Despite loving classic, minimal style, my day-to-day wardrobe has been feeling exceedingly casual lately. I’ve been wearing jeans to work nearly every day, along with flat Chelsea boots. I’m sure it’s partially the weather – it’s hard to think about looking chic when it’s been so cold – but I have also gotten a bit lazy with my wardrobe. My long commute has conditioned me to roll out of bed, grab the easiest thing I can find to throw on, and rush out the door with coffee in hand. My most impressive outfits lately have been looks I’ve assembled on the weekend, when I have the time and patience to be more creative with (and iron) my clothing.
While my minimal closet has helped me streamline my mornings, I’ve really lost some of my wardrobe mojo over the last few months.
Brass Clothing contacted me earlier this year to share their Clean Out Bag on my Instagram, and they recently invited me to partner with them again to share some of their easy-to-wear, easy-to-care for pieces with you as a Brass Affiliate. I’m so excited to be working with them this year! I had long been following Brass on social media and seeing some of my favorite bloggers in their clothing, but to be honest, I hadn’t taken the plunge and ordered anything because of my complicated relationship to anything that could be deemed “business casual.”
Brass was born in 2014 out of the frustration I talk about above. Brass founders Jay and Katie realized that women everywhere share many of the same wardrobe issues: closets filled with random, trend-driven pieces, stress around getting dressed in the morning, and anxiety about what to wear to work.
In recent years, I’d sold or donated nearly all of my clothes that fell under what is traditionally considered office-appropriate. My office is casual, so I had no reason to hold onto items I rarely wore, and, frankly, didn’t like. I have always found workwear to be frustrating – from the need to dry clean it to inseams that never fit me properly and left me tugging at my outfit all day.
But my growing sense that I was looking sloppy for work, and the invitation from Brass, seemed like signs that it is time to try something a little different. While I will never give up wearing jeans to work, I’m thinking it could be nice if I only wore them, say, a few times a week.
In the interest of transparency, these aren’t outfits I’ve worn to work yet! I’ve had to shoot some of my outfits for the blog in advance lately, in order to better manage my time when it comes to sharing content (it’s been a little crazy). You’ll see these pieces moving forward in some of my outfit posts!
I have been on the lookout for a pair of Ponte pants, but everything I tried prior to this pair didn’t fit me properly in the inseam. I absolutely love these pants. Wardrobe. Gamechanger.
I am 5’3″, ~110 pounds and am wearing the extra-small with a 28″ inseam. I think it’s great that Brass offers inclusive sizing and two different inseams in these pants, which means, for once, I don’t have to roll or hem my pants. I also like the high waist and thick waistband. I feel like these pants make me look taller and hit at the perfect ankle length. I also love the snug fit, because they are appropriate for both my casual office and to wear out in the evenings.
I’ve been wanting to add a silk shell to my wardrobe, and this tank fits the style I was looking for while being much easier to care for than silk. This top is wrinkle-resistant (I didn’t even have to steam it when I took it out of the package!) and is also cut in such a way that you can wear a regular bra with it – because who wants to wear a strapless bra all day? Nobody. I was hoping to snag it in white, but it was sold out! So, I went with my classic black, but I’d definitely consider getting the white one as well down the line.
Can you tell I was cold? I shoot all my photos outside for the best lighting, and in winter that can be….challenging. Haha!
Okay, I did wear this one with jeans. But it felt like the perfect, crisp top to elevate denim for a Thursday or Friday at the office!
I love the sleeve length of this top, and the high-low hemline which provides a sleek and modern silhouette. I did have to steam this top upon its arrival, but I found the wrinkles let out easily. I was a bit surprised that I loved this top so much, since it is made of polyester, which I often avoid. However, a few items in easy-to-care for fabrics make sense for my wardrobe, since I travel so often for work and natural fibers become really wrinkly in a suitcase. While I’ll steam things when I arrive at my destination, if the trip is a quick turn – for example, an overnight trip – I need to be able to get dressed quickly and easily.
Brass Clothing is made in Hangzhou, China, in facilities that specialize in producing higher-end garments. Brass regularly visits their factories, and has done a lot of work to promote the truth about manufacturing in China. Chinese factories have best-in-class manufacturing equipment and skilled workers, enabling them to produce on a scale that simply isn’t always realistic for the U.S. with the way our manufacturing landscape has changed.
I’m so excited for these items to enter my weekly rotation and to share all the ways I’m styling them with you! Which Brass piece is your favorite?
You can shop my picks on my Brass Affiliate page, and get free shipping on your Brass order with code WHOLEHEARTED.
xx
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What are your tan pants and your shoes? Are they brass as well?
Hi Monica,
I’m so sorry, I must have missed your comment! My tan pants are Ann Taylor, from a few years ago. And my shoes are Eileen Fisher! xx