Outfit for a Thursday: Vintage Oscar de la Renta

When it is suffocatingly warm in the summer, and when the work schedule becomes increasingly chaotic, as mine has been with too many projects and too much confusion married to too little time, it is shockingly easy to just completely ignore what to wear. Clothing is intrinsically superficial and material, literally the substance utilized to cover our skin, not the substance of novel ideas, of innovative creative or scientific analyses, of deep thought and meditation. Ignoring the material, in this case, seems rather inconsequential, somehow on a lower, less profound echelon than ignoring other planes of the Maslovian hierarchy of needs. That being said, when applying a bit of care and attention to appearance, the energy often seeps down, catalyzing and activating internally more arguably philosophical, intellectual, and spiritual processes. The hackneyed expression of dress to impress can be used personally; dress to impress yourself.

With a mood that has been oscillating wildly lately, allusion definitely intended, I decided to proverbially shine my shoes to combat the tempestuous nature of endorphins and other such emotionally critical neurotransmitters. So, yesterday, I wore an absolute wardrobe favorite, my cream and yellow patterned vintage Oscar de la Renta skirt. Discovered hanging between various items discarded from old ladies' closets at a local consignment boutique, it was an obvious purchase, priced at 8$; as my manager, Sallie, pointed out, there are occasional perks to living out in suburban purgatory.



The skirt is a bit large, which I pretended not to notice when buying, willing to forgive such a slight imperfection in fit for the neat price. While I could easily get it tailored, I am still unsure, after nearly two years here, where would be the best location; clearly, my acclimation process has been quite long. Until then, I have been using leather belts both as accessory and as pragmatic tool.



Black leather peep-toe pumps, which have thin cut-outs along the sides, are ideal summer office shoes, though, admittedly, these are extremely narrow and a bit tight, so can be uncomfortable in the long haul.


Gold tear drop necklace to match the gold buckle of my leather belt.