When Life Gives You Oranges....

Last week began rather sourly, but, thankfully, concluded remarkably sweetly. After a few marathon days in the office, a true trial in physical and mental endurance, as the lurid glare from my laptop screen and the processed chemicals of my Chinese take-out meals enticed me to snap, to meet a tight deadline, I escaped early on Thursday, taking Friday off with the rest of the team. A rare event, I was able to head into New York for Thursday evening, first meeting my dear friend Diana for dinner at Terroir, then catching up with various university friends at a collection of decadently debased stomps in Williamsburg. At Terroir, I was delightfully sated with oxtail risotto balls, lardo bruschetta, sherry samplings, and some Spanish reds. From there, the evening continued to slope slowly downward in terms of class and elegance, but never once wavered in terms of fun and laughs. Mostly, two of my best girlfriends and I gallivanted about, admonishing lowly hipster bartenders for their inadequacy in preparing gimlets and coquettishly terrorizing fellow, male, patrons. It was a testament, once again, to how my dear friends imbue a simultaneous insanity and sanity in my life.

It was a treat well deserved, given I was beginning to view my cubicle as more familiar than my bedroom. Thursday morning, to combat my weary disposition, I selected a rather uncharacteristic color: bold blood orange. Deliciously vibrant and zesty, this sweater is a wild swerve away from my winter wardrobe as of late, consisting mostly of gray and black. Dolman sleeves are also atypical and scarce in my closet; they exude a carefree fluidity that seems to contrast too sharply with my now regular disgruntled demeanor. Evincing the wings of soft butterflies, perhaps there is time for me to embark upon a metamorphosis. 

Color and draping may have conflicted mildly with my recent, admittedly tedious, style comfort zone, but these subtle button embellishments jived perfectly. Even with standard staples, like work sweaters, I admire and seek out detailing.

These coral earrings always remind me of a stereotypical and archetypical grandmother, a quality that is easily associated with most clip-on earrings, my collection being no exception. Such a bright orange is generally less overtly painful for me in small doses; still, the effect of seamless matching between sweater and accessories gave me a spiritual lift in the morning. The long hours logged may still have been visible on my face, but at least my color palette was cheerful and chipper.