What does one do when packing for a quick business trip to the snowy north-country? Throw random garments in an overnight bag and hit the road without giving your attire more than a fleeting thought, of course!

I arrived in McCall on Monday with a cushy 10 minutes to spare before my first of many meetings. Fortunately, I wore a fantastically comfortable hand-knit wool sweater over layered cotton tank tops, my favorite pair of jeans, and wool lined waterproof leather boots that are so cozy they may as well be slippers. By pairing these items with some key accents – raw silk scarf, Hazel Cox earrings, and turquoise Navajo pawn ring – I managed to pull off a great “business casual” look.

This feat of comfort and fashionability reaffirms my gripe that there is absolutely no excuse for people who show up to work, school, or public in general for that matter, in sweats. Shame on you public sweat pant wearers! If I wanted to see you in your jammies, I’d stop by your house at 7am. Didn’t your mother teach you common decency? Oh wait, I guess we learn our social behavior from celebrities now…

Shame on you, Madonna! Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you get to be a slob.

How embarrassing – these girls must have forgotten to change
out of their PJs before leaving the house! 

4 hours later, meeting #1 out of the way, and I am unpacking my things at Ma’s house. This can’t be right – I’ve only packed one blouse, a pencil skirt, a pair of jeans, a couple sweater vests, and a pair of heeled boots that look quite comical when worn in snow country…….double check. Yep, that’s it. What the hell was I thinking? Apparently I was thinking, “Gee, I’d sure love a sprained ankle and a good outfit challenge during my two full days of meetings!” Sigh……challenge it is. Here’s what I came up with:

Outfit Attempt #1

Not only did I pack just one blouse, I happened to pack a vintage Sakowitz silk number that I’ve never worn. I’ve certainly tried, but the big, billowy neck bow has always stopped me short. The color is positively swoon-worthy, and the silk is top-quality, but that damned bow! It’s just so….bow-like.

My first attempted outfit was with a silk-cotton blended sweater vest by August Silk, a pair of grey jeans by Abercrombie, my steadfast black leather boots, and my trusty companion – the glorious brown suede Bonnie Cashin purse. Not quite feeling this one though…..let’s try again!

Outfit Attempt #2

I love the color palate here, but this is a mess of a getup for the winter McCall climate. The black wool pencil skirt by J. Crew is the quintessential “business attire” staple, which I’m sure is the reason why I threw it in my suitcase, and the bone-white leather booties are a fantastic modern answer to the ho-hum black leather heels that most dames wear in their business attire, but neither of these items will do in 6 feet of snow. However, the beautiful, creamy white knit wool vest with braided leather covered buttons by Sentex of Australia is getting closer……so warm, so elegant…

Side Note: I love that my Worthington tights perfectly match the warm brown of my vest buttons, the bone hue of the booties pair perfectly with the vest, my Hazel Cox earrings have a stripe of true red that matches the blouse, and the turquoise in my ring is complimentary to the blouse. And note how the knot of the silk tie mirrors the knot in my ‘20’s era beaded knot necklace, a lovely gift from Kim Philley. Details, details, details!

Outfit Attempt #3

Well, here it be – the outfit I finally chose as the one to wear during day #2 of a long day of meetings. It pulls the best from both blouse explorations, and creates a look that stands out but is still understated. I wanted something unique and fashion-forward, but had to make sure I felt comfortable in what I was wearing in order to focus on my tasks rather than fretting over my attire. And as per usual, everything here was purchased at a pittance from various thrift stores.

This humble fashion feat begs for one last declaration of shame……..Hillary, WHY?? It really is completely unnecessary to wear such god-awful business attire. Please, next time you peer into your vast closet of polyester pantsuits, reconsider. The fate of our nation’s image rests largely on your ghastly clad, foam-padded shoulders, and how can anyone be taken seriously when dressed head to toe in a single and oft unflattering color? Just……please, reconsider.