fashion in 1836.

In my "I just got a kindle" frenzy last November, I decided I would download every free book available on Amazon. I actually found a few gems, one of them being "The Book of Household Management." While most of it isn't relevant today, it's so fun to see what the dynamic was back then between a Mistress and her "Domestics." Besides actually including some great leadership and management advice, there's a section on fashion. Here's an excerpt:

To Brunettes, or those ladies having dark complexions, silks of a grave hue are adapted. For Blondes, or those having fair complexions, lighter colours are preferable, as the richer, deeper hues are too overpowering for the latter. The colours which go best together are green with violet; gold-colour with dark crimson or lilac; pale blue with scarlet; pink with black or white; and gray with scarlet or pink. A cold colour generally requires a warm tint to give life to it. Gray and pale blue, for instance, do not combine well, both being cold colours.  

While I don't agree with everything that's said (i.e. no deeper hues for blondes and the cold colors concept), it's great to see how much of this is still relevant today. I absolutely love gold and crimson. In fact, I've created an outfit for work featuring these colors that I hope you'll enjoy as much as I do. 

Purse / Shoes / Necklace / Sweater / Skirt / Earrings / Belt / Watch

work "events."

So yesterday I was invited to an event at the residence of an ambassador. Of course, my first thought was "what should I wear?" I've been to one of these before, and I remember the dress being either professional or cocktail-ish. It seemed like the crowd didn't know which was more appropriate.

My go-to item for these kinds of work/professional events is the sheath dress. It's appropriate for both work and cocktail hours, and women look just fabulous in them. Here's what I think I'm wearing to my event:

Bag / Shoes / Dress / Earrings / Cuff / Eyeshadow / Blush / Nailpolish / Lip Gloss

flower power.

Old Navy Scoop Neck Top, $9.50; Aldo Handbag, $40; Urban Outfitters Top, $39;  Talbots Canvas Pants, $80; Amrita Singh Earrings, $20; Forever 21 Ring, $3.80; Nordstrom Enamel Bracelet, $42 Chinese Laundry Shoes, $50;   




Happy Friday Everyone!!!


Today I was inspired by orange and teal. These colors remind of classy parties on the beach with white tents and the wind blowing in my hair. I'm seriously dreaming about this while drinking my rather strong coffee in front of a glaring computer screen. 


I love how this purse's little petal cut-outs remind me of the lace cut-outs on this super cute top. I went for a scoop neck t-shirt underneath rather than a tank top, as is featured on the Urban Outfitters site, because it would really be too close to a bare shoulder top which, in my opinion, is a no-no for work. 


On another note, tomorrow is my town's annual yard sale. The whole town gets together to sell all their used items on their front lawns, and I get to rummage through all of it! I'm so excited. On my wish-list:


1. Vintage mirrors for a fun mirror collage for my new apartment, like this


2. Old maps


3. A small dinette set (because I don't want to trek all the way to ikea)


4. Belts and purses -- my favorite vintage fashion finds


5. Vintage dressing table to house my makeup, perfume, and jewelry...loooove all of these. 


But, I know my favorites will be those I never expected to find. Can't wait! 

tweed indeed.

Mango zipper dress, $69; Victoria s Secret metallic jacket, $25 (sold out); Lauren Ralph Lauren pumps, $60; DSW Bag, $30; Piperlime Necklace, $24; Juicy Couture resin bangle, $17; Amrita Singh 18k jewelry, $20; Wendy Mink drop earrings, $31; Sephora Collection nail lacquer, $9.50


Hello Everyone! This is the last blazer week post. I hope you had as much fun viewing these as I had creating them. I absolutely looooove this blazer. It's so hard to find a good tweed jacket under $100. Unfortunately, and not to my surprise, this jacket sold out just after I posted it on my first blazer week post. However, here are a few similar tweed blazers that are just as cute at Talbots,Tobi, and Lord and Taylor. 


My Daily Musings:


On another note, I was updating my resume today and found myself mulling over my "Skills and Interests" section. The typical questions of (1) what should I include, (2) how long should it be, and (3) should I include this section at all came up. I'm sure many are concerned with whether they'll be judged negatively based on what they write in this section. I came to a few conclusions on this:


1. Tailor your interests to the job you're applying for. For example, if you're applying for a job related to international issues, include any languages you know or are currently learning. 


2. Don't include anything controversial: nothing political or religious. You never know what your potential employer's stance is on a certain issue, and you don't want them to judge you solely on this fact.


3. Three is the perfect number. Maybe it's just my OCD, but if you can come up with 3 or less skills/interests, your resume will look well balanced. A great tip is to include 2 professional skills and 1 fun interest. i.e. "Fluent in Spanish, Certification in Lexis Nexis and Westlaw Legal Research, Latin and Italian Cooking"


4. Think about what you're skills/interests say about you. I love fashion, obviously. But I'm not going to write that in this section because that really doesn't say anything about my abilities in the work place (unless I represent designers in intellectual property cases). Now, the fact that I trained for and ran the Boston marathon (not true) says that I'm dedicated, disciplined, and can deal with high-stress situations.


5. Don't lie. It'll bite you where it hurts in the long run.


The point is that this section is supposed to set you apart from other candidates. When reviewing resumes at work, I've often seen myself scrolling down first just to see what the candidates are interested in because you want to hire someone who is interesting and fits in with your office culture. 


What are your views on the Skills/Interests section of a resume?