STUFF I GET AWAY WITH: MUSTARD AND CREAM

Meaning, stuff I get away with at work, where the expected range is shameless smartness to uber-boredom. It's strange I haven't thought of this title before, when the past three to four years have been exactly about that. 

Dumb foodie pun aside, I like to push the limits, let the creative juices flow, build on others' half-defined perceptions of what's smart, turn them upside down but in a way I'm still perceived as smart. 

That is, getting away with just about any outfit I happen to throw together. That is so much like me that I think I'm launching a new label / post category.

This is not about a mindless rejection of rules, mind you, or some obsession with picking at unquestioned norms on a daily basis. 

OK, I tend to avoid conflicts and overuse my adaptation skills in most areas of life, so when it comes to style and fashion, I have lots to compensate myself for. 

But there is more than that, a mission if you will, to stir things up and challenge the usual ways. It's quite an achievement to get a few eyes to pop without provoking shock or rejection. A daily mental exercise to get the balance just right. Or just wrong - but only just.

This outfit, for instance, is a blueprint for all sorts of dark sins. There's bold colour, skinny jeans, grungy layering, heart print, wedge trainers, a touch of punky distressed Union Jack, only half-balanced out by a somewhat formal jacket, a pussybow and the cream and black colour combo.

Depending on the risk, be prepared to adjust the results. You can carry a pair of spare shoes (flat brogues or loafers), but switching between a smug and an innocent face usually does the job.

Jeans: Asos, vintage wool lingerie trim top: charity shop, heart print pussybow blouse: New Look,
Union Jack leather belt: River Island, wool jacket: Zara, leather wedge trainers: Ash