Outfit: Not Quite Neon

So, despite my poor attempts last week, I actually have been working on that whole upping my casual wear game thing lately, so I thought it was time I showed you the fruits of my labour! Yes, I know, you lucky, lucky things! I had a few opportunities to ‘dress down’ recently with a couple of date nights after work, so I did my best to resist doing my usual and just throwing on jeans and a tee. Instead, I threw on jeans and a blouse, which is totally different.

Ok, it’s not totally different. It’s basically the same. And that’s how I realised that this belief I had that I couldn’t ‘do’ casual was all in my head. I’ve spent such a long time telling myself there is some sort of secret to dressing down, like I would need to go out and buy a whole new category of clothing to make it work. But it turns out all I had to do was stick on a blouse instead of a t-shirt. Who knew? Um, probably everybody, but still, it was a startling revelation to me.

Part of the reason I’ve always struggled with casual outfits is that I’ve always felt a little dowdy in flats, so to keep me from feeling too drab I went with a blouse that I’d normally see as quite dressy, thanks to the draped front and silky fabric. The blouse in question was a recent eBay purchase. It’s originally from Oasis and is a bit of a departure from my usual colour choices as that rather lovely, Eastern style floral print is actually neon. Neon tones are not those which I’d normally go for – they’re just a little too ‘in your face’ for me – but the way the print fades around the edges means they’re bright yet subtle, and pop nicely against the black background without looking to gaudy (pop – soz, I’m aware that I just used one of those cringey ‘fashion’ phrases, but it’s true!) I didn’t want to over-do the black, and I certainly don’t have any neon accessories to try and match the tones of the blouse, so I opted instead for a nude bag and shoes in the form of my new favourite flats by Glamorous, which are unbelievably comfortable thanks to that secret wedge in the heel, and this Dune ‘Deannah’ tote bag, which, after my Kate Spade Laurel Wesley Place, is probably the most likely to be seen adorning my arm thanks to the fact it goes with EVERYTHING and it’s Mary Poppins-like capacity!

So, now that I’ve discovered that the art to dressing down just means wearing what I’d wear to work, just with flat shoes, you can probably expect to see many more almost identical variations of this exact outfit sometime soon. Sorrrreeeeeeyyyyy!

I’m still a little gutted I can’t use it as an excuse to go shopping though….

Love,

In this post: Blouse, Oasis (Similar) – Jeans, H&M (Similar) – Dune ‘Deannah’ Tote (Similar) – Bow Flats, Glamorous – Leather Jacket, Oasis