Make a Bodycon Workplace Appropriate

I remember buying this dress for my first job interview and thinking that it was unlikely I would ever wear it again. Oh, how wrong I was! I’ve worn this countlessly – as a dress, a skirt, dressed up, down and as a top as featured in today’s post. See how I also styled this dress for a rainy day here. This piece is short and has quite a low back which would be a bit too much skin in an office environment so layering an a-line skirt and topping it off with an autumnal blanket scarf helps overcome the issue.

I also recently got a new pair of frames from Oscar Wylee. I was a bit unsure on the shape but seeing as I don’t need them all the time, I decided to go for something different! Even after wearing them for around 2 months, I was never really convinced until these photographs. They’re really great at staying on my nose bridge and I definitely recommend!

recreate my look:

bodycon / skirt / booties / scarf / glasses / bag

“when autumn comes, it doesn’t ask, it just walks in, where it left you last, and you never know, when it starts until there’s fog inside the glass around your summer heart.”

something’s missing / john mayer

Perrie

As you all know by now, Style Smorgasbord is a paradoxical blend of high and low, girly and masculine, tight and loose. Today, I decided to shake up the common denominator and went with boxy, structured everything.

Its the monochromatic equivalent of silhouettes.

When I build a look in my head, there’s always the hero piece that magnetises everything else together. This look centred around my new work bag from Paul’s Boutique SS16 collection. I worked with Paul’s Boutique last season so I was delighted to see their line sheet for the new season. There are so many beautiful pieces in seasonal neons but my personal favourites are those in tonal shades of stone, off white, navy and black. They are slowly releasing their lines and the ‘Perrie’ is from the Trinity Collection which is available in navy, blush and silver. The ‘Perrie’ is almost the perfect bag but I wish it could fit my 13 inch macbook air – it just falls short by about 2 cm 😦 ! I also love the classic silhouettes of the ‘Amber‘ and ‘Hunter‘.

Recreate my Look:

Shirt / Pants / Heels / Purse (c/o)

Bottle / Phone Case (c/o) / NARS Products / Watch / Purse 

Summer Capsule Work Wardrobe

I have been toying around with the idea of a capsule wardrobe for a while now and whilst I think it would be great for the everyday and fantastic for my bank account, I believe it would be a little tedious for my readers to see the same palette all the time. That being said, there are a few blogs dedicated to the art of minimalist dressing including Un-Fancy who has nailed her casual capsule wardrobe.

As I started curating pieces to add to my work wardrobe, I realised that a capsule wardrobe would be the most efficient way to build a collection of long lasting pieces that can be styled a hundred different ways. Today was my first day at work and I wanted to share with you what I have so far.

These sixteen pieces make up a very micro capsule wardrobe and I think its a great place to build up from. Caroline from Un-Fancy says you should stick to a number and for her that’s 37 so I can still buy an additional 21 core pieces. I can’t wait to show you all the different layering, tucking and rolling up options that are possible. Also keep in mind, that some of these images are just for representation purposes and a few items will look different from this. What really impresses me about this collection is how versatile it is. I can see myself wearing every single item regardless of whether its a 9-5 working day or not.

I actually styled a couple of pieces from this capsule wardrobe a while back so you can see my first look below. Keep checking back from time to time and you will see more additions in the future. Also since this is the last month of summer, I aim to put up another Autumn Capsule Wardrobe in April with some warmer pieces!

Look 1: Textured Top / Khaki Midi Skirt / Nude Block Heels

SS Goes to Brunch with Juliet

I hope you guys are ready for a rather chatty post this hump day. I’m starting a new series on Style Smorgasbord called SS Brunch and today I’m delighted to introduce Juliet from TheJulietReport on Instagram. The idea behind these posts is just to feature other voices and personalities on this blog so you don’t get sick of me and my puns all the time. We’ll talk about all kinds of random stuff and then open the floor to you guys as well so you can join in the conversation too! As a trial, we’re keeping everything lighthearted today but in the future, I would love to delve into some other issues too. And what better meal to pour over our chatty concerns than brunch!? So without further ado, lets give a hand to SS BRUNCH WITH JULIET! I fell out of my chair when she agreed to draw something for Style Smorgasbord and I hope you guys hop over to TheJulietReport for more of her work.

