Lesson of the day: Consider fabrics that have a little more structure when placing your order. A wrinkle in your garment can be a wrinkle in your style.

Rent the Runway has been quite an experience this week. There is certainly a learning curve but by the end, I think I have developed a wealth of knowledge for my next order. Friday’s selection, a Trina Turk Alexsia Chambray Blazer , also came with it’s set of lessons. While I love the look of a blazer dressed down, one must take into consideration that acquiring clothing through an online medium means that these items are going to be packaged up, and sent on a several day journey through the mail. When theses items arrive, you may want to be ready with an iron or a steamer.  (You will see in the photos below how difficult chambray can be a tricky, maintenance-heavy fabric to work with)

If you’re like most working women, your day is busy enough managing a family (or even just your personal life), your professional life and all the things that fill the minutes in between. The purpose of RTR for professional women is to have ready-to-wear outfits that arrive at your door, with no extra work included. 99% of my RTR experience fell into that sequence. While I made sure to read reviews, check sizing and plan around my chambray blazer order, I failed to recognize that chambray wrinkles easily and is difficult to bring back to life at a moments notice. Casual Friday is a time to dress down, but having crisp, clean and ironed clothing is still an office protocol must.  Nevertheless, it can make a great addition to your Casual Friday look by giving a basic shift dress, similar to the one pictured below, some dimension and added color. Since both the dress and the blazer are solid colors, I brought Monday’s leopard print shoes back to life with a Causal Friday twist.

While we here at TheOProtocol don’t mind sporting a casual dress and some heels on Friday’s, many enjoy the luxury of throwing on a pair of jeans before heading into the office. Below are some other ways to leave the dress on the hanger and finish out the work week with the coveted pair of jeans.