Business Casual Style, Conference Casual Style – Farm Fashion Friday

I mentioned last week that there would be a new fashion feature here at Broken Teepee. It will appear at least twice a month for now and I will see how things go. Living in the middle of nowhere I do most of my shopping online and I suspect I am not alone in that when it comes to buying clothes. I also don’t have a lot of extra money for fashion these days so when I buy new (to me) clothes I really look for bargains. Farm Fashion Friday will show you some of the places I look for clothing and hopefully give some tips on how to shop well on a budget. The first few posts will show some business casual style, or conference casual for that matter as these are the outfits I wore to BlogPaws when I attended the pet conference in April.

The following post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Additionally, I was sent a a piece of shapewear from ShapeOn at no charge to help enhance this post. All opinions are my own.

Business Casual Style from the Farm

If I am going to sit for long periods, whether it be in a conference room, at a desk or in an airplane, I find I am far more comfortable in a skirt than I am in a pair of pants. Obviously others may feel differently but this is me. We all have our body bugaboos and mine are my knees. I don’t wear skirts above or at the knee so if you see me in a dress or a skirt it will be midi length.

Denim jackets are invaluable to me in my current life to accenting my current wardrobe. I am regularly on the lookout for different variations. They are casual enough to not look like a suit jacket but in many cases enough to add the finishing touch to an outfit.

The jacket I have on in this look is one that I have come to love. I found it on one of my absolute favorite shopping sites, ThredUp. It’s Dana Buchman, zipper front and embellished on the sleeves, bottom edges and collar with embroidery and metal studs.  As you can see from the more distant photo it’s not overwhelming but I love the “special” it adds to the jacket.

Online Thrift Shopping

Ever since I discovered ThredUp it has become one of my go/to sites. There is a huge assortment of clothing; you will find items from The Gap to big name designers. Some things still have tags on them. I’ve never had an issue returning something that didn’t fit and only once was I disappointed with the condition of a piece relative to the description. Given how much I have ordered, one bad item is not bad.

You can also request a Clean Out Bag and send in your clothes for either cash or credit on the site. I have done this several times and I will admit that this is hit or miss. Some times I am thrilled with what I am offered and other times I wonder what in the devil is going on. But given that I don’t want the clothing any longer it’s an effective way to deal with it.

The Rest of the Outfit

The skirt is from another favorite retailer – Fresh Produce. I’ve shown pieces from the company before on the blog, I love their resort wear. Even though I don’t go to resorts. I just know that anything I buy from them will last a long, long time. It looks good, washes well and wears like iron. If you click through to the resort wear post I still have all of those pieces and they still look brand new.

The skirt I am wearing in today’s post is, sadly no longer available. I bought it last year on sale. In these times I can only afford Fresh Produce when I receive a sale notice. But that happens several times a year.

My tank top is a basic from The Gap. I’ve had it from before we moved to Montana. I had bought a bunch of them in basic colors as layering pieces. They are great to have and I suggest tanks as great layers.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

Shoes are about the only thing that I buy new and end up paying full price or close to full price for. I really don’t wear heels any longer so I’m always on the lookout for pretty flats. I cannot remember who directed me to Zebediah but I fell in love with their pretty styles. They are leather and exceedingly comfortable. I have two pairs currently and am looking at others. They can be dressy or they look just as great with jeans. I walked and walked at BlogPaws in these and my feet were happy at the end of the day.

What About That ShapeWear?

I will be honest – I have never really worn shapewear before. I’ve tried “slimming” underwear but never full on shapewear – you know the kind that goes from the thighs to just under the bust. ShapeOn offered to send me one of their pieces of Daily Comfort Wear and I figured why not? I’m getting older and things are not where they used to be.

I wiggled my chubby butt into it and I will say I was mightily impressed with how it squished me into well, shape. Lumps smoothed out and everything redistributed into a body I haven’t seen since I was oh – 35? I put the skirt on and my lumps were gone.

But then I ran into my one complaint with the product – the under the bust band just didn’t want to stay under the bust. If I moved at all it rolled to my waist. This was fine in a skirt but it was going to make for some issues with a dress. I am also not sure how comfortable that will be on a long term basis. I’m going to try it out on Sunday when the hubby and I go out for dinner and a show and I will find out. Or I may decide it’s just not worth it. I will let you know. If you are interested in checking out ShapeOn please do so. There are several different types of shapewear available for all body types.

Farm Fashion Friday

Over time I hope to share some of my favorite sites and favorite designers. ThredUp has allowed me to purchase pieces I might not otherwise be able to afford. I look to classic styles rather than up to the minute fashion because then the money invested will last a while. Once in a while I’ll be really struck by something trendy but you’ll see I’m really pretty straightforward in what I wear. I hope I can help you find some great sites and deals too.

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