Last week was the first week in ages that I had to get dressed every day for a full week (even pre-pandemic I had been wearing exclusively for a few months and then on weekends for 2 years, and later in grad school it is what can I put on my body to cover it while I work). And when I was trying to put together outfits, I was struggling! I didn’t have the earrings I wanted, a belt to make my jeans fit better, the right boots for my outfit. I also realized that there is a reason for this, for the past, well basically my whole life, I’ve been in school in the fall. Or my school-year jobs have been in bars or vet clinics and what I wore to those jobs is not appropriate to my business-casual office job. I’m also in the mood to dress now, pre-pandemic I was creatively stunted, getting dressed was a chore, but now it is so much fun! And even though I’ll probably get some weird looks in my small northwestern Ontario town for being “so overdressed” I want to!
- Editor Hoop – Mejuri. I just think these are really pretty and simple. I have a pair of silver hoops that I wear a lot that my mom got me for my 18th birthday, and I just want something of the same size and simplicity in gold for “warm-toned” outfits. That seems super silly, but all my gold earrings are big, and that’s really hard with masks.
- Midi Hoop – Mejuri. I also really like these, they’re another option because one of the things I really like about my silver hoops is that they are fully closed. I have a pair of square hoops that are open at the top/back and if you’re taking your mask on and off, I always get the loop of the mask stuck in the earring and have nearly ripped my earring out of my earlobe.
- Everyday Hoop 4 Pack – Amanda Michelle Jewelry. I started following Amanda Michelle Jewelry on Instagram and I just really love her and her business and her work ethic and would love to support a small business instead of a big company.
- Dares Brown Leather Boot – Steve Madden. I don’t know if this is a controversial opinion or not, but I really like Steve Madden shoes, they fit me really well, I always know what shoes size I’m going to be (sometimes I have to size up for width). I also find they wear decently and aren’t super expensive. And I love a brown boot, I have a couple pairs of work pants that go better with brown than black and I like brown with jeans. I also like the elastic Chelsea boot look on a brown boot.
- Sartorelle 35 in Black – Ecco. Okay these are more expensive, but I prefer a dressier looking black boot, and my dad has some Ecco shoes and he always has shoes for like 20 years before they need to be replaced (he’s also a farmer and doesn’t wear his nice shoes everyday, so that may have more to do with it). But Ecco’s are supposed to be super comfortable and supportive and I need to get better shoes given how many times I have broken and torn ligaments and tendons in my right foot.
- Semi-Opaque Tights – SheerTex. Again, these are an investment, and I’m not certain about it because I’m actually really good at not ripping tights. I have had my current pair of black tights for over a year now, and I had my previous pair for three years and I only replaced them because they developed a smell.
- Essential Pearl Studs – Mikimoto. Honestly, I’m probably just going to go to a jewelers or ask for these for Christmas (I know that means they won’t be a fall accessory lol), but I have a hard time justifying this as a purchase right now and our family policy on Christmas gifts from the parents is things you really want or need at a slightly higher quality level then you would buy yourself. So for example, I have a really high end toaster because I got it for Christmas. I would have never spent that much on a toaster, but I’ll probably have that toaster for decades. An even better example is my hair dryer. I have had one (1!) hair dryer my whole life, I got it for Christmas when I was eight years old. So this Christmas is my hair dryer’s twentieth birthday!!
- Western Leather Belt – Anthropologie (available in regular and plus!). This is the kind of belt I’m looking for, simple, but I also like the metal cap on the end. I feel like it will help with durability.
- Pearl Earrings with Diamond – Tiffany. These are a total dream pair of earrings, I saw them on Carly Riordan, she wore them on her wedding day, and I have been thinking about them ever since. But these are a save up pair of earrings.
I feel like this is a lot of stuff, and I haven’t bought all of it (edit: I actually haven’t bought any of it), and some of it is multiples to just have options. Also, for anyone who is transitioning from a scrubs-wearing profession to a real clothes all the time life is that you need a lot of clothes and your office wardrobe blends into your off-the-clock wardrobe. It’s like being back in school (if like me you didn’t have a uniform and your school clothes were your weekend clothes).
Laura
Thoughtful Millennial 