Fashion Challenge - the Easter Sunday Suit

I’m sure I’ve only mentioned a dozen times that I volunteer with an awesome organization called Dress for Success that provides interview and employment clothing, as well as career coaching, to underprivileged women. I’m lucky enough to spend one day a week working (and not to mention networking) with professionals from the HR fields, play with pretty clothing, and make other women feel hopeful about their employment searches.

So I was beyond stoked when I received my invitation to the volunteer appreciation event – a grab bag event where each volunteer was allowed to fill one standard shopping bag full of clothes from the excess inventory sale for free.

I made some fairly questionable choices at the event. But, hey, the clothes were free and can easily be returned to the sale boutique. If it was remotely my size and my style, I decided I should take it home and see what I could do with it.

Which leads me to a new series of posts on the items I brought home, a few challenge pieces, and I’ll see if I can make them work.

And since yesterday was Resurrection Sunday, I decided to start with the Easter Egg suit, a yellow tweed suit from Ann Taylor, complete with a flouncy ruffle hem. Easter bonnet not included:

How did I plan on making this suit look more like the office and less suited a gospel choir performance? I had to split it up and only wear one piece at a time. Otherwise it’s way too matchy-matchy and the color gets a little overwhelming.

I also matched each piece with neutrals and new colors that weren’t reminiscent of a baby nursery. I paired the skirt with a white blouse from Van Heusen (on sale for $8.99) and a reddish-brown skinny belt. I matched the blazer with a pair of jeans for a casual Friday look, along with a cream colored shell and a string of bright orange beads.

Verdict: A maybe. It’s not the best fit since it’s a little wide in the bust and hips. I like the new outfit with the skirt, but I’m still not crazy about the blazer. I’ll look into alterations and other ways to style the blazer before I make up my mind.