Blue Shirt: Tie and Pants Pairings
I counted it up the other week out of pure boredom: seventeen. That’s how many times this year I’ve been asked, mid text message or mid panic in my own…
Tunic Tops: Pants, Layers and Shoes
I bought my first real tunic top in the fall of 2004, at a craft fair in a church basement in Aurora, from a woman selling hand dyed rayon that…
Best Shirt Colors for a Light Gray Suit
I own eleven dress shirts that exist for exactly one reason. A light gray suit I bought three years ago from a shop in Wicker Park that has since closed,…
Wide Leg Jeans 2026: Shoes and Outfit Ideas
Okay so I need to tell you about the pair of wide leg jeans that almost got me stuck on an escalator at the Domain in Austin, because I think…
Velvet Pants: Tops and Outfit Ideas
Velvet pants have a reputation problem, and for years I was actively contributing to it. The general consensus, at least among the women in my office, is that velvet pants…
Sneakers: Socks and Outfit Ideas
Seventeen. That’s the count, and I did it twice because I didn’t believe myself the first time. Seventeen pairs of sneakers lined up along my hallway in Chicago, in an…
Brown Leggings: Simple Outfit Ideas
I own eleven pairs of brown leggings. I counted this morning while procrastinating a phone call I didn’t want to make, and eleven felt like a number I should be…
Gray Pants and Jeans for Women: Styling Ideas
I bought a pair of gray dress pants in 2011 specifically because the saleswoman told me gray was “the new black,” and I nodded like this was groundbreaking information rather…
Black Jeans for Men: Tops and Layers That Work
My husband owns six pairs of black jeans. I know this because I counted them last Sunday while doing laundry, laid them out on the bed like some kind of…
Black Denim Jacket: Jeans, Pants and Shirts That Work
My sister called me on a Tuesday, which she never does, just to tell me she’d seen a photo of me in my black denim jacket standing next to my…