Deciphering Business Casual: Paddington Yellow

When I first got this yellow trench coat, I remember wondering how much use I'd really get out of a coat so bright (and if I'd end up looking comically like a Paddington bear). But I've been pleasantly surprised - this coat has been one of my go-to's every spring and has been the perfect pop of color to brighten up an otherwise neutral outfit. It also does a surprisingly good job at grounding two loud pieces (I recently paired it with this bright flora top with this bold pencil skirt for a 60's themed birthday party) and tying them together for a more cohesive look. Plus what's not to love about a coat that makes you want to do a Singing-in-the-Rain-esque dance kick every time you slip it on? 

PS - Can I just say how obsessed I am with Elie Tahari lately? I recently discovered them and they are chock full of uber cool work appropriate pieces (like this shirt I'm wearing today). You can easily pair it with dark jeans for a casual Friday like I did here or with a pencil skirt and a blazer for the more formal office.

Shirt: Elie Tahari

Jeans: Levi's 

Trench coat: Gap (old but similar here)

Sneakers: New Balance

Baseball cap: Club Monaco

Sunglasses: Dior

What to wear to work: Grey Shift Dress

I'm always on the lookout for new brands and was happy to have recently stumbled upon 9to6, a new Hong Kong based fashion startup focused on workwear.  I was even happier to find that they made this beautiful quarter sleeved shift dress, which has been pretty perfect for the shoulder season and will sure come in handy during summer when going to work could be misconstrued as wandering into an open fridge. Actually, since we're all friends here, let's be real, this quarter sleeved dress is pretty darn perfect (near godsend I would even go so far as to say) on those days when you "forgot" to shave. 

But a shift dress is a shift dress is a shift dress and aside from the obvious underarm coverage it really is not so satirically exciting to wear one.  So I decided to amp it up by layering it over a white button up (to show a peek of collar) and adding a jewelled necklace (or a bold belt) for a touch of pizazz. Oh and if you can, locate a bamboo garden. It really brings out the panda spirit grey tones in the dress.

Have a great start to the week!