The Unfashionista Toughs It Out

There's a saying that goes: "When the going gets tough, the Unfashionista gets dressed." Haven't heard it?

Last night was kind of tough for me, in terms of my life being turned in a new direction entirely against my will. The only thing that made me feel better was the thought that I had a kickass outfit to wear the next day.


What makes it kickass, you ask; it doesn't look that special to me? Well, I think it's mainly the fact that it was able to meet all my boring logistical needs and still make me feel good about wearing it.

Today I had to do a presentation at work, and you know that drill—dress conservative and look professional. Fortunately, since it would be a remote presentation, I only had to look professional from the shoulders up.

In my previous presentations, I've worn every button-down/collared shirt I own (collared shirt is my gold standard for professional dress—is that too simplistic?) except for this one, which is actually a faux-layered one-piece. I felt a layered-look sweater was appropriate for a webcam presentation on a cold day. Speaking of a cold day, I did not want to wear a skirt! Uh uh no way no how!

I chose white pants because there was white in the shirt, and then I had to make a decision about shoes. This is where I got really wild! Rather than just repeating the colors in my clothes and wearing white shoes (not in the mood) or green ones (don't have any), I wore shoes of a different color! True, teal is in the same color family as green, but I felt like it was a daring decision. Sometimes you just have to pat yourself on the hand and say, "Of course you're daring, sweetie." You're allowed to humor yourself when you're emotionally vulnerable.

I tied it all together with turquoise jewelry to match the turquoise shoes.