The Corporate Catwalk by Olivia

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

What to Wear to Work | Classic Trench Coat

In the rainy spring months, you can typically spot me wearing a trench coat with an umbrella tucked away in my bag. For years, I've considered it a staple piece in my closet. It's a classic and never seems to go out of style. It also makes most outfits look polished and effortless (the same goes for my camel coat that I wore this past year).

There are several ways to wear a trench (as seen in this post). I prefer wearing a trench with the belt tied in back. It gives the illusion of a smaller waist. When it comes to perception with my petite frame, I need all that I can get to make me look taller and slimmer.

You might remember me in this Zara trench worn here and here (ps. the stripe dress is currently on sale!). It's been a personal favorite for a few years, but it's starting to show a lot of wear and tear. The lining on the inside is starting to unravel and I don't like the thick material as much as the new styles that are available. A few weeks ago, I wore this LOFT trench with a black pencil skirt and stripe top. Another style tip, striped tops go with almost anything - skirts, denim, trousers and can also be worn to work or on the weekend. If you feel like you never have casual to wear this spring, consider a blouse like this for work and a top like this for the weekend. If you want to mix a trench and stripes, this one is also on my "want" list.

The most recent trench was purchased from Ann Taylor. It's currently 40% off the sale price and since I had been eyeing it for a few months, I thought it would be a great addition to my closet. I love the mocha color and the mid calf length of the coat. I'm wearing a petite size, which is another plus about buying from Ann Taylor.

Ann Taylor Dress fits true to size (similar here & here)

Ann Taylor Trench (similar here)

Coat Satchel (old, worn here and similar here)

Aldo Pumps

Photos by Lydia Hudgens

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!