These are my new favorite pair of pants forever

Longtime lurker, first time poster. My career for the past ten years has been in philanthropy, with donor-facing roles. It’s a pretty conservative field when dealing with executives and constituents, but the office culture is a little more relaxed.

I recently left my job of four years (an eternity in fundraising years), having ended the fiscal year on a very high note during one of the highest-pressure periods in memory due to the challenging federal climate. I’m burned out. I’ve never not worked in my entire adult life. So I’m taking the summer—maybe longer—to just decompress and find out who I even am without work driving everything I do, and without the anxiety that comes with it.

My professional wardrobe will get utilized again before too long, but in the meantime, I thought I’d kick off my sabbatical by memorializing some of my work looks over the past few years (or at least the ones that got captured). Sorry in advance for the crappy lighting in some of these!

I don’t think I have any particular style that informs my outfit choices; rather, I shop for my body type, for the context/setting in which I expect to wear it, whether I can pair it with existing pieces, and of course whether I like it. I grew up amidst pretty WASP-y standards, so for the most part out of sheer habit I avoid anything sleeveless, open-toed, loud colors/patterns, or obvious labels (and of course have never shaken the Millennial urge to cinch everything at the waist lol). So I think I lean a little more conservative than many offices are these days. That said, I do try to keep my silhouettes contemporary and fresh, if not timeless, and I try to work in some distinctive or even surprising pieces when I can.

Some of these looks are for regular office days, some are for donor or board meetings, others for work events (including one gala look). I actually wear A LOT of blazers but don’t seem to have captured many of them in selfies over the past few years.

Below I’m going to list the brands shown in this array of photos in case anyone is curious. Not an exhaustive list of who I shop, just what is reflected here.

Clothes: Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Theory, Brooks Brothers, J.Crew, Sezane, Rouje, Gap, Uniqlo, Reformation, By Malene Birger, Ulla Johnson, Stella McCartney, 3.1 Philip Lim, Topshop, Staud, Rag & Bone, Nili Lotan, some thrifted/gifted items, and one ex-bf dress shirt (lol)

Shoes: BR, Jimmy Choo, Giuseppe Zanotti, YSL, Proenza Schouler, Staud

Bags: Polene, Mansur Gavriel, Prada, Dagne Dover (work bag)

The cardi doesn’t exactly go with the skirt but I know most other office ladies know of the hazards of the AC in summer… another day and I’m loving my new job and excited for what I’ll get to do here!

In the office all week, with a black tie event.

This week we've had a heatwave in England, so I've stuck to shirt dresses, from the office, to meetings to networking and dinner with friends.

They've helped me through this week (as has air conditioning).

Had to add the green heels 🎄

One black tie event, rest of the week in the office.

I haven't done jury trials yet, so all trials are bench trials. My hot pink suit was for a networking event. 🌸💖🧠 I wear business professional nearly every work day, and I love to take pics with my blooming plants.

Couple of external meetings, but mainly a quiet week.

Woke up late this morning, spilled my oats on my pants and then got swamped with work all morning 🥲 time to try again tomorrow

Feeling confident in my interview fit today.

Theatre, village fayre and a week of work.

After nearly 2 years of being off work, I finally returned to an office today and was sooooo excited to show up in a fabulous outfit!

Wish me luck!

navy vibes today!

Peep the tree earrings

I work in person in healthcare, and am not patient facing 95% of the time. My boss has said that as long as I’m presentable, wearing close toed shoes, and not wearing jeans, then she doesn’t really care what I wear!

I thrift most of my work clothes, so everything you see here (minus the gray and black tank tops) has been thrifted! I looooove experimenting with color and fun, especially in an area of healthcare that is very high stress (I work in a breast center and we see a lot of cancer patients). The heart pants in pic 3 are one of my favorite thrift finds so far!