Pictured: Earrings: Kathy Kamei (old, similar here)/ Lipstick: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Petal” / Blouse: River Island / Skirt: Banana Republic / Handbag: Chanel / Bracelets: Love Heals (also love SAVE or SPLURGE), c/o Twisted Silver (use code INSIDERS for a 15% discount) / Nail Polish: Essie “Ruffles & Feathers” / Shoes: Valentino

If only we could wear avant-garde attire to the office! Alas, this is only reality if you work in an extremely creative environment where dressing creatively enhances your career. In the rest of the corporate world, there is casual, business casual and business attire. Ho-hum.

When dressing for a corporate environment, I try to stay conservative and express myself through color, or by downplaying a runway trend. Black and white together is a huge trend in 2014. It also happens to be considered classic, therefore, it is a great trend to wear to the office, since it has conservative, timeless appeal. I decided to bring white into this outfit through this blouse by River Island. The back of the blouse offers a wide, tired design which drapes down the back and has a slightly relaxed fit. Although the blouse is wide, and can easily be worn with jeans, heels and a clutch for an evening out, it is also understated enough to fit into an office environment with a business dress code. Love that!

Although this blouse is a new favorite of mine for both work and play, the real gem in this ensemble is what I am wearing on my feet! Imagine my surprise when I arrived home last week and found a box on my doorstep from Neiman Marcus. What could it be? I was confused when I saw it sitting in front of my door, after all, the only thing I had purchased from Neiman Marcus in the past month had been a pair of fall 2014 Rockstuds by Valentino; and they were not being sent to me until October 2014!

Excited, I opened up the box, and much to my surprise, they were the Rockstuds! How could this be?! I was not expecting these beautiful shoes until October, and here they were, in my hands during the month of June! Of course, I cannot wait until the fall season to start wearing them, so naturally I paired my new fall shoes with my office-appropriate black and white outfit! How could I not?

Have you ever pre-ordered an item for an upcoming season and to your surprise, received the item early? If so, please share your story!