Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.26.21

Another week, another week of Zoom screenshots for things that I wear to work, regardless of whether or not I have any scheduled Zoom meetings.  The weather is starting to get warmer, and I'm noticing that it is probably going to get very hot in my office over the summer because the sun shines directly in here most of the day.  The 60 degree weather but the heat from the sun have resulted in outfits all over the place this week. Enjoy! 

MONDAY. 

Striped Short Sleeve Cardigan: J. Crew (on sale!) | Bow Earrings: Tiny Tassel

Y'all know how I feel about Mondays, and that's probably the same as everyone else feels.  I didn't do a Peloton ride on Sunday, and thus I woke up on Monday with greasy hair.  I was feeling lazy and I didn't understand the weather, so this lewk was just sort of thrown together.  I've worn this striped button up cashmere cardigan before, but I do love it. It's a jail shirt, for when I feel stuck at work. I paired it with my cream Tiny Tassel bow earrings, which I thought added a playful element to an otherwise professional-severe look.

February 2021 Favorites

A short month, but that doesn't mean I consumed any less! I took "buy nothing" off of my habit tracker for the month because I was tired of having that blank space throughout the page.  This month's favorites were not necessarily purchased this month, but are items that I've used very often (almost daily) and are relatively new. 

This photo has all my February favorites in one! 

Barefoot Dreams Leopard Blanket

Okay, so I succumbed to the hundreds of bloggers that were posting about this leopard blanket being on sale at Nordstrom for approx. 2 weeks.  The power of influence! I have been wanting a barefoot dreams blanket for a while, after always buying and selling their cardigans, and when I got a Nordstrom gift card for my birthday, I decided to pull the trigger. I now use it as my office blanket as it is extremely soft and comforting, which is needed more than you think in the practice of law.

Attending a Virtual Wedding, At Home

It looks like virtual Zoom weddings are here to stay.  I had the pleasure of attending my ading's (basically a sorority "little," but for Filipinos) virtual wedding earlier this month and I wanted to make my virtual attendance an event.  Because what else is there to live for at this point in the pandemic?

Rotate Birger Christensen Dawn Polka Dot Puff Sleeve Satin Dress

Rotate Birger Christensen Dawn Polka Dot Puff Sleeve Satin Dress

I bought this Rotate Birger Christensen dress because of its iconic #RHOBH status: both Lisa Rinna and Kyle wore this polka dot puff sleeve dress to some event during filming unintentionally matching.  This is the SECOND Rotate dress that RHOBH wives have worn to the same event - it's clearly a stylist favorite and that is reason enough for me to buy the dress (so long as it's on sale and not $300 ha).  Did I have an event to wear the dress to? No.  Once I got invited to this virtual wedding though, I knew that would be the perfect time to break it in.  I LOVE this dress. 

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.19.21

I decided that this week's theme would be a play on my usual work uniform- a white button up with accessories.  I have a lot of statement earrings and hair accessories to work with, so I thought that keeping the palette of my blouse the same would allow for those little items to really make a statement.

MONDAY.

President's day baby, which means NO WORK! I allowed myself to really take the day off work for the most part, until I got some aggressively critical emails from a partner after dinner and proceeded to sit at my computer for the rest of the night. Happy weekends always for lawyers!  

TUESDAY. 

Shirt: Brooks Brothers | Earrings: Nordstrom Rack | Blue Light Glasses: The Book Club

Day One of the white-shirt lewks this week.  I have 6 of these Brooks Brothers white button up shirts because I decided soon after law school that this would be my work uniform.  These babies have been through a lot with me, and spritzes of bleach have revived them time and time again.  These pearlescent flower earrings I got on clearance from Nordstrom Rack for about $4, but they give serious Rebecca de Ravenel vibes, so I got them. I love a white floral earring moment to pop against my dark hair! 

STAUD Tommy Beaded Bag Review & What's In My Bag

The Staud Tommy Beaded Bag is one of the newest bags in my collection, and reviews of the bag are few and far between on the internet.  STAUD is one of my favorite brands right now because they are cool and give their own take on current trends in an elevated and chic way.  As I may have already mentioned, Andrew got me this Arctic Blue Staud Tommy Beaded Bag for my birthday last year. I LOVE these Staud beaded bags, and it's a little bit shocking to me that I haven't seen that many on social media, other than the light blue zebra bag on KarenBritChick.  I love gingham, and I love a pastel blue, so this bag was perfect for me, especially as zebra is probably my least favorite animal print.  

