Good morning, mes chéries! I hope all of you slept more than I did this weekend, as I am currently writing this post in a zombie state of being. I’ve done a little more socializing and a lot less taking care of myself this past week, but sometimes you just can’t trade in the memories of bonding with your work family for a nap (unless you’re Corinne).

As you may know, a new chapter in my life started last Monday as I headed to training for my first full-time job! While I was lucky enough to know half the new hire class and understand the company from my previous summer internship there, there were so many new faces, new teams, and new information I had the pleasure of meeting and learning about. After all, the workplace is always changing. While my actually office’s dress code is very casual, we dressed up for onboarding which is taking place from last Monday through this upcoming Friday.

Dressing appropriately for a professional setting is always a challenge but vital skill. I didn’t want to look too formal since it’s not in our office culture, but I had to strike a balance and not look too casual. As a result, I created these following looks to share with you all:

MONDAY

It’s day one of training! I opted for the most formal of all my business casual clothes. In this case, it was a light blue fitted dress (that either seems to have loosened or I lost weight…? unsure) from Banana Republic retailing about $128. I purchased it on sale during their Fourth of July sale for somewhere around $40 give or take (sorry, I lost this receipt!). This dress albeit fitted is still professional without being overly formal or too tight. I paired it with low nude patent leather pumps from Madden Girl (around $55) that are easy to walk in, since you never know how your first day will go.

I tossed on my Perverse Sunglasses Buh-Bye Paparazzi shades ($48) in tortoise to avoid awkward eye contact with anyone.

PS! You can actually attempt to spin that cube behind me! I haven’t tried it yet, but I hear it’s heavy…

TUESDAY

Unfortunately, Tuesday was a rough day for photography. I apologize for only snagging two photos for you, but I hope you get the big picture! I tossed a navy Tahari blazer (originally around $130, purchased at $40) over a flowy Banana Republic print dress (originally around $148, purchased on sale at $32). This allowed me to stay cozy with the office AC blowing at me but have the ability to air out as I walked to a company event after work in the sweltering heat. I paired this outfit with white block sandals from Clarks to bring out the white accents in the dress (and because the block sandals are so comfortable for walking).

WEDNESDAY

When it comes to Hump Day, it can go great or terribly. This hump day was particularly long and weird. It started out with my morning commute costing a large price as I had to cab downtown to work. I couldn’t take the subway because as I was approaching the station, a passenger randomly passed away at my station due to natural causes… Things that would only happen to me, right? While no cab fare should be compared to the loss of a life, I was highly annoyed that MTA was not swift in their actions, causing major delays. I ended up fighting for a cab with 100 people going to work and showed up to training late. I did learn that: telling your boss “I am sorry I’m late! Someone dropped dead in my subway station this morning” gives you the same facial expressions as your teacher would if you said “My dog ate my homework.” Strange.

On a lighter note, I dressed up a little bit more on Wednesday because I believe that dressing nicely helps cheer up a long or dreadful day. In this outfit, I paired a Banana Republic skirt and top together with a pair of duo-nude tone leather and suede strap heels from Cole Haan. Like every other outfit before it, I paired it with my pearl necklace. *proper and poised* amrite? I’m forever confused as to where the slit of this skirt is supposed to go, as it seems to be in the front between my thunder thighs. To avoid that awkward look, I turned the skirt to the side.

Thankfully, my subway line was up and running by the time I was out of work.

THURSDAY

It’s Friday junior! At 5pm on Thursdays, my office throws a huge themed happy hour party for everyone. With that in mind, I tossed on a more comfortable dress and shoes as I knew I would be on my feet for a majority of the evening. While training was important, it was also very important for me to make a good impression socializing with my new hire class and new coworkers at the event! People want to know who you are as a person and not just what is on your resumé.

This dress is from All Saints, one of my favorite stores, and retailed for about a little under $300. I managed to snag it on sale for $175, a hefty price my fashionista heart decided to pay after pacing around the store for an hour. I absolutely love the feel of the fabric and how it fits, flattering all body types. Olive is also one of my favorite colors as it matches both my pale winter skin and tan summer skin very well. I paired this dress with my Nine West nude wedges ($49) that honestly probably should be retired soon but are still holding up very well.

As you can tell from my smile combined with the wrinkles on my skirt, I was very happy to not be sitting still anymore after a long day of zero movement.

FRIDAY

Finally. It took us long enough to get to this day! I, as well as the rest of my new hire class, dressed down in pants because the office AC was just getting the best of us. Unfortunately for all of us, New York heavens pissed all over the place for a solid hour during all our morning commutes. The area outside the office was in puddles, and we all walked into the cold building with our pants soaked from bottom to mid-calf… I was not having it.

Excuse my massive food baby, but here is my final outfit of the week! My shoes and pants finally dried (or kind of dried) around 3pm. The cold rain caused my pants to wrinkle up, but at least I managed to get a few not-too-shabby photos during a break my team and I took when we got sick of preparing our presentation. (I added two photos from when I purchased them to show you what they WOULD have looked like without the rain.) I paired a Banana Republic tank top with a Banana Republic pant in the Logan cut which is a contemporary trouser fit. The top was originally $50, marked down to $18. The pants were originally $138 and made of lightweight wool; I purchased them on sale during their Fourth of July special markdown for somewhere around $50. My light slate blue leather flats are Nine West and old. If I recall correctly, they came from my mother’s closet and were purchased around $45.

That’s it for this lookbook! Shoutout to my amazing coworkers for snagging these shots (Kendra & Julia, you guys are the best!). I hope you guys enjoyed it and found it useful or helpful for your future work days. Being professional and successful is twofold: what you can do and how you carry yourself. Even if you can’t do the part yet (like me), looking the part never hurts!

I’ll see you in my next post on Thursday, mes chéries. Bisou, bisou…

Erica Huang

Based in New York City, Erica Huang is the creator and voice behind Bouge & Rouge. This blog is a playground of her thoughts where she invites you to join her on her journey through her 20s. Erica shares her lifestyle, fashion and beauty tips, adventures, and personal thoughts with the goal of inspiring others to always persevere and be unapologetically yourself.

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