In the summer of last year, I wrote a post on my style at work. A lot has changed in the year-plus since that post: Brett and I are in our new house, I shaved my head (and may never grow it back out), and I’m now a good 18 months into my current job. My employer is blessedly lax in terms of dress code (as in, there is none) so I’m more or less free to do whatever when it comes to what I wear to work. That said, I believe it’s always a good policy to take your cues from your workplace superiors and dress in a way that aligns with what’s going on around you, if not slightly elevated.

When I started the job, I was just coming off of years of working in the consulting world. Representing a fairly conservative industry and with the expectation to be client-ready at all times, jeans were allowed on Fridays (but only if you weren’t seeing clients that day), and men wore suits to work (Suits! In Austin! So strange.) I’ve noticed a personal pattern lately when it comes to what I wear to work: I’ll start the week off solid, then gradually slide into casual-bordering-on-sloppy. To demonstrate this, I documented the last week in workplace style.

Monday: off on the right foot! Austin has been up and down in terms of weather this fall (90 degrees one day, 70 and raining the next) so this was actually the first time I busted out the tights since May. This is one of my more conservative looks for the office.

dress: Anthropologie (last fall)
cardigan: J. Crew Factory (similar)
tights: Target (exact)
booties: Kork-Ease via Nordstrom (exact)
earrings: Anthropologie (exact)
glasses: Warby Parker (similar)

Tuesday: this is a classic ‘meh’ outfit that I wear somewhat regularly. I don’t have to think about it, I know I feel comfortable in all of these pieces, so I throw them all on and go. But at least I voted that day, and I feel the sticker really elevates the whole ensemble. (This is what I’m telling myself, anyway. Go vote this Tuesday, Austin!)

blouse: Anthropologie (early 2011)
cardigan: American Apparel (from 2008! similar here)
black skinnies: Genetic Denim via Nordstrom (similar)
red wedges: Fly London via Stella Says Go (similar)
glasses: Warby Parker (exact)

Wednesday: must have been feeling jaunty here with the ankle cross. I have a bit of a jumpsuit addiction, so I’m going to be more than a little upset once the weather cools to the point that I can no longer wear these sleeveless onesies that have been in heavy rotation since this spring. I needed the outfit to transition straight from work to a happy hour, and this outfit seemed to fit the bill.

jumpsuit: Anthropologie (exact)
scarf: Zara (exact)
earrings: Mana Culture (similar)
watch: Nixon via Nordstrom (similar)
gold wedges: Fly London via Amazon (similar)
glasses: Eye Buy Direct (exact)

Thursday: in the dressing room at Old Navy on my lunch break. It was an unsuccessful trip where I left with nothing, but that ended up being more than okay since I ordered a couple of things from Nordstrom a day or so later (oops). This is yet another one of my ‘lazy Liz/throw it on, feel comfy and go’ ensembles.

blouse: Equipment via Nordstrom (similar)
jeggings: Gap (from 2011; similar here)
boots: Frye via Nordstrom (exact, and price matched!)
earrings: bought at a boutique in New Orleans

Friday: delving into ‘total scrub’ territory here. To be fair, it was Halloween AND it was pouring rain, so lots of others showed up looking super casual as well. The unicorn hoodie is actually from work (the Sales’ team’s mantra of “be relentlessly positive!” rendered in a single image) so this look is, believe it or not, entirely work-appropriate.

hoodie and vest: standard issue from work
pants: Gap (bought over two years ago; similar here)
shoes: New Balance for J.Crew (exact, and on sale!)
glasses: Warby Parker (similar)

So there you have it, a typical work week of outfits for me. As Austin (maybe?) graduates from 80-degree weather into *actual* fall, I’ll be breaking out the stuff in my closet that hasn’t seen the light of day since March or so, which kind of both scares and delights me at the same time. At the start of each new season I like to assess what I’ve got going on in my closet, pare down, donate/sell any castoffs and purchase according to what holes in my wardrobe may exist. I’ve started the process for my cold weather gear, and there are some big question marks as to what direction I’ll be going (more dresses and tights? sweaters and leggings? boots or… more boots?) Stay tuned for more winter-ish garb in the months to come.

What are you most excited to wear this fall and winter?