Civil Servants with Style

Keeping Up

2010-03-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

This past week has been bananas schedule-wise and a lot of repeats outfit-wise. Thus, it's been pretty light posting.

From Monday:

Forgot to bring jeans to change into for the Black Eyed Peas concert, so I spent the whole night in my BR dress and pearls. Thankfully, Jess loaned me some flats:)

From Last Friday:

Salmon cardi, lacy cami, gray pants, Sparkle heels.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T14:56:00.001-07:00

A little green argyle for the day. Cheers!

Rainy week at the Capitol

2010-03-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

Friday

Moving into Spring attire, I wore this gray cotton JCrew dress today with opaque black dance tights from high school, a bright salmon-y cardigan and fun shoes (black lace and silver sparkles).

Thursday

I like to wear this light blue tweedy skirt suit when it starts to get a little warmer. I got it at the salvation army for less than $10 a few years ago - but I still get compliments on it. Which, I think, is amazing. P.S. the rainy days don't make for good pictures, so I got close to the mirror for better light.

Wednesday

I was a bit casual this day, bordering on not appropriate for work. My pants may have been too tight and my heels too tall for this day. There was a big labor rally and the capitol was overrun by men who were used to being on the work site.

Tuesday was Bemidji Day at the capitol and I wore a red and black plaid sweater a la Paul Bunyan in solidarity with the other Bemidjians here that day. You do not get to see pictures of that, however I did pair it with a white button down and my super cute red pencil skirt.

Bringing out the bright pink

2010-03-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

You can't tell from the photo, but there is a slight vertical stripe pattern to my skirt and a pindot pattern to my blouse. I'm not very good a mixing patterns, but I think I did pretty good today. And of course the bubble gum pink cardi for Spring:) PS Jess was here today in a lovely gray skirt and mint green sweater.

Pops of red

2010-03-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

This color scheme is a little 90s, gray pants would have been better. But the tan pants were clean. Black wrap blouse, tan Target pants from 2005, clearance Target red belt and vintage 80s red peeptoes.

Gray & Magenta

2010-03-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

Got tons of compliments on this today. I think because people think it looks like Spring. But its just the same old ill-fitting VS suit and a Target tank. And my favorite shoes.

Clearance Target Dress

2010-03-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

And some fancy tights. And I saw Jessica today and she looks very lovely in a red wrap dress - for Firefighters Day on the Hill.

Glasses for fun

2010-02-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

Thursday

Black skirt suit for Taxes committee this morning and floor session later. If this blog is teaching me one thing, it's that I have many ill fitting suits. Must work on that.

So far this week

2010-02-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Wednesday

I couldn't take a good picture today to save my life. Taxes committee so that means a real suit, no cheating. Blue pinstripe on clearance from Vicky's Secret a few years ago. Vintage red peep-toes cause these pants are short and the heels aren't too high. Patriotic!

Tuesday

No session, no committee, so it's a repeat of the super cute cardigan & high waist skirt for today.

Monday

Cheater session appropriate outfit. Blue boxy jacket, black tee and gray pants.

Wrap Suit

2010-02-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

Another black suit, this time a little bit wrapped for fit and some pink pin stripes. Sorry for the bangs in my face. I don't really like my hair and especially my bangs lately. I trimmed them weird and can't seem to get them right.

Pretending it's spring

2010-02-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

With a pretty pinky-salmon jcrew dress (from ebay) and gray accessories. I didn't want to wear hose, but I put on some nude fishnets.

Gray & spring floral

2010-02-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

Session, but no committee so I skipped the jacket today. A pretty dress from JCrew on clearance last year, the floral top hints at spring, but the dark skirt keeps it grounded in the current season. Black cardi, chevron black hose and patent mary-janes. Perfect for a 30° day!

Day after Valentine's

2010-02-15T14:13:00.000-08:00

Sen. Skogen requested that everyone wear red today in honor of Valentine's Day & Women's Heart Disease Awareness. So, I happily obliged with my Express clearance jacket and red vintage peep-toes (boots to walk through the un-plowed parking lot). I have pants to go with the jacket, but currently they don't quite fit right. Maybe next year. Also, I would have preferred to wear my red pencil skirt, but the red in it is too orange next to the blue-red of the jacket.

