I don't think I've really ever purposely put together an outfit with this type of contrast, but it was very easy to do. Add a girly light pink lace-front sweater and some pearls to black pants, black oxford shoes, and a blazer and you're good to go.
Pink lace-front sweater (Kohls)
Black on black striped pants (thrifted, JCP)
Black and white windowpane blazer (thrifted, Target)
Double strand pearls (Macy's)
Black oxfords (thrifted, Munro American)
I think these shoes are one of my favorite Goodwill finds ever. They are comfortable, high quality, and have a great masculine look, but are a bit more interesting than your standard oxfords because the top of the shoe is suede while the rest is leather. Nice and subtle.
Verdict: Masculine + feminine pieces is a good formula. Will do again.
Of course, one thing thinking about "masculine" and "feminine" with respect to clothing brings to mind is how much more strongly gendered female clothing is than male clothing, and how much more acceptable it is for a woman to "dress like a man" than a man to "dress like a woman." I guess it makes sense that it would be acceptable/understandable for women to wear masculine clothing, especially in the workplace, as they attempt to take on the positive qualities (tough, smart, level-headed, business-like, strong) of men, but the idea of a man wanting to seem more like a woman (soft, emotional, weak, vulnerable) by wearing feminine clothing? Ridiculous!
4 comments:
I love this outfit. Pink and black always looks good together.
Agreed. I rarely wear light pink but I'm glad I bought this lacy pink sweater.
This is about like I always dress at work.
For the womanly qualities, I prefer more positive-sounding traits like caring, fair, organized/multi-tasking, and good at reading/writing (versus math). But even in public-facing jobs (where these are obviously appropriate), I don't really notice men trying to look more feminine. One exception is that cool ice skating announcer guy.
Debbie, it's a nice basic look for a work uniform, I think.
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