In the Navy

Sometimes I get it in my head that my life simply can’t go on without a certain thing in my closet. (This is one of those “first world problems,” isn’t it?) Most recently, that was a pair of silver pumps. Seems simple enough, but you would not believe how much trouble I went through.

First of all, I’m really picky, so not just any silver pumps would do. I finally found the perfect ones, ordered them, waited 2 weeks for them to ship from overseas, and they were too small. So I sent them back and ordered the next size up. I waited another 2 weeks. The new size came and they weren’t too small, but I had this weird sensation like I was drunk when I walked in them. I looked at them and discovered the heel of the left shoe was not perpendicular to the ground. I’m no Christian Louboutin, but I think I’ve seen enough heels in my life to know that’s some subpar craftsmanship. Naturally, I shot an angry email to customer service and demanded a replacement, but – surprise – that size was now sold out.

So I was back to square one. I found another pair from a brand I’ve worn before, so I should know what size I need, right? WRONG. This was the smallest size 7 that’s ever been made. I think it might have been a child’s size 7. This time shipping wasn’t free, so after 3 strikes, I decided to send the miniature shoes back and give the silver shoe search a rest for a little while.

You might be wondering why I kept ordering shoes blindly instead of trying on ones in stores. I’m not as dumb as I look. I tried that too. No luck.

Then fiiiiinally a pair I had spotted at Nordstrom for $100 popped up on HauteLook for almost half off, so I went for it. And I ordered a 7.5 since apparently my feet have grown or all shoes have shrunk. And here they are. Epic journey comes to a fabulous close.

Dress* // Shoes // Bag (on sale) // similar Necklace (under $10) // Sunglasses // Lips “Orange de Chine”

*Dress provided courtesy of Kika. Kika is a mother-daughter business that sells high-quality (but affordable) eco-conscious clothing. While they did give me this dress for free, they’re not paying me to say this :). Check out how I wore my other fabulous Kika dress here.

7 Ways to Wear a Button-Up/Oxford Shirt

It wasn’t long ago that I had a whopping ONE button-up shirt in my closet. Then this magical thing happened: I joined Pinterest. I started pinning outfits from the blogs I followed (this was before I had my own blog) and I realized that a lot of those outfits included – you guessed it – a button-up shirt. Or is it a button-down? I guess it depends on where you start the buttoning.

Since then my collection of buttoned, collared shirts has grown and I’ve played with lots of ways to wear them. If you’re like I used to be and think oxford shirts are plain and boring, I recommend looking for prints. I’ll link you to some options for your shopping enjoyment at the end of this post!

So without further ado, here are 7 ways I’ve worn my button-up shirts!

Layering an oxford under a sleeveless dress is great for in-between weather, and it’s like making a whole new dress! Boom: wardrobe multiplied.

There’s something about the juxtaposition of a tough leather jacket and a prim and proper button-up that I really like.

Try to find shirts that are a little long so you have room to tie the ends right at your waist. I love this option in the summer especially.

Oxford-under-sweater is probably the combination I’ve done the most. If you have a few button-ups and a few sweaters, you have endless combinations. Well, not exactly endless but I don’t feel like doing the math. Above are a couple examples with jeans and below are some office-appropriate options.

Let’s not forget that it’s perfectly acceptable to wear this classic shirt on its own. We don’t want it feeling insecure from always being covered up.

Besides leather jackets, you can also let your oxford peek out from under any jacket or blazer. At the risk of looking like a frat boy circa 2008, I’m in favor of a popped collar in this limited situation.

Want to add to your own oxford shirt collection? Check out the options below!

Shop here: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5