Business Casual Superstar
x2 on Lily from "How I Met Your Mother"? Of course, people. It's always good to double-up with a red head. I don't even know what I meant by that.
I was here last week with an outfit inspired by Lily Aldrin, and because her style is just so bright and colorful and fun, I figured I'd use her as our muse again this week. Lily's a kindergarten teacher, so when she's in the classroom, she favors bold colors and geometric prints and colorblocks, with sensible shoes. When she's running around with the rest of the gang, checking out her stripper doppelganger or hunting down the burger that her husband says is the Best Burger in New York City or trying to escape the clingy couple next door that constantly want to play Scrabble and have Taco Night, Lily likes layers combining tons of crazy prints (stripes, plaids, polka dots, all in one outfit!) and thigh-high leather boots.
But thankfully, she keeps all that out of the classroom. So here's something Lily would very likely wear to work.
AB Studio Abstract Surplice Dress .......... $27.99 UO Canvas Pump in Black .......... $48 Seed Bead Knot Stud in Jade .......... $14
This was almost way too easy.
I picked a patterned dress with both geometric and abstract designs, something I think Lily would just be drawn to. She likes shiny things and colors, like a little magpie.
Anyway, Lily also likes designer outfits, and there was this one episode that I absolutely HATED because it destroyed a good chunk of my Lily-Love. Basically, we learn that Lily likes designer outfits and accessories so much that she's racked up massive credit card debt, and hasn't told Marshall about it, and they're trying to buy a place together and their credit rating is in shambles. Instead of getting the less-than-6% rate that Marshall was hoping for based on what he thought their credit rating was, they get an 18% rate.
PEOPLE.
IT IS NEVER OKAY TO RACK UP THAT MUCH CREDIT CARD DEBT. NOR IS IT COMICAL.
Anyway, that episode was horrible. I was in knots the whole time because I couldn't believe, first of all, that Lily racked up all this debt on her plastics and second, I couldn't believe that the writers of HIMYM actually wanted me to think this was funny.
Okay, back on track. Lily likes designer dresses, but that's not what this series is about. At some point on my blog I'll do a Business Casual Superstar made only of designer goods for under $50, little things we can occasionally treat ourselves to if that's what we're into, but not today.
I picked these shoes from Urban Outfitters that I just love. They're black and suede, and so they match the dress, but what I think makes them so appropriate here is that the heel isn't that tall and it's stacked, making it the perfect heeled shoe to run around in all day. Shoes with stacked heels are much easier on the ankles and toes, and you get more mileage out of them before you have to soak your feet in epsom salt or whatever. Bleh.
I finished off the look with a pair of blue-green interesting earrings, also from Urban Outfitters. You can easily toss in a necklace there, too, because we've created a neat little pocket of space with the neckline of the dress, but keep it understated because of the loud print of the dress and the bold, vibrant earrings (particularly if you're showing them off by wearing your hair up in a sleek ponytail). I'd go with a turquoise pendant on a gold chain or something.
And there we have our Lily-Aldrin-inspired outfit! I'll be back next week with an ensemble inspired by Rory Gilmore of "Gilmore Girls" fame. Who even remembers that show? Who remembers that it was good for a little more than 3 seasons and then turned into one massive trainwreck mostly because Amy Sherman-Palladino is a horrible TV executive and will most likely never ever find any success in that medium after the giant turd she turned her brain child "Gilmore Girls" into?
Everyone?
Good.
See, this is why we get along, you guys.
Posted by Huma Rashid, Huma Rashid on Apr 28, 2010 @ 12:00 am
