If you know me or follow me on Instagram, you KNOW I love a good business casual look when I'm not in scrubs! I've always had a love for looking good on a budget and that was definitely portrayed through my instagram over the last 2 weeks while on my community IPPE rotation during which I wore a mix of scrubs and business casual outfits.
Prior to my rotation I had a mini scare after spending a lot of my quarantine time decluttering my apartment, including my closet. I essentially Marie Kondo'd my closet and got rid of things that didn't "bring joy"; old items I'd been holding onto forever and barely wore, things I bought and never wore, and more. OF COURSE during this process I got rid of most of my business casual bottoms I had since undergrad and needed to replace them with updated bottoms that were not faded or too tight, lol.
Of course my haul did NOT break my bank because my bank barely exists as a grad school student! All items were on sale and I made sure that each item I purchased could be paired with several other items in the haul or items I had at home.
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Maxi Skirt
I'm not typically a Maxi skirt girl but when I spotted this one in Target I was OBSESSED! This day I paired it with a black velvet short sleeved top from Old Navy since it was typically pretty warm at my rotation site but it truly goes with just about everything! I played around with a ivory mid sleeve silk top, and even an orange top - both which looked amazing with this maxi. Definitely a staple piece which I can dress up or keep casual!
Similar Skirts:
Basic Top and Busy Bottoms
Another staple product in my closet are basic but formal tops! I LOVE these because these tops can be paired with casual and or formal bottoms which saves me money in the long run because I don't have to purchase extra casual or formal tops since some double as both.
First picture: This top is an ivory three quartered sleeve top from target which paired perfectly with these Target Animal Print High-Rise Skinny Ankle Pants! This top also pairs well with the maxi skirt above!
Second picture: White puffy sleeve top with another Target High-Rise Skinny Ankle Pant in the pink checkered print!
BONUS = These two tops can be worn with either of these Target bottoms AND the Maxi skirt!
Bold Top and Basic (Adorable) Bottom
First, I'm absolutely OBSSESSED with these high waisted wide leg pants from ASOS! During my online haul, I found these beauties on their site during a huge sale and I don't regret a single penny, lol. I seriously felt like I was making power moves at the pharmacy the entire day in this outfit!
I initially paired them with the ivory top above but later found this long sleeved buttoned down floral blouse from Old Navy and immediately fell in love with this pairing!
Bonus: Multi-Use Bag
My go to bag right now is my Dagne Dover Landon Carryall in size Medium! I'm a sucker for a lovely designer bag but the last year mad me realize how much I've spent on said bags and barely carry them. This realization set me forth on my journey for the perfect school, work, and casual bag.
Yes, the Landon Carryall is technically a duffle bag but I came across someone on Instagram who carried it as her school, work and casual bag throughout the week but used it as a duffle when traveling and I was OBSESSED.
I hope this gave you some business casual grad school look inspiration and how to style on a budget! I plan to do more on budgeting, styling and more lifestyle topics in grad school so stay tuned and of course subscribe!