And Sharan - I burst out laughing at the “ comfort shoe “ phrase , which is exactly why I don’t wear these anywhere else but to work . I also like your jewellery inspo pics

Now these, I got today at the church thrift store and when my son, born and raised here in Camden, NJ, saw them on me he grinned and assured me that these were really ghetto (that's how the "kids" talk about streetwear) and that I would be safe going anywhere downtown in these.

Late to this, but I don’t see cliche (you’d need to add some accessories I’ll refrain from describing but I think you know what I mean). Yeah, anything can be a cliche look, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go down that route. I think you and I are alike in seeking a certain balance in our outfits and feeling off if they veer too much into a certain “defined lewk” LOL.

I think you look great — relaxed but polished. I like the lighter shoes with this, which may come as a surprise from the queen of black shoes.

I don't see cliche at all. The fit of the pants is perfect and they end at just the right spot. Everything looks unforced rather than made with a cookie cutter and slapped on. Unforced is my word for effortless. Effortless is baloney.
Also, I must get a pedicure. Your toes are shaming mine.

Love those shoes. They look feminine but you could walk in them. I'm going to look for something like that. I live in a different country so will have to look around. I love how you manage to look really polished with attention to detail (e.g polished nails and accessories) but still look comfortable like you could do a days work in the clothes. Thats something I need to work on.

I'm glad that Angie and others have helped to tweak this outfit into something more unexpected that will make you feel fab. For what its worth, I really like this look 'as is' and with both footwear alternatives and you suit this architectural style of dressing in a way that it looks very sharp and sophisticated on you - this reminds me of Deb.

Whenever I veer into too hard edge territory I get that sense of unease and know that I need to soften things up to make it feel right for me, so no need to throw away a winning formula, just make it more you.

I also am so drawn to this look - but also can’t pull it off without looking like a 50+ art teacher/therapist, if you know what I mean. I love the suggestions here and will try that next time with my own look. I have been browsing Canadian label Kaliyana for a long time (who does a lot of these looks) but I’m going to try to do it with pieces from my closet first.

For the record, I don’t think you look cliché at all here and I love the pants. But I agree that a bunch of gold necklaces would feel more you.

Haha I had never heard of the term 'gallerina' before this post, but what a fitting term for a cliché I'm sure most of us are familiar with (no matter where we are in the world)

That said, I don't think you look cliche here @Lisa - I agree the long necklace look can sometimes look a bit overdone, but I think the harmony in this look (provided by the way your hair is bookended by both the necklace & lighter shoes) makes it seem more intentional without feeling too 'try hard', if that makes sense? Some of your reservations may come from the fact that head-to-toe black makes such a strong visual impact that we tend to associate the results of said impact with very particular things (like the clichés). Ha - & people look at me like I've got two heads when I say black is a difficult colour to wear which requires thought

Okay, I giggled at Janet’s reply, because I can picture the accessories she is likely imagining. Keeping this look neutral with metallic jewelry helps keep you out of cliché territory. I’d love to see it again with the styling tweaks that feel more you. Sometimes I think we have to try things the “default” way before figuring out how to adjust them into something that feels more authentic and individual.

Ha . I actually don’t know what Janet is referring to with the cliched accessories , but I can use my imagination

I wondered if she was picturing those long necklaces with tassels on the end? I kind of like those but they did seem to be *everywhere* a couple of years back. I never bought one, don’t do that well with statement necklaces.