The Corporate Catwalk by Olivia

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Day to Night Denim | Featuring NYDJ

When the NYDJ team reached out to me to work together on a collaboration, I was thrilled to try out something new and share with my readers. I naturally gravitated to black trousers, but after seeing the selection of petite denim, I wanted to share a few of my favorite styles that could be worn day to night.

Finding the perfect “work jean” has always been something that I’ve struggled with during most of my career. While most of the office wears denim on casual Fridays, I’m typically found in my trousers or a pencil skirt. It’s not that I find anything wrong with denim at the office, I’ve just never found a pair of jeans that were appropriate to wear in front of my colleagues. Most of my jeans are either distressed in the legs or a little too snug to feel comfortable wearing into a meeting with my manager.

While browsing through the NYDJ dark wash denim, I found the Billie Mini Bootcut jeans – also known as the perfect work jean! These jeans work for a casual Friday at the office because they’re a dark wash denim and they’re slightly narrower leg than your typically bootcut jean. I’m wearing the Billie Mini Bootcut jeans in petite. The jeans fit true-to-size and allow for a little for movement with a blend of cotton, polyester and spandex. I chose to wear my signature look – cami, blazer and stilettos to complete my Casual Friday office look!

I also wanted to try NYDJ denim for an evening look. I paired the Alina Leggings in Petite with an off the shoulder top and statement earrings for a night out with your girlfriends. The Alina leggings hit my foot at the same place as the Billie, so I decides to roll up the denim for a less structured look.

They have a wide selection of denim for all shapes and sizes, they have dedicated sizing available for petite (YAY!), plus and tall. Typically I’m hauling 2-3 pairs of jeans to my seamstress to get the hem taken up a few inches, so most jeans automatically have an 25% markup after I buy them from retailers. The petite selection offers a variety of washes, styles and selections.

Outfit #1

NYDJ Denim

J.Crew Cami on sale

J.Crew Blazer

Manolo Blahnik Heels

Anthropologie Sunglasses

Outfit #2

Zara Top

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

Friday, March 25, 2016

Easter Sunday Outfit

If you're not one to get dolled up for Easter Sunday, here's a casual look to wear to brunch and Easter egg hunting with your loved ones. The look might be a little too dressed down for church, but great for more casual gatherings. Hope everyone enjoys time with family and friends!

Since we're far away from our family, we're heading to DUMBO (with Batman) on Saturday to have coffee and donuts in the park and Sunday we're going to cook a big Easter brunch!

Kate Spade Blouse (similar here & here)

Club Monaco Denim Skirt (similar here & here)

Chloe Heels (similar here & similar flats)

Chloe Bag (similar here & here)

Anthropology Sunglasses (similar here)

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Spring Wardrobe Update | featuring thredUP

This year, like every other, I'm looking through my closet to find pieces to resell and donate. My style has changed a little from last year, so I'm looking forward to changing out a few pieces to refresh my wardrobe. One way to update your wardrobe, without a huge investment, is to buy from consignment stores - like thredUP!

thredUP is an online consignment store that offers women's and kid's high-quality fashion pieces. They have everything from J.Crew (my favorite), Joie, Madewell and Zara. They sell these pieces at 90% off the retail price! As the company continues to grow, they're adding new inventory on a daily basis.

The concept is brilliant! When I first discovered the site, I had a "why didn't I think of that" moment. You're able to search through tons of merchandise by brand, size and color. They also make it easy to shop for special occasions. For example, if you're looking for a red cocktail dress, you're able to search according to your personal criteria.

For women like me who are gentle on their clothing, thredUP also offers a Clean Out Bag to sell new and like-new clothing. Fill your bag with items you no longer want (consult their website to see what they do and do not take), and place it on your front door for pick-up. It's an easy way to clean out your closet with minimal effort.

I picked up a few pieces from thredUP. Originally, I purchased a dress from the site, but I ordered the wrong size. The return was easy! I packed up the dress and returned it for store credit. With the credit I received this tuxedo shirt, blue suede heels, casual work pants, black cotton blouse and a black dress. The tuxedo top I'm wearing in today's post was something I wanted to purchase a few years ago, but never got my hands on the right size. It was a treat to receive this in the mail in the cute polkadot thredUP box. Each pieces was nicely folded, with the thredUP hand-attached tags and wrapped in tissue paper. As a customer, I enjoyed the experience of receiving the clothing wrapped up. It was like I just purchased them directly from the store!

The thredUP team is also offering $15 off your first oder of $60 or more for Corporate Catwalk readers. Use code OLIVIA15 at checkout. Offer ends 4/10/2016.

a little tidbit...for all the corporate women, consignment is an ideal place to buy new and like-new work pieces.