What I Wore Recently: November 2023 Edition

It has been a while since I've shared what I've worn for everyday. And since my mom passed, I haven't been going to a lot of cool events. But I have left the house and have also done a bit of retail therapy so wanted to share what I wore recently.

What I Wore Recently: November 2023 Edition

I always try to have these in some sort of order… and the outfits in this what I wore recently edition will be by rewear of the garment, but then also by color. I tried to counteract the grayness of what's going on in the world, what's going on personally, and the weather with as much color as possible. I do believe that what we wear can affect our mood, and definitely affects how others interact with us.

Ann Taylor is generous enough to gift me some clothes each season, and late summer, I saw this Barbie pink pantsuit on their website and had to have it. It's no longer there, but for reference, I am a 16 petite in both blazers and suiting pants at Ann Taylor (sometimes a 14 petite for pants depending on style). These two pieces are 16 petite and have not been altered in any way by a tailor.

Anyway, before my mom passed I agreed to be part of a session at a Junior Achievement event where I would work with high schoolers on creating compelling social media content for business. The event's theme color was pink and it was a perfect time to rock this suit. And I am so glad I participated; it was awesome. The shell is the Chico's Microfiber Tank; I own several of these and love them because they can go from activewear to suiting shell and then into the washer (I line dry them). This berry color is from a previous year but they carry this tank all year long in different colors. I wear a size 2.

I am on the Board of Elections for my city, which meant I was an election judge/poll worker for our early voting this month. I think it's a celebration to be able to participate in fair and accessible voting, so I dressed the part. While it was a nonpartisan election, I stuck to the rules from being a county election judge and didn't wear partisan colors. These are the same pants from the suit I wore to the Junior Achievement event.

The sweater is also Ann Taylor, size XL. The belt is an Hermes scarf I've owned for a while and had sandwashed (learn about my experience at the Hermes pop-up in DC). The boots are Franco Sarto and my silver hoops belonged to my mom.

I went to brunch to celebrate my best friend's birthday and took this picture in the restaurant restroom. Same pink puffed sweater from Ann Taylor with my black M.M.LaFleur Zhou Culottes (which are ankle pants on my 5'3″ self) and not shown I'm wearing the same Franco Sarto boots. The bag is my vintage Balenciaga City Bag with a crossbody strap I created from paracord and watching some paracord knotting videos on YouTube.

I wore this earlier this week to run errands, and also this past weekend to Book Club Brunch with my friends (we dished about Britney Spears' memoir and enjoyed breakfast tacos and salad). The Breton stripe eyelash sweater is from the Fall 2022 Target designer collab with La Ligne. It's a 1X. The pants are from Anthropologie and an XL. They were back ordered and arrived the weekend after my mom died. They sat in the bag for a while and when I finally went to try them on I realized they were way too big but didn't have the… anything to get around to returning them. So I'm wearing them. Huge, but the color is fabulous and they are lightweight and feel good on. The sneakers are Adidas and a couple of years old (the Forum Bold sneaker).

This is a horrible photo of me and my sister, but it's the only proof I have of what I wore to my mom's memorial service. I really didn't want to wear black, and while I feel strong in pantsuits, I didn't want a lot of layers as I overheat when stressed, and it was going to be in the 70s for weather that day. I had a store credit from Talbots from literally years ago, and Talbots had 40% off so I bought this dress and it ended up costing $35 including rush shipping. I chose to wear it without the self-belt, as it has a seam at the waist and looks complete without it. I am wearing a 16 petite.

I wore my old black knee-high boots, and then jewelry that belonged to my mom. The dress was perfect. It was lightweight but seasonally appropriate, comfortable, and didn't look all wrinkled or damp as I sweat and sat and got through the day. And it washed beautifully. I will wear this dress again, and am glad I went with something that made me feel good and likely would have my mom asking where I got it and if it would look good on her too!

The past month has been a lot of errands and appointments. This day I felt I was driving from place to place from dawn until dusk. I ended it by getting takeout for dinner for me and the family. This is what I wore that day. The red wool peacoat is Talbots; it's from a campaign I did with them way back in 2017. The sweater is another from the La Ligne for Target collab, my trusty old Maxwell Scott saddle bag, and the same Adidas sneakers.

The jeans are from Lands' End. I got them last year and they are almost perfect. Not a super high rise, a versatile color, they stretch a lot without stretching out (like chill on the couch stretchy). The only thing is they are like a half inch too short. I feel a bit like a toddler in them and can only wear them with sneakers. These are a 14 with the 30″ inseam. I feel the 32″ inseam will be too long so… if you're taller or shorter than me, try them! They're comfy and hold up well even if you put them in the dryer!

Here is real life. I hadn't been to my office in two weeks and went by to check the mail, wearing what I wore all day, and admittedly, the day prior. The shacket is from L.L.Bean, size XL. This runs REALLY big, I wish I got this in L but figured it's roomy enough to wear as a jacket over sweaters. It's not soft, some may find it itchy, but I like it. It's exactly what I wanted to throw on when sitting outside this time of year, to wear around the fire pit or raking leaves.

The t-shirt is so old… I remember buying the smallest version the Etsy shop had available for Emerson and it was so big, she couldn't even wear it as a nightshirt. Now she wears it as a sleep tee with pajama pants! The leggings are Old Navy and nothing to write home about; they fall down all the time being too tight on my thighs and calves and too loose in the waist. The clogs are Birkenstock.

