Wow, it is Day 16 of 26 Days of Fall Outfits! How did THAT happen?? We are over halfway there. Phew!!
As y’all know, I live a very casual life. I spend most days at home. When I leave my house, it is usually to pick up a kid from school or run him to a music lesson, so my outfits tend to be very casual. That said, I know a lot of you work outside of the home, and I’ve had some requests for professional work appropriate outfits. You will see by the end of this post that I am much better at creating cute casual outfits than I am at creating professional office-friendly outfits.
I had to run to the mall to return a jacket earlier this week, and I found myself walking by White House Black Market. Of course, I wandered in to see what is new this fall. My friends, this is always a dangerous proposition. Long story short, I left the mall with a much lighter pocketbook than what I came in with. (By the way, right now, all WHBM ponte pants are 25% off!!! Every woman needs a pair in her closet.)
I came home with a new pair of grey jeans, ponte pants, ponte leggings, a black tunic, a smashing LBD for my husband’s holiday company party, and this turtleneck colorblock pullover.
The interesting thing about this pullover is, I wouldn’t have noticed it if the sales associate hadn’t brought it back to me. They do a great job of training their associates at WHBM. I’ve never been there when I didn’t end up trying on half the store because they keep bringing me things they think I’ll like. It’s boutique quality customer service at ordinary shopping mall prices, and I love that about them. (No, this post is not sponsored in any way by White House Black Market. I just love them!) (Of course if they WANTED to sponsor a post, I would totally be open to that… just sayin’.)
Anyway, when I put this tunic on, I was immediately in love. It’s so easy to wear, it drapes beautifully, and the subtle color blocking pattern is on trend but classy.
Here’s the back.
Colorblock Tunic Outfit Take 1
I was assuming that I’d wear the tunic with skinny jeans or leggings, but since I had my new Ponte Slim Pants, I decided to create an outfit that is appropriate for the work environment. To keep it conservative, I wore my dark silver wedge pumps. Here’s how it came together.
Outfit Details: Turtleneck Colorblock Pullover | Ponte Slim Pants | Stella & Dot Goddess Teardrop Earrings | S&D Maylee Ring | S&D Isabelle Wrap | Rebecca Minkoff Moto Hobo | Cole Haan Wedge Pumps (similar)
I’m not loving this outfit, though. The Ponte Slim Pants aren’t skinny enough to offset the voluminous top, so the overall look is, well, voluminous. It’s not horrible, but it’s not as flattering as it could be. I feel like it ages me about 10 years. Here’s a back view.
The pumps added to the dowdy look, so I switched to my black booties. I also changed my bag, but they grays sort of clash. I think I like my black one better.
It is DEFINITELY better with the black booties, and if I were going to wear this outfit, these would be my shoes of choice, but this outfit is still not my favorite. The shoes, by the way, are no longer available, but they’re a classic black bootie with a stacked heel. This Bandalino Loman Bootie is a good option.
I think I’ll love my Ponte Slim Pants with a body-hugging sweater, a cute blouse, or a fitted jacket, but not so much with this colorblock tunic. All that to say, this outfit didn’t come together as well as I’d hoped, but I still think it’s a fabulous sweater and a fabulous pair of pants — they’re just not fabulous together.
Ponte Pants: A Fall/Winter Wardrobe Essential
Remember, the ponte pants at White House Black Market are 25% off right now, so if you don’t have any, this is a great time to invest. These are definitely a wardrobe essential. If you have one pair of trousers in your closet, black ponte pants should be the ones.
WHBM has a ton of ponte pant styles to choose from right now. In addition to my Ponte Slim Pants, they have a Ponte Skinny Pant, which I might have bought instead if I’d seen them. They’re a bit slimmer than my Ponte Slim Pants. I did get the Solution Ponte Leggings (which are FABULOUS, by the way — more on them in a future post.) They actually looked cute with the colorblock tunic and my black riding boots, but again, I was trying to show something work appropriate, and I’m not sure leggings are considered work appropriate in most office environments.
Confused about the ponte pants options? Me too. Here’s a breakdown.
Colorblock Tunic Outfit Take 2
Just for kicks, I decided to try the colorblock pullover with my darkest skinny jeans. (These Paige Skyline Skinny Jeans are currently on sale!!! I’ve had mine for years, and they still make this style, so that should tell you something. It’s a great basic dark skinny jean that you can dress up or down.) Anyway. Take a look.
