This is the kind of outfit I might wear while shopping with an executive client who works in a business casual work environment. It’s relatively modest and conservative, modern classic, conventionally flattering, and professional. Thanks to the peplum and my current hairstyle I don’t think many people would describe the outfit as conservative, but it feels that way to me. That is by no means a bad thing. There is a time and place for this look in my style, and I enjoy sporting it as much as any other outfit. 

I wanted to add an easy pull-on-and-go frock to my wardrobe this year, and this is it. It’s the long sleeve crew neck tee dress from Kamalikulture that I mentioned a few days ago. Although I was not planning on a pattern, nor am I all that into formfitting frocks, I loved this dress because it has sleeves and length, and it fits really well. I have a hard time “filling out” dresses because I just don’t have bombshell real estate. So finding a knee-length dress that closely hugs my straight curves with a high neckline is a tall order. That’s why this comfortable and versatile darling instantly earned a spot in my wardrobe.

I put the dress through its paces and it worked well aside from two things. First, it’s not as warm as I expected. Second, wearing it with hose is not the best idea. The slippery jersey of the dress clung to my nude hose and made it creep up. This creeping is exacerbated by my fast walking style. I kept on straightening the skirt because it made me look unpolished. So while it’s doable to wear this frock with nude hose on cooler days, I’ll be more comfortable wearing it sans hose on warmer days. 

This is the little jacket that belongs to my power suit. It’s very structured and creates a tailored effect worn over the dress. I scrunch the sleeves to add skin to the outfit. Leaving the sleeves down over an already predominantly black dress makes for “too much black”. And now more than ever, I do not enjoy wearing outfits with too much black. I like the dress best on its own, but our weather is not there yet. Soon, I hope! 

My cream and black wedges work with all my dresses so it was an obvious choice to pair them with this one. Nude hose, retro specs and a bright red clutch finish off the look. I bought that clutch nine years ago and being vintage, it was already old. It still looks fresh to my eye. It’s so interesting how some items have a high longevity quotient, while others don’t. I can be done with something brand new in a season, yet still wear something so much older with a big smile several years on. 

I haven’t worn my silver watch and wedding ring for a while so I popped those on to match the hardware of the bag and shoes. I also added my triple strand of gumball pearls at some point in front of my mirror. They looked gorgeous with the ensemble, but felt so wrong for my minimal style. They came off immediately. You really do have to feel your way through your outfit creation process in order to hit that all important happiness-factor. When you are truly happy in your outfit, you can forget about what you are wearing for the day, feel fab, and get on with it.