something for me.  I find myself working harder, inspired to take things up a notch, and achieve my goals.  When I’m working in my PJ’s and slippers, it’s just a different vibe.  Maybe I’m a little more fluid, and let my creativity flow more when I’m dressed casually, but when I really want to make impact there is nothing like a a sheath dress or pencil skirt and a pair of heels. 

I just thought it would be fun to put together some work looks using navy and white; super simple and  classic.  The inspiration began with a navy boucle sheath dress from JCrew.  (There were so many elegant and figure flattering designs to choose from at JCrew right now, and no, this isn’t a sponsored post, I’m just sayin’) 

I loved the sleeveless style because I felt it would be great year around, as it would look amazing with a jacket as well as on it’s own.  This type of dress is so tasteful, it’s perfect for a variety of occasions—drinks after work, a high powered business meeting, and perhaps more somber occasions as well.  A little navy dress has just the same impact as the LBD, so if you are tired of black, navy is a great choice.To accessorize, I decided to go old-school with a twist, adding statement pearls to the mix.

Next, I styled a white blouse with a navy pencil skirt.  The blouse looks amazing with high waist flair jeans; we are seeing feminine blouses blended with jeans a lot this season, but I’m still on my jeans hiatus, just to keep challenging myself.  

I love the lace detail at the top of the blouse; it’s a bit different, and I love the tie neck—which again, I’ve been seeing a lot.  It’s feminine, and can be tied lower or left untied when worn with jeans for a more casual look.

Next up is one of my favorite looks; the trench coat.  This trench is worn over the JCrew dress, but I love the look of a flair pant and trench.   Browns are huge this season, I especially love this color of cognac; (sometimes it’s also called tobacco)  it looks amazing with a number of colors including cream, avocado, burnt orange and blue.

Our adventures took us to the Marriott Renaissance at International Plaza this week, which turned out to be a perfect choice.  The hotel is elegant, of course, and loaded with interesting art by local artists.  I’ve eaten several times in the hotel dining room; the food is first rate, but the thing that shines is the customer service.  

As we began shooting, Lee, a server, introduced himself, giving us a tour of the hotel lobby, and conference rooms, pointing out various works of art and the interesting furnishings in the lobby.  Lee has worked at the hotel since it opened, and loves the place with all his heart.  It was so much fun being with someone filled with so much joy and who loves his workplace so much.

To sum things up, there are several nice places to stay when in Tampa; the Marriott Renaissance is definitely on my list if you are not interested in staying on the beach.  If you are looking for the perfect little navy dress, be sure to check JCrew, and remember, little white blouses are…everything.

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