summer 2012

Summer isn't technically over yet but...wow, what a doozy! As you may have guessed from my disappearing act, I've had a very busy summer. For one, it was the first summer I'd worked full-time the whole way through, like a BOSS grown-up, but it was also filled with more adventures (mostly musically related) than ever. A quick run-down of the big ones? Why sure!

Summerfest

Summerfest is the world's largest music festival, and it takes place right here in Milwaukee (damn straight). I've gone one of the 12(!) days when there was a band I really wanted to see, but this year the Summerfest Gods smiled down on me and my sister and I went down three nights. For an S-Fest veteran, that's small potatoes, but it was a lot for us! We went down to the grounds after work on a Thursday and Friday (I work only a block and a very large parking lot away from the festival grounds) and then all day Saturday. On Thursday, we saw Imagine Dragons, a great band whose album isn't even out yet! On Friday, it was AWOLNATION, which has my vote for best concert of the summer (also a cool "emerging" band called Hell & Lula, check them out!). And Saturday we braved the heat, sitting on hard metal benches all day until the sun went down and Cake performed. By the end, I was incredibly sweaty (and I was sore from all the bench-sitting), but filled with rock n' roll spirit!

State Fair

I'm really not a huge State Fair person. Sure, deep-fried food on a stick is always entertaining, but as I've gotten older, I'm way less interested in spending time in smelly animal barns than I used to be, and the weather always seems to be dire. But this year, one of the headlining bands was Neon Trees (whom I'd seen opening a show last fall and had been jamming out to on the radio all summer) so, that's right, sister & I headed off the fair. Even though it was both hot and rainy, we still had a good time - my godparents came up to meet us, so the whole fam hung out for a while before J and I set off for the stage. We ate: cheese curds, cream puffs, deep-fried scallops on a stick, all-beef hotdog and a cheeseburger from the Cattleman's Association, and cotton candy (well, J did). There was even time for my favorite "traditional" State Fair activity - checking out the prize-winning food and textiles! There were some gorgeous cakes in there. And the show was great too - it stopped raining by then, and Shiny Toy Guns opened and were a pleasant surprise (although I started coveting the female singer's undercut! Bad self, fall in love with office-appropriate hair!).

LeakyCon

Did you know I'm a huge nerd? I think you did. If you recall the lengthy post I wrote about Severus Snape and the implications of sorting, you will probably know that I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd. So when a Harry Potter convention popped up a mere three hours from home, obviously I packed up all my best house gear (Slytherin pride!) with Disdainbrook and headed down to Chicago! It was really the highlight of the summer. We actually didn't end up going to any Harry Potter panels (...oops?), but we saw a ton of awesome panels by awesome young adult authors (including one of my favorite of any authors, John Green), participated in epic wizard rock concerts and dance parties, and saw the final installment of Team Starkid's A Very Potter Musicals LIVE AND IN 3D!!! (I'm looking forward to seeing what the version they eventually put up on youtube will look like...it was definitely an experience to see it live...all 5+ hours of it...) 

Authors!

Wizard rock!

(If you couldn't tell, I'm pretty obsessed with Instagram now. You can follow me @ampersandjay. Just before Leaky, I got my very first smart phone, which was another big source of excitement this summer!) Basically, when they announced the dates for next year's in Portland, I started mentally planning my attendance so - yes, it was awesome. My first convention!

But perhaps the most exciting summer moment came just this Thursday - I got a(nother) job! It's part-time, but it's in my field and it seems like it'll be a great place to work. And, on the plus side of part-time, I'm going to be able to stay through on this temp assignment through the end (which actually got extended...gosh, I haven't posted since then, did I? Oops!), which is fab. Looks like the best of both worlds! (Did you go to a Hannah Montana place? I've never even watched that show. Let's pretend no one did.)

