Sunday, September 4, 2016

Not much of an outfit, but did you see that purse?!













   Sometimes a title tells the whole story.  As a result, it seems kind of silly to draw this out, but I suppose this is a blog post so I have to ramble about something.  So…
   About two months ago I started a new job.  I was quite excited to finally venture out of the realm of retail.  In addition, I was looking forward to working in a professional environment where I no longer had to wear a company uniform.  All of the sudden I had freedom when it came to what I wanted to wear on a daily basis.  I was excited...I was apprehensive…actually, I was downright clueless.  Yes me, “Style Blogger Extraordinaire,” was suddenly befuddled by the act of putting an outfit together.  I reasoned, if I wasn’t going to take glamour shots of these looks what was the point?
   Seriously, I found myself most concerned with correctly defining the term, “business casual."  I knew it referred to a style somewhere in between dressed up and everyday. However, I was pretty sure it didn’t involve my personal must haves of band t-shirts, bell bottoms, and ponchos.  Suddenly, my packed closet seemed pretty empty.
   It was at this point that I started to assemble my new, “work wardrobe.”  A collection of plain polo shirts and printed button down blouses that were generic enough to come across as professional, while at the same time possessing the potential for quirk when matched with carefully selected accessories.  Suddenly, I looked like a mature woman ready for a meeting in the conference room.  I was extremely…appropriate.
   Appropriate, now that’s a word I’ve found myself often considering since creating my, "office alter ego."  As I was rummaging through my closet looking for, “grown-up clothes,” I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the items I came across.  It suddenly occurred to me that I may not dress like an adult.  Actually, that’s a lie.  This idea has come to mind several times in the past and I’ve simply chosen to ignore it.  However, sometimes there are certain items that even I can’t justify wearing.  The pictures featured in the above post display a perfect example of this type of garment.
    Basically, the whole point of this admittedly drawn out post is I couldn’t seem to part with a skirt I purchased while in college.  I was well aware of the fact that it was no longer appropriate for me to wear such an outlandish piece.  Okay…wait…I would totally wear this type of garish garment if it had about twelve extra inches of material added to the bottom.  However this exquisite piece of…art people, ART!...remember I love tacky…was undeniably way too short to be worn by the likes of a, “mature office woman."  I sat in my closet staring at one of the few pieces I had held onto since youth and I knew I couldn’t throw it away.  This was my skirt damn it!  I certainly wasn’t going to donate it to some little twenty-something to strut around town in…even though undoubtedly I’ve lost some of my ability to strut…Ha! not really.
   Finally I came to the conclusion that the only way to justify hanging onto the, “Rayna of the past,” was to convert her into something that was currently functional.  As a result, I ended up transforming my beloved skirt into an oversize clutch purse.  I'm absolutely thrilled with the result!  Not only was I able to keep an item I’ve admittedly developed sentimental attachments to, I’ve also proven even a mature, “office lady,” can pull of graffiti print and studs.  Yes, I seem to be able to do it all…except cut my own bangs.  Looking at these pictures, I now understand why my stylist keeps yelling at me for that.
-r.



Purse:  Upcycled  (Express skirt from the 90’s) 

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