It seems that without intentionally doing so, I often dress “dark” on my first day of work after a weekend or vacation.

I’m considering this ensemble a fail…wait, let me spin that in a more positive light. It was an EXPERIMENT that I will not be trying again, ha ha.

In my mind’s eye it all worked…but in application I don’t like the charcoal grey cardigan over the navy button-down. And while I LOVE navy with grey, this is that thing where I don’t like a lighter cardigan over a darker shirt.

I would prefer a black cardigan over the dark navy shirt…but I only have the thin duster length cardigan and that doesn’t work for me this time of year (too cold for such a thin sweater AND too long for any of my winter coats). I would like a black hip-length cardigan but I’ve been saying that for years and it hasn’t happened yet. I haven’t seen THE ONE at the right time.

I also spent (too much) time deliberating on white tee under button-down or black? It’s cold and I needed SOMETHING. I wore the black just cuz…I didn’t really want it to be so overt. But I don’t think I’m really liking the “black undershirt” concept and in the end you don’t really see it anyway because this collar stays in the “buttoned-up” position even when I undo an extra button.

Navy Button-down: Universal Standard, XXL. 2020
Grey Cardigan: Dean & White Woman 2x, 2012
Coat: Old Navy, 2x, 2018
Jeans: Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda, 20 short. 2020
Sneakers: Converse Shoreline slip-ons, 2020