Casual Fridays can be difficult

2010-02-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

From last Friday:

I wanted to wear my gray corduroy pants, but couldn't quite figure out what to put with them. Ended up with more cream & pink. This time with a pink button-up and cream sweater. I felt a little too buttoned up and not as casual as I wanted.

State of the State

2010-02-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

Amazing how thin black pants make you look. This is a bit of a cop-out outfit, but it's professional, without being too boring. And I decided to go with the pink/purple heels in the foreground instead of the gray tweed in the picture. For comfort reasons.

Pink, cream & gray

2010-02-10T16:44:00.001-08:00

Like indie Valentine's. And pink shoes to be hopeful for Spring.

2nd week of February

2010-02-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Today:

Repeat. Staying warm in the snow and taking advantage of the 20 degree temps before it gets really cold later this week.

Monday:

The boss is gone, so I'm a bit casual. Purple open cardigan twisted and tied in back for a wrap. Gray Target pants and gray heels (wore my snow boots in to the office).

First week of February

2010-02-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

First day of Session:

Not sure why I look so gooney in this skirt suit. It may be my pose or it may be the fact that the jacket is not tailored. I still like it. Even if I did have dorky nude hose on.

Day before session:

A little pre-session fundraiser after work calls for my super-cute (a bit too small) JCrew clearance dress. Some pretty patterned tights, tall boots for warmth and my favorite hot pink cashmere cardi.

From Precinct Caucus Day:

This wasn't my favorite outfit. I'm not crazy about the A-line skirt and button-up. Kind of school-girly, but OK.

It's Thursday

2010-01-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

Lots of brown, but I wanted to wear this warm cashmere sweater and it looked pretty good with this creamy plaid skirt. Hot pink necklace to brighten it up a bit. I also wore my magenta scarf to work to add a bit of color and texture and in case I feel cold.

Cream, pale pink & Gray

2010-01-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

I love this color combination. I really wanted to wear my high waist gray skirt (the shirt looks way better tucked in to the skirt) with this, but I chickened out due to the cold. The shirt under my cardigan is a short-sleeved necessity, I'm giving blood today. Hopefully, my trip to Mexico this month doesn't hinder me. The premie babies need my O-neg blood!

My coworker is gone, so I'm using his close-to-the-door parking spot all week

2010-01-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

And so, even though it got a little colder today, I can still wear a skirt.

Best way to make your legs look skinny in a skirt? OPAQUE black tights and tall black boots - best optical illusion ever. New cashmere sweater from Mom for Xmas and same favorite tweedy black skirt.

It's 2010!

2010-01-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't been going naked all January long. But I did go to Cancun for a week in there. Anyway here is a couple of outfits I wore last week and today.

Today:

V-neck BR sweater & white button up, brown plaid skirt & tights. Awesome bow heels (I ended up wearing boots to work and carrying these in my bag, but never warmed up enough to put them on!)

Last Wednesday:

Last Tuesday:

festive pale tree

2009-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

yes, i look like a sparkly christmas tree and it was halfway intentional. sequin/beaded cardigan from some random store in west palm beach, brown skirt and tights, and salvation army suede mary janes with coordinating colors. brown headband.

TIS THE SEASON!

need advice

2009-12-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

so im thinking of wearing this j crew dress to the new years eve party. hot pink silk with white polka dots and a rosette in the middle.

QUESTION: HOW TO ACCESSORIZE?!? silver? gold? black? teal? need fashion assistance from you. thanks :)

inspired by julie

2009-12-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

target shift dress and cardigan, yellow belt and grey mary janes.

from last week sometime... purple belt and fun blue necklace. grey shift dress from salvation army sorry ive been bad about posting!

