Casual Friday: Blue and Brown

We are back to work and the kids are back in school after the most recent winter storm, so casual Friday it is!

Super high-heeled boots spice up the otherwise conservative attire of the (quite lovely) granny sweater, and simple navy shirt. The bright red bag will take you from blend-in-with-the-trees while you've got your coat on to second-glance-worthy. Though of course, we are all worth a second or third glance already...

Happy Friday!

Casual Friday by janetnewhall 

American Eagle Outfitters button down collar shirt / Fat Face button cardigan, $74 / J TOMSON toggle button coat / J Brand flared jeans / MICHAEL Michael Kors suede high heel boots, $365 / MARC BY MARC JACOBS mini handbag, $480 / Michael Kors yellow gold bracelet, $330 / River Island gold tone earrings, $4.94 / Kenneth Cole goldtone jewelry

Floral dress

This dress made me drool with the possibility that spring might come again someday. Is it weird that I love white shoes? Your skin just can't help but look tan in them, even if it's been hidden under tights and wool socks all winter. But tell me this: don't those heels look like they'd snap at the first sign of a crack in the sidewalk?

So would you wear a dress this crazy? Do you think it could be winterized?

Floral dress by janetnewhall featuring below knee dresses

Alexander McQueen below knee dress, $1,150 / Casadei high heel shoes, $900 / Givenchy zipper bag / Juicy Couture stainless steel bracelet / Swarovski pave jewelry / Pink jewelry, $36 / Coach glasses / Tom ford lipstick

Bird Sweater

So I'm not quite as non-functioning from this nasty cold as yesterday (as I reach for my 87th tissue of the day), so I've taken off the jammies, brushed my teeth, and put on some big girl clothes.

I love the cream/tan family mixed with denim. The colors look soft, warm, inviting. The wool hat along with those suede boots make me think about hanging at a coffee shop with a girlfriend for hours while we avoid the drizzle outside. You know, one of those awesome coffee shops with ancient leather sofas, a fire place, and a few well-worn copies of the New York Times. Where hipster students, aging intellectuals, and bums like me and my bestie get cozy together with our gargantuan cappuccinos.

Do you love these boots as much as I do? Would you wear a sweater with giant birds on a branch across your chest? Why do they call sweaters "jumpers" in GB?

Bird Sweater by janetnewhall featuring wedge booties

Monsoon long sleeve sweater / J Brand jeans / TOMS wedge booties, $95 / MICHAEL Michael Kors saffiano leather tote, $470 / Junghans waterproof watch, $1,115 / Gold earrings, $4.36 / Jane Norman sequin hat, $23 / Bobbi Brown Cosmetics mascara / J Crew beauty product

Pajamas

Feeling more than a little under the weather today. That gray sweater is singing to me, and bring me a funnel for the warm tea!

Pajamas by janetnewhall featuring Bodum

American Eagle Outfitters cotton shirt / BKE thermal shirt / Croft Barrow clothing / Accessorize Lurex Cable Knit Boot Slippers / Bodum kitchenware dining, $55

Blue Coat

Speaking of brightly colored coats, which seem to be the topic of the week, here is my entry in the Polyvore Wardrobe Staple: Bright and Cozy Coats contest.

Well, what is she wearing under there? Who cares! That's my point, folks. The only items we'll see when you take this coat off is those boots, earrings, and watch, and I don't think we can get more neutral with those pieces. Chances are you'll take off the scarf, stuff your gloves, phone, and sunglasses in your purse, and put them all under your desk. You could then easily be wearing any dress or skirt that jives with those boots, and it makes no difference that you've got a coral bag and a blue coat hanging out back in your office or at coat check.

Blue Coat by janetnewhall

And isn't Audrey just the cat's meow?

What do you think about the whole idea of owning and regularly wearing a bright coat? How about pairing bright blue with springy coral in the winter like this?

Red Coat

Here is my entry in the Polyvore Fab in February: Bright Red contest!

I adore a statement color coat because it is basically your whole outfit until you take it off, which means you can effectively wear a bright red/cobalt/neon yellow outfit for a little while every day. Then, when it's hanging on the back of the chair in your cube from 9 to 5, it's a little bit of crazy fun in an otherwise neutral (read: the opposite of crazy fun) environment. I also like a brightly colored belt with a neutral outfit for similar reasons. I probably wouldn't wear a full-on bright red dress to work, but a red coat and a red belt? Tres chic and professional. Plus bright red with barely-there pink is spicy sweet.





 I'm totally gonna win, right?

Casual Friday: Coral Pants

As a Friday series here, you'll find something less fancy-pants than my regular weekday office outfits.

Soon after the holidays, I'm totally over winter-wear, which is kind of crazy since winter has only just begun, but still. It's mostly the plethora of dark, rich colors that start to make me feel a bit smothered. This is why my (real life) winter coat is buh-right magenta. So lately, I'm into bringing spring and summer colors into play with winter clothes. Hence the summery coral pants mixed with a thick navy sweater and pastel scarf. The big gray bag tones it down a tad, and keeps it in season.





While putting this together, I kept trying more bad-ass jewelry than these gently colored and textured bracelets, but they just feel right. What do you think of the pastel peach scarf with bright coral pants? How about mixing that gray bag with those tan shoes?

Stay warm

I've been eyeing this adorable dress for a while, but those black cuffs kept stumping me. The warmth of the dress' color and shape kept calling for tan leather, but it would just clash like hell with those sleeves. So I started trying everything in black, but it was too dark for the sweetness of it. So, gray it is. The black outerwear complemented the all-grayness I nearly went with, which I like better. And the random summery-green nail polish? I'll explain tomorrow.





The closest thing to this look that I've got in my closet is a burgundy tank top that I could wear with a gray cardigan and black pants...snore.

How would you deal with the black cuffs on the dress? Ignore them and go with the tan leather boots? Skip the gray, and stick with black? Maybe just say "screw it" and wear orange pumps (kidding).

Welcome!

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Hello, internet, and welcome to Polyvoring! Here, I'm going to show you outfits I've created on polyvore.com, which is just about the funnest free thing to do online. You know, in my opinion. Sometimes the outfits will be practical and replicable with stuff us regular folks have in our closet, and sometimes they'll be friggin ridiculous (like my Because it's my Birthday outfit), but they'll all be stuff I'd totally wear if I could afford it, had a rockin' body, and lived in Manhattan.

I don't discriminate by price, so you might see a $3K gown with $20 shoes (this dress kicks ass), and the like. I kind of have a soft spot for mixing the simple with the rock 'n roll, so you might see skull-and-crossbone earrings with otherwise lovely office attire (like this). I'm just enjoying the super funness of dreaming up outfit ideas based on what's out there, what's in style (or should be!), and most importantly, what I think is wicked awesome (shout out to my NH roots, yo). Sometimes the outfits are sweet and I can't stop looking at them (hello, cargo pants), sometimes, I'm kinda like "meh" when it's all said and done (I had such high hopes for you floral skirt), but that's kind of how getting dressed in the morning can go, no?

See outfits I've already done, and might revisit at janetnewhall.polyvore.com. I also pin most of my outfits, and other outfits I dig on Pinterest.

With that said, here's today's creation:

Yellow and red are cool, right? Whatcha think?