This is me today, on my walk to work. I am trying to move my body every day for physical and mental health, especially before it gets really cold and gloomy. Walking to work is about a half mile and I didn't do it often because I liked to dress for work. But right now I am dressing to move my body so looks are a bit more casual.

The fleece is L.L.Bean and this color is on sale but few sizes are left in green. However, other colors are still available! Know this fleece runs small; this is a 1X and there's no way I could go smaller and have it fit comfortably over my shoulders and bust. Under it I have one of these Talbots striped tops. The fabric is kind of athletic/rash guard fabric and I like it for athleisure; I own two of them. If in doubt size down. The leggings are from Soma and PrePan but still a favorite; I think these are the same ones. I'm wearing L. The sneakers are HOKA, the sunglasses are ROKA, and the backpack is Dagne Dover.

I decided if I am going to walk regularly, I need some cute outdoor outfits. I actually was inspired by a TikTok I saw before I deleted the app, where a woman shared how she gets her 10K steps a day and she said she does a morning walk with her podcast and her travel mug and she bought some “hot girl walking outfits” for inspiration. And that day, knowing I already owned these Old Navy leggings in navy, and this highlighter yellow belt bag (Lululemon via Poshmark), I ordered this windbreaker from North Face (L). It's on sale for $60.

I've worn this outfit a few times before it got really cold. And I know I will wear it again in the spring. It's nothing special, but it doesn't cling when you sweat, it's not too fitted or boxy, and I love how it coordinates with so many pieces of activewear in my closet. BTW these Old Navy leggings are not like the other ones; these are the PowerSoft style and I like them. I wear a L in them and own a few pairs.

Nope, this set isn't the same color as the belt bag and North Face jacket in the last look so I can't really mix and match with it, but I still love it. Highlighter yellow has been my color in 2023 and I have yet to tire of it. I have put a lot of the estate costs on my Banana Republic credit card because it was the one I have in my wallet and I get rewards in the form of store credit. And it gave me enough that I could buy myself a nice set at Athleta so I bought this puffer vest and half-zip top (both in XL).

The beanie is from Amazon and it's on its third winter still looking new. The leggings are L.L.Bean (L) and so old they're the same ones I wore to the Women's March. These look to be the 2023 equivalent. Same HOKA sneakers.

Same vest, different day. I liked it with the orchid/lavender color of this Nike half-zip that is so old I think I got it before Emerson was born. I remember it was on mega clearance at Nordstrom. The leggings are the Athleta Rainier tights which I LOVE for the winter. These I got I think two winters ago and besides some pilling on the inner thighs, they're still going strong. I was thrilled to find this L.L.Bean beanie matched the vest (this color is on sale for less than $15). And again the HOKA sneakers. The sunglasses are Ray-Ban, and my Dagne Dover large Dakota backpack.

Before my mom passed, she, my sister, and I bought tickets to our local cafe's masquerade ball. It was a fundraiser for the New Deal Cafe, and we also pitched in to buy a plaque that will be up in the cafe representing us “Ashpes Girls”. She passed before the event, so my sister and I decided to still go and take our best friend in her place. This is what I wore.

The dress is from Ronny Kobo, size 16, and I got it from Rent the Runway. The bag is GANNI, and also from Rent the Runway. The shoes you have seen a kazillion times, years old from Vince Camuto. And the mask I got from Amazon and specifically chose this one because it meant I didn't have to do makeup on my healing eye, and it got reviews for being so comfortable and lightweight folks didn't feel the need to remove it during a masquerade event. And it was perfect. I hardly felt it and was able to easily bend it to get an almost custom fit on my face.

The day before my mom died, I was invited to an event at the Apple Carnegie Library in DC. I am part of a program where Apple provided me with an iPad to see how it can benefit my business as an influencer. At this event we learned how to better use our iPad and heard from the woman behind Flourish Planner on how to use the iPad to stay organized and creative.

I bought this dress at Banana Republic at the end of the summer. I saw it online but it sold out of larger sizes so quickly. At the mall with my daughter, I went into Banana and there was ONE DRESS on the rack and it was an XL! And it was on sale! And then the person at the cashier said I had points with my credit card! So I bought this dress for ONE DOLLAR! And I love it. I am wearing it with a GANNI bag I got a couple of years ago (I don't know why it was on sale, but I got it for around $150 and it's still for sale but for way more), Samba sneakers, and a heavy silver link necklace I bought from Jenny Bird a couple of years ago.

I mentioned this sweater in this blog post. It's from J. Crew (XL) and I got it on clearance. The pants are M.M.LaFleur Zhou culottes (14). The tank is Athleta (XL). And the same Adidas Forum Bold sneakers.

I had an election judge look for early voting at the beginning, and I end with the other look I wore for early voting. This sweater set is from M.M.LaFleur and I first featured it Summer 2022 in this blog post. And then I wore this exact combo, same scarf (belonged to my dad) and same boots (DUO, got them in 2014) in January of this year. This set has been such a wardrobe workhorse, and I never would have thought it when I got it (gifted from the brand). I like that it looks interesting but not too stand out in a crowd, and because it's a knit, it fits as my body fluctuates. And the open weave means it's not too warm for a mild early summer day, but I can layer to keep cozy in the winter.

I didn't link to absolutely everything because I wanted to get this out before the end of the work day. But if you have questions about a specific item, feel free to ask about it in comments and I'll share more info and a link to where to find it, if it is still available!