Emergency Preparedness

Sweater: Telluride Aran by Amy Herzog; Black Trillium Fibre Studio Pebble Worsted in Moon Shadow; my notes and modifications on Last Run
Jeans: DL1961 Florence coated jean in Barcelona; similar styles by Topshop, Calvin Klein, and Treasure & Bond
Blazer: Forever 21 asymmetrical coat; another Forever 21 option, this from Urban Outfitters which I might buy at $40, and if you like the color, but not the length, Forever 21 has you covered too
Shoes: Mossimo for Target but I got mine on sale and you should wait for a sale too; then, of course, there's always the original Frye model
Lips: Korres mango butter lipstick in nude PLUS Bobbi Brown high shimmer lip gloss in Hot

So I hear we'll be getting some weather! My original plan was to head into the office early, work there a half day, grab my computer, and head home before the worst. Since I was also mindful of the possibility of perhaps being stranded in my car or needing to be in the elements, I scrapped pencil skirts and stilettos in favor of -gasp- pants. I don't generally wear pants to the office, not out of any abhorrence of pants, but because I don't think I look as professional in pants as I do in a skirt, primarily due to body shape. Trust me, I would be over the moon if I could rock a pantsuit, but I can't because I'm hippy. So I chose the coated jeans as being "dressier" than regular jeans, went with a monochromatic top (also a raveler recently asked me a question about this sweater and I realized I hadn't worn it in a while despite loving it), and then still wanted something that would cover up the fashionable tightness of the pants across my rear. This Forever 21 blazer was featured on some fashion blog, or I saw it on pinterest, or something, and I impulse bought it (which is pretty easy to do at Forever 21 since everything is cheap). When it arrived, I wasn't crazy about it, but that was because I was trying to wear it closed (where it looks ridiculous). Open, however, is a different story and I actually like that it's a bit different both from my general palette and from my very tailored fit. It works equally well over a dress. I also barely did my hair (but as you can see this magic hair stuff makes it possible for me to not blow dry AND not look homeless - it's amazing), put on a minimum of makeup (pressed powder, bronzer, blush, lips (I just curled my lashes but didn't mascara them)), and decided to brave the roads.

And at first they weren't bad at all and I felt silly for my trepidation. Then, however, at about the halfway mark, I noticed that the problem for the moment wasn't snow, it was wind. The wind was already picking up enough to both blow the weekend's snow around, but it was also approaching the strength where it jiggles the car. I decided that I would chicken out at that moment: go to the office, pick up my laptop, and return home. There was no virtue, to my mind, in waiting around for several hours and possibly getting stuck indefinitely because my lovely front-wheel drive sedan is not cut out for blizzard driving.

So now I'm back at home with a cup of peppermint tea, a working and charging laptop, and for the time being electricity. Who knows how long that will last, but I thought a "business casual" post would be fun. To everyone affected by this round of winter nonsense: stay warm, stay safe, and let's all catch up on some knitting!