Tag: Rachel Comey

Skirt as skirt

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Monday: Rosen top, Rachel Comey Menace Pant, Frye shoes.

monday

The stress of dealing with the new client account drained me so much I slept until almost 11 am Saturday. I was shocked I slept in that much, but I clearly needed it. Already this week I know I’m going to drop dead again this weekend. Sunday I was still exhausted and barely did anything. It wasn’t until I got home Monday that I realized I wore these same pants on Friday to work. They really are becoming workhorse pants for me. They are very comfortable and easy to coordinate.

Tuesday: Yesstyle linen top, YY linen skirt, Jil Sander shoes.

tuesday

This is the weird Yohji Yamamoto skirt that I wore as a dress a couple weeks ago – worn as a skirt here. I just folded over the extra material, tied it with the ties on the skirt, but also safety pinned it… just in case. I didn’t think I would end up wearing this skirt as a skirt, but I’m glad I did today. It’s so soupy outside it’s hard to breathe, but I still like to go out for walks near the office when I have the time. I tend to go out a couple times a day to a parking lot surrounded by trees just up the hill from the office. It helps me clear my head and today I definitely needed it after the reports I was working on and then the client call. Even though it was 90F with over 80% humidity I was perfectly comfortable on my walk with this skirt. I also love that it’s lined most of the way down. Due to the weird way the tie works on the skirt I side-tucked my shirt, which I am definitely a fan of doing again. It’s left out on the side where the ties are sewn into the skirt, but I tucked in my shirt just under the fold over of the fabric and where I tied the ties. If I’d thought about it – I could’ve taken a better detail photo. The fold over does leave a bulge, but it doesn’t bother me at all.

I don’t have much to say and am drained already. It’s only Tuesday! Granted, I did run 2 miles on the treadmill when I got home. I would’ve run outside, but a massive thunderstorm nixed that option. I am glad I ran no matter what. I needed the stress release.

Week 1 – Trial by fire

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Wednesday: YY top, Rachel Comey Lure pant, Lems shoes.

wednesday

Thursday: YY top, Uniqlo pant, Jil Sander shoes.

thursday

Friday: Top from Yesstyle (Chinese vendor), Rachel Comey Menace pant, Frye shoes.

friday

This week has officially kicked my ass. I’m reminded of the rushed, stressed feeling from when I was first given my client accounts back in January/February, which were a mess. Everything was late and I was frantically rushing about to all the areas of the shop, constantly checking on product status.

This first week I’ve been taking over a coworker’s account while he’s on vacation and it’s the largest client account we have. Basically I’ve been tasked with taming a wild, galloping elephant and it’s getting the better of me. I knew this account was a bit of a clusterfuck to begin with, but damn…. this is beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined. Also, I don’t think my coworker anticipated any of the stuff I ended up encountering. He said I only had prototypes to worry about… well, the prototypes were the easiest part of what I’ve had to worry about all week. I’ve been in contact with the client rep 4-5 times every day. My boss is the only other one who knows what’s going with this client and he’s been out half the week at a conference. He’s checked in with me every day and yesterday I flat out said to him, “I’m drowning.” I was given a report from the client to work on and I was floored by how much we are backordered and what goes into all the orders we do for this client. My clients are peanuts by comparison. I’ve gotten them all under control now and have a really good rapport with them. So to be given this task with a new rep that I’m only temporarily working with has literally thrown me back into the deep end of the pool with everyone standing at the side saying, “swim, damnit!”

However, I have managed to gain a much greater respect for my senior who handles this account because it’s so insane and I’ve learned a lot of new things about how we operate and manage the work load. And I’ve been given tasks that I had no idea ever fell on my department before. I’ve had so many 5-minute-tutorials on how to change things in our system to accommodate the work load I’ve left work with my head spinning and a general sense of anxiety, wondering if what I did was correct. Even today I turned to the more seasoned employee next to me and asked if I did X, Y and Z things right that were entered the day before. I won’t say it’s been easy or the best way for me to learn this stuff, considering it’s all on the fly, but I’m gaining a much greater grasp of how I can help out.

The new admin has been great in seeing if I’m ok and even coming to me with silly things or comments just to make me smile. It’s obvious she cares and is worried about me and that makes me feel all the better about us hiring her. I’ve given her a huge task I used to handle simply because I’m so swamped I can’t take care of it now, which she will need some guidance with, but I’m sure she’ll be helpful. After seeing some of the stuff I had to deal with, even on a generally slow Friday, she said she didn’t envy me at all but is still willing to help me out whenever possible. It’s really nice having that kind of support.

