Color Me Surprised | Abandoning My Uniform for Spring

I’m doing something I never thought I’d do: wearing color. Like, a lot of color.

Maybe it’s the Spring weather, or maybe it’s my own slowly growing confidence in my ability to style an outfit, but over the past several weeks I’ve been gravitating towards whimsical pieces and leaving my favorite black & white staples hanging in the closet. Honestly, I think my new hair is a contributing factor. Platinum is a look, and it sort of demands a wardrobe that can meet it. People keep asking me if it’s true that blondes have more fun, and I gotta admit, I’m inclined to say yes.

Here are a few of my favorite outfits that I’ve put together over the last couple of weeks:

What I’m wearing: VETTA Boyfriend Shirt in Washed Navy, Everlane Charmeuse Silk Cami in French Blue (no longer available), Bill + Jay Clothing Kate Pant in Black (gifted), Cole Haan Heeled Mules (thrifted).

Where I wore it: To the office.

How I felt about it: I loved this outfit. I really wanted to play with a monochrome palette (that wasn’t black or white), and this all-blue getup was perfect. I got a lot of compliments at work – my true indicator of a good outfit because I am shamelessly thirsty for that positive feedback. Fun fact: I don’t photograph it much, but I often wear this silk cami to sleep (#luxury).

What I wore: H&M dress (old), Everlane Day Heel in Pecan (gifted)

Where I wore it: To the office.

How I felt about it: If you can believe it, this dress is one of the few surviving pieces from my very first professional wardrobe after I graduated from Smith in 2014. I was broke af and living in a disgusting basement apartment in DC with my boyfriend, and my mom sent me a little money so that I could buy some nice enough clothes to wear to job interviews. I’m pretty sure that this dress, at $24.99, was one of the most expensive pieces that I bought, and it has been a trusty closet companion ever since. It fits me well, doesn’t wrinkle, and is appropriate for pretty much everything. I actually wore it to a wedding last summer with the blue suede mules from the first photo. Anyway, the point is, I liked this outfit, and I feel a lot of nostalgic feelings whenever I wear this dress.

What I’m wearing: H&M pink floral midi dress (old), Everlane Day Heel in Pecan (gifted)

Where I wore it: I actually didn’t wear this anywhere. I was just playing dress-up and snapped this photo to show some friends.

How I felt about it: This is a dress that I bought several years ago because it caught my eye in the store in that way that special pieces do, and I bought it even though I didn’t really have a plan for it. At the time, it was unlike anything else that I owned. I honestly haven’t worn it a ton, but I just could not bring myself to get rid of it. With my blonde hair, it feels brand new and more wearable than it did before. I’m planning to wear it to the office and to summer brunches (not that I brunch a lot, but for this dress, I’d make a reservation).

What I’m wearing: Everlane Japanese GoWeave Short Sleeve Mini Wrap Dress in Yellow (read my original review here), Everlane Block Heel Sandal in Moss Lizard (gifted).

Where I wore it: To the office.

How I felt about it: Relieved that this dress still looks good with my new hair! I loved this piece when I bought it – I’ve worn it to work, conferences, weddings, dates, you name it – and when I pulled it out of summer storage a couple of weeks ago, I was worried that it wasn’t going to work anymore. Lo and behold, it actually looks better, and I am psyched to style it for another sticky summer in DC.

What I’m wearing: Mott & Bow Emma Cotton-Cashmere Ribbed Crew in Citrine (gifted), VETTA Peg Pant, Everlane Block Heel Sandal in Moss Lizard (gifted).

Where I wore it: To the office.

How I felt about it: This sweater is. So nice. Quite frankly, I was surprised by how nice it is. Mott & Bow asked me to review it, and I plan to do that more fully in a future post, but for now I would just like to say that this is the kind of sweater I would buy in every single color if I could. Speaking of color, the reason I chose this piece to review is because I was drawn to this strange tennis ball yellow-green hue like a moth to the flame. It’s weird, right? But also cool? Not something that brunette me would ever have worn, but platinum me never wants to take it off.

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