Making a Cold Shoulder Shirt Work in an Office Environment
Quote of the day: “I see life as like being attacked by a bear. You can run, you can pretend to be dead, or you can make yourself bigger.” Amy Poehler
As much as I like to shop, I also love the idea of wearing what we already have in our closets. So when I first saw these open shoulder shirts, I admit to thinking that they weren’t something I’d be interested in buying. But the more I saw the look, the more I thought how great they could be for us older women. You can read my article on Margaret Manning’s Sixty + Me (see the article here) for my take on the pros & cons. And some of you may even have other ideas I didn’t even consider!!
In the last post about these cold shoulder shirts, I concentrated on styling them for a casual day and dressy day. This post is all about the smart version, or could we really wear it to work? So I tried to get creative. With my shirt, I just threw a jacket over it which is really the easiest way to create a more modest look. For Nancy, I had her wrap a scarf over her shoulders to cover up the cutouts. As for my mom, I figure by her age, retirement is the theme, so I spruced it up, but didn’t cover it up!
Jodie’s (50’s) Outfit: Since I’ve tackled this theme in our Covered Perfectly shirt series already, I decided to add a little spunk this time and pair my jacket with the fringe skirt that I DIYed . I absolutely love the idea of this skirt—to me it’s still modest, yet adds interest and flair.
But let me tell you what I did wrong on this one. This black skirt material is polyester and thus you can see it’s starting to fray. The example I did in the DIY post was suede, and suede will not fray. Although the lining on the suede skirt did fray a little. I’m not sure how much this will bother me, but since I only paid $6 for it, it’s fine. If I plan to do it again, I’d certainly get a leather or suede skirt!
Skirt: Dressbarn-thrifted (similar here here’s one way to keep it covered yet have fringe)~~Blazer: White House Black Market-thrifted (similar here they call this neon, so it could be quite bright, but it’s the only thing I could find in a decent price range)~~Top: Covered Perfectly (here right now in black, white & violet)~~Shoes: Chinese Laundry (similar here )~~Necklace: (similar here more of a bib necklace but a great deal)~~Earrings: (similar here)~~Bracelet: (similar here)
Nancy’s (60’s) Outfit: One of the things I really like about Nancy’s cold shoulder shirt is that it’s not a t-shirt knit. It’s a shiny material and thus appears more upscale and maybe more adultish! Now because it’s silkier, the scarf wouldn’t really stay like this without some help. I really consider double stick tape a necessity in any woman’s arsenal!!
Pants: Dockers (similar here the best I could do)~~Top: Romwe (similar here)~~Shoes: Crown Vintage (similar here only in a size 6)~~Scarf: (similar here)~~Necklace: (similar here)~~Earrings: (similar here)
Charlotte’s (70’s) Outfit: The plan for this outfit was really to have mom wear a knitted vest (that I knitted for her) over the shirt, but in the frenzy of changing outfits, it got left out! But I think the outfit looks just fine as is? The necklace adds the required amount of bling and the bracelets contribute a tiny bit of color.
Jeans: XOXO (similar here more of a trouser than jean)~~Top: Romwe (here under $10)~~Shoes: Aerosoles (similar here same brand, almost exact)~~Necklace: (similar here longer)~~Earrings: (similar here)~~Bracelet: (similar here more fabric but fun!)
I really think this cold shoulder shirt could be the perfect element for taking an outfit from work to play. They are easy to cover up with a work appropriate jacket. Then when it’s time to go out on the town, you just remove the jacket! The other thing that I think about with this style is the changeability. When this cold shoulder style is not fun anymore, most shirts you could remove the bottom portion. This will leave you with a standard tank top for future wear.
I really appreciate any comments and discussions! Thanks for reading!
Charlotte’s photography by Kari Strand Photography
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If you don’t yet have one of these types of shirts, I collected some for you to consider. I narrowed it down to the ones you could actually wear your bra underneath without it showing along with the fact that they were under $50!