How was your summer? It feels like the Really For Real end for me since J is moving back to school this weekend - plus, I've done so much fun stuff, that must be a whole summer's worth!

state of the union

I hope all you Americans had a happy 4th of July! Mine was pretty laid back, but it was followed by three days (well, two long evenings and one full day) of music festival-ing. I saw some great bands, had lots of laughs with my sister, and didn't get heat stroke or even a sunburn! I have some fun posts in the pipeline (including a neat product review!) but I was thinking about how projects on blogs always just kind of disappear into the ether - they happened, you posted, it's done - and I wanted to give a little update on how things were going.

I tweeted about the Sally Hansen Polish Strips I reviewed in this post, but I have to reiterate here:  they were horrible to remove! I don't know if it was because I left them on longer than advised, but the adhesive used on the strips got gummy and everywhere. I was scrubbing at them with nail polish remover and all it seemed to do was push it around. I still have a little residue on my nails - proceed with caution!

My bookshelf brightening project is still a smashing success! I was a little worried that the paper might bubble up in the heat, but it's all smooth and lovely as ever.

Finally, the tablet case I purchased is still doing a great job! It's started to wear a tiny bit at the corner and some of the fabric on the inside has started to fray, but that's user error - it's where I hook my stylus, and putting it on and off has worn at the fabric a tiny bit. I'm still totally in love with it and it's kept my baby safe and sound through thick and thin and daily travels to the office shoved in my tote with my lunch, umbrella, passcard, notebook, and all those other important work-related things! The tablet is also a homerun - I actually finished my very first full ebook on it last week and it was a lot of fun! I don't know if I'll start buying a ton of books that I don't already own, but it's an excellent resource for checking books out of the library (the ebook I checked out, by the way, is called The Paris Wife and I heartily recommend that too! It's about Ernest Hemingway's first wife...I read it for my book club [I'm in a book club now! How grown up and literary is that?] and can't wait to discuss it with the ladies!)

That's basically the state of things around here - how are all of you doing? Anything new and exciting? Projects or purchases that aren't holding up like you expected them to (or exceeding your expectations!)?

commuting shoes: the working girl's best friend

The first time I heard of "commuting shoes" was on an episode of What Not to Wear. The makeoveree was defending the sketchy sneakers she wore to work, because she rode the subway, there was no way she could make her commute in the pretty heels Stacy and Clinton were showing off. Happily, Clinton was there to set her straight, and the idea of commuting shoes lurked in my brain through many years of sketchy-sneakers-wearing (I was in college, give me a break!) until the time finally came to put that knowledge to good use.

Source: famousfootwear.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

If you've never heard of commuting shoes before, here's the long and short of it: sometimes you have to walk a lot to get to work. Sometimes you have to drive a long time. And sometimes you don't want to do those things wearing heels. But you are not doomed to wear sensible flats every day of your professional life -- no! You can buy a pair of comfortable, reasonably athletic shoes, and then change into your nice shoes once you get to the office! Do you see how this was a revolutionary idea in my young brain?

My commuting shoe of choice (pictured above) are my Skechers Actives "Addicted" (I have no idea. Shoes, cars, and cellphones have the weirdest names); I bought them for my retail job, because I could stand in them for 4-8 hours at a time without my feet falling off. They're comfortable, provide some arch support, and are nice-looking enough that I don't feel like a total fashion disaster during the ten minutes it takes to get from my car to my desk in the mornings. Actually, I have been known to wear them with trousers; they're a nice pair of black shoes that don't call too much attention to themselves.

Some people keep their work shoes in a desk drawer for easy on/off - just slip them on when you get to work and put them back at night. Personally, I like to have access to all of my shoes at all times (you never know when you'll need them!) so I just pack mine into my work-bag, and off I go. This gives me the added bonus of being able to decide to wear my fancy shoes out to my car, if my feet are still feeling okay and I want to work some stylish professional realness on that catwalk we call a sidewalk.

