Debuting My New Image

Thursday evening, I went to a professional function... and most of the other attorneys and judges present had not seen me in at least a year. Almost as soon as I hit the door, I received several compliments on my hair, my outfit, and generally looking good... it's so nice to see positive initial results on my image overhaul!



Notice how nicely this jacket hangs... there is a hidden hook so I can close it. And it hangs nicely closed as well, although occasionally the hook undoes itself. No biggie.

While the restroom in the restaurant we met in was lovely (how cool is the wallpaper!), it did not have a full-length mirror to capture the entire outfit. Fortunately, the truck stop on the way home does:



I call this jacket and trousers a "suit substitute" (where did I pick up that term... perhaps "What Not to Wear"?), and it's actually the first set I bought this year as an "interview suit". When I was in the Mitten caring for Mom, setting up my parents' new apartment, and rapidly gaining weight on a near-daily diet of gluten-free pizza and pint(s) of ice cream... the jeans and pants I packed for the trip were getting uncomfortably reminiscent of sausage-casing.

So a trip to the local Lane Bryant for some jeans was called for... I didn't have time to mess around with a big search, and LB is my go-to store for jeans and pants. When I walked in the door, a saleslady handed me a coupon: $10 off my purchase just to try on "career wear" pants... and $20 off my purchase if I actually bought a pair of them. Worked on me!

I would have just tried on the trousers for the $10 off my jeans... but when I saw this jacket in the clearance racks I was sold! The colors are gorgeous and work with the pinstripes. And it fit like a dream!

OK, the shot is blurry, but it's the best one of the colors I have been able to get:



Little-known fact: if the Lane Bryant online price or sale is better than the one in the store, the store will match it. This came in incredibly handy on Cyber Monday, when I was able to score the one-day half-off-everything on the site. While the store still had to order some items for me, I got to take some of my purchases home that day. Including this trinket I picked up specifically to match this jacket:



I didn't like the earring that were intended for it, but I have something suitable at home:



I have some new pointy-ties patent croc shoes I wanted to try... but they didn't look good with the outfit. Too shiny. I think they would be better for my black suit. So I pulled these out instead:



Even though they are heels, they aren't toe-crunchers at all... love them!

Jacket: Lane Bryant
Top: Grace via The Bon Ton
Pants: Lane Bryant
Necklace: Lane Bryant
Earrings: via Sally Beauty Supply
Shoes: Easy Spirit. I don't remember where I got them, probably at TJ Maxx since I don't have the box. But I don't see any price marked on the soles, so it may have been when I tossed shoe boxes out... which was stupid. The next likely candidate is Marshall Field's (oh, how I miss thee... Macy's is not the same!)