Happy Monday! Back to our desks we go.

When summer began fading away, I knew I wanted to stock my fall wardrobe with some new workwear. I really haven’t invested in clothes for September, October, and November since three years ago when I first started my job, and unsurprisingly, my tastes have changed some since then.

The summer I interned at Condé Nast, one of the things they told us in orientation on the first day was that we should try to dress more professional than we thought we needed to since we were young. While editors had earned the right to dress snappy casual, we were best dressing for the job we wanted—and that meant avoiding any clothing that only added to our youth, and thus, presumed inexperience.

Though I’ve been at my job for a while, proven myself, and developed some areas of thought leadership, the philosophy of dressing for the job you want and choosing to be overdressed, rather than underdressed, is something I really wanted to embrace this fall. That’s not to say I dressed unprofessionally before, but I’ve earned more responsibility overtime, and as such, I wanted my wardrobe to reflect that, you know?

When I saw this asymmetrical side pleat top—similar here—I knew it was perfect for work. I love how structured it is—there’s a zipper on the side—and it looks great with both pants, like I paired it with here, and skirts.

And public service announcement, speaking of pants, I raved about them last year and they are back: the Ann Taylor Ponte Leggings. Though, I’d argue the use of the term leggings is deceiving since these are made of thicker fabric and have a zipper down the side. If you are a fan of the J Crew Minnies or the Banana Republic Sloan pant, definitely check these out. I promise you won’t regret it! And for all you shorties like me, they also come in petite and I’ve found they run true-to-size.

To finish off the look, I added my favorite shoe purchase this fall, these J Crew Factory Calf Hair D’Orsay Flats. They took no time to break in! Consider going a half-size down, as I kind of wish I had since they stretch out over time.

*** SHOP THIS POST ***
White House Black Market Side Pleat Top—similar here
Ann Taylor Ponte Leggings
J Crew Factory Calf Hair D’Orsay Flats
Ray Ban Original Aviators
Banana Republic Black Handbag—similar here
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Spicy Cinnamon
OPI Big Apple Red

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Photos by Rosa