Years ago when Chris and I first moved to Ohio (yep, we did four years in Columbus, which is why Tiarra’s stories always make me so nostalgic), I met up with a friend for a weekday lunch. I walked into the restaurant — I think it was a Ruby Tuesday, Columbus’s dining scene has since drastically improved — wearing the same outfit I’d worn to my office job that morning: jeans, a graphic T-shirt, a blazer and heels. And when I sat down, the first words out of my friend’s mouth were “oh my god, you’re so California.”
As we approached the salad bar (what is it about green peas and julienned jicama that make salad bar salads so appealing!?), I invited her to explain.
“You wore a T-shirt to your office. And it looks good! I could never do that here.”
And maybe it was truly how California I was — or how woefully unprofessional — but I had honestly never given it a second thought. To me, adding a boyish blazer to just about any outfit made it reasonable for work. And to be fair, my previous position was at a tiny PR firm overlooking Pismo Beach, complete with golden retriever and mid-morning meditation sessions, so maybe I was exactly as West Coast-jaded as she was suggesting. But it’d been my go-to uniform for just about every occasion (happy hour, date night, brunch — and yes, the office) for as long as I could remember. I was shocked she hadn’t considered the combo. And then we spent the rest of our lunch break shopping the mall for graphic tees.
Today, obviously, this is still one of my favorite outfit formulas. Granted, for the office I would swap out the distressed jeans for a darker wash or even wide-leg crop with more of a trouser feel (and, yes, I’d swap these amazing gold heels — more on those later! — for a playful pump), but it’s just so effortless and easy, I can’t help but come back to it time and again. Guess it’s just the California girl in me.
Outfit Details
Graphic T // Lucky graphic tees are SO very good. Soft and comfy, and just fitted enough (I’m wearing a XS, which is TTS). Love the muted colors in this one, too.
Jeans // Sadly, this exact tattered wash from [BLANKNYC] is sold out, but this is the same cut in a little different iteration (limited sizes available), and I love the tattered distressing on this one, too. (Note that all the pairs I’ve linked here are 100% cotton, and I sized up to a 26. This particular style, the Madison Crop, is also sold in loads of other washes with varying degrees of stretch, so if you’re after a jean that wears more “rigid,” just be sure to check the fabric details.) For the office, I would swap in my new favorite Everlane High Rise Skinnies, which hold their shape all day.
Blazer // Old. But the same exact things I love about mine — the rounded lapel, the slightly oversized fit and the structured shoulders — can all be found in this well-priced option, which has loads of great reviews at Anthro.
Sunnies // Tiarra mentioned these $15 Amazon sunnies in a post months back, and I couldn’t stop thinking about them. They’re just the right proportion (big but not too big) and lightweight. So many colors, too!
Heels // THESE HEELS, yoo guys. I debated for so long between the black patent and the gold (so many of you chimed in on Facebook that you ended up getting both!), but I LOVE the finish on the gold. The slightly worn dot pattern feels like something between distressing and animal print. Truly a super-versatile heel that’s exceptionally comfy for the height. (True story: I wore these to a wedding and an afterparty, and even though I was glad to take them off at 2:30am, I was in much better shape than most!) Can’t wait to wear them again and again this holiday season. Wearing an 8, which is TTS.
Bag // Vintage! My mom’s mom’s, which my mom brought out to our house a few months ago for Lana to use as “dress up” — but I’ve since claimed as my own. Here’s something similar that is equally fun for evening or playful for day — the hoop handles are super on-trend.
Shop My Go-To Outfit For All Occasions
Shop More Of My Fave Graphic Tees
(For Dressing Up or Down)
xo!
Em
Guys! Follow me on Instagram for more peeks into our life on the Northern California coast. And if you feel so inclined, pop over to my personal food + lifestyle blog, The Pig & Quill, where I share salty scribblings from my kitchen and home life. Byeeeeee!
Photos by Carolyn Stockman.
 is on point for all your streetstyle aspirations. Blazer, graphic tee, denim, heels. Done.){kind=link}
I was cracking up at how your style is perceived as “Californian” at least when you were in Ohio. I guess it is? I love seeing your (and Laura’s) posts from the West Coast… as I’m just across 92 from you, over the hill… it makes me happy to see the area’s styles in print, so to speak. Thank you so much… love your outfit and this is totally something I would wear (and do wear!) due to the influence of the great stylists here on The Mom Edit
Oh heyyyy neighbor! Glad we could provide some inspiration! 🙂
So good! I currently have my J. Crew shopping bag full of ALL the graphic tees! Haha! I am loving blazers with everything these days!
Same here! A blazer is just so easy. And J.Crew and Lucky are killing it with the T’s!
Living in Columbus, I am disappointed to see Ohio so sadly represented with regards to fashion and even culture…. Ruby Tuesday’s? Surprised by denim in the workplace? I understand that this was your experience, but when other’s respond like Ohio is a flyover state “at least you were in Ohio”, it’s very dismissive.
Oy! — that’s not what I intended at all. I, in fact, had a very positive experience in Ohio and it holds a pretty special spot in my heart since my husband and I made some of our most significant, “growing years” memories there. We visit regularly and are always impressed by the renaissance it seems Columbus has seen in the past 15 years. (To be fair, that story about Ruby Tuesday *was* indeed 15 years ago, and while there was plenty of good food to be found then, there is truly a foodie scene to behold now, which is perhaps how I should have phrased it.) And I think the comment about workplace fashion is still somewhat relevant. My friend’s shock was more in response to the graphic T than the jeans, but I think very generally speaking, workplace attire in the Midwest still tends to lean slightly more conservative than on the East and West Coast (at least this holds true for my friends who work in the corporate worlds of healthcare, pharmaceuticals and finance) — but that doesnt mean folks are sacrificing fashion. Big apologies for the misunderstanding!