Up to the challenge

I'm always looking for some good motivation to mix it up a little, and Jessica of What I Wore has been dishing out some challenges.  She started with Breton stripe day a few weeks back, but since I don't have any like-striped clothing (and I'm not buying for a year), I sat it out.  But when this weekend's challenge was Sweet/Rough, I knew I had to give it a go.

Another recent motivator for me was the wonderful package I got in the mail on Saturday from my dear childhood friends Annie and Angie.  I met Annie in kindergarten (Angie is her sister, one year older than us) and we've been practically inseparable since...after high school we went to the same college and are now both in Northern California (having grown up in Southern California).  But I digress.  Here is what was inside the package:

Shirts!  Seems my two favorite sisters went through their wardrobes and picked out their favorite underused dress shirts and sent them along to help quell any temptation I might be feeling to cheat on my shopping diet (again again).  Little did they know these would come in handy pretty soon.

Check out my Sweet/Rough challenge outfit...of course I had to make it work for the office.

Blouse: Hand-me-down from Annie & Angie; Sweater: Gap - 2005 - ? (under $20);
Skirt: Banana Republic - 2010 - $69 (sale); Tights: Hue (Macy's) - 2010 - $10;
Shoes: Jessica Simpson - 2009 - hand-me-down.

So there you have it.  I searched long and hard in my closet and could not for the life of me find a piece that was obviously "romantic" other than my well-used ruffled blouse.  But when this baby showed up at my door I knew I could work it in.  It's got some pretty flowers on it, and ruffles on the cuffs. The pastel sweater was another sweet touch, and I threw on some nude fishnets for good measure (see detail below).

I edged it up with a classic black pencil skirt and suede platform booties...these things give me serious height!  Here is a closeup of the shoe and the tights.

My coworker/our graphic design intern Chris took these photos during lunch today after I got supremely frustrated trying to take indoor pictures alone...I have a basic point-and-shoot, and a lot of my photos end up blurry or blown out, so I just sucked it up and asked for help today.  He did a great job, and then at the end of the day broke the news that he gave his two weeks notice for a new internship at a graphic design agency in town.  He totally deserves the amazing new opportunity, but I can't help but wonder if taking these pics was the final straw (I kid, I think).

Update: Check out the other lovely ladies who participated in the roundup on What I Wore.