Never mind all those fancy style posts I’ve done for the blog – the most popular* article featuring clothes is this rather modest one on office wear. Ever since I did it, I’ve planned a sequel, as the response was so positive and encouraging. Capturing a full week of outfits is more difficult than one might think, however, and the project kept delaying. In the end I despaired, took five looks with me and had them all photographed while in Tallinn. I ended up with so many pictures that doing only one post seemed like a waste, so I decided to give every outfit its 15 seconds of fame.

The idea is still the same: I’m trying to come up with non-boring work wear ensembles that would still be appropriate in an average office. I know that not everything here is doable for all of you, but these are all things I have actually worn to work (with the exception of one item, as the weather has been too mild for it). The original idea was to capture the looks as I wore them and while this is not quite “real” in that sense, I’ve attempted not to over-style things for the shoot. Sure, I’m wearing nicer makeup than I would on a daily basis, but the overall look isn’t miles away from me on a good day in the office.

I have incorporated some autumn 2017 trends into these five outfits, because I’m interested in trends. Despite that, these aren’t meant to be fashion looks and many items here are from previous seasons. This is how I actually dress: I do not buy an entirely new wardrobe every season and I doubt many people do.

Look number one is about colour blocking (and pleats). This is not a new trend, it’s been around for several seasons and keeps getting slightly updated (same with pleats – we’ve done pink, we’ve done silver, we’ve done floral, we’ve done gold and now it’s green). Generally speaking, the combinations keep getting weirder – just take a look at the Queen of Colour Blocking or this still rather summery mix by Pandora Sykes. I love this approach, as it’s less about specific items and more about your imagination and what you can pull off. It also enables you to wear your favourite gorgeous pieces in many ways.

This outfit might in fact look a bit too harmonious on the screen to make my point. In real life, the colours clash slightly more, but maybe a lilac top instead of mustard would be a better fit (I even bought one, but it had a pattern and didn’t quite work). Emerald, caramel and lilac is the colour combination I’m currently obsessed with and no, I can’t quite explain it either. When experimenting with colour, I would keep the shapes and proportions relatively conservative, but if you can convincingly wear both strange colours AND a cocoon minidress, I salute you.

On the pictures, I’m wearing a Zara skirt, an old Zara silk blouse, Prada pumps and a Soyka Design scarf. The pictures are by Liina Jasmin, hair and makeup by Ave Antson.

*It is among the most popular posts overall, although not rivaling the skincare ones – my first The Ordinary post (I’ve just found out, as I went to check the stats) is nearing 75 000 readers, which is completely insane.