Halloween - to costume or not to costume

It's been years since I wore a Halloween costume, especially to work.  Although we don't have an office policy about wearing costumes that I'm aware of, there are always a few of my co-workers, usually the younger women, who get adventurous and dress up.

So I got to thinking today what I would wear as a costume to the office.  I started poking around on the Internet and came across a 2013 article on Babble.com called "10 Halloween Costumes You Won't Be Embarrassed To Wear To Work" and loved the first look I saw - a spy or secret agent.

I could actually pull this off and wouldn't feel too self-conscious (I think).  It's basically a trench coat, sexy boots, leather gloves, and some dark sunglasses.  This happens to be one of my favorite fall/winter looks!

The writer of the website actually got her inspiration from a fashion blogger whose site I haven't visited for a long time, lovemaegan.com  Besides being a gorgeous blonde, she has a great fashion sense and puts together some incredible looks!  To say I'm envious would be an understatement!  In addition to the photos below, you can see her incredible look here, although I don't think I could wear the coat as a dress like she does!  And those boots are a-mazing!

That said, I'd have to have another great "costume" look underneath, which also happens to be featured in the article.  This time, it's Bonnie Parker of the classic bank robber movie, "Bonnie and Clyde."  This look basically involves a short-sleeved, sweater, pencil skirt, scarf, and beret (gun optional).  Another classic look and the only things I would do is to update the look with a leather pencil skirt and an infinity scarf.

Target gets into some nice over-the-knee boot action for $50

Target gets into the over-the-knee boot action this season with this intriguing pair of Xhilaration boots for $49.99, on sale this week for $42.49.  Unfortunately, they're only available online as I'd really like to see these in person or at least on a model.

Kudos to the copywriter:
Long, lean and super sexy, the Xhilaration Women's Nate Over the Knee Boots are going to make you a true standout in a crowd. More than just over the knee, these thigh high womens boots really take it to that next level. The unembellished, simple black boot is extremely slimming and it leads the pack of todays hottest trends. This is the look you want to adopt and make your own before someone else beats you to it. You're going to look amazing.

They're getting good reviews and they look like a decent boot for the price and the style.  However, I found it interesting that "Tall gal shopper" actually thinks these are leather!

The style reminds me of the Jeffrey Campbell "Militant" boots ($99.99), and considering those are not real leather either, the Target boots are a much better deal.  The matte material on the Target boots also makes them look more like real leather than the Jeffrey Campbell boots.

Both pairs appear to be based on the no-longer-in-production Stuart Weitzman "Hilo" OTK boots, which I own and are my favorite low-heeled boots.  Although I'd never pay the original retail price of $650, these appear occasionally on eBay.

Online retailers featuring some great OTK boot looks

I'm already seeing some great over-the-knee boot looks at online retailers this season.

Nordstrom's HauteLook website features these great OTK boot looks paired with dresses and short skirts. Not that I could ever pull off this look, but it's nice to dream! Of these looks, the bottom look featuring the plaid dress is my favorite.

 

It should come as no surprise that Macy's gets in on the OTK boot action as well. Where Nordstrom featured a softer OTK boot in black suede, Macy's rocks a bolder look with smooth, sexy black leather and spiky heels! The Guess "Zonian" boots are my favorite style and seem like a real deal for $159!