I am not a suit girl. I always had an interview suit or two, of course, but I usually felt like I was playing dress-up when I wore it. And most of the places I’ve worked have been pretty casual. But the Maryland statehouse, Capitol Hill and the Pentagon aren’t really jeans-and-a-T-shirt kinds of places, so I had to get some nice (not-strapless) dresses, skirts and jackets.

Most of the items in this outfit were purchased several years ago for that purpose. The jacket travels really well and works perfectly in many situations (from the Pentagon to Cambodia, seriously) and I love how this dress looks like a top and skirt (and also looks cute with a cardigan).

The shoes are also really fun, and they’re navy — which is amazing, because it is nearly impossible to find cute navy shoes. And the necklace… well, do you ever have the kind of day where you wake up in a bad mood and sort of want to punch someone? When I have that kind of day, I wear this necklace. I originally got it because I’m a writer (and lover of properly used punctuation), and I do wear the necklace other times, too. But it makes me happy to wear this necklace when I’m angry. So, yay for punctuation!

Dress: Anthropologie (old), Jacket: Talbots (similar), Shoes: Poetic License via Zappos, Necklace: Kate Spade (old), Bag: J.Crew (different color or similar in navy)

Linking up with Transatlantic Blonde and Style Elixir!