Life Lately | July

Wardrobe additions, office outfits, summer dinners, and a song that's on repeat

Hello and happy August!

July was a big month! I started my new 9-5! And surprisingly, I feel more inspired with fashion than ever, because of this new dressing challenge that I like to call girl-who’s-worked-from-home-her-entire-life-gets-office-job. It’s a whole new world for me, and it’s exciting stuff.

In July on Unfancy, I shared the fastest way to feel 10 degrees cooler featuring some of my favorite things that make the heat more bearable (including some breathable undies and cute accessories to get your hair off your neck).

I also shared a post in collaboration with Catbird, where I talked about the identity shift that’s come with this new job, and the little things that anchor me in times of change like this. I’m so proud of that post — especially the photography, which you’ll see in just a second.

Also! Earlier this summer, I shared a 16-piece capsule/packing list using the sudoku method. I still want to live inside the graphics + photos for that post:

From my 16-piece travel capsule post, featuring the sudoku method.

Anyway, let’s get into all the little things that made July special — music I’m loving, my favorite work outfit so far, some new additions to my work wardrobe, and what I’m making for summer dinners.

MUSIC

Soft summer vibes

From time to time, I’ll loop on one song. Last summer, it was Baby Blue by Hazel English. This summer, it’s Tu and Yours, both by Maye. Give me a calm, unhurried summer vibe, and I’m all set.

I’ve started to dive deeper into Maye’s discography, and do I ever love it.

MY FAV WORK OUTFIT

Tee, blazer, and jeans

I have a whole post coming soon about what I wore to work for the first two weeks, but in the meantime, I wanted to share this one:

My favorite thing to wear so far is a tee and a blazer, preferably with jeans, though I can only wear blue jeans on Friday. These are my $4 Goodwill Levi’s jeans that I shared about in my Life Lately June post. Still my best thrift find of the year.

I’m such a denim person that I’m trying to find little ways around the “jeans only on Friday” thing. I was told that white or black jeans are okay during the week, so I recently got these white barrel jeans from H&M. Planning to wear them with a blazer and tee next week.

Also, look at me, wearing a heel and all! But full disclosure — I do keep a pair of black Birkenstocks under my desk. Remember when Miranda Priestly is on her way into the office and Nigel calls out, “Gird your loins!” in The Devil Wears Prada? And one of the girls quickly puts on heels and hides her crocs under her desk? Yep, it’s very much that.

A MOMENT FOR THESE PHOTOS

2007 me is so proud right now

I’m sure any fellow creatives can relate — the reality of a creative job often doesn’t line up with the vision you hold in your head. So when it does, YOU CELEBRATE IT. And that’s exactly what I’m doing, because getting to work with Catbird earlier this month was one of those magical moments where everything went exactly how I’d hoped.

When I look at these photos, I think of 2007-me, who had just gotten her first DSLR. She would be really happy that 2026-me is photographing project like this.

Featuring the Poet’s Knot ring, Poppyseed ring, Grand Coupe Dome ring, Grand Painter’s ring, Entwined Braided Chain bracelet and the Lover’s bracelet.

4 NEW ADDITIONS TO MY WARDROBE

The office wardrobe is underway!

After working from home all these years, I’m slowly building up an in-office wardrobe. I already had a solid rotation of blazers collected over the years — so my new purchases have centered on bottoms, shoes, and accessories:

Madewell silver cuff | This one is small-wrist friendly and it doesn’t get in the way when I’m working. And it does SO MUCH to an outfit!! Instant cool.

Sandal heels | I got mine from Bibi Lou, but sadly they aren’t available anymore. Pictured is the Miista Ernie Sandal (sculptural and cool!). The Vagabond Evie Sandal is similar for less.

H&M dark khaki green suede belt | I’m adding dimension to my outfits through subtle color that still feels neutral, but isn’t black.

H&M white barrel jeans | This is my first-ever barrel pant! Can you believe it’s taken me this long to try them?? I like that they’re baggy, but show a tiny bit of ankle. They’re easy to pair with flats.

SUMMER DINNERS

Chicken, apple, and lemon-basil orzo stuffed sweet potatoes

For dinners I’ve been making stuffed sweet potatoes with lemon-basil orzo pasta, shredded rotisserie chicken, purple onion, and apples.

I haven’t had time to cook the potatoes in the oven, but I recently read the best tip on how to cook sweet potatoes in the microwave — wrap them in a wet paper towel! It makes a huge difference in how moist and tender the potato comes out.

So I stick the potato in the microwave for 6 minutes (flipping it over, halfway through), then warm the chicken, onions, and apples, covered, on the stovetop. Covering it keeps the chicken from drying out, and makes the apples soft and delicious!

Finally, I add the lemon-basil orzo. I use this recipe (minus the tomatoes) and I prep a big batch on the weekends, so it’s ready to go.

I repurpose most of the ingredients into a Greek bowl for lunch too:

This one doesn’t even require cooking — it’s served cold, which is super refreshing on these hot hot days. It’s shredded rotisserie chicken, field greens, feta cheese, cucumbers, onions, and lemon-basil orzo pasta. All tossed with a Greek dressing.

Next up, I need to figure out a good snack for the office that’s NOT Nerds Clusters. 😅 Any recommendations?

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR AUGUST

Lots of 9-5 inspo

I’ve been documenting my work outfits for the past few weeks — the mistakes, the breakthroughs, and the things that surprised me — and I’ve wrapped them all up in a post coming a little later this month.

We’re also going to chat about the 3 word method (a la Allison Bornstein). My 3 words — which have been sporty, minimalist, and casual for a long time now — have changed since starting this job. Do you have any guesses as to what my 3 words are now?

That’s it from me today! How was your July? I’d love to hear about the little things you loved this month — share away in the comments!

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