oops

So today is October 12 November 6. My last post was September 6...oops. I'll let you do the math (mostly because I'm terrible at/hate math), but needless to say, it's been a while! (P.S. I've been working on this post for at least a month-and-a-half now. I really hope you enjoy the fruits of my incredibly sporadic labor.)

The time I stopped posting can be directly related to the day work started getting crazy busy. I didn't realize that all of my blog reading and writing took place at the front desk, but all time for that was out the window (and has remained out the window, occasionally peeking in to see if I have a free moment, only to be met with a frazzled look of horror - my face's natural reaction to any interruption these days).

Getting home after spending eight hours staring at a computer screen meant I wanted nothing to do with my laptop at the end of the day, so blogs basically ceased to exist to me. As did taking photos of my outfits.

Summer was also slightly more forgiving of my schedule, but fall has been less kind. I get up before the sun and head to meet with my vanpool (no more driving bleary-eyed for this girl anymore! If anyone needs me between the hours of 6:45-7:45 a.m. or 5:05-6:05 p.m., I am most definitely napping), then head straight to the gym and get home looking nothing like a young professional and everything like a young just-got-her-ass-kicked-by-her-trainer-sional...whatever the name for that is. Then I shower and sleep and the process repeats, with only the general public and my coworkers getting to feast their eyes on my always on-trend outfits.

Ha (to the on-trend comment. Everything else is 100% true).

I do get dressed every day. So that's good news.

And lots of my outfits are super cute, aided by most of my clothing being more fall-appropriate than summer-appropriate, and also by the fact that fall is definitely the season with the cutest clothes.

[[Shirt - Pac Sun; Sweater - Target; Jeans - Levi's (thrifted); Boots - Steve Madden; Necklace - Forever 21]]

I wore this outfit a few weeks ago when fall had just started to show its lovely face to the Pacific Northwest. I can't really explain my attraction to oversized sweaters, but I have quite the collection of them. I find them helpful when I'm wearing my favorite pants to work that are technically pants but at first glance appear to be really thick leggings...gotta keep it professional when you're the baby of the office, and leggings have no place in professional work places. Also? Leggings are not pants. Just in case there's any confusion about that (and I know there is).

So maybe I'm back, maybe I'm not...but I'm definitely wearing clothes. Don't worry. xoxo

P.S. I can update you on my never not entertaining life in a later post that I pinky promise will take less than two months for me to write. (Probably.)

pink pink pink

So I know I haven't posted for a week. And I know you're all probably okay with that, given that nothing ground-breaking ever really happens here. Except for me washing my hair. Which happened last night, by the way.

It's okay, you can be impressed.

My outfits have been nothing special, as usual. But here's the deal - I'm not claiming to be a fashionable person by any means. No big trends, no big inspiration...but I get dressed every day. And every day I go to work looking both professional and my age.

And because I've been a failure of a blogger, I've basically been hoarding pictures all week so you could have an explosion (ahem, two) of Abbie-outfits. Are you ready for this?

Here goes.

[[Top - Kohl's; Pants - American Eagle; Heels - Banana Republic; Necklace - JC Penny]]

Obviously, Tuesday was super fancy. As seen by the rumpled khakis (ironed before I wore them, immediately ruined by sitting in the car for 50 minutes on my commute) and a loosey-goosey-because-I'm-afraid-of-tight-clothing top.

Wednesday was an all-pink, all-the-time outfit day. Because sometimes you're just in a pink mood.

[[Top - H&M; Skirt - LOFT; Heels - Nine West; Necklace - JC Penny]]

And sometimes you have a meeting with your supervisor and are talking desk supplies and they suggest you order pink office things for your new space because you're wearing a pink skirt and a pink top while drinking from a pink coffee mug, mere feet away from your pink water bottle.

Pink pink pink.

Today came along and I wore a cute outfit that didn't get photographed partly because I was cranky after a 50-minute drive without AC in 90 degree heat, and partly because my brother wasn't home to take my picture.

