Office Rebel

In high school I was a member of Future Business Leaders of America, FBLA. During my first regional conference, I signed up for the job interview competition. I had practiced mock interviews for weeks leading up to the conference, and I felt confident in my black suit, a white button up and black flats. I even added a little ‘Audree’ flair with a red belt; harmless and just a pop of personality I thought. After the competition, I received feedback from the judges and their comments about my outfit were harsh. They said my belt was unprofessional, risqué, and too fashion-forward for the office. That experience has carried with me through my internships, job interviews and jobs – what is appropriate for the office? Luckily today I work in an industry that doesn’t require black suits, and accessories, such as a simple red belt, would be considered almost a necessity to pull together an outfit.

I love showing my personality through my outfits and I don’t worry too much about having to buy separate office and personal wardrobes. I mix and match pieces, such as layering my favorite biker tee over my classic white H&M button up, an office-appropriate pencil skirt, and topping it all off with a simple silver belt to define my waist. Now I understand not all office dresscodes allow biker tees, skull rings, and even heeled rain boots, but don’t let your office wardrobe bore you. Buy pieces that you can also make work in your personal life, layering is key and show your personality with each piece! H&M has great pieces for the office – their blazers, button-ups and dresses are really reasonably priced plus you can also invest in pieces that work for your personal life. I feel like there has been a lot of talk recently about H&M and their designer collaborations. In the past, H&M has continuously slotted high-end talent from Karl Lagerfeld, Beyonce, Alexander Wang, and now Balmain. I personally think it’s a really cool way for retailers to bring high-end designs to the H&M customer at a reasonable price – and with fast fashion taking over the retail industry, it’s connecting designers with a new type of consumer they didn’t have before.

When Balmain instantly sold out, my good friend, Ariane and I starting talking about who we thought the new H&M collaboration would be. Would it be another young breakout star like Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, a fashion week favorite like Givenchy, or a brand such as Chloe who emanates the 70’s boho vibe of spring. Take a look at Sports Betting Dime‘s list of potential choices and comment below about who you would like to see at H&M’s next designer collaboration. Happy Tuesday! xx

SHOP SIMILAR LOOK IN THE LINKS BELOW:

PURSE | TRENCH | TEE | BUTTON-UP | SKIRT | BOOTS

BIKER TEE (THRIFT) | BUTTON UP (H&M) | TRENCH (THRIFT) | SKIRT (C/O JAZZYK) | BOOTS (C/O SOREL) |PURSE (GOODWILL) | NECKLACE (AMAZON) | CUFF (FREE PEOPLE)

PHOTOGRAPHY: SAM KELLY