Not a Blogger: A Corporate Fashun Blog

Katie 1 is a holiday junkie so naturally, she gets super into Halloween and is usually the only person in her office who dresses up. Katie 2 and Elizabeth are boring and thus are not fans of dressing up for Halloween at work.  They are wrong- this is an awesome post that is super helpful to all 3 of our readers!   So… in an office where no one is fun when it comes to Halloween, how does Katie 1 dress up and still fall within the office dress code?  Easy. She picks a costume that can easily be put together using her existing work wardrobe.  For example, last year she put a white button up on under the Old Navy t shirt dress that we all love (and is still available), added some tights and black flats, parted her hair down the middle and wore it in braided pigtails and BOOM! Wednesday Addams costume accomplished. The year before, she wore a red wrap dress and devil horns. Sure, these aren’t very imaginative costumes, but they are work appropriate an...

So you may remember in our Layering post that one of Elizabeth's favorite fall accessories is a scarf. We're not talking about the wool one you bundle up with, but a scarf that is part of your look. Elizabeth has a lot of scarves- not as much as she has makeup, but a LOT. Like booties , she finds them to be versatile and a great addition to an outfit, but not something she (or any of us) actually reach for very often. If you too have thought you'd like to incorporate scarves into your wardrobe, here are some suggestions. Scarves can add a pop of color and/or pattern to an otherwise plain outfit . They can also tie an outfit together by combining all the colors you are wearing into one piece. Think of them as a substitute for a necklace with the bonus of keeping you warm when there is a slight nip in the air, or the office A/C is too much for you.  There are a myriad of ways to tie a scarf, and to be honest, the written directions are hard to follow, so rather than...

So we weren't planning on posting for Workout Wednesday this week and we usually try to steer away from workout clothing recommendations because everyone does that, but our lunchtime online shopping compelled us to post.  Why? Because the We Made Too Much   section of Lululemon's website has some AMAZING finds right now, including an awesome selection of gym bags ( and you know how important we think gym bags are ). We're particularly fond of the following items (and we'll let you know which ones we own and love). Tops: Available in a ton of colors and sizes, the ever popular Cool Racerback Tank  is reduced to between $34 and $29.  Also available in 3 colors and most sizes, our absolute favorite cold weather long sleeve running top (which also doubles as a base layer for skiing), the Rest Less Pullover is reduced to between $49 and $69.  Guys - THIS IS A STEAL and it will sell out so get thee to Lululemon and buy it RIGHT NOW.  Sports Bras:...

According to the calendar it’s fall, so as a fashion blog it’s time to discuss boots.  Boots are one of those autumn items that are super versatile and if the pair you own is classic enough, you can wear them forever.  Boots also come in all shapes and sizes, especially as the bootie trend seems to be sticking around for awhile.  We here at Not a Fashun Blog certainly have opinions on booties (Elizabeth is a fan, the Katies are more skeptical) but we all own at least one pair.  We also have opinions on boots and we all own at least one pair.  Because the world of boots is fairly large, we’re going to divide this post into 3 sections: Boots, Booties, and Novelty Boots/Booties.  As always, recommendations will be at 3 price points.  Let’s get started! Boots   A classic riding boot is perhaps one of the most timeless staples in a real working girl’s wardrobe.  A classic boot in a classic color (think black, brown or oxblood) will neve...

Remember our very first Shoes Day Tuesday post ? Yeah, we know we recommended that you not get the basic bitch tall Hunter boot. But that recommendation was not because we don't love the look of the boot- it's because it doesn't really work for us. But if you're looking for the classic Hunter rain boot, we are here to let you know that Costco has them currently on sale for $89.99 . And that, my friend, is a smokin' deal. You can thank us later (and if you're looking for a way to say thanks, pick up some wine while you're there. Nothing says "thanks a bunch" like a bottle of wine).

Confession - today's post was supposed to be about an amazing green Boden midi dress that Katie 1 picked up on super clearance. However, on her way into work this morning she saw a lady wearing this tweed blazer from Target   and reconsidered her original post because this blazer is AMAZING! It's also only $34.99. (See what we did there - we recommended an item of clothing that costs less than $100 in the normal course of business, not in a "Look for Less" post because we realize that like us, Real Working Girls don't want to spend $500 on every.single.piece.of.clothing.) Now that we've stepped off our soapbox... let's get down to business. While we love how the blazer is styled in the photo above, it's actually even more stunning in person. The lady Katie 1 saw this morning styled it with a simple black pencil skirt (unfortunately she didn't see her blouse) and what appeared to be a subtle animal print (dalmatian perhaps?) Tory Burch Reva ...