You win some, you lose some. xoxo

some of us

We all have our tendencies.

Some of us never hear (thus never answer) our phones and get paranoid when people leave us voicemails. Some of us get really freaked out when we have to come into contact with colored paper clips. Some of us refuse to eat fruit salad if there is any banana involved, despite our love for bananas on their own. Some of us think that a belt is the answer to all of life's wardrobe problems.

If you're wondering if "some of us" applies to me and only me, you are the rightest a right person can ever be.

My older sister decided to do a round of blog-stalking then texted me that "you wear some sort of belted outfit combo pretty much errrr day" - this is the truest of all the true observations in the world!

[[Top - American Eagle; Pants - Banana Republic; Flats - The Frye Company; Necklace - Forever 21]]

I did a little research and discovered that of 31 outfit posts involving "real" clothes, 24 of them have included a belt. That's 77% of my outfits, which is a clear majority. Fourteen of the outfits featured a belt around my waist, and for the remaining 10 I went the old-fashioned route with the belt in actual belt loops.*

It's a crazy, crazy world.

My love of belts is somewhat recent and has developed more and more over the past year. I think the love affair began when I realized they were a good way of accessorizing without looking like you tried too hard, plus they give you a nice defined waist. I work them into almost every single one of my outfits without even realizing I'm doing it...which is why it should be noted that despite all of this I was embarrassed by the sheer volume of belts in my posts that I actually removed my belt and cardigan before taking this photo.

Although this outfit does include a hidden belt that I wear for the sole purpose of keeping my pants up. How awfully prosaic... xoxo

* Statistics do not include today's outfit.

a power heels day

If work days were represented by shoes, Tuesday would have totally been a power heels day. The kind that look incredible, make that satisfying sound when you walk down the halls (suggesting that someone important is in the building), and are a tiny bit of a pain to walk in.

Yesterday at work I was feeling super accomplished - answering e-mails like it was my job (oh, wait...) and handling phone calls on multiple lines like a pro. Totally a power heels day - except I was wearing beat up, super old flats. Whatever though! If you act like a power heels day? It's a power heels day, no matter how you swing it.

[[Top - JC Penny; Pants - Gap; Flats, Tank - Target]]

I was actually talked out of my power heels on Monday night - a combination of my reservation for walking so far in them (a minimum of a mile a day) and the fact that someone more concerned about my wellbeing than I pointed out that maybe three-and-a-half inch heels weren't the best idea for someone battling shin splints.

In summary, here are the lessons we can take away from Tuesday: your day can be a power heels day, even if you aren't wearing them. And sometimes other people are right. I consider these lessons learned! xoxo

happy medium

It rained last night.

I love rain as much as the next Oregonian (no, actually, I do) but there's a time and a place. Late summer evening after a lazy summer day while I watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Totally the time and place - snuggled up with my blanket, left the patio door open, and watched the drama unfold. Oprah made an appearance. Perf.

This morning as I walked to work and juggled coffee and two purses and had no hands available for umbrella-wielding? Not the time or the place. But rain it did.

Of course the sun decided to show its face once again while I was safely trapped at my desk with freshly frizzed hair - a far cry from yesterday's sheet of glass, but nothing my emergency hairspray (no, really) couldn't fix.

[[Top - Forever 21; Cardigan - Old Navy; Skirt - H&M; Heels - Payless Shoe Source; Belt - Thrifted]]

Anyway, last night's rain influenced my outfit. Summer rain is a special type of weather and requires a little more than dressing for summer (dress + cardigan + flats) but not all of the elements required for fall (sweater + scarf + jacket + hat + boots).

To create a happy medium I went with waterproof-ish footwear, a kinda-for-all-seasons skirt, a whenever-the-heck-I-feel-like-it top, a fall-ish sweater, and a belt to pull it all together.

