five-six

Pants: Ann Taylor (here) ; Jacket: vintage ; Sweater: Ann Taylor (thrifted) ; Button down: vintage ; Shoes: Cinderella of Boston

Okay, yeah, these pants and that jacket are back again - already. I found a new way to wear these pants and I was excited to try it out for work today! On Saturday, during a company field trip to Arc's Value Village thrift store, I picked up this cheerful Ann Taylor Petites sweater & immediately thought about pairing it with these (also Ann Taylor Petites) striped pants. I like the fit of the sweater, though the colour is this weird, unbalanced mix of orange, pink, and red that doesn't quite work for my skin tone. Colour aside, I am so beyond pleased to discover yet another store with a petites section. Ann Taylor Petites, here I come! All 5 feet of me! For some reason this outfit is making me feel very Italian (or Ann Taylor poster girl). I think it is, in large part, because of the button down I'm wearing. I wish I got a detail shot of it, because it has a scene of Venice printed all over it - cobble stones, gondolas, little shop fronts by the sea. It's fantastic, though mostly hidden by the sweater. It was enough to contribute some serious Italian vibes to my being though. This makes me feel like I need to start up a serious discussion about what it means for an outfit to feel "Italian" (or other cultures like "American" or "French"). Ya'll know what I mean though. I feel like, at least to me, Italian vibes are earth tones, very glam in a very natural way, and very down-to-Earth, not realizing how fantastically perfect you look. That's the vibe I get from Italian fashion, though most of this is coming from Sophia Loren, so that might not be the best representation of "Italian" outfit vibes.
It's like the French - where they're extremely put together, well tailored, very proper, but they know that they look freaking fantastic. They're not oblivious to their efforts. Okay, now I'm not making any sense so I'll save this conversation for another time. But deep down, ya'll know what I mean. I know you do.

I chose to wear this jacket with these pants again because I wasn't entirely pleased with how it went together on Saturday. I think that the bulk and colour of the sweater made the jacket work loads better this time around. Or maybe it was my renewed attitude. I left the house on Saturday in doubt about a frayed old leather jacket matching an otherwise prim & proper outfit. Today I put the jacket on, said to myself, "I got this" and walked into the office like a boss (when I am really lowest on the totem pole).
People always tell me that I look great in everything (not a muumuu though, I assure you) and I always say, "It's all about the attitude and having confidence." And I really do think that's true. SAGE STYLE ADVICE FROM A MEDIOCRE BLOGGER, YOU GUYS.

I wanted to say a big thanks to all who gave me ideas on how to keep on rocking these pants! I definitely think I'm going to try the "boho" look with them this summer. I love reading all of your comments, they make my day brighter and give me reason to keep blogging! So, tell me, what is your trick to always having confidence in what you wear?