My very first job (other than babysitting) was when I was in the last semester of my senior year in high school at a well known retailer. After a few months there, I spent the summer before college as a summer camp counselor…. and then during my college summers I jumped between retail (again) and then some random temporary office job. When it was finally time to buckle down and decide what I wanted to do with my life (because at 22 you’re fully prepared to make that logical choice) I opted for graduate school to get my Master’s degree in Psychology….

I spent the next 10 years in various jobs in the psych field, all requiring a slightly different kind of work attire. I was a…

Behavioral Specialist, working with children with Autism, which required me to sit on the floor most days… shorts/pants + a tee were pretty much necessary….

Marriage + Family Therapist Trainee…. which required me to spruce up my work wardrobe attire… slacks, blouses, dresses, + very nice jeans were the protocol….

Marriage + Family Therapist Intern (after I graduated, I then proceed to work towards my 3,000 client face:face hours for licensure) which had a very similar dress policy to my trainee placement site. Yet, it came with a little more flexibility since all of the work was done in home… so it was more along the lines of business casual…. open toed sandals were acceptable, as were dark colored jeans….

Then once I became licensed, and just a regular ol’ Licensed Marriage + Family Therapist, I shifted positions within the company I worked for (just a lateral move), became more of a case manager, and depending on where I was for the day, my attire changed. If I was meeting with county workers on a case, I typically dressed it up a little more… if I was going in home, then I dressed accordingly (often in jeans)…..

Over the years though, one thing remained consistent. I wanted to be able to transition my 9-5 attire into my off duty attire… whether that was a date night, brunch, or just a casual weekend day. Given that, my work wardrobe mirrored pretty much what you’re seeing today… versatile pants, jackets, tops, and shoes….

White House Black Market has such a wonderful selection of workwear pieces that can easily be transitioned, and worked into, other off duty items hanging in your closet. Since almost all of the items are in neutral tones (they have some beautiful blues and pinks this summer season too) it makes the mixing and matching even easier. I love these satin jeans, paired with the feminine ruffled blouse, and topped with the matching soft jacket (#obsessed with the color and fit) for 9-5… but also like this dress paired with the jacket (great for a special occasion this summer), and the pants coupled with this little off the shoulder top for an evening out. You can easily match the white top with a pair of shorts on the weekend… and these sateen shorts are such a great cross between dressy + casual. The mixed media slides (even prettier in person) easily pair with any combo mentioned above….

So if you’re looking to add a few new pieces to your 9-5 summer wardrobe, and beyond, I can’t recommend these more…..

(Outfit Details || Pants | Jacket | Top (6 beautiful color options) | Slides | Sunglasses)

Thank you to White House Black Market for sponsoring this post. As always, I selected my own products + all opinions are my own.