Here's where it gets tricky - I wear these shoes all-year round. This is more of a fall/winter skirt than a summer skirt, but it'll do because it's what I have to work with. This top could actually pass for whatever season I wanted it to since it can be accessorized pretty easily. And I wear this sweater whenever I feel the need because it's a nice neutral and it's light enough to be a summer sweater or to be layered in chillier months.

Somehow, all together this made a summer rain outfit. Stay tuned for the fall when I'll make this fall appropriate. And for the winter when I get crazy and add tights. And then for the spring when I will hopefully have a khaki pencil skirt and this black one can take a break for a while. xoxo

shiny like a sheet of glass

It's starting to feel more and more like fall these days, especially in the mornings. Lucky for my fall-loving self, church is in the morning and is the perfect opportunity to layer with sweaters and jeans and jackets and belts and all things good.

[[Jacket - American Rag (thrifted); Tank - American Eagle; Sweater, jeans - Gap; Heels - Banana Republic; Belt, Watch - Target]]

Also good was that a sweet woman at church came up to me afterward and told me my hair was "shiny like a sheet of glass" and distracted her all morning.

Random compliments from strangers are nice. Give one sometime and you'll see the person light up like the fourth of July when all of the fireworks go off at once instead of in the 23 minutes they're supposed to take. Or something similarly bright. Like when you first turn the light on in the morning and immediately wish you were doing anything else.

Point being - random compliments from unexpected people make the heart happy. Go make someone's heart happy!

(P.S. Want sweet church ladies to compliment your hair? Wash it every other day. Unfriend your hair dryer and straightener except for special occasions (which work is not, hence the fun buns and their not-so-distant cousins every day of the week). Be generous with products like Tresemme's Liquid Gold Shine Therapy and Cashmere Touch Hydrating Serum.)

My sheet of glass hair and I dressed down after church to show our support for the Jets (my brother's favorite team, and since I don't care for football at all but enjoy team spirit, I join in on the fun. Also, it doesn't hurt that the quarterbacks are precious little sweethearts.)

[[T-shirt - Nike]]

And even though football isn't my favorite, I have grown to accept that football season and fall go hand in hand. With that I have accepted that it means it's time for sweaters and boots but also team gear and yoga pants. And also fighting my family for the remote basically every night of the week since football takes precedence in our house.

At least me and my shiny hair will be rocking fall outfits inspired by layers! Or football. xoxo

screaming professional

You guys would be so proud of me - it didn't take me a half hour to pick my outfit last night. I looked at my closet and some sort of divine closet inspiration hit me smack in the face and urged me to wear today's outfit, which I deemed professional and classy all at once.

Typically skinnies and a cotton t-shirt don't scream professional. They don't even whisper it. They beat out people trying to pass yoga pants off as dress pants, but that really isn't saying much.

Since I'm all about screaming professional these days, I knew I'd need to take my jeans and t-shirt up a notch to make them office-worthy, even on casual Friday.

(Side note - Marion from Marionberry Style had the same idea today, which means we're totally on the same brain wave, which is amazing. Also I discovered this immediately after seeing Kendi Everyday and learning that Kendi and I own the same peplum top from H&M.)

[[Before]]

To take my jeans a tee to the next level, I had to accesorize correctly. Check me out here (the one time I invite people to do so) in the jeans and t-shirt. Not even cute as an outfit because it's missing out on anything exciting. Stripes? Great! Skinnies? Great! Flats? Great! Those being the only elements of my outfit? Not great.

Enter heels (instantly dress up an outfit), a belt (duh), a tuck of the shirt (pulls everything together), a fun scarf (adds a little more excitement since it's also patterned), and a blazer (keeps me warm and gives the look a more polished vibe), and there you have it - a look appropriate for work!

[[Blazer, belt, watch - Target; Top - Gap; Jeans - MNG by Mango; Heels - Banana Republic; Scarf - Van Heusen]]

Blazers and heels are definitely accessories I rely on to keep myself looking professional - and lucky for me my boss (who has two offices) only seems to show up in the office I work in when I'm wearing both! Best straight-outta-college employee he ever hired...right?! xoxo