Texstyle, thanks. I agree I wouldn't wear them with the light dress. With the dress photos, I was inspired by my DH's comment. I was testing out the "stark" hypothesis, his suggestion that they might not go well with dresses.
Laurie, thanks! The long black skirt is actually very flowy pants!
JenniNZ, thanks for popping back in and commenting. I agree they look better with a lot of the pants than with most of the dresses.
Isabel, interesting observation about "turning a style corner." I feel I'm wanting more elegant in my "elegant eclectic" style lately.
Susie, thank you! I may just need another pair of sandals for that last dress. Silver or pewter are great ideas! I've also been craving some blue ones (I don't think the EF blue ones would go, though). I do wear the dress with my white and taupe sandals, and I wore it with navy sneakers the other day.