Inspiration Monday: Plaid and a Skirt
28 Jan
Shirt – J. Crew (similar) | Tank – The Limited (similar) | Skirt – The Limited (similar) | Shoes – Via Spiga (similar) | Long necklace – The Limited (similar) | Short necklace – gift
Get excited! You’re going to be treated to some indoor shots this week! Yes, I took all my outfit photos on one day and that day happened to be cold and rainy. On the plus side, I think we’ve figured out some new indoor photo spots.
In addition to having to negotiate where to take today’s pictures, I also had to think long and hard about what to actually wear. See, this is today’s Inspiration Monday photo:
Well, it certainly is interesting. And I do have both a plaid flannel shirt (obviously) and several maxi dresses. But I just couldn’t figure out how to make my maxi dresses work appropriate. Or maybe I wasn’t in the mood to try very hard. So I went with the easy option: a pencil skirt. However, I did incorporate some pattern mixing with the plaid flannel shirt and the pinstripes on the skirt.
Would you wear a maxi dress to work? I’ve done it in the past but that was during the summer when our dress code is a little bit more relaxed.
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0Tags: black, pencil skirt, plaid, stripes
A reader recently contacted me and asked for help with a pair of ankle boots she just bought.
Right now I’m pretty happy with my closet. But even so there are days when I stand there and stare at all the hangers and think, “I wish I had….”
I’ve had all of these clothing pieces in my closet for a long time. I keep wavering on whether or not to keep the cardigan and then it keeps staying. 
Pairing the fancy sequined skirt with a neutral colored cardigan and nude heels helps keep it from being too bling-y or overwhelming.
The fact that I paired two pieces that could be considered slightly casual but added heels and a blazer makes my outfit work appropriate without being traditional.
Love the indoor shot! The lighting is really good. I am excited to see the rest!
Oh Drew
I don’t think I have a maxi dress. It does sound nice for the summer though! 
Good lord, you have NO IDEA how many pictures we took to get one that would work. We tried four different locations.
teeehehehe we are wearing the same tank today!!!
stairwell is very ubran of you!
And how are you wearing your tank today?
i have worn one to work, as well, but like you, in the summer. i like your take…the plaid and stripes work great together!
Thanks!
Well, for what it’s worth, I like your outfit a lot more than Drew Barrymore’s, anyway. I’m not really a fan of maxi dresses in general, and while I think I might be able to tolerate a maxi dress + plaid shirt if the dress were plain…not so sure how I feel about the double pattern business going on there.
Drew’s outfit isn’t particularly flattering but you have to give her credit for wearing it no matter what people think!
Wow you did really good with this one! I love what you came up with. I sat this one out because I couldn’t think of any version of this I would like. But you did it! I love this.
-Jessi
haircutandgeneralattitude.blogspot.com
Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is an inspiration challenge, not a copycat challenge. Helps me think outside of the box.
I really like the plaid and pencil skirt together! Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t go the maxi dress route … and now you’ve inspired me to pair my plaid with my pencil skirt soon.
If I lived a more casual life I could almost see reusing a maxi dress in the winter. I’m still intrigued by the idea but not sure where or when I’d wear it!
I love the plaid with the pencil skirt; such a great juxtaposition. I like plaid, but can’t seem to find a shirt I like; yours is great though. Maybe I need to look at J. Crew…
Sadly, these J. Crew ones are sold out online. But I wonder if they are hidden away on a clearance rack in a store somewhere!
Whoa, this would be a tricky look to pull off. Drew just always does her own thing and she’s pretty awesome for it but her style is hard to pull off. (Yikes, that’s just a lot of look.) I think you went the smart route and took the inspiration for the laid shirt, I love this shirt! (The green and blackish plaid is so pretty.)
What a great place for pictures! The light looks pretty good and it’s got to be way warmer than going outside! (Plus, it looks sorta cool and stuff.)
Thankfully my hubby has figured out some different ways to play with the ISO on our camera to help out with indoor shots. Which is good since the weather has not been cooperating (too much wind, rain, etc).
Maxi dresses definitely make me think of summer – I think your look is totally work appropriate but cas’d out a bit with the open plaid shirt.
Yeah, leaving the shirt open brought down the “buttoned-up” vibe.
You did a great job, much more classic look and a much better look than Drew’s in my opinion
Brett
Hahah, thanks! I suppose if I was a movie star instead of a corporate drone I could get away with something crazier
Well done on making the inspiration work for work. Love the plaid! And I also save the maxidresses for spring and summer. I do have some long skirts, however, that I’ve been thinking about pulling out more often.
Long skirts remind me of high school and college and maxi dresses definitely remind me of summer! Although, I have worn my black maxi dress with a blazer so maybe I could make it work for winter…
I’m not a fan of Drew’s look – it’s just too much. I like your version much better! I’m not into maxi dresses, period, and don’t think I’ll ever wear one to work. They make me think of swimsuit coverups for the beach!
Maxi dresses can be comfy but they can also look really sloppy if they aren’t the right fit. They’re harder to pull off than people think!
I don’t really care for Drew’s look but yours is very nice.
Way before maxi dresses were in style, I owned one that I used to pair with a blazer to wear to my retail job. Ha! I used to dress really nice to sell vacuum cleaners and computers. In fact, I often dressed more professional than I do to my current office job.
I go entire days when I don’t really see anyone else in my current office job. Those are the days when I don’t know why I have to get so dressed up! Thankfully I have you all to show off to