Karen: I thought I would wrap up my holiday posts with several travelling questions so tell me, what’s your favourite city to holiday in? Juliet: Even though I have been there about five times already I still always dream about New York. I feel a special connection with New York. There is always so much to do there, it is a very inspiring place. Karen: That reminds me I need to put Welcome To New York as my phone ringtone, the opening tune is the best!

Karen: I feel like packing your carry on has almost become a science nowadays. There’s all these special compartment bags you can get and bottles that meet security guidelines … I tend to love overpacking reading material and then abandoning it for in flight entertainment … and then falling asleep! What are your personal in flight essentials? Juliet: I love to keep busy so I have to take my drawing equipment, a new book, magazines, skincare, especially lip balm and a refreshing face spritzer.

Karen: This is a bit of a strange one but I recently got my passport photos taking so I was wondering on a scale of one to ten (one being hate), how much do you like your passport photo? Juliet: Two. It isn’t a very flattering photo. I don’t think it even really looks like me.

Karen: When you step off the plane, are you a Kate Middleton or Miley Cyrus (i.e. polished and fresh or half dead haha)? Juliet: I’d like to think that I’m a Kate Middleton. I always choose style over comfort. Karen: Unfortunately, Miley for me. I just slap on a hat and sunglasses and hope I’m incognito lol.

Karen: Tell me about your creative process, do you draw at a particular time of the day? What materials do you use? Juliet: I have always been curious and always love to share what I know. Most of  my inspiration comes from my world, the things I do, the people I know and the things that I am interested in. It always begins with an idea, a thought, or a feeling. Depending on where I am or what I’m doing, I usually just keep notes on my phone to remind me, or I take photos of things I’d like to draw. I draw all the time, I draw when I wake up, on the train ride to and from work, at my desk, at cafes on my lunch break. I am a little bit obsessed with drawing, I can’t stop. I love to use watercolour but at the moment I am having a lot of fun with using Copic Markers. Karen: That’s amazing! I can totally see it come through your work as well 🙂

Karen: When I first came across your feed, one of the things that struck me about your work was the little captions underneath. I personally think they’re charming, witty and relevant but what’s the significance of them? Juliet: The captions are usually things people have said to me, sometimes they are from things that I have read. I never know what they will be until I hear it. It can really be anything that I connect with, anything that makes me think, or question what I already know. The quote usually comes first, however sometimes if I see something I’d really love to draw, I then find a quote that will go with it. Karen: That is so interesting because for me, I always shoot my photographs first and then the caption or title comes later!

Karen: My readers would like to know your biography … or at least a little about you – what do you do, how you roll? Juliet: I was born in Perth and moved to Melbourne about eight years ago. As I mentioned, I’m super curious so that means I have tried many different things. I have studied, accounting, journalism, makeup artistry, fashion and textiles merchandising and currently I’m in my third year of a Fashion Design Degree. I have worked as a barista, in fashion retail, I worked in Finance for ten years and now I work as an Assistant Designer for a Menswear label and as a Freelance Illustrator. I love doing new things, I love spending time with my friends, I love reading, going to the movies and drinking coffee. Lots of coffee please! Karen: Wow, that is really something, thank you so much for sharing!

That is a wrap people! I hope you enjoyed this Wednesday special and for now, I will leave you with this box of adorable doughnuts!

Prep To The Top

If you can’t beat them, prep, prep, prep to the top! Now that you’re all inspired by last week’s post, its time to start preparation. I’m  a big fan of planners because without them I would literally be hopping from foot to foot trying to decipher the jumbled find a word that is my brain. I think Kikki K slays when it comes to planners and diaries and I’ve used their ‘cute’ range two years in a row but for 2015 I decided to upgrade to a planner. Kikki K also greatly dictates what my power colours are for the new year and this year I’m definitely getting my strength from lilacs and champagne pinks.

