It seems everyone here is colorful and bright, and here I am in head to toe black! Oh well, I was feeling it. I was eager to finally debut these trousers (after holding my breath that they still fit after a month of eating and drinking and resulting additional weight gain, yikes!). I got these in an upscale discount boutique in Austin in October — they’re the Calvin Klein bespoke label so presumably someone had them custom tailored and then didn’t want them. They were such a great fit on me and that is such a rare thing in trousers that I jumped on them. The stripes down the sides are navy blue velvet with red trim, which is not usually my thing, but I remembered that I have some red accessories that may help me pull together neutral outfits with these pants.

I feel like they require careful styling to not look like I’m in marching band, and the combination of full-length straight leg trousers with these boots might not be the best way to do that, so I welcome suggestions. However I was also eager to wear these new Kori boots so there you have it.

I tried on a few tops before settling on this one. Nothing was looking quite right semi-tucked (high rises are SO hard for me), and a full tuck is out of the question especially at my current weight (it’s sitting around my middle, a whole new exciting development of menopause). So...I ended up with a column of black.

To break it up and pick up the silver from the boots, I added silver jewelry, especially this lariat necklace I bought in one of the little beach towns near Cape Town. So lots of new things in this outfit. It was also a great excuse to use this old-ish clutch (from maybe 6-7 years ago?). I love the texture and the plaid but it’s not exactly a workhorse.

Worn for a few hours of working and seeing guests at my studio and then meeting friends for dinner and a house concert. The scarf and the denim jacket came on and off as the venue warmed and cooled.

I have a hair appointment this week and I CAN NOT WAIT. The hair is so bad right now. Way too shaggy and about an inch of grey roots. I was tempted to wear a hat. Thank the gods for root touch up powder.

Feedback and suggestions for styling these pants are welcomed!