<h3>dress for the job you want.</h3>

wiley wears:

top: j.crew

skirt: j.crew

tights: f21

brogues: miss me

     dress for the job you want, not the job you have...or so they say.  i like to combine a bit of both.  to be honest i can't quite dress for the job i want at the job i have because sometimes you just have to be a professional people!  don't get me wrong, i love my job, but as anyone else who works 9-5 knows, dress codes rarely call for leather shorts, cowboy boots, or anything with fringe. (just a few examples.)  for this reason i have come up with my winning combination for dressing the way a professional should dress while still adding in bits of my personality and a little touch of fun.  today's outfit really encapsulated some of the everyday tricks i use to combine my creative right brain with a job that requires a whole lot of left brained thinking.

here are my five favorite ways to have more fun with my closet during the monday through friday grind.

1. colored tights.  it's obvious that a pair of tights can totally spice up a dull outfit.  a pair like the mustard above are a great way to work with office basics.  if you aren't wild about out-there colors try out navy, gray or beige for starters.

2. statement jewelry.  i wear a lot of big necklaces. (not pictured above.) i have found that buying large necklaces, earrings and bracelets can really make a button-up and black pants go a long way.  go for color!

3. add in vintage pieces.  clearly i would start getting the eye if i walked around thinking i was joan from mad men everyday, but i think pairing a vintage item with something more typically business-appropriate can really make you stand out.  i love throwing a preppy cardigan over a loud patterned seventies dress.

4. so it only makes sense for #4 to be patterns.  play with patterns!  pair a funky patterned skirt with a basic white button-up or a floral tee with a black pencil skirt.  skirts like the one above are far more versatile than one might originally have thought.  my favorite patterns for the office; polka dots, florals and stripes.

5. ruffles.  this is my own personal go-to.  i find it hard to believe that there could ever be too many ruffles on something.  ruffles add a touch of feminine fun to otherwise dull work wear and playing with texture is a great way to get you out of your 9-5 funk.

how do you keep your work wardrobe from getting stale?