Now, THIS is my kind of outfit. It’s still dressier than my average, but the skinny jeans look SO much better. I would totally wear this out to lunch with the girls or to church on Sunday.
I swapped out my jewelry too. I felt the sweater needed a necklace after looking at the first set of pictures, so this time I added a metallic beaded tassel necklace, and I switched to simple diamond studs for earrings.
Then I layered three silver bangles and added the silver Rebel Ring (all Stella & Dot.)
I carried the same black satchel and wore the booties. Suddenly, it all works — right down to the details like the silver jewelry and the silver details on the handbag. So I guess I’m 0 for 1 on the work appropriate outfit, but if you’re looking for something cute to wear out to lunch with friends, I’ve gotcha covered!
Outfit Details: Turtleneck Colorblock Pullover | Paige Skyline Skinny Jeans | Rebecca Minkoff Moto Hobo | Gitane Tassel Necklace | Rebel Ring | Blessed Inspiration Bangle | Pave Arrow Cuff Bracelet | studded cuff bracelet (similar) | Black Booties (sold out; similar)
Don’t forget to visit Cyndi to see the fall outfit she’s styling today.
And today is Friday, so that means it’s linkup day!
Fashion Friday
I love my ponte pants! Looks great with your pullover.
Amy Ann
Straight A Style
Like this & would wear to work. Agree that I like the booties better. I may try the slim fit pants, those may fit me better than the skinnies. Love the necklace too – I am wearing the same one today! 🙂 I have enjoyed your blog this month & am glad that Cyndi introduced us to you! Happy Friday Jo-Lynne!
Aw, thanks, Julie! Glad it’s been helpful.
Great look! Learning all the time that proportion is key. Sometimes I nail it–sometimes, meh-not-so-much. 😉
I can see that turtleneck pullover being a go-to item for the fall. It looks so cozy and comfy. Those sneaky sales associates, they always get you to buy more than you intended.
That pullover looks so cozy!
Why not skinny ponte pants with booties to be work-friendly? BTW your worst work look is many times the best work look here in this
“fashion capital” the Midwest,lol. Thanks for the great suggestions.
I didn’t get the skinny ponte pants – I wish I had. I DO think that would be work friendly, and perhaps they were skinny enough to look good with the tunic? I didn’t realize how many styles of ponte pants they had till I got home and started poking around online. Anyway. LIVE and LEARN! 🙂
Big sweaters are tricky! I think you nailed it with the second look!
I love this sweater, and I agree, it looks better with the skinny jeans. Whenever I check out your posts, my eyes always seem to navigate to your face and I think how beautiful your skin is. What line of beauty products do you use? Thanks!
Aw, thank you! I switch around a lot. Most recently I’ve been using the Burt’s Bees Regenerist Line.
I love your fails. I know…you’re pain is my pleasure. Sorry ’bout that.
I’m going to ask a sincere question – no snark or criticism at all – I promise. Are the color block tunic tops supposed to pull up in the front? I am always confused. It’s straight in the back, then looks like it’s a mistake in the front, when it pulls up, to my eye. Help.
LOL, Putting outfits together isn’t as easy as some people make it look. Or maybe it IS that easy for some – but not for me! I think it’s helpful to see how things come together and when they work as well as when they don’t. 🙂
So this tunic is designed to rise in the front. It does that intentionally. Not all do, though.
You are SO RIGHT! It isn’t easy.
Thanks for clarifying. I will probably pass on color block tunics since I am not confident on the raise/no raise (read: are my boobs too big for this gig).
It also rises a bit on the back, by the way – but not as much. They call it a “shark bite hem” on the website.
I agree with you…I like the second outfit much better. I work from my home too, so your outfits are spot on for me. I may have to go to WHBM for that cute top!!
It’s great to know that even gals who have great fashion sense sometimes don’t get it right on the first try. Inspiration for those of us who often have this trouble to keep on trying! Think I need some of those slim ponte pants, sigh.
I appreciate how you share the positives and negatives in this post. It’s easy to think that fashion bloggers pull their outfits together without any effort and do it perfectly the first time. I feel I can learn a lot from the things you didn’t like, as well as, the outfits that are a success! Thanks for all of your effort on this blog and for keeping it casual for those of us that hang out at home a lot but still want to look nice.
