I finally gave up on finding a short sleeved jacket and bought a $6 clearance jacket at Meijer to experiment with. Because of where the seam hit on the shoulders, I decided to make it short sleeved instead of sleevless. I cut it a little bit longer than I wanted because I figured the fabric would roll a little if I left it an unfinished edge.

What do you all think? Good? Bad? Do you think I should sew up the pockets to give it a sleeker look (and so I don’t shove my hands in the pockets all of the time)?

And ignor the fact that my mirror apparently needed to be cleaned and it shows in the camera flash.

I decided to fiddle around in my image editing software and put together an outfit. I ended up with a sort of Saturday dressy/business casual look made up of pieces that would work well with other items in the typical wardrobe.

Skirt = $49
Blouse = $143
Vest = $148
Shoes = $375
Purse = $960 (it is Fendi)

The good news is that if you skip the shoes and purse it’s $340. I’ll see if I can find some knock off or cheaper shoes and purse for this outfit in a couple of days. 🙂
(Yeah, I’ll admit these are linkshare links so if you buy something by clicking on them I would make money but I really did want to just put together a cute outfit.)

Durable Flat Sandals – comfortable everyday sandals that I can wear with almost everything. Not too sporty but not kitten heels (I want to go for walks in these, maybe to the jazz concert in the park, I don’t need them sinking into the grass.) I’m pretty sure I have these picked out as per the previous post.

Sleeveless or Short-sleeved jacket/zip-up hoodie – I came SO close to buying one at New York and Co. the other day but it fit perfectly which for 100% cotton means I should buy the next size up … they were out of Mediums. I was even going to settle for the fact that it said “New York” across my chest. Anyway – I’m contemplating just buying a few cheap zip-front hooded jackets at K-mart or Wal-mart and cutting the sleeves off.

Low-rise boot cut jeans, a little spandex, dark wash and no wiskering or distressing – Waaaaaaahhhh! I want my low-rise trend back. I tried on a pair today that was labeled “low” and it was a regular rise. I’m one of these people who needs the selection of low rise jeans in order to find something that fits. While everyone else was complaining about the trend a few seasons ago, I was loving it. I will admit, I have a bit of a butt so I can’t wear the jeans meant for the little skinny minis either. Don’t worry, I refuse to go with an ill-fitted pair of low-cut jeans and end up with plumbers crack. So if anyone has any good suggestions for where to look for a pair of jeans I’m all ears.

Business-casual clothes – I hate wearing dress pants or suits so instead I tend to dress up jeans. A nice shirt, a well-cut blazer over a tank top, some nice jewelry and shoes that don’t look sloppy – dark denim is less obvious. I have gone to business functions at restaurants that have dress codes prohibiting jeans and gotten away with wearing them. Anyway, lately I’ve felt like I’ve been in a bit of a rut because it’s hot outside and the blazers aren’t going to cut it so I’ve been wearing polo shirts (not so dressy, I know.) Buying two skirts, stretchy a-line and just below the knee, have helped with not wearing the jackets but I’m trying to expand my business wardrobe without venturing into boring-land. I’m looking for some more suggestions. Yes, I have already ventured into the cardigan-land and love those too – please bypass the dress option.