Staud Tommy Beaded Bag | Shacket: Nordstrom BP | Leggings: Zella

The shape of the Staud beaded bags are perfect, especially given the rise of the shoulder bags (this is the exact same shape as the Coach pochette I got for my 8th grade graduation in 2005 lol).  I love that shoulder bags are basically top handle bags but you can hold them under your shoulder and out of your hands...what a concept! I find that to be the most annoying part about crossbody bags now, they are difficult to grab onto when you are getting out of your car if they don't have a top handle.  I'm also over the sensation of crossbody bags constantly bouncing off of your body while you walk.  I'm just into handheld bags and shoulder bags now, just like everyone else!

House of Prime Rib: At Home for Valentine's Day!

Making reservations for outdoor dining this Valentine's day was stressful and not something I wanted to deal with.  It was also predicted to be cold and I didn't think outdoor dining would be that great.  After reading a bunch of Eater lists of where to get the best takeout, Andrew had the great idea to get House of Prime Rib (HOPR) to go.

A City Cut for me, House of Prime Rib cut for Andrew

The HOPR page on Facebook (their website is unhelpful) said that they had takeout available for Valentine's day, though orders would have to be placed in person, and provided an email address to contact with any questions.  I, of course, emailed asking about the menu for the night, and if they had an estimate on how long the line would be for takeout.  

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.12.21

More outfits that I wear to work as a lawyer on zoom.  Another dreary week! Another week where I don't leave the apartment and thus am fine wearing soft pants all day.  I would be atrophying as a human if not for my Peloton.  I don't know if it's always the week before a 3-day weekend that feels the longest, but this went by exponentially slower than the rest of my weeks have gone.  I have been buying a lot of new clothes but not really wearing them to work zooms (other than this Zara cardigan below), which is something I need to work on.  There's always next week!

MONDAY.

Sweater: Zara

I LOVE this little jeweled cardigan! I have been wanting a nice novelty cardigan that I can wear fully buttoned up like a sweater.  This Zara one was on sale for $20, however it looked extremely tight and cropped on the model. I decided to size all the way up to a large, and it fits perfectly. I honestly could not imagine how the smaller sizes would fit.  It's a perfect comfy look for a Zoom client call.  I'm loving how it looks with my little stud earrings, and I feel like Charlotte from Sex and the City.  You wouldn't think so if you saw my whole outfit though, because I've actually paired this with the Miramar fake denim joggers from Rag and Bone.  It's a totally different lewk outside of the zoom screen, and I can't wait to style this up in an even different way! The possibilities feel endless, although they are actually relatively limited in reality. Ha.

Celebrating Galentine's Day

Galentine's day should also be written in our calendars with Valentine's day, because they feel equally as essential to our yearly lives.  How am I celebrating Galentine's day this year? With a bunch of pictures of myself of course. 

Galentine's 2019 at Pizzeria Delfina, when we could still eat indoors with our gals!

Even though (and especially because) I've been with Andrew for almost 8 years now, it's so important to me to celebrate my girl friends. I've always had a few close girl friends and have also always tried not to let my relationship take precedence over spending time with my gals.  This year (and last year) we had themed Galentine's book clubs to celebrate.  I wore this tan jogger suit with pink accents for my gals.

We are all encouraged to bring treats for each other to every Book Club (individually wrapped of course since we have all been meeting outdoors), and I so far have not indulged in doing so until now.  Now that there's a theme to work with, who am I to say no to preparing treats?! I decided I would go with my specialty: rice krispy treats.  I've also previously made RKTs in the past and sent them to my girlfriends cut into little hearts and presented in cute little pouches.  I decided why not do the same thing with my new friends!

Women's Suits for Valentine's Day

Even though Valentine's Day is a made-up Hallmark holiday, I will never pass up an opportunity to dress to a theme. I was an RTR member last Valentine's Day, and also had actual things to do last year since we weren't locked in our homes.  This year, since we aren't going anywhere, I have tried to stop myself from buying new outfits just for Valentine's day.  I've only partially succeeded.  My excuses? I can sell these pieces later or wear them another time.  As a lady lawyer, I love suits, and per my love of themes, I LOVE a novelty suit. Valentine's day is a perfect excuse to break out one of my many novelty suits, especially the pink ones! 

