When You Find a Skirt You Love...

Happy Tuesday! Today I have happy news. Over the weekend, I found a skirt that might be my new favorite. This skirt from Banana Republic is everything I dream of in a skirt--it's a neutral, has stretch, and the cut gives you a professional look. This is the Holy Grail of skirts (much like the Holy Grail of dresses that I discussed before). When I tried this on, I might have let out a squeal of joy. I bought a similar skirt 7 years ago, but, as you might guess, it's gotten a bit worn out over the years, and I'd been wearing it less and less. I'm excited to have a replacement. Here's the actual skirt. I love it so much that I would buy 4 more if they came in different colors.






I don't think I've said this since I started the blog, but go buy this skirt immediately. It's so comfortable, but it looks like you are all dressed up. And you don't have to worry about buying anything to go with it because it goes with anything currently in your closet.
It's even on sale!

As for the rest of the outfit, the shirt is one of my weaknesses--I really, really love striped shirts and I love this one because it avoids the annoyance of a button-up shirt. I also like that this is sleeveless because then there isn't that annoying issue of your shirt sleeves getting stuck in your cardigan. And if you've ever met me, you know I always have a cardigan with me.

I love the ruffle.
 

The shoes are also from this season. This is probably the only time I've been able to say that all parts of my outfit are from this season. But I think that's a good thing. If you know you can build a wardrobe over time, and that you don't have to change out everything every season, it takes away some of the stress of starting out as a professional. Anyway--these shoes are, obviously, not as comfortable as a pair of flats, but they aren't too bad. The way I survive wearing heals like these all day is to...well...not. I keep a pair of flip flops or slippers under my desk at all times. If my feet start to hurt, or I'm just hanging out at my desk during my planning period, then I just slip into my comfy shoes.

But here are the shoes:
They come in black and brown.


I'm also wearing a pair of my favorite earrings. I love being able to just throw on a pair of basic earrings without having to really think about it, and these fit that description. I think I purchased these a few years ago, but here are some similar options:
A pair that makes me think of the scene from Mean Girls


And another option



Okay--so on to my tips for the day:
1. Look for skirts that are structured in the way they are cut but are made of forgiving material.
2. If you're like I was when I first started teaching, and you're building up a professional wardrobe from scratch, it's worth the time to actually go to the store, look around, and try things on. So often I only end up in the store if I have a store-only coupon or I need to return something, but things look different in the store than they do online. I've also been guilty of assuming I know my body type really well only to find out that what fits me well isn't what I thought would fit me well.
3. Always have back-up comfy shoes hiding at work. This is especially true if you are wearing a pair of shoes for the first time or have a long day ahead of you.

Well-that's all for this outfit. I'm planning to follow this one up with Tuesday's (today's) outfit. Hope this helps.