Outfit for a Tuesday: Pinstripes and Sparkle

In yesterday's maelstrom of ice-rain-slush, I, pragmatically, donned my thick rubber Ralph Lauren rain boots to trudge from my apartment to car to office and reverse. Whenever I wear these behemoth boots, shields from all puddles and dribbles, I like to wear either skirts, dresses, or shorts; long slacks invariably become wrinkled being stuffed into the boot shaft or still somehow get wet during the arduous journey. Despite the frigid temperatures, I wore these tailored navy pinstripe shorts and infused some business formality with a  heather gray-cream cotton blazer. Ambiguous, not quite in the realm of traditional business casual but easily camouflaged with the right styling, the shorts were a steal from a Gap online sale; the thin pinstripe pattern and the subtle pleated puckering, along with the heavier material, help tip the balance of the sartorial scale in favor of almost office appropriate. Worn with heavy opaque navy nights, they elongate my already long legs immensely and have a wonderful and welcome slimming effect.

The blazer, though cotton, also polishes the look with the shorts; it was an impulse buy from Zara, a store I generally abhor, due to the general trendiness that ubiquitously permeates the internet, an insurmountable and unavoidable fashion meme, and to their reliance on plastic-derived textiles guising as desirable fabrics. One would perhaps assume that, as I vehemently rant and harangue about their occasionally trite permutations of nauseating trends or their polyester passion, I would avoid shopping there. I am human; I am weak. Most convictions I adhere to, defend, and live by; condoning the Zara phenomenon is not one. Nevertheless, I pushed my hatred aside while doing some shopping in Barcelona and took the plunge. Overall, it was a sage quick decision; the blazer functions as a basic cardigan, or even comfortable but abysmal sweatshirt, would, but with a smarter, more crisp look. Blazer and winter shorts were married by a simple navy and white boat neck tee shirt. 

Soft white stripes of the world, unite, and take over.

As is only appropriate when the weather is depressingly dreary, and a long day of editorial tedium awaits in a stuffy conference room, I accessorized with sparkling rhinestone earrings, inverted tear drops, and my favorite silver rhinestone and lucite bracelets.