Back to the Office Style Sudoku

It’s been a while since I last put together a style sudoku! I did a couple WFH versions for two months last spring (April 2020, May 2020) and had high hopes to do one every month I spent working from home, and yeah… that didn’t happen LOL. Mostly because they take so much time to put together, photograph, and blog and I got lazy. But, I went back to the office yesterday…whomp whomp. To help me get back into the workwear mindset, I spent last weekend putting together my “back to the office” style sudoku. And here it is! I’ll be wearing these 16 items every weekday through June 18th.

If you’re new to this style challenge, check out my style sudokus from 2019 (January, April, July, and October) for other examples of sudokus featuring clothes that are not activewear or loungewear!

Out of all the wardrobe remixes out there, style sudokus are my favorite. Because I’m a huge sudoku nerd, they’re fun for me to put together and just as much fun to wear. The goal is to play around with what’s already in my closet—and it usually helps curb my spending, too, though not always. 😉

WHAT IS A STYLE SUDOKU?

A style (or wardrobe) sudoku is exactly what it sounds like if you’re familiar with sudoku the puzzle. Basically, you choose four tops, four bottoms, four pairs of shoes, and four other items (accessories, jewelry, outerwear, etc.) and arrange them in a 4x4 grid so each row, column, and corner makes a complete outfit. (You can also make outfits out of the diagonals and the inner “squares” of the two middle rows if you’re so inclined!) In my past style sudoku challenges, I shared the diagonal outfits, too, even though diagonals aren’t technically included in a real sudoku. This gives me 14 outfits total.

Back to the Office Style Sudoku Capsule Wardrobe

Last weekend, I documented on Instagram stories my process when putting together a style sudoku. It’s always overwhelming to figure out what to wear and how to arrange the items in the grid, but once it’s done, it’s done! And then there are 14 complete outfits (or more if you’re feeling ambitious) and I don’t have to spend my precious time in the morning frantically trying to put together an outfit. (Instead, I’ll spend that time frantically looking for things I’ve misplaced. SIGH. Lol.)

For this style sudoku, I focused primarily on the items that fit and most of all, that I thought were comfortable enough to wear for 8 hours sitting at my work desk. After trying on all of my bottoms (jeans, pants, and skirts) to figure out what still fit after over a year at home, I settled on two pairs of my most comfortable jeans, a pair of wide leg pants, and a midi skirt. The pants and midi skirt definitely make the outfits feel more on the business side of business casual, especially when paired with the blazers.

As far as my “accessories” go, I added two blazers, a cardigan, and a necklace. I will definitely be toting another layer on the days when the outfit doesn’t already include one because my office gets cold. I couldn’t resist adding in a punch of green with my sweater blazer. Those things are the bomb for work! I now own three colors; I only let myself include one in the sudoku. I had fun playing with color and patterns for the tops, too! It’s probably the most color I’ve worn in over a year lol. My shoes are also quite comfy and shouldn’t result in any blisters…fingers crossed!

As I do for all sudokus, I’ll be breaking down what I wear into three different blog posts over the next three weeks (published on Friday) and writing about how the outfit worked for me. Below the sudoku, you can find the details of all 16 items. I’ll be sharing a daily photo of my outfit over on Instagram stories (check out my “Style Sudoku” highlight).

Read next: Back to the Office Style Sudoku: Outfits 1–4, Back to the Office Style Sudoku: Outfits 5–9, Back to the Office Style Sudoku: Outfits 10–14, Back to the Office Style Sudoku Recap

What I’m Wearing: 16 Items, 14+ Outfits

FIRST ROW

Amour Vert Calla nouveau silk top / no longer available; exact print available in a sleeved blouse (shop all Amour Vert nouveau silk)

Madewell Cali demi-boot jeans in Preston wash / no longer available; similar or similar from Nordstrom

Earth Vapor sneakers / no longer available; similar from Kohl's

Kate Spade One in a Million initial pendant neckace / exact via Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom

SECOND ROW

Olivia Moon knit blazer / no longer available; similar by Old Navy or Express

Everlane day crossover sandals / new version

Madewell petite curvy Roadtripper supersoft jeans in Ashmont wash / exact (also available in regular and tall and in a mid-rise style; mid-rise style also available at Zappos)

Anthropologie striped swingy top / no longer available; similar by Amazon

THIRD ROW

J.Crew Factory chambray wide leg pants / no longer available; similar or similar by Gap

Amour Vert Berkeley dream knit tee / exact style

J.Crew Sophie open-front sweater blazer / exact

Earthies by Earth Morolo wedge sandals / no longer available; similar from Amazon

FOURTH ROW

Earth Chestnut platform sandals / no longer available; similar by Dansko

Grana cashmere boyfriend cardigan / no longer available; similar by Banana Republic

Everlane cotton scoopneck muscle tank / no longer available; similar

Amour Vert Greta striped midi skirt / no longer available; similar from Macy's