Do you wear commuting shoes or are you the kind of hardcore fashionista who walks five miles uphill both ways in her heels? (If so, I salute you and stick my feet further into my fuzzy slippers!) What say you, kitschens? (Haven't used that for a while...it's still not cool, is it?)

shoes of adulthood

You know you're an adult when these are the shoes you love:

Source: dsw.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

and these are the shoes you buy:

Source: softspots.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

The reason behind the sensible pumps? I got a new job! Next week, the world of retail will be behind me (for now). I'm super excited to be able to wear heels/boots/shoes that are not the most comfortable flats I could find to work again. And okay, they may be sensible, but I actually like these a lot! They 're classic and cute and very comfortable. Plus, they're navy, which makes them a little bit more fun than the standard black pump (which was what I actually went out shopping for! They didn't have the black in my size.) Although I'm still pretty passionate about those amazing Minnie Mouse shoes up top!

I had a request for interview outfits, so I'm going to whip some of those together for a new post. Anything else you guys would like to see?

dress up/dress down: making dresses work for work

When you're just starting out in your professional life, it can be hard to figure out how to make up a stylish outfit every day out of the same pieces.
It's really important to me (and I'm sure most of you!) to be stylish as well as professional, and as I'm learning how to dress for work, I want to share the tips and tricks that have helped me be cute while copying. Layering is a great option overall, but it can also be useful in integrating a wider range of clothing into your working wardrobe. I finally have a pair of slacks that I like, but in general, I prefer skirts and dresses as far as professional wear goes. However, the sweet spot of a "professional" dress that doesn't feel too casual or too fancy can be difficult to hit. And hey, who wants clothes that only fits one venue?

One of the other problems with dresses is that they tend to be memorable pieces, which means you can't just wear it every week or so without someone noticing your wardrobe is repeating (if you're me, and you worry about things like that). Luckily, there's a way to solve both of these problems, and it is called layering!



This is a very basic gray dress. It was fine for throwing on for spring days or running to class but is a little bit too casual for the office. Not to mention that it's pretty boring all on it's own. Now, because it's so light and casual, it wouldn't make sense to dress it up too far; I couldn't transform this into an ultra-sleek look. It just doesn't have the shape/material for it. What I can do is give it just enough style to make it work:



Dress: Target
Cardigan: Kohl's
Belt: JC Penny's

I bought this long cardigan last summer, and I didn't wear it too often. But now it's becoming one of my favorite pieces: it's light enough for summer, with short sleeves that cover up bare shoulders (most of my dresses are sleeveless) without being too hot, and the length makes it great to wear with dresses. The belt I liberated from another dress to add a little bit of color to the neutral look; besides, two of my favorite combinations are yellow/blue and yellow/gray, so it made me happy to get both of them in the same look! Through the power of layering, I was able to dress up this basic dress enough to make it a fairly breezy work-appropriate look.

But what about the other end of the spectrum? Can you make a party dress work-ready?



Heck yes, I can! Because this dress (which is new, and I love it) was a little bit fancier than the first one, I wanted to dress it "down" to a more corporate-appropriate style. But I didn't want to go too far; the first dress was more of a casual chic...this one has more intrinsic style, so I wanted to go a little more full-on professional with it.



Dress: Jones New York
Blazer: Charlotte Russe
Necklace: Lia Sophia (comped)

Instead of a cardigan, which would have made the dress a lot more casual, I paired it with a new blazer. I wanted to add a little subtle color and interest, so I grabbed a necklace that was provided to me when I worked a Lia Sophia event earlier this summer. It's just slightly purple, which played well with the pale gray.

And that's how I made two different gray dresses appropriate for work! I'm actually kind of digging reaching the end of my wardrobe: off the edge of the map is where the dragons are, right? I love dragons. Layering is one of those things that I knew was awesome and I should do but never actually managed to get together. Now I just want to buy all of the belts and cardigans and blazers, so I can make so many new ~ensembles~.

How do you keep your work wardrobe fresh, week after week? Is layering as much of a wonder to you as it is to me, or do I just sound like a total dube*?

