Pencil skirts, cardigans, and other things madame secretary and I both love

Today was our first day back with students, and it definitely felt like it. There are two kinds of "back to school" students: the ones that are super excited to be there, and the ones that couldn't fall asleep last night because they kept weird hours over break (and are now not so happy to be there). My classes were about half and half. There was definitely a "Bueller, Bueller" element to my witty banter today, and I'm sure it  had nothing to do with my jokes.

I've been thinking that on Wednesdays it might be fun to post some pictures of women whose style I admire. And I'd love for this to be mainly people I know, but today being the first day back, I'm just going with someone that I wish existed. The last few days, I've been watching Madame Secretary. And I want to find my own Henry McCord and be besties with Elizabeth. I love everything about the show, and more than that, I love Tea Leoni's wardrobe. I love a pencil skirt and a button-down shirt. I just think it always looks so office-appropriate while still being rather feminine. 

Just look at how awesome she looks. I would steal her wardrobe in a heartbeat. I think watching so many episodes over the last few days, I was inspired to jump back into school with a pencil skirt of my own. 

I love the pencil skirts from J. Crew Factory. I'm sharing the link to the wool version, but they are mostly out of stock and the cotton versions are now available. They come out every season (in the appropriate fabric) and in new colors. They fit well and go with anything. I've had fun pairing this green one with different shirts and sweaters, and since today felt like it needed some whimsy, I paired it with a polka dot shirt.
I'm including the picture of the skirt because I like that the model is wearing my favorite combo and is even wearing my favorite jewelry option--multiple bracelets. It's my dream outfit! 

I thought about wearing boots since it's so cold, but I ended up putting on some heels instead. These are really comfortable. At the end of the day, I actually stopped and thought, "My feet are pretty happy. How strange!"  I'm sad to say that I couldn't find my exact pair because they are a few years old, but here are some cute alternatives:
Here's one option.                                                               And here's another.

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And finally, here's the link to the shirt. The only downside of the shirt is that it's polyester so it gets a bit static-y this time of year. But I feel like this time of year, static is just part of the game. Which reminds me that I need to pick up some Static Guard! Here's hoping it either warms up or snows. As my students and I agree, there's  no point in having cold weather if it's not going to snow! And snow on the weekend is just wrong. The only appropriate snow is week day, snow day snow. 
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