All Black + Sophia Webster Riko Heels

Mango Vest (love this vest from Ann Taylor)
H&M Tee
The Limited Shorts
Sophia Webster Riko Heels
Fendi Bag
Prada Sunglasses (similar Prada)
Sultra Hair Wand for hair

Earlier this week I convinced my husband to help me with a DIY project.  I wanted to remove all the paint from our fireplace and repaint it black. Keep in mind our NYC apartment was built in the 1930's. So you can imagine, there were layers upon layers of paint on the fireplace.  My "little" DIY project turned into a week long project. Last night we finished removing all the paint and tonight we  start painting. Can't wait to show everyone the finish result. Keep an eye on Instagram, I'll post more photos.

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In today's post I'm wearing my wedding shoes with an all black outfit. With statement shoes like these I wanted to show off the shoes and not distract from the details, so I opted to wear it with an all black outfit.

Here's a photo from our wedding of me in my shoes and wedding dress.

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

Black + White Outfit | Statement Earrings

Zara Top 

Ann Taylor Skirt (similar at ASOS & French Connection)

Zara Heels 

Foley + Corinna 

Lisi Lerch c/o

Prada Sunglasses

Statement necklaces have always been one of my staples in my wardrobe. Recently though, I've found myself reaching for statement earrings when getting ready. What I've noticed is that some of my tops don't look good with necklaces over the neckline or the material of the shirt. Today's outfit is a great example. I think I tried on every necklace I own. The scoop neck and crochet didn't quite fit with any of my necklaces. Instead I tried on my Lisi Lerch earrings and they looked great. The earrings even out the whole look. With my height and shape, it's all about finding a balance in what I wear. The midi skirt and crop top are a great mix, but by wearing a necklace it made the outfit look cluttered and uneven.

If you're in the market for statement earrings, Lisi Lerch has several other earrings I'd highly recommend. The Tassel earrings are a personal favorite, the Hilary earrings are ideal for the office and the Ava earrings will make a statement with any outfit.

Also wanted to share with my readers an article from TotalBeauty. Yesterday they published an article on how to wear mules and they featured Corporate Catwalk (I'm right next to Miranda Kerr)! Be sure to check out the article here.

Have a great weekend! Over the weekend Matt and I will be doing a few home updates. I'll keep everyone posted via Instagram. See you on Monday!

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

Faux Leather Skirt + Jeweled Button Down

Ann Taylor Shirt

Zara Faux Leather Skirt (similar at Nordstrom, Coach and Piperlime)

Banana Republic Clutch (similar at Boohoo)

Karen Walker Sunglasses 

MK Watch

BR Bracelet 

Zara Heels (similar at ASOS on sale)

As some of you might know, Olivia Palermo is one of my fashion icons. Her style is effortless and flawless. What intrigues me the most is her ability to wear a normal outfit and take it up a few notches by accessorizing and layering.  She's a mastermind. I've been following her outfits for years. Belts, clutches, white button downs and blazer are essential in her wardrobe. These are the pieces that bring her outfits together and give her the "fashion icon" status. 

Today's outfit is inspired by Olivia Palermo. A few weeks ago, she was spotted wearing this outfit while out in NYC. She wore a jeweled collar button down shirt and knotted it above the waistline.  It gives the outfit a whole new look. Less corporate chic and more stylish and fun.

If you love her midi leather skirt, you'll love these from Nordstrom, Coach and Piperlime.  If you like her leather skirt, but not necessarily the color, check out this navy or black skirt (navy is a personal favorite). 

Throughout the last year, I've created a lot of outfits from my faux leather skirt. Check out how I've worn the skirt in the past with; blue+black sweater, crop top, and black+white striped blouse.

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

What I Learned from Not Shopping for 30 Days

Last month, I challenged myself not to go shopping for thirty days. When I first started this little journey, I thought it would be a cakewalk.  It was next to impossible.  Less than 24 hours after I started my challenge, I found myself on the checkout page of ASOS and Piperlime with a cartful of things I didn't need. After a few of those episodes, I decided to unsubscribe from every online retailer and steer clear of 5th Avenue. 

For the modern day woman, thirty days without shopping isn't easy. We're constantly bombarded with "buy this", "you can't live without this", "this year's hottest trend".  Always feeling like we "have" to own every trend that hits the runway.  Well, we don't.  We just need to learn how to make our wardrobe work with what we currently own. 

Here are a few things I learned from not shopping for 30 days: 

1.   I was absolutely addicted to shopping.  As sad as it sounds, It took me two weeks to focus on anything but clothing and shopping. 

2.  My closet is full of things I don't wear. Why do I keep all these things? 

3.  I have no strategy when purchasing clothes. 

4.  My wardrobe is lacking tops and blouses. 

5.  Black and white pieces are a great way to extend a wardrobe.

6.  The less I shopped, the more creative I became with my outfits.  I wasn't always depending on something new to show up in my wardrobe to put together an outfit. 

Now, with all that being said, over the course of the month I made a list of things I wanted to add to my closet. 

1 Topshop Slim Fit Blazer 2 Loeffler Randal Handbag 3 AG Denim 
4 Sailor Stripe Dress 5 DvF Bethany Pumps 6 Topshop Crop Top
7 Madewell Sweatshirt 8 Asos Midi Skirt 
9 Topshop Bralet 10 Baublebar Bib Necklace

What Undergarments to Wear Under White Clothing

Today's blog post is dedicated to a reader of Corporate Catwalk, Ali. She recently asked what undergarments I wear under all my white outfits. It wasn't till I read her comment that I realized that I wear a lot of white (and black...can't help it. I'm a byproduct of NYC). The last few years my wardrobe has moved away from bright colors and patterns, to black, white and grey pieces. Working in the corporate wold and always on the go, I need pieces that can be worn for every occasion. While black looks great with almost any outfit, white gives your outfits a crisp and clean look.  Slap on a few accessories and statement heels and you're ready to walk out the door. 