There are some really beautiful blogs out there that are solely dedicated to planner decoration which involves layers of washi tape, stickers and quote cards but as much as I strive for that aesthetic, its simply a bit unpractical. Instead, I stick to the two most important basics that you’ll need: sticky notes and colourful pens.

I use colour pens to colour code my schedule for example pink pen = social events, light blue pen = blogging and green pen = exercise. Throughout the week, as new appointments, fees, etc. come into my life, I’ll put them down on the day they’re due. Then, on the Sunday of each week I’ll take a to-do list sticky note and write down things I need to do for Monday in order of priority. I usually write a big list that is never finished in 24 hours so by Tuesday I can move the sticky note down and continue checking off my items. However, if something bigger comes up the next day, I’ll layer another sticky note on top, complete those ones first and then go back to my original list.

When you have an empty day, planners seem redundant but when you want to make the most of every minute, this is how to do it! Don’t believe me? Try How To Become a Straight A Student by Cal Newport and 168 Hours You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam for case studies, statistics and activities that will make you feel like an incompetent sloth. Kidding! However, if you do want to see how sloth like you are, create a 24 hour graph and record how much time you spend doing things like a) scrolling through buzzfeed before you get out of bed b) waiting for someone to snapchat you back c) standing in line for free ice-cream taste testing.*

* Kidding Kidding, there is always time for ice cream taste testing!

Inspired Workplace

I was talking to a friend yesterday about how I was excited about 2015. Then she re-enlightened me to re-consider my own thoughts because I re-alised that I wasn’t actually excited about the new year but the concept of the new year.

In theory, we could wake up one epiphanic  day and decide today is the day: to quit sugar for good / start saving our moolah / keep in touch with friends  / give ourselves more me time / learn a new language. But in reality we procrastinate these things until New Year’s Eve where we decide that tomorrow will mark the first step to a better life.

I wish you the best of luck in keeping your 2015 resolutions …. but let’s be real, I’ll probably break half of mine by the second of January! Nonetheless, there’s something quite magical and fragile about a new year and like the prepared person I like to think I  am, I’m starting 2015 off with a short series that will hopefully inspire myself * my readers to have a kick butt twenty fifteen! Today’s post is all about inspiration, next week’s will be preparation and the one in a fortnight will be reflection so get excited kids.

* {whoops I was going to try to be more selfless this year}

I think one of the best ways to start a work day or study day is to have a clean desk. I think one of the best ways to start a new work or school year is to have a desk makeover. That’s why I’ve been really inspired by WeWork: a platform for creators that  provides the space, community and services every blogger needs for their creative endeavours. They know the importance of finding a place you join as an individual, ‘me’, but where you become part of a greater ‘we’. I wanted to reciprocate their co-working values through my desk area because for me its a place where I can express myself on my blog whilst being part of the blogging community.

To really see what you’ve got to work with, remove everything from your desk so you can have a blank space baby to add your new supplies. Wipe down your desk, test out all those dried gel pens from 6th grade on some paper and then proceed to throw them away.

Personally I am a big fan of mood boards, they make any bland space grand and this is the first year I’ve done one right onto the magnetised wall on my desk. Go ahead and gather all your favourite pictures and power fuelling quotes from magazines. Or if you can’t bare the heart wrenching pain of stabbing your magazines with scissors, try free papered items that you pick up at your shopping centre (This is the time to use them! Stop hoarding them in your house!). My favourites include Lorna Jane, Kikki K and Broadsheet.

After papering your walls, you can start adding the little knick knacks and random things that make you happy. Oh and the practical stuff that you know, you need to write things with.

Here’s a neat little idea for a potential 2015 project. I started a quote journal back in 2014 – its a notebook filled to the brim with uplifting quotes that I’ve collected along the way. It might seem a bit tedious and pointless at first but trust me, whenever you’re feeling down, hopeless or like a quitter, pulling out something like this will get you back on your feet fast!

Below are some examples of how I decorated my space very inexpensively! Starting from the left: an empty Champagne bottle from Christmas with a single fake rose, an ikea vase filled with unattractive markers and a framed paper bag from Kikki K’s Live Bright collection that clearly bounces off my desk with all that lilac and pink.