Working it at work

I don't much care for dressing professionally, and my definition of "business casual" skews heavily to the casual, but this outfit is one I feel would have met the dress code at most offices. 

Maybe the person whose mission in life lately is "pushing our casual dress code to the limits," is not the best person to trust when it comes to choosing your office attire, but this is the kind of stuff I would try to wear every day if I weren't permitted the regular indulgence of jeans at work. 

First off, though it is anchored by a pair of modest (some might say slightly too big) black trousers, the top is bright red satin to satisfy my love for color.

Though the shoes are flat and modest, they are decorated with huge embroidered flowers to satisfy my need for imagery.

While I am wearing a button-up blouse (my very definition of office dress), it doesn't have any sleeves! (I did that, of course—it was one of the many puff-sleeve blouses that I've put under the knife). I always feel a little better, a little more free, when nothing is covering my arms.

So am I casual or professional? Conservative or artsy? Well, the blazer settles it!

What blazer? Well, during the day, during a freezing meeting, I covered up with a grey checked blazer, which I forgot to take a picture of, of course, but just look at this old blog post of it and imagine it on top of what I'm wearing now. It definitely could not get more businesslike than that. 

Which brings me to my philosophy of professional dressing in a nutshell! When in doubt, throw on a blazer!