The trick to white clothing is NUDE undergarments.  Not white.  Not ivory.  Nude.  I have several white tees that I use to put under white button up shirts, but I realized that I always had a t-shirt line.  You know when you see a businessman and you can see the outline of their sleeveless shirt under their crisp white shirt?  Here are a few tips on how to prevent yourself from looking like that person. 

1. Bras- Like most women, my days are long. So I'm all about comfort when it comes to my bra. The less it stabs me with a wire and/or shows off my back fat, the happier I am at the end of the day. After years of wearing Victoria Secret bras, I switched over to Hanes bras. No wires. No back fat. No tugging. Nothing. They are so comfortable and you can wear them with a white skin tight t-shirt and you can't see any lines in your shirt. My wonderful momma introduced me to these comfy bras. I can't find the exact match to this bra, but very similar style here.

2. Undershirt- After the holiday season, I typically put on a few pounds, so everything fits a little tighter.  On a trip to the mall with my mom (different trip), we came across the SPANX tank top. This shirt is amazing. It sucks everything in. The only thing to be watch out for is lines when you tuck them into your pants or skirt. For several months I wore this tank top daily. It made me feel slimmer and it held everything in, especially after lunch! I own it in black and nude.

3. Undies- The Victoria Secret nude lace thongs are one of my favorites to wear with any white skirt or jumpsuit. In the photos above that's what I'm wearing with the white jumpsuit. And you could see everything through this white jumpsuit. 

4. Tummy Control- If you wear pencil skirts, you're probably familiar with panty lines and shirt lines. I have two pieces that I wear under white skirts. The traditional SPANX and the "skirt" SPANX, both in nude. Just becuase you can see so much through white dresses, I'd opt for a whole body slip, like here. Which I also own. Or a body shaper, like this one via SPANX.

Here are a few outfits and what I wore underneath to not show any lines or outlines.

      See more this outfit post here

See more of this outfit post here

See more of this outfit post here

See more of this outfit post here

See more of this outfit post here

The next time you come across a white dress or skirt, don't shy away. Just be sure to have the appropriate undergarments to make the look flawless. Here are a few more of my favorite white pieces for at the office and/or out with friends.

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

What to Wear to Work | Yellow Pencil Skirt + Rebecca Minkoff Mini Jules Satchel

Ann Taylor Perfect Shirt 

Posh in Plum Skirt c/o (15% off with "catwalk")

Zara Heels

Rebecca Minkoff Mini Jules Satchel 

J.Crew Necklace

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Last Friday I wore a black organza skirt from Posh in Plum on Corporate Catwalk. Today is another skirt from the Posh in Plum collection. If you're interested in either skirt, at checkout be sure to include "catwalk" for a 15% discount on your purchase. 

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I've had a few people ask about the mini satchel by Rebecca Minkoff. When it first arrived, I wasn't sure if I loved the bag. I didn't know if I liked the color and the pebbled leather. After a few weeks it quickly became my "go to" bag. I wear the bag a lot on the weekend and when I'm running to the store.

Over the weekend I stopped by Piperlime in SoHo. Much to my surprised, they had so many of my favorite pieces in the store. One of things I saw was the Rebecca Minkoff Jules Satchel. The larger version of the bag I'm currently wearing. From the photos it's hard to see, but it's a great work bag. The leather is soft and almost feels like suede. What I loved most about the bag is that you can fit your laptop in the side pocket. For any corporate girl, that's always a "must" for a work bag. If you're on the lookout for a nude work bag, be sure to check out the Jules Satchel. It also available in grey...

Be sure to check out Piperlime sale. They're having a 25% off fall apparel with the code MUSTHAVES. Here are a few of my favorite pieces. 

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

Organza Midi Skirt + DvF Bethany Shoe Review

Faux Leather Top (similar BCBG)
Organza Skirt c/c Posh in Plum
DvF Pumps
Fendi Bag (love this Rachel Ruddick bag)

For those of you who have followed Corporate Catwalk for a while, you've probably realized that I love midi skirts.  Even at 5'1, I find these skirt flattering for my body. They're also a great alternative to a traditional pencil skirt. This beautiful skirt is from Posh in Plum. A few weeks ago, Rachel, who is the owner, reached out to me and asked me if I'd feature a few items on my blog. I was delighted to work with Rachel, who has such an amazing entrepreneurial spirt, and feature Posh in Plum on the site.

The skirt I'm wearing is great for the office, especially for those ladies who work in a less corporate environment. For someone like myself, I'd wear this with a more traditional button up shirt to the office. The black faux leather top is from previous outfits.  It's a peplum top that has been tucked into the skirt. If you're not a fan of peplum tops (at least not anymore) and you have several in your closet, repurpose the tops and tuck them into high waisted skirts...like the one I'm wearing today.

What do you think about the DvF pumps? I'm in love with these shoes. I wore them on a recent work trip to Pittsburgh. My customer meeting ended at 2:30 and my flight departed at 3:55.  I was hauling booty to the airport and it didn't give me any time to switch into my flats, so I wore these till I got home to New York. Much to my surprise, I didn't have any blisters and my feet were not sore.  What was even more impressive is that they didn't have a bunch of scratches all over the heels.

These are my official work shoes. I want them in every color! The nude heels are my next purchase. Ladies, if you're on the lookout for a great pair of pumps for the office, these are the shoes you need. They run a 1/2 size big. I'm typically a 6.5 but a 6 fits me perfectly!

Photos by Lydia Hudgens