The biggest thing to help me this week has been being able to run. I’ve run three times this week and getting that stress out of my system by exhausting myself physically has done wonders for me emotionally. I’m still restraining myself because I know I risk running myself into a new injury out of sheer stubbornness, but what little I’ve done has worked. Granted, I’ve got a mean case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) in my legs, but the little masochist in me is saying, “Yaaaaassssssss, my preciousss.” Once I get over the soreness, I’ll get to the strengthening part and after that the muscle memory part and then… it’s all routine and my head clears and I move mechanically – in a good way.

I thought about running tonight, but I did run a lot more than I intended to yesterday so Z told me to take it is. So… I’ve had a double of Johnny Walker Red and am about to stuff myself with grilled brats and apricots and couch potato it with more beer and watch new anime season premieres.

What is the point of this week?

Jenkr2 Comments

Monday.jpg

Monday: Yohji Yamamoto sleeveless top, Rachel Comey Lure pant, Lems shoes.

A coworker, who had a very Audrey Hepburn from Roman Holiday vibe with her outfit today, told me she loved mine. This surprised me, bit I was happy to take the compliment. I had on my turquoise cardigan on a lot because the AC was blasting, but I was fairly happy with this casual outfit. Since this week is just going to be a series of eye-rolling moments until Wednesday and then again Friday, I’m not bothering to dress overly office-friendly. Everyone kept saying today is Fake Thursday and tomorrow is Fake Friday due to the holiday. Then we start over again with Second Thursday and Real Friday.

I’m really glad I got this top. It’s all cotton, but it’s woven like the black YY turtleneck so it feels substantial and looks more elegant than just any old black cotton top. It almost has a sheen to it and feels a teensy bit like polyester, but it is full cotton. Whatever the weave is of this cotton to make shirts like this – I love it and want more of it. Taking a cue from Talia, I put on a large black belt, which I think really helps this outfit. Seeing myself in the photo, I kinda get a Rosie the Riveter feel and I’m digging it. I look more like I finished a shift at an auto shop than an office. And yet, the feel of the fabric makes my clothes feel too precious to dirty up in an auto shop.

This is all a long-winded way of saying I love the new top I got.

Other than that – it’s damn hot out. 100F here today with a heat index of 106. I really don’t want to exercise today, but I should. Plus, I just got my other pair of Adidas to try out, so I may as well put them through some paces on the treadmill.

Panic in 3, 2, 1…

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Wednesday’s outfit: New (to me, but used from TRR) Ann Demeulemeester top, Rachel Comey Menace Pant, Chinese Laundry shoes (old).

Investor visit day. My shoes are wedges I’ve shown before, but you can’t really see them much in this photo. The Quality Director was wearing wedges as well that looked almost exactly like mine. Hers were from Target, mine from DSW. I told her I wore them to my wedding and her eyes bugged out, saying, “No way!” Yes way. My wedding was super no fuss and casual. I wore a black cocktail dress that I no longer have because I weighed 20lbs more back then and the dress doesn’t fit me so I donated it.

Anyway, this was my first time wearing the Ann D shirt and it’s super soft cotton that almost clung to me too much. It’s more suited to jeans than formal wear, but I made the outfit work for me. I’m also still torn between having the pants hemmed or not. They are very long and even with the wedge there’s a lot of extra pant hanging around the bottom. I kinda like that baggy, bunched up ankle look, but I’m not sure it’s the best option for office-ness stuffs.

Wednesday

Thursday: (no photo) I skipped because it was a PT day. I wore my Everlane white button down and green linen Uniqlo pants with my navy Jil Sander shoes. My boss stumbled backwards (literally because he’s a clown like that), confused because I wasn’t wearing black and commented on it. I guess I have a reputation now….  Anyway, the new admin we hired also wears black almost all the time and she thinks about things in the same way I do to a degree that is almost frightening. We laughed about that. She then said that it should be reassuring to know that she’ll get done whatever I tell her to do. I’m technically not her boss, so that was a little scary, but also slightly comforting. In any case, we get along really well and I’m glad she’s fitting in with the company.

Friday

Friday: Yohji Yamamoto day – wearing YY top and YY suit pants with Eileen Fisher shoes and obnoxious cat (Bento) in my way. Just look at the snarky glare he’s giving the camera. He’s such a turd.

I’ve been stress eating/drinking this week. Today was the last day of the investor visits. Now we see who bites – or not. We may be bought out or merged or whatever. It’s a rather frightening time, especially for the upper management. I don’t think I’ll have anything to worry about immediately, but I still don’t like the idea of losing my boss, who is VP. On top of that, the last prototype for my client is severely delayed. The engineers have been  having an insane time getting the part done right and the lab with a Super Famous Surgeon for these is due Wednesday at my client’s location, which is nowhere near here. The guys are working this weekend to get it done so I’ll be going in to work tomorrow for support. I’m not keen on the idea of just letting them work their butts off while I sit around and wait for the results. If the parts run ok this weekend then we can ship on Monday. Worst WORST case scenario, we get them done by Tuesday at the latest. If we manage to get them done that late, then guess who will most likely be on an emergency flight to the client to hand off parts and then turn around to fly back? Why? Oh well my boss will already be in another state visiting another client that day. *head**desk* This afternoon he told me to look into flights – just in case.

