What to Wear Where

*Without Breaking the Bank

I have been working for the same company for the last 7 years (Straight out of college! I know, talk about loyalty... so rare to find these days among other millennials!) and it has taken me a few of those to become comfortable with my own style. Along the way, I had to learn a few things:

1. The acceptable attire in an office varies from floor to floor: for those 7 years, I have had 6 different positions and I have observed that each position required its own variation of what was acceptable and what was not. I had to quickly learn to observe and adjust. 

2. There are articles in your closet worth splurging on: you cannot have it all (unless you are Warren Buffet and even he doesn't seem to want it all which is how he became Warren Buffet in the first place). But there are some things that make sense to splurge on - mainly things that you will wear often (thus driving your cost per wear down). Best example? Investing in a good bag - you may spend $120 on it but if you wear it 120 times a year, your cost per wear is a mere $1; if you spend that $120 on a nice dress, you could get 1 maybe 2 wears out of it driving the costs per wear way high.

3. Natural fibers are simply the best: proven by a resident of the Deep South (Houston can be a tad trying in the summers with temperatures in the lower 100's and humidity in the high 90's). And the difference between a cool and breezy outfit and an outfit that suffocates you is in the fabrics you choose (my summer go-to's are silk, cotton and linen and for the winter, I layer cotton with wool). 

4. It is smarter to have fewer good quality pieces that work well together: an added bonus is that you get to be creative by making them work with each other. For example, the below J Crew skirt which I purchased on sale on top of a sale (it ended up costing about $40) is a rather bold pattern but it works so well with so many things in my closet!

5. Many women, especially in the Oil & Gas industry, have a lot of questions in regards to what is an acceptable outfit. From the different levels of business attire, to length of skirts, to amount of jewelry, and so much more.  And I just find this topic fun to write about and share knowledge on. So I figured, why not give it a try? Here are some questions that I already want to write about: how many pairs of shoes does one REALLY need (you can only wear one pair at a time after all!), what ratio of colors to neutrals is a good mix, what other things to splurge on, and oh-so-much-more! I think I just started a new series... and I think it will be one busy year ahead :).