Two Ways: Yellow Pencil Skirt
Mar 6, 2012
Skirt: Double Serge Pencil Skirt (J.Crew, $110)
From the Left, Blouse: Dot Popover ($88) Sunglasses: similar AX Exchange Sunnies ($65) Bag: Brahmin Glossy Bag ($295) Shoes: Aldo Vanliere ($41)
From the Right, Blouse: Malene Birger Tie Neck ($285) Sunglasses: Karen Walker Perfect Day Sunnies ($180) Bag: Modalu Florence Oak Clutch ($162) Shoes: Slingback court Shoes ($215)
While I like the look that layering pieces can provide, sometimes you just need a simple outfit that you can throw on in the morning. These two work looks are stylish and easy to recreate.
For the Office. A brightly-colored pencil with a patterned blouse is a great look for spring. Here, I mixed a citron skirt with a neutral, polka dot blouse. This look combines two trends but also has a classic feel to it.
For the accessories, I love this Brahmin bag. It’s feminine details and vintage-inspired shape make it a great addition to any wardrobe. I also carried the slightly vintage feel into the shoes and sunglasses by choosing t-straps and a sunnies with a slightly-oversized cat eye shape.
While there is no jewelry in the set, I’d wear this with simple diamond and gold studs and a gold cuff. I’d also roll the sleeves to relax the look a bit and show off the bracelet. If you wanted to wear something bolder, you could leave the blouse unbuttoned at the neck and wear a black bib necklace.
As for the hair, I would wear a wavy, pretty updo. And for the makeup, I would choose a palette of muted Earth tones on the eyes, a rose cheek and a slightly glossy lip. I’d also wear red polish on my toenails.
For the Office. Longtime readers of this site know that I love to mix green and yellow. It’s one of my favorite color combinations. Here, the palette gets new life thanks to this season’s brightest shade, citron, and a deep emerald green.
I love tie-neck blouses. I like how feminine they are. I like that they feel pulled together. And I like that they look great with or without a jacket. I would seriously own one in every color, but that might be overkill.
When dealing with such a vibrant palette, light brown shoes just don’t have enough force. So I used cognac and British tan accessories instead. Add in a pair of tortoise shell sunglasses and the look is complete.
Again, no jewelry in this set, but I would do a big green cocktail ring and some sleek drop earrings in gold. I just think with this color palette, gold is the richer look over silver.
For the hair, I would wear it half-up/half-down and straight. For the makeup, I would wear grey shadows with charcoal liner and a berry lip. I’d also wear greige or pale pink on my nails
Love. I just bought a yellow pencil skirt from ASOS and can't wait to try these two looks! Now to get similar tops. My budget is more along the lines of the unpaid intern haha. I recently found your blog and its amazing so thanks! I work in the Government sector as well and all the advice as well as fashion is greatly appreciated!
I have everything in this set, except for the skirt… which I just bought online. Love this and I'd never in a million years think to buy a yellow skirt, but the outfits are simple but absolutely stunning.
One of my favorite sets for work! Unfortunately those Aldo shoes I was instantly in love with are no longer available.
You recommend hair half up/half down. Can you do a post about how to make this look professional? When I do it, I look like a mall bop. Not really the look i'm going for.
A warning to anyone thinking of buying the “yellow” skirt: I ordered it online and when it arrived, it was definitely not yellow – more like chartreuse, verging on lime green. It's much harder to match with things than yellow. When I returned it in the store, I complained about the mismatch between the color in the web photo and the color in real life. The lady working the register said a lot of other people had returned it for the same reason.
Another note- I order this skirt in the jade green color. First time I wore it, the slit in the back ripped several inches as I was getting out of my car– a standard sedan, not some powertrain dually.