Nice shopping trip!! I don’t think the ponte pants look as bad as you think (at least in the photos). They may not feel “skinny” but they certainly don’t look voluminous. I really had to go back & forth between pictures to notice any difference. I think you could modernize it by pairing it with a colored jean too!!! And, to me, that necklace is an absolute must with the tunic! Super, super cute! jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thank you for styling casual work outfits, I love that. I also love how you show what doesn’t work rather than just posting what does all the time. That’s awesome. I don’t know what ponte pants are exactly. Is it a style of pant or the material? They look comfy though and I think I’ll have to check into them for sure.
Thanks for your blog!!
Good question! It’s a material. 🙂 They are so so so comfortable. It’s a thick, double-knit fabric with two-way stretch. Very forgiving, a more modern trouser. It’s the only pants I have. Mine are super old (and getting snug), so I’m excited to update with these.
I love the pullover top and how you’ve styled it.
And I’m glad to see that WHBM offers the pullover in Petite sizing. Some of us need a scaled down version of the trendy oversized tops.
I like the boots with the outfit better but was wondering where did you get your dark silver wedge pumps?
They’re from Nordstrom. I think I linked to them? Maybe not. These are similar, but they just have a few sizes left. http://bit.ly/1NPLVzu
Jo-Lynne, Thank you so much for showing us an outfit that didn’t really work and then the changes you made to make it work. I have trouble making outfits work, so this post is very helpful. Because I a retired, my outfits are very casual, so seeing what you wear as casual outfits is great! Do the black ponte pants show lint, dog hair, etc.?
Have a great weekend! I’m ready for cooler temps to stay here in GA!
No, they aren’t too bad. I mean, if you put a white napkin on your lap at a restaurant, you will see remnants. But no worse than any other black pants. 🙂
Thank you for the reply! My nice black cotton capris attract everything, so I don’t wear them too often.
It’s sweater weather here, too. I love this look with the colorblocking – reminds me to pull outa handknit colorblock piece that I have put away. Have great week! : ) Ana
Um, what does ponte mean? What are ponte pants, exactly? Thank you for your help!
Sara
Ponte is a thick, double-knit fabric with two-way stretch. 🙂
Absolutely love the pullover sweater! I think it was a great idea to show the process of how you got to the final outfit- which I agree is the cutest and most flattering!
Boom! you totally nailed it with take 2, but I love how you go through the logic of your choices….as a fashion newbie, this logic is really grounding for me 🙂 Thanks JoLynne!! so glad that I was introduced to you through Cyndi!!
I agree with your point about walking through the logic! 🙂
I agree the skinny jeans make the outfit… so much better than the zPonte pants.
I definitely prefer the second look. The tassel necklace elongates your torso and offsets the tunic’s volume. The skinny jeans and booties reinforce that, so you look wonderfully chic!
Waaaa! Come dress me! I would never have known to try this pair of pants over that pair of pants. I don’t think I have the eye for fashion. Love all of the choices but the jeans are my fav, too. Tell me about the ponte fabric…how heavy is it? Would it glide over my cellulite as if it isn’t there? Beautiful, my friend.
You’re hilarious! It is thick enough that the cellulite is virtually non-existent! They’re wonderful. 🙂
Ok, I am sold on them. Will be ordering!!! Thanks. 🙂
That tunic with the skinnies and boots is my fav look. We don’t have a BHWM in Canada, but I’ll have to check them out next time I’m in the States.
Love a good neutral tunic that can go over jeans as well as pants… You look so put together!
Happy Medley Blog JEWELRY GIVEAWAY
Love it with the jeans and boots!! 😉
Love your process in this post. I completely agree about the WHBM associates. I love mine and have purchased many things I didn’t think would look good on me if she hadn’t steered me in that direction. I have a horrible time with pants, so I usually get her to bring them all in for me during my visit. You might not have missed the skinny ponte that way 😉
Actually, she did bring in a bunch of ponte pants! But she even seemed confused about which ones I had and which ones I didn’t. There really are so many styles. I was even asking her if these came in anything slimmer. I should probably go back in and see if I can find the skinny ones and compare, since I haven’t really worn these yet. Although I think I did rip off the tags. I will style them again this week with something else and make sure I like them. 🙂
I agree with all previous comments. This has been a favorite post since you showed us how you put the outfit together and how the skinnies and boots work better than the first outfit. Also, I love your daily casual outfits, especially since I’ve recently retired. And, I too, am so happy that Cyndi introduced us to you with the blog link. Hurray!!
I would love to see your LBD since I am in the market for one!