To show off my other new item in action: I opted to keep the somewhat polarizing pair of low metallic penny loafers despite that I know they aren't everyone's cuppa tea, and that maybe I would have even hated them two years ago.

But tastes evolve, and despite that I only rarely wear pants these days, these shoes felt like they were right up my alley.

I decided to sport them with my circle ponte-knit black midi skirt and the top half of this outfit: geometric patterned drape-neck shell featuring magenta and chartreuse along with my mom's hand-me-down Chartreuse necklace. Then a thin patent leather belt and the top layer of my lightweight cropped denim jacket to seal the deal.

I do appreciate the feedback for those of you who weren't quite as enthused about this potential addition to my wardrobe, and perhaps in the past I would have seen these shoes as "frumpy", but my today-eye reads them as a quirky and fun alternative to the basic ballet flat that would have been a no-brainer substitution.

(To top it off, a few coworkers made a fuss about how awesome my shoes were as soon as I walked in the door, which never hurts the shopper's ego.)

So for those of you who were recommending that I return the shoes, does seeing them styled sway your perceptions? I'm just curious!