donate buttonThis is Jennifer’s sixth entry in the series “Grist dared me to make a change.” Read her first, second, third, fourth, and fifth here. And support her dare with a gift to Grist!

Preppy lookMaggie and I wait for the bus … um, I mean the chauffeur.Jennifer Mac DonaldI have a confession. I fudged my rules again. Today, I meant to wear my last pair of mom jeans, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Yes, they fit, but today is Friday and that’s the day I bring my dog to work. Striped denim would have made me look extra crazy-dog-lady, so I 86’d them. So sue me!

Reader support makes our work possible. Donate today to keep our site free. All donations TRIPLED!

Believe it or not, these jeans were another designer discovery: Ralph Lauren. Sorry Ralph. You really missed the mark with these jeans. Someone on your design team needs to be terminated. (Actually, Ralph, please don’t sue me.)

That means I had to start from scratch. There’s a really choice tennis sweater I’ve had my eye on for a while now, but haven’t really figured out how to mix it in. I’d describe it as kitschy country club and it’s A-W-E-S-O-M-E. But how could I use it? Since I can’t use my own denim — some dark skinnies would work well, I think — I wore the other skirt I received from my fiancé’s mom. (Turns out I’m already pretty good at taking other people’s clothes.) It’s a cute, red linen number and it has pockets! Two points for the future in-laws!

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Truth be told, the skirt and the sweater together looked a little schlumpy. So I threw on a tank top — yes, my own … sigh — and wrapped the sweater around my shoulders. The result? A preppy look perfect for playing croquet in my poorly maintained backyard. One Pimm’s cup please! And are the cucumber sandwiches organic? I work for Grist after all.

So far, no crazy-dog-lady looks for me! She’s just my sporting hound. Of course, preppy is not my usual look, so I’m not exactly strutting. I guess this new style will take some getting used to. Jeeves! Bring the pedicab ‘round, will you? I feel like going for a ride.

You know what goes well with organic cucumber sandwiches? A donation to Grist!