Thanks to my lovely assistant sister for letting me drag her upstairs on a Sunday afternoon to take a bunch of pictures of me. And I just noticed the random hanger laying mournfully on the floor in the background...so you've probably noticed it all too. Pretend that's not there!

*"Dube" is apparently slang for idiot/dope that was popular in a small Minnesotan town in the 70s. Kaitlin and I are on a mission to bring it back.

concrete jungle: a field guide for fashionable temps

As I've mentioned before, I work for a temp agency. It can be a great way to experience a bunch of different companies and jobs, as well as a way to keep working in-between full-time jobs. I started working as a temp when I started college, because I could get placed over summers and breaks without having to worry about applying/reapplying. Plus, I got experience a lot of interesting places (offices, hospitals, call centers) instead of just your usual retail work. Being a temp can be nerve-wracking, because you basically have to learn a new job every few weeks (if you're lucky and get placed a lot!), and there are plenty of tricks you can use to get through a new placement with ease and style! (These tips are also applicable for pretty much any new job! But temping is my specialty.)

The First Day

This is probably the most monochromatic set I've ever created, and with good reason. Your first day is not the day to take fashion risks. If you've gone through the full process of applying and interviewing for a job, you probably have a decent idea about the office culture/expectations. As a temp, it's pretty likely you'll be thrown in headfirst. If you're in an office environment, there is no way to go wrong with a white blouse and a neutral colored skirt (pencil or A-line of approximately knee-length). Stick with nude/neutral makeup and toned down accessories. You might feel a little blah, but it's better to look a little bit too generic when compared with a more stylish office than to seem flashy compared to a conservative one. Get a feel for the style landscape your first day--pay particular attention to what the person training you (who is probably the person you'll be filling in for) is wearing.

Consider this to figure out the office style:

• What colors do you see? Is it all neutrals (navy, black, beige) or are there brighter colors?


• What kinds of shoes are people of your identity wearing? Heels? Loafers? Flats? A mix?


• Is there a wide range of clothing based on department or level of authority? Are the executives wearing suits, but no one else is? Do the IT people have sneakers on, but everyone else has dress shoes?


• What's the temperature like in the office? Does it get hot around noon? Is the A/C on full-blast?


• Are there tattoos on display? Non-earlobe piercings? What about "non-traditional" hair colors?

The other great way to figure out what's okay in a new office setting style-wise is to ask. For the most part, places will give you a broad definition (like "professional attire" or "business casual") and it's easy enough to pick up on the specifics yourself while training. But if you're unsure or have a special question that you can't pick up through observation, it's always best to ask outright!

Outfit Remix

What I've tried to do here is create a theoretical gradient of office appropriate clothing, showing the same basic outfit (a pencil skirt and a white blouse) in three different levels of professional attire. On the right is obviously the most conservative, for a "suits and ties" sort of office. We're keeping things neutral still, not a lot of style experimenting going on. The middle is a more medium grade office, where you can get away with some flash but still want to keep things buttoned-up. We're incorporating color and pattern, and having a little bit of fun with the shoes. The left is fairly unlikely in terms of temp placement, as far as I can tell, but would be great for a very vibrant, creative office or team. Lots of color and style, getting bold with the color combinations and very trendy with the jewelry. I picked flats for all of these outfits because I usually prefer to work in them--you never know when you'll be asked to make 10+ round trips up and down a flight of stairs to the copy machine!

A fashionista still has to be stylish at work, but the corporate world has its dictates. These are particularly stringent when you're a temp; there are no guarantees, and you really want to make a good impression (who knows, if they like you enough they might keep you!). Fashion is, of course, only a small part of that. Be as friendly and diligent as possible...just because it's not a permanent gig doesn't mean you can put in half the effort. You get back whatever you give, as they say.

Have you ever worked as a temp? Made a fashion faux pas at a new job? I've been pretty lucky so far as far as fashion goes...although I did make the mistake of wearing a new skirt to work without sitting down in it first. It rode up a lot higher than I expected and definitely took some finagling to stay "office appropriate" while at my desk!