On Sunday, October 15, Katie 2 completed her first half marathon. This is a fete because prior to training, the farthest she had ever run is 7.5 miles, and that was back in high school.  (We are not going to do the math and figure out how long ago that was.) A half marathon was something she had talked about doing for a few years as but she just never pulled the trigger. After she turned 30, Katie 2 decided that it was something she needed to do, and despite not being able to convince anyone to sign up with her, she registered for the Detroit/Windsor International Half Marathon. Christmas 2016, Katie 2’s boyfriend (now fiancé!!!) got super creative and bought her an Apple Watch and Bluetooth headphones (he thought of it all on his own- he is an excellent gift giver).  The watch is the Nike+ watch which has the athletic band and comes preprogrammed with the Nike+ Run Club app. This set the tone for the half prep she’s going to tell you about below. [Note: Katie 1 runs ...

If you could only shop at three stores for the rest of your life, what would they be? Yes, we know it's a tragic thought. But go ahead. Try it. For Katie 2, Target has been on this list for years and will probably stay on the list for eternity. You can buy groceries, makeup, redecorate your house, buy wedding presents for your friends, or update your wardrobe with new designer collabs every year. Katie 1 agrees although Costco is the top of that list. Katie 2 would also like to state for the record that she loves Costco.  As part of their effort to stay relevant (was Target ever not  relevant?) and keep up with industry trends, many Target stores are getting a facelift to include new flooring, lighting, and layouts. Along with the aesthetic changes is the introduction of a new line of clothes for woman (RIP Merona and Mossimo): A New Day (or, if you're an idiot like Katie 2, "Andeawy"). A New Day is touted as a "size inclusive collection of chic ...

Ever since we started talking about having a blog, Katie 1 has recommended that we do a post about Unexpected Classics. Katie 2 never really understood what that meant, because she wears black almost every day, and has never met a sheath dress or pencil skirt she doesn’t like so nothing is a classic and nothing is unexpected.  But Katie 1 wouldn’t let it go, so Katie 2 had to come up with something to say. Elizabeth has opted not to participate in this post.  Katie 2: So I started wracking my brain (and my closet) for something that is unexpected. Pencil skirt? No. Black sweater? No. Sheath dress? No. Black fancy-ish t shirt? No. Black A-line dress? No. It wasn’t until I showed up at work and looked at the shoe pile under my desk that I realized my unexpected classic isn’t an item, it’s a brand. Franco Sarto. When I was job hunting, I came to Chicago for a “not interview” with the woman that would eventually become my boss. I had a great “not interview” outfit, but m...

As we’ve discussed on a number of occasions (like here , here , and here ), we spend a shitload of money on shoes.  Because our annual shoe expenditures are fairly close to our annual 401k contributions, we take care of our shoes with regular maintenance   and repairs.  We haven’t discussed repairs yet, so we’re going to do that today because Katie 1 just had two pairs of shoes repaired, so this is a good opportunity to take our readers through the shoe repair process she utilizes step by step (with before and after photos). Before we get to Katie 1’s recent experience, here’s another reminder that you need a good cobbler. Just do it.  Don’t make us tell you again. Now that our nagging is out of the way, let’s discuss shoe repairs.  No matter how much you baby your shoes, there will be a time when they probably need to be repaired because let’s face it; shit happens, especially when it comes to shoes that are in your regular rotation.  ...

Even though we know that working out is good for us and gets necessary as we are getting older (not us  us, the royal us. We aren't aging at all!), it sucks. But unlike those other corporate fashion bloggers and Instagrammers, we are not #blessed when it comes to having a body that rivals the Gigi Hadids of the world (P.S. we know you didn't eat that deli sandwich you're holding in your NYFW Instagram, Ms. Blogger). To that end, we must workout. But who has the time? After a long day at work followed by adulting, the last thing we want to do at the end of the day is don our favorite Lulu pants and actually workout in them. We know all sorts of people that swear by morning workouts, and there are articles all over the internet on how to become a morning workout person. Spoiler Alert: there are some of us who will never be morning people (Elizabeth). But, there are some things we here at Not a Corporate Fashun Blog have found that make working out in the AM a little easi...

OK, so there are A LOT of different make-up brands out there. Found at Sephora, Ulta, department stores, Target, drug stores, and so on. And many of those brands are actually owned by one of a few large cosmetics companies (such as Estee Lauder). Now, there is nothing wrong with that, I love many of those brands, but today I want to talk about some great indie brands the everyday non-make-up enthusiast may not have heard of before. All of the brands I am going to discuss are great quality for a reasonable price (why would I tell you about them if they weren’t), and two of them have prices that are super affordable for the quality. The first online purchase I ever made from a brand not found on Sephora or Ulta was Makeup Geek . I was very glad I did, and I now own a lot of Makeup Geek products. They were mainly known for their eyeshadow (super pigmented, blendable , a ton of color and only $6 a pan), but they have since branched out with a bunch of face (bronzer/contour, etc) and ...