Christmas time is here

2009-12-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

This may be a little over the top, but I think it's fun and festive. Black tweed CAbi skirt, Good Will red silky ruffley shirt & black cardi. Black tights and Mom's vintage red peep-toes. Snow boots to walk from the parking lot! Sorry for the sour face time for tea to perk me up.

Teal dress

2009-12-21T13:23:00.001-08:00

Danceteam in Rochester after work last Thursday. My favorite teal dress from BR factory store, gray cardigan and black boots for warmth. Belt, necklace and kissy face.

Christmas-y Red

2009-12-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

Red houndstooth tie shirt and red long sweater from forever21 in SF! Black clearance VS pants - with wool for warmth:) Red vintage peep-toes from mom.

I've been a major slacker

2009-12-08T13:04:00.000-08:00

I may not have been posting my outfits, but at least I took pictures!

Today:

It's going to snow, so I wanted something that would look good with my black snow boots. And tights dry faster than pants. Target black woven tights, Black CAbi tweed skirt, black tank and my favorite pink cashmere sweater. This outfit needed some structure on top, so I'm wearing my black scarf too.

December 7th:

Tax Committee Hearing! Black pencil skirt, pattern hose, black shoes, teal ruffle front blouse from Maurices. I added a black jacket to make this a suit for committee.

December 4th:

Causualish Friday. Pink cashmere sweater, CAbi tunic, wide belt from forever21 and clearance victoria's secret black pants.

December 3rd:

Being lazy in the outfit department, ended up being cold all day at work. Blue & White VS shirt, black pants from the Limited. All from last year.

December 2nd:

November Revenue Forecast was announced and I knew my office would be busy. So, I put on a pretty dress. Silk print & wool jcrew dress, black cardigan, hose and heels. Considering having this taken in a bit. It's just not quite right.

December 1st:

I judged a dance team competition after work and this outfit was good for sitting in the stands. OLD target tan pants, black 3/4 Ann Taylor cashmere sweater from a clothing swap, and blue 3/4 button-up

November 30th:

Black wool jcrew wrap dress from ebay. I wore my magenta scarf for most of the day, as well. Didn't expect to win this auction and it doesn't quite fit right. Not sure if I'll keep this.

neutral with a splash

2009-12-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

navy target tie top that i adore from salvation army, grey pencil skirt and a $1 yellow belt for some color (i realize it's crooked in this picture but I have since adjusted it).

grey tights and black peep toes.

yesterday

2009-12-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

pinky j crew sweatervest and some sparkly jewelry with boring black pants.

bumblebee-esq

2009-11-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't had many worthy outfits lately with the holiday week we had the option of paying $1 a day to be casual :) Sorry. Hopefully this week will be better.

Why is my camera so blurry?
Grey skirt, black button down, yellow j crew cardigan. Sparkly black necklace that didn't show through.
Happy Monday!

Short Week

2009-11-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Grey clearance Target pants, white button-up shirt and bright blue cardigan. Easy.

Tuesday:

Pale blue and black polka dot shirt from Maurices 3 years ago, black cardigan and high waist BR factory store skirt. Retro with fishnet stockings and mary-jane heels. I swear this looked better in person.

Wednesday:

Pink mohair turtleneck sweater (Forever21?), Good Will plaid tweed skirt, purple tights and black boots. Keeping warm on this cool, rainy day.

Have a good Thanksgiving! See you next week.

Vikings Pride?

2009-11-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

Just accidentally, not really on purpose. Purple shirt from the Limited. Black and white (even though you can't tell) tweed skirt from CAbi party, black hose and heels.

Plaid brown skirt repeat

2009-11-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

I love this cute fall outfit so I'm replaying it again. These cloudy mornings are no good for my photographs. Need to install a floor lamp in front of me or something.

festive

2009-11-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

so you can see tights and boots, but the dots and color didnt really show up. gap dress from like 5 years ago, reddish/orange cardigan, and necklace from crosby antique store.

purple cashmere

2009-11-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

skirt a little short, but tights and boots make it okay, right? purple cashmere from j crew and chunky necklace from senior center sale.

muted

2009-11-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

brown polka-dot target shift dress, tights, and suede boots. a lot of brown going on. i need some colored tights. until then hot pink sash!

