Work to Weekend Wear

Does anyone else struggle with the balance of buying clothes that are appropriate for work versus the weekend? It’s a constant battle for me! While my office isn’t a super strict suits every day environment it definitely requires conservative business attire, which just isn’t what my weekend looks like. It’s impossible (and expensive!) to have a separate wardrobe for each so I find myself really trying to find transition pieces that can be worn for both. Here is what seems to transition the best for me…

Trends - When I'm wearing a trendy item, I keep the remainder of my outfit very conservative. I wear booties and other trendier shoes to work but always pair them a classic pencil skirt or basic black dress. Note – they may not necessarily be “trendy” to some people but to the world of business/finance they are and you should recognize this.

Casual - When wearing a more casual shirt I tend to dress up the rest of my outfit. I’ve worn some nicer sweatshirts and tees to work lately but I always pair them with a dressy necklace and basic black pumps. Focus on materials here, a cotton t-shirt needs a more dressy wool or cashmere sweater to make it work for the office.

Versatile - And not to sound like a broken record but I can’t stress enough how much wear I get out of a basic button down. Perfect with any pants or skirts for work but easily worn with jeans on the weekend! If white isn’t your thing patterns can generally work here too but this isn’t the place to mix a floral shirt with a striped skirt, save that for the weekend.

I realize this may not apply to everyone but for those of you in a business setting I’d love to hear any items you've found that work well for you. Or those of you who don’t work in a business environment don’t make me jealous with what you wear on a daily basis but I’d still be interested in how you’ve found balance between your work and weekend wear.

- Heath