Never ever in a million years did I ever think I’d be working for a company that put me in these situations. This Is Not A Bad Thing. Seriously, this job is one of the best things that could’ve happened to me and while there’s a shit ton that’s wrong and messed up, there’s also a shit ton that’s amazing and fun as well – mostly the motley crew of clowns I work with. This job is the definition of bi-polar disorder. And yet… I know I can do it and handle it. It’s woken me up and made me sharper and think more clearly in many ways. Yes, it’s stressful as hell, but there’s a sense of fun even in that – for as masochistic as that sounds.

In the meantime, Bring Me All The Scotch while I freak the fuck out this weekend….

Polyester loving non-minimalist

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I’ve had a really bad couple of weeks. I’ve been physically ill to the point of being bed-ridden from sinusitis and then had an emotional and mental blow regarding and ongoing family matter. I am depressed and hate 99% of all human beings. I want nothing more than a mass genocide of all the stupid people on this planet, starting with the ones directly responsible for the state my family is in right now. Line them up at the firing range and make them apologize for their waste of space on this planet and use of human resources. My rage on this matter is white hot and I’ve been barely keeping it together.

I won’t go into details on the matter, but suffice to say the US justice system is broken and beyond repair. I have zero faith in anyone anymore. There is no power of the people when the people are mindless, worthless sheep. Those responsible for this mess are getting a lighter sentence than the innocent people deemed guilty – by bias – which isn’t allowed, but here we are. My family is still fighting, but this has crippled us to the point where my father said the only thing keeping him in this country are relatives. That means jack shit to anyone reading this, but to me – that’s fucking incredible and means he’s been emotionally and mentally destroyed by what’s happened. We all are.

I thought about deleting this blog because my depression has been so severe, but part of me knows I need some sort of outlet.

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I wore the two new pairs of pants I got last week a lot. The first pair is from Won Hundred and is predominantly polyester. They are the cropped pants in the photos. I love them. They are comfortable and I wore them all weekend. They took the place of jeans for me. The material is soft and has a sheen so they look more charcoal grey than black. The weave is really nice and they don’t really feel like polyester pants at all. I am seriously glad I got them. The second pair are the Black Menace Pant by Rachel Comey and I’ve worn them twice. They are a viscose blend and feel more synthetic than the Won Hundred pant. They are long and shiny looking and seem like a much more stereotypical polyester pant than the cropped ones. They also wrinkle much more than expected, but I can live with that. I do like these pants as well (worn above/today). Both pairs fit really well into my wardrobe.

One thing I realized with the two latest pant additions was that I’m not afraid to buy synthetic materials if I know I’ll be using them a lot and already both pairs have seen repeated use. Both are wonderful warm weather pants to wear, which seems odd considering they are black and not cotton or linen. I prefer synthetics for warm weather because I feel they serve me better than cotton. A lot of people talk about how much better cotton “breathes”, well….. I think otherwise. In general, I’ve had much better experience with synthetics for breathability in clothing than cotton. Think about it – why are so many workout clothes made with tech wear, aka synthetics? Because it breathes and lets the air in while still providing a good barrier to the elements. I know that plenty of people will disagree with me and of course give the argument that cotton is better because of x, y, and z reasons, but I honestly don’t give two shits.

I know that synthetics work for me and I use them – regularly. Here’s a fun fact: I don’t own any cotton underwear. Ok, so that’s not entirely true – my underwear is maybe 3-5% cotton at most, but it is predominantly nylon with a little spanx. I tend to overheat a lot at night when I get warmed up and anything cotton on me ends up being a sweaty mess. That’s true for during the day too like if it’s really hot outside or if I’m super stressed about something and get the stress sweats. I stay dry much better in nylon than any other material.

Now that I have a ridiculous amount of pants, I feel like I can focus on tops because I’m realizing how much I’m lacking in that area. Shoes will probably be next, but I’ll get to that in a bit… I am now laughing at myself from how I was 3 years ago and KonMari’d my belongings. True, I got rid of things I didn’t like, but now I’m buying a lot more I love. I’m honing in more on what I want and yes, I want a lot of things. I’m nowhere near the minimalist I thought I would be and I’m ok with that. I like clothes. I like having more options than I need and I won’t feel bad about it.

The one time I wore jeans this weekend was to sit in the dirt in the yard and pull weeds. I thought about how jeans were made to be work pants originally and that’s what they were doing for me then – being clothes I wear when toiling and getting dirty. Now that I have a much better collection of pants to choose from, I can delegate jeans to the areas where they really prove their worth – yard work.