Just another day at the office

2009-11-18T10:59:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite dresses - Blue BR outlet with purple tights and a purple belt. I actually added a black cardigan and changed to black tall boots after I took this picture.

Not inspired

2009-11-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

But still pretty cute: Purple Target Tank, Orangy-peach JCrew Cardigan, and Clearance grey Target Pants. Pale pink pumps from Target clearance 4 years ago - Barbie shoes:)

Pink and Winter White

2009-11-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

From Monday: Pinky-peach J.Crew cowl neck wool dress from ebay, black patent skinny belt and cream cotten cardigan from Target.

I took last Thursday and Friday off, so I don't have any cut stuff to report from then. I was dressing my house instead:)

i also feel pink and grey!

2009-11-10T15:16:00.000-08:00

look at us! almost like we still live together.... :)
grey h&m skirt, pink/black houndstooth turtleneck and hot pink bridesmaid present scarf from julie mae!

I feel pink & grey

2009-11-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

Love this outfit today: tunic from recent "CAbi" party (like a tupperwear party). High waist skirt from BR outlet years ago, favorite pink cashmere sweater from Bluefly and favorite Kenneth Cole heels also from Bluefly. I feel so pretty:)

(Not actually this tall or skinny, the mirror is at a pretty big tilt to get all of me in my heels.)

chicago outfits

2009-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

snakey silk j crew shirt with target blazer and some $15 nine west jeans for a night on the town. desire'e and nina gave my hair the equivilent of a 'bump-it' and i actually had some volume.

ready to sightsee for the day, in front of our hotel. this wasnt at glamour shots, it was just windy.

This doesn't photograph so well

2009-11-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

I swear this looked better in person. Pretty much worked this outfit around wanting to wear my brown velvet and gold bow pumps. Which, are not very easy to see in the picture.

They don't work so well with hose, cause my feet are a bit too small and they slide out of the heels. So, I wanted an outfit that I could wear no socks with. Thus, skirts were out and pants were in. These are a high waist (which I think looks better when a shirt is tucked-in) and wide leg. And a bit too big, but long enough to accommodate the brown shoes. I got them at New York and Company on clearance two years ago. I need a bit more color in this outfit - maybe a big pretty necklace or bright belt?

also a corduroy skirt day!

2009-11-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

we were on the same wavelength i guess last week julie mae! although i wish i had a hot pink one. this is from thursday. i had friday off for a chicago trip.

black corduroy target skirt and boots, green ruffle sweater. hard to tell but there is a green/purple floral print on my tights. felt like a little kid.

You can't go wrong with hot pink corduroy, right?

2009-11-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

I probably should have saved this gem to wear to danceteam judge training tomorrow, but it was so nice out today I had to pull it out of it's drawer. I got this skit at the Dale Street Salvation Army in St. Paul. I love it. Anthony hates it. But, too bad for him. My sweater is from H&M a few years ago (notice I haven't purchased much lately) and it's really wrinkly because I have too many sweaters in the same drawer. Brown boots and a long silver necklace and I'm set. I added a nice blue scarf instead of a coat for a little interest and warmth.

I put my hair in a pony tail because I have no neck and it makes me look thinner with a turtleneck on:)

Evidence that you CAN'T go wrong with hot pink corduroy: The lady at the bank commented how I always dress so cute!

Press conference day

2009-11-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

Green shirt dress from Express on clearance, black target sweater and dance tights from high school!

2 days worth

2009-11-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

this was todays. geometric elli tahari skirt from nordstrom clearance rack. it's pretty busy so i kept everything else simple. and it was horribly static-y.

****

this was yesterdays. gap ruffle sweater with snowflake pin, jean skirt, and j crew boots with lace tights.

i have finally located my camera cord (some supermini usb?) so now i can upload at work!!

Work Uniform

2009-11-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

The boss is in the office today, so I'm trying to look a little more professional. Shirt and stripped skirt again both from Target clearance years ago. Fishnet stockings for a little interest and pointy navy pumps.

