It's tough, though, isn't it. Marley? I mean....we want to look half-decent, right? And we want to have fun with fashion, after all! It is difficult to have a lot of fun with fashion when you are limited to a simple uniform.
BUT -- one of the things Denise does that makes a ton of sense to me is she puts money into her denim capsule. I mean - why not? If that's what we wear every single day, why not pay for really GREAT denim? Ditto for tops we might wear on a regular basis.
I still think it's okay to splurge on the "hero" pieces that make our smart casual wardrobes shine. But we probably don't need as MANY of those as we might imagine.
I am sorry about your job woes. That is really tough. I am so lucky in my job; I really truly enjoy it. But I still complain because I lack time to do my creative work. So there you go...it's always something.....
Tina, you always look fantastic and WAY more put together, current, and fashionable than I do; I aspire to style as great as yours (not to mention a closet as great as yours!)