Culture

Business Casual Superstar: Inspired by Pam Halpert

Ah, yes, everyone’s favorite secretary is the inspiration for today’s fashion post. I was one of those nerds that watched the Office since the night it first premiered, and I adore the show. I’ve seen every episode, I think, and own all the DVDs, and, honestly, I have to say, it’s mostly because I’m a huge Steve Carell fangurl. Well, Steve-Carell-in-the-Office fangurl. His character is amazing and terrible and I just love how he plays him.

I’ve pretty much always been a Jim and Pam fan, but I’m not a complete fangurl when it comes to them. They have their awesome moments (the wedding at Niagara Falls? Pretty great Jim & Pam moment) and sometimes I’m just ‘eh’ on them. Sometimes I think Pam is great, and sometimes I think she’s just UGH. >:( And sometimes I think Jim is awesome, and sometimes I think he’s a douche.

Nonetheless, Pamela is today’s muse.

And here’s the outfit I came up with for today, that I think Pam actually wore in one episode. (That is, something remarkably close to this.)

Nine West Skirt ………. $49.98
Daisy Fuentes Tee in Vivid ………. $11.99
Ruched Cardigan in Black ………. $11.99
Kelly & Katie Ribbon Pump ………. $19.94

Pam’s outfits are often…interesting.

The thing with Pam is, she’s still quite stuck in that ‘you have to include black and grey otherwise it’s not a real work outfit’ mindset. Her skirts are always either black or grey, occasionally navy. We never see her wearing a dress, I don’t think, and she’s always wearing black or brown shoes, usually pumps with a stacked heel, and in the beginning, when she was boring old Pam Beasley, even her tops were often a pale blue or a pale pink, or white. Later, when she became the exciting Pam Beasley and then exciting Pam Halpert, her tops were often a bright color – green and blue and red and purple. Great. But she was still stuck in those blacks and greys.

This outfit is very, very typical of Pam’s style. For the record, there’s nothing wrong with black and greys. Nothing at all. There’s certainly nothing wrong with wearing them together, either, like Pam does here. (Again, I’m pretty sure one of her outfits was remarkably close to this one that I’ve created here.)

Pam often wears grey skirts, and I picked a lighter grey skirt here, although she also wears charcoal grey. I paired it with a purple tee, mainly because I couldn’t find a cute scoopneck, non-casual-tee top that worked right, but when Pam wears cardigans, her tops are basically glorified tees, anyway, so whatever.

I added this slightly ruched, silhouette-skimming black cardigan with fitted sleeves to be worn over the tee, and threw in a pair of black pumps with a little ribbon. Pam often mixes her greys and blacks and ties it all together with her shoes.

She usually throws a little pendent necklace in there, but I couldn’t really add one and come in under budget. Well, I think I could have, since Forever21 often has necklaces for around $5.80. Why they picked $5.80 I’ll never know. Maybe it’s some Biblical number-symbolism that I’m not aware of. After all, don’t they have a verse from John printed on all their bags? I’m pretty sure it says 3:16, which is John. I think. Whatever. It’s been a while since I studied the Bible.

So yes, if you are so moved, feel free to run on over to Forever21 and find a little pendant necklace in gold or silver to wear with this, and then you’ll look just like everyone’s favorite secretary.

I’d like to end this post with the classic Office question….

Who do you guys think is hotter, Pam or Karen?

Personally, I say Pam. My brother argues vehemently that it is Karen who is the hotter one. I still say Pam. But then again, I’m a girl, and I’m into dudes. So I’m kind of curious what everyone else thinks.

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