Adding Color to Your Work Style

Friends, who else is excited that it is Friday?! Because I sure am! It’s been2 weeks (tomorrow) since moving into my new place and I’m finally getting into the swing of walking more places, knowing my way to work without the GPS and the best spots in the parking garage. (I would like to personally count the last one as a double win, please & thank you). In addition to those changes, if you haven’t already noticed, majority of my style content on the blog and Instagram has been work style. I chatted about this a few months back, but when putting out a ton of polls, most of you voted for more work wear and y’all, I actually love it. With work wear, there isn’t the same need to be super trendy or to follow the latest and greatest items out there. You can also invest more in pieces that will live with you for years and you can challenge yourself to style the same pants or top 4-5 different ways without anyone noticing. Especially now working in a super biz-casual environment, I find myself wearing more recycled work wear that spills over into my weekends

When it comes to adding color, I really, really, really hate “traditional” work wear that’s mainly black, brown, grey and navy blue. BARF, seriously. Just like with my weekend wear, my home and everything else I love + own, I’m always looking for the colors. Not only do colors make me happy, but bright colors tend to attract more people to you and as an extrovert + fashion lover, there’s nothing I love more than sparking a conversation with others over what we are wearing. So, today I’m sharing a few ways to add color to your work style.

One | Earrings – It’s no surprise that colorful earrings are my jam y’all! I recently posted all about how I find statement earrings on a budget . If you’re not yet comfortable with throwing a mix of colors into your outfit, earrings are a great way to make an outfit pop with low investment. AKA you can buy tons and donate when you’re tired of them.

Two | Shoes – With over 75 pairs in my closet, shoes are clearly my love language and a great way to add color to your outfit. Getting away from black and neutral shoes, adding colors like red, patent pink, yellow and green instantly brighten your entire closet and can take you through each season. My tip for buying work shoes is to buy off season. Right now, you’ll start seeing a ton of bright colors, patterns and espadrilles/open-toe style shoes going on mega sale and clearance. And I don’t know about you, but I tend to wear espadrilles and open-toe shoes almost all year around. Especially with how warm it stays in North Carolina, I can pay 1/3-1/5 of the price for espadrilles and wear them for at least 2-3 months before feeling like I need to switch to boots and booties. I recently picked up these espadrilles for only $40 that retail at $120. Just by shopping off season, I got the same great pair of shoes for so much less. I operate this same way for work shoes and picked up the shoes I’m styling today for only $40.

Three | Prints – By far the easiest way to add color to your work style is by shopping prints! Prints, even if it’s a two-color print only, make any work outfit pop and show off your fun personality. My favorite prints are florals, cheetah print and bold vertical stripes (horizontal stripes don’t work well for me). With prints, adding a pop of color in your shoes or jewelry is an easy way to tie the look up perfectly.

Four | Makeup – If you love playing around with makeup, colorful eye shadows and lip colors could be your BFF. I am always a little jealous of the girls that can blend multiple colors on their eyes for the perfect bright color balance and it matches their outfit flawlessly. If you love colorful makeup, even if you dress in neutrals or one main color, your eye makeup can make the entire outfit look different. For me, I’m always up for a red lip and a little gold glitter on the eyes and high cheeks.

Five | Purse/ work tote – Lastly, your work bag or tote. Since most people want to have a neutral colored item here, you can always play around with the color of your laptop bag or bookbag, if you prefer to use one. This way, you can keep your neutral tote for season after season, and can have a little bit more fun playing around with laptop bag colors and small cross-bodies for all your essentials.

Well friends, that’s it for me today! As always, I love to hear from you so leave a comment below letting me know what items you use as a pop of color in your outfits. We’ll chat again next week! -xo, Azanique <3