Work Wear

It's not my usual style, I'm the first to admit that.  We have no dress code at work, thank god, so I can and do wear pretty much whatever I want. If you've seen an outfit post of mine with a brick wall background, that means I've worn it to work.  So that can range from 6 inch tapestry wedge boots to vintage cherry print dresses to almost anything #wardrobezoo related.

Matalan asked me to take part in their January Style Project and obviously I said yes please. I love looking at their monthly challenges and seeing how varied the four outfits manage to be.  If you haven't seen the project series before, it's fairly simple: they arm four bloggers with £50 and a theme, then set them loose.  This month's theme was Work Wear and that meant quite a challenge for me. As I've already said, it's not what I usually choose.  I have a morbid fear of black polyester and I just don't suit pencil skirts and fitted dresses.  But work wear doesn't have to be any of those things.  I think as long as it's smart and appropriate, you're fine.  Why not let a bit of personality shine through in terms of colour and pattern?

I had a whale of a time zooming round my local Matalan store and trying armfuls of things on.  Eventually I narrowed it down to this:

I was already out of my comfort zone so thought I'd go the whole hog and pick a colour I don't usually wear either.  It was too cold when I took the photos to dare taking off the blazer so you can't really see the full effect of the sleeves or back of the dress but it's purple all over, with the exception of a black panel down the middle (a gorgeous aqua and black version is available online) and is both super comfy and rather smart.

Add a pair of shoes that look like my sadly now-departed ballet pumps but with heels and I was good to go!

Love the purple stitching against the black panel!

Dress, blazer, shoes, ring and bag - c/o Matalan (and well under the £50 limit!)

I love everything, but especially the fab doctor's bag. Such a nice shape and it holds all my general handbag rubbish very nicely indeed. Plus it has a strap and a handle. Perfect!

So if you approve of my choices, I'd be much obliged if you'd hop over to the Matalan blog and vote for me!