Last week Gigi was kind enough to post that Anthropologie was having a shoe sale and I snagged these Jeffrey Campell Oriley booties I've been stalking for quite sometime (along with several other pieces that were on sale, including a rather interesting neon coral, pink and white lightweight tweed moto that is much brighter IRL than it appeared in the site's photos).

The boots arrived Saturday. So of course I had to wear them to the office first thing Monday. They fit beautifully and the color was exactly what I was hoping for. A wonderful subtle shade of nude blush pink. Not too flesh-toned, not too pink. The snake pattern was pronounced enough to be seen yet subtle enough to still serve as a neutral. In other words, exactly what I wanted and I am thrilled with them.

I paired them with a wildcard vintage jacket I picked up last summer at the thrift store for around $10. The busy floral and fishbowl design on the jacket feels more subtle to me largely because of the somewhat subdued color scheme. I kept the remaining elements of the outfit in the same "quiet" color palette and all solid. A neutral taupe/gray for the cargo-type pants and cabbie hat and soft blush pink t-shirt. I also included a bit of texture via those snakeskin effect boots and a gray snakeskin belt.

Outside of the jacket the only other truly saturated color I added was the red/purple handbag that is a similar shade as the background color of the jacket.

I carried that nature-theme-feel of the jacket into some of the jewelry I chose. The large swath of pale pink on the shirt was perfect for showcasing a pretty rare art nouveau egyptian revival era plique a jour enamel scarab pendant. Not sure if you are familiar with antique plique a jour enamel jewelry. It's a fascinating technique that is all but non-existent in today's jewelry making age.

It was popular in that era but much of it hasn't survived the test of time because the enamel is very fragile. It's constructed much like a stained glass window between the panes of silver (so it's easy for it to get cracked or broken). Rather than enameling OVER a solid silver backing the enamel exists between the silver bug legs (you can see what I mean in the photo of the pendant held up to the light). My silver and apatite snake earrings were just the right size and shape to complement but not compete with the jacket pattern or scarab pendant.

One other funny thing to note. I've worn this wildcard floral jacket quite a few times since obtaining it and when looking at yesterday's photo of the back of it that was the first time I ever noticed there's a bird sitting on the edge of the fishbowl. Go figure!

I'm pretty partial to how the outfit turned out. I think it felt springy while also keeping a general lighter palette, which is something I'm not as good at pulling together as darker or brighter outfits. What do you guys think? A good spring mix? Is there such a thing as subtle ALGO or is that an oxymoron?