Plaid Heart Suit: Halogen x Atlantic Pacific | Earrings: BaubleBar | Purse: Tory Burch Small Radziwill

I have loved this Halogen x Atlantic Pacific plaid heart suit set since I saw @lombardandfifth wearing it on election day.  I still like it, but on me, something just doesn't feel right.  I don't know if it's the quality or the fit of the blazer, but I don't think I'm going to keep it.  The pants, I actually love, but I don't need statement pants in this time of dressing from the waist up. Plus, they are too long for me, and the likelihood that I will get them tailored and hemmed anytime soon is very slim to none.  Luckily, I bought these pieces at Nordstrom and I will be able to return them!  For reference, I got the pants in a size 2 and the blazer in a size 4.  Sizing up to a 6 might have helped with the blazer, but they are totally sold out which is a bummer because they are currently a great sale price! 

Jogger Suit: Wayf via Nordstrom | Top: Vintage Gucci via @saltandbloom 
Shoes: Nike Air Force Ones | Bag: Tory Burch Small Radziwill

Hot Pink Tory Burch Small Radziwill

I've recently been following a lot of Nordstrom stylists, and Fashion Jackson's stylist, @styledbyabbywest, posted this WAYF set and how she wears the pieces several different ways. You know I immediately ordered it.  It's basically an athleisure suit but it looks like a regular suit. It's still suiting fabric, but it's not stuff! It's an amazing addition to my wardrobe and I think it could go with a lot of different tops underneath.  I can also wear either the joggers or the blazer on their own and with different outfits.  The blazer is my first really oversized blazer that I always felt was a little bit too "cool" for me, but I'm excited to pair it with denim shorts in the spring/summer. I'm excited to find new ways to style the whole thing and use it for a lot of my next themed lewks this year! 

I wore this for my Galentine's day book club this year, which I will detail in another post in the future. I thought it was the perfect amount of girly and cute, without going overboard on the actual Valentine's day theme.  This hot pink Tory Burch Small Radziwill is one of my favorite new bags that I got for my birthday last year.  It is the perfect pop of color for me, especially for these Valentine's Day outfits.  It is unfortunately sold out on the Tory Burch website in this color, but I highly recommend the silhouette in any color.  It fits my iPhone 11pro, card holder and keys, and not much else, but it packs the perfect statement and gives serious Hermes Kelly vibes. 

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.5.21

What a long and tiring week! I don't know if it's just me, but as we inch closer and closer to the one year anniversary of the stay-at-home quarantining orders, I feel worse and worse and every day of work is more of a struggle than the last.  This week's outfits were truly something else, I think partially because of the weather and partially because I am going to get my period next week and I just feel off. 

MONDAY. 

Flannel: Equipment | Earrings: The Tiny Tassel

Now that I'm writing this, I see that I need to take Monday outfits the MOST seriously, because they end up being the hero photo of the post! This is an outfit that is phoning it in, esPECIALLY my hair! I was tired, I was up until 3am the night before working (and entering my January billing), and I just wanted to wear soft things.  These uniqlo mock necks are some of my favorite work shirts, and I was cold, so I layered this Equipment flannel shacket over it.  This has to actually be my lesson that flannels are not acceptable nor appropriate for workwear.  Not that it really matters right now, but I definitely don't feel like my best work self whenever I wear a flannel.  I do love this flannel though because it is soft, but is cinched at the waist so is more flattering than a typical flannel.  It's currently up for sale in my Poshmark closet if someone is more into flannels than I am! 

TUESDAY. 

Vest: Lululemon | T-Shirt Dress: J. Crew | Earrings: Costco

Ugh! Hair up again? I already had in my mind since last night that I wanted to wear this black Lululemon vest. My idea was to wear it with this black J. Crew t-shirt midi dress, and it is exactly what I wanted. I feel like I look sporty, but I'm comfortable because I'm basically just wearing a long t-shirt underneath.  If I ever went outside, I would really fit in with the SF scene. 

WEDNESDAY.

