Last week I stressed the importance of owning a suit, showcasing four wearable outfit variations for a range of gal pals. Today, as promised, I present you with photos me (duh) wearing four different looks inspired by those shown last week. Each outfit includes the same suit, a ton of Zara, and hopefully an embodiment of the type of women I described.

I expected this post to be somewhat of a challenge, but the truth of the matter is that I have worn some kind of variation on each of these looks before. And what’s more is that a plaid suit isn’t nearly as versatile as a light blue suit, which let’s be honest, isn’t exactly “traditional,” and yet I was able to put each of these looks together with as much ease as jeans and a white t-shirt. Now, I understand that a plaid suit may not be “work appropriate” for many of you, but hopefully this post will still give you inspiration to wear your 9-5 suits outside of the cubicle.

The Work-Focused Lady

Zara suit | Zara shirt | Chloe bag | Manolo Blahnik heels | H&M necklace | La Mer watch

Last week I said that this work-focused girl “could easily be going to the office or attending happy hour with friends; my guess is she’s the white wine type.” A couple of factoids here: I do like white wine (had some Monday night). I have worn this to both work and happy hour. And I have been known to make that face in both business and boozy scenarios. The key to making this “work appro” is the pointy-toe pumps. Nothing says you’re more focused and business savvy than a pointy closed-toe shoe. Kind of like nothing says party quite like a cheese plate.

The Cool Downtown/Brooklyn Girl

Zara suit | vintage shirt | Converse shoes | Zara bag | Knockaround sunglasses | BaubleBar bracelet

I said that this girl was the type who “works at a creative ad agency, has a lot of guy friends, and has one of those sexy raspy voices because she likes to smoke Parliament Lights in between glasses of Jameson on the rocks.” While I was not drunk or smoking during this post, I can attest that this is the type of outfit I would wear if I was going to hang out, drink a few beers and maybe shovel in a hotdog or two. The mens t-shirt and Converse add that extra level of comfort, while the blazer and pants keep things a bit more polished.

Zara jacket | Topshop dress | Zara boots | Zara shirt | Chloe bag | Knockaround sunglasses

I described this girl as the California transplant who’s “never one to let go of her easy breezy Pacific lifestyle.” Thanks to the excess of wind yesterday, the breezy was really emphasized here (this was about the only shot where my hair wasn’t either in my face or my dress up around my shoulders). But just as I would were I back in my hometown of San Francisco, I warded off the wind chills with tights and an extra layer in the form of a red flannel. (Note: this flannel could also be worn in the above outfit making you that much more of the Hipster Brooklyn girl).

Zara suit | vintage shirt | Zara shirt | Converse shoes | Zara bag | BaubleBar bracelet | La Mer watch | Knockaround sunglasses

And then we have our mix-master, who will essentially wear anything, even if it means multiple forms of plaid in the same outfit. What I found surprising was that the plaid shirt tied around my waist actually made the look feel more put-together than if I wore it as another layer underneath my blazer. Feel free to agree or disagree.

//photos by Emily Malan