Pretend Warm

2009-11-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

You have to pretend that you are warm in this dress. It's a clearance wool JCrew dress that is mighty short, but so cute with its gather and shape. I added a black belt from another dress, black hose, a purple shrug from xmas clearance at Express two years ago and the same black boots as always. To tone it down for work, I added my pearls that my mom gave me.

P.S. Anthony got the closet all installed last night - time to put everything back and hope that it fits.

brown floral?

2009-11-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

target dahlia dress i found last week with desiree at the st paul salvation army. actually, the only items not thrifted of this outfit are the tights and the green bauble bracelet from j crew (*unless ebay counts as thrifting?)

can you buy shares of salvation army?

Pretty much wear a remix of the same thing every day

2009-11-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

Blue BR outlet shirt, free clothing swap skirt and nude fishnet hose. Silver necklace from Anthony for our wedding. Jessica Simpson boots from 2 years ago - I wish I had these in every color, they are tall and they fit and I love the round toe. Hmm, maybe ebay.

Please excuse my messy room, but

we have no closet. Anthony is in the middle of installing our closet organizer and we had to spackel where he removed the old shelf and repaint the entire interior. Someday soon it will be all organized!

from casual friday

2009-11-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

embroidered cardigan from julie mae, bright green top with one of my new favorite necklaces - target but $1.00 at salvation army. kind of halloweeny.

Trying to keep up with the little underage hipsters.

2009-10-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

I forgot to take my picture this morning, so here is what I wore to the Rock Show last night.

I made an emergency trip to Target and found this dress on clearance for 50% off. Gray sweater from Marshalls. Purple tights from Jessica! And brown cowboy boots from Target YEARS ago for $5.

And here it is in action with my turquoise scarf to shield my hair from the rain virgin mary style:

Of course by the end of the night my scarf was tied around my purse strap, my cardigan was in my purse and my hair was in a pony tail. Layers are good things in MN.

wimped out, i apologize

2009-10-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

was out way too late on a date last night, threw this together. also cut off my own head.

j crew jackie cardigan and boring brown pants. old necklace from maurices and j crew tortoise/jewel bangles (my favorites)

tomorrows post may include my halloween costume!

look away

2009-10-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

salvation army print dress and target blazer. i realize in this picture that the shoes look a little off, but i promise i thought it went well together. i have the same shoes in black and had those on originally, but it was too "witchy" so i went with the gray ones. hopefully you understand.

big aqua necklace from senior sale!

Work wear with a little sass

2009-10-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

This outfit blog is really extending my get ready time in the morning:)!

I'm loving this outfit right now. I fit in this red cotton pencil skirt again since I still have my wedding bod. The skirt was free at a clothing swap (the best way to find new stuff). The shirt is a staple that I have many of from BR. Black boots from DSW that I took to the cobbler to have the calf extended. Darn you shoe companies and your narrow calf circumferences.

Going to a rock show tonight and I'm going to be inspired by your outfit from Tuesday! With semi-flat cowboy boots instead of high heels to save my feet. We'll see how successful I am, might need an emergency trip to Target after work.

Faux Shirt Dress

2009-10-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Pulled out an oldie this morning. Faux wrap blouse (unknown origin, it's been too long), black pencil skirt (BR from years ago) and red belt that isn't small enough so I tuck it in. Patent leather mary-janes from Herberger's clearance last year for $9.99. The best part of this outfit is the pattern tights, which hopefully you can make out. I need to install my mirror to the wall so I can take better pictures in the reflection.

Starting out with a little wedding style

2009-10-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Aren't we the cutest?

outfit blog returns

2009-10-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

hello followers!

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i have convinced julie mae to start a new outfit blog. we bring you democracy, bureaucracy, and some style.

today i have on a silk target dress complete with ruffled neckline, patterned tights, a 1.00 target belt, and a splurge - j crew suede boots (but from ebay) with a magenta cardigan. chunky gold bracelet from a senior center jewelry sale last week at work.