Burberry Shirt: @morganschadegg | Headband: J. Crew

I had a 9AM Zoom call this morning (the first of two this week) so I really had to think about what I was going to wear the night before.  I was meeting with a partner who I rarely see, so I wanted to make sure I looked presentable but not too presentable to give the impression that I'm trying too hard or might be interviewing after the call.  I'm wearing my staple black leggings, because I plan to do a Peloton ride today and I was very tired getting up at 8am, so I figured I could wear any patterned top with them.  I bought this Burberry plaid shirt from one of Morgan Schadegg's instagram story sales, and I love it! It's the perfect amount of classic and subdued but still patterned. It's a IYKYK type of shirt. It's very gray toned with a very very subtle hint of pink, so perfect for attorney lewks.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Long-Term Relationships

Andrew and I will have been together for 8 years this March.  8 years is a lot of presents being exchanged! Valentine's day is always a little weird when it comes to presents, because it is so close to the present-exchange that is December (both of our birthdays and Christmas), and it is also the month before our anniversary.  Plus, neither of us are very interested in receiving traditional Valentine's day gifts of heart shaped boxes of chocolates or flowers. 

Valentine's Day 2015, when we coincidentally got each other the same cards.

Over the years, we have decided different things when it comes to exchanging gifts on Valentine's day.  Creating a plan or guidelines really helps once you are this many Valentine's days into a relationship.  One year, we decided to stick to a $25 budget each, which made for a more creative gift-giving/shopping process.  Last year, we decided the limit would be $100.  Setting a budget is a great idea for couples who have been through several of these Hallmark holidays already but still want to do something fun for each other besides going to dinner (especially if one partner's love language is gifts).  

This year, we haven't really discussed what we are doing for Valentine's day, even though it will be here before we know it.  I haven't even thought about getting him anything, which is unusual for me.  One idea we are toying with for this year's Valentine's day is both setting a smaller limit on the gift (around $25-50) and requiring that the gift come from a local store in our new SF neighborhood.  

Here are some of the gifts we have exchanged in the past: 

~ $100 BUDGET

Andrew's present to me: Gucci silk scarf (~$140, at the time, around $195 now)

Okay, he went over budget, but I'm not complaining! I love this scarf, and even though I basically only remember to wear it around Valentine's day, it could work at any time.  I'm planning to wear it as part of my Valentine's day lewk this year too! 

My present to Andrew: a bonsai olive tree (~$100 in CA where you can't order plants, but cheaper to ship to other states!)

This was one of the gifts I have been most proud of. I knew Andrew would love it, and it's something totally unexpected and he had no idea that I would get it for him.  A gift he never knew he needed!  Our bonsai was thriving up until we left our apartment for 2 weeks to go to Montana and didn't think to leave the bonsai with anyone.  Now, a year later, he is struggling, but we are not giving up on him! Bonsai trees are fun to watch and take care of, but they clearly need a lot of attention.  This tree requires showering just about every day, and it's really hard to pay attention to that or make sure that happens especially when you go on vacation.  We're thinking now that we have a balcony, he might be happier outside!

How to Frame a 36 x 36 Designer Silk Scarf

Confession: I own a large square silk scarf that cost an exorbitant amount of money (to me) and I have worn approximately 3 times (maximum).  I have always wanted to frame it, because it is BEAUTIFUL, but getting a custom frame that size was expen$$$ive.  

I saw that Kathleen Barnes at carriebradshawlied.com had framed a similarly-sized Hermes scarf that was making a statement in her living room, that she acknowledged would have cost a fortune to get custom framed but she found an acrylic alternative on Etsy. I loved it! I had the 36" x 36" frame in my Etsy cart for a long time, but even the $350 price tag for the frame was still a little steep for me! 

About the scarf: When I visited Gucci Garden in Florence in April 2018, I knew I wanted to buy something to commemorate the trip, but I didn't anticipate spending 400 euros on a silk scarf.  However, travel makes you do silly things. I rationalized it because I didn't have a silk scarf this size, I loved that it had a cat/tiger on it, and I LOVED that it spelled Gucci with a Y. 

I hemmed and hawed about the frame, and thought maybe it would go on sale, and decided I could be patient.  I've also been perusing eBay pretty often for custom-sized frames (per a recommendation from Krista Robertson, who ALSO got a scarf framed although not in this gigantic acrylic beast) and came across a listing for a custom acrylic frame that looked very similar to the Etsy version, but around $100 less.  I immediately made sure they had a size that would fit a 36x36, and added to cart.  You can find it here (eBay seller alpinamfgllc).

 

The frame arrived a week or two later, in a gigantic and very heavy box that I thought might kill me when I was trying to bring it up the stairs.  It sat next to my window in my office for the next two weeks, because I could tell it would be a two-person job and required drilling into the wall...aka I needed Andrew to help me and it would have to wait until we were free on the weekend.  I finally bugged him enough to get him to hang it last night, and boy was it a struggle.