Outfit for a Tuesday: Open-Toed Heels for Ambiguous Weather

Dressing appropriately during transitional weather seasons is almost impossible; lately, there are a number of flowing dresses, skirts, linen blouses, and the like that I have wanted to pull out of the depths of my closet, dust off, and parade about in. Unfortunately, rain has dampened these plans. Yesterday, I aired on the side of caution, planning my outfit according to the rain, mostly, with a light sweater and long slacks, finished with a silk scarf. By quitting time, I was more than mildly surprised the a slow spring heat had dissipated the falling dew, and the air was hanging muggy and moist; the geographically characteristic humidity has arrived. Thankfully, I was at least a bit prepared: despite my long sleeves and full pants, I was weather carefree with my shoes.

This sweater dress is perfect for a night out and about on the town; for the office, it is entirely too short and too fitted, especially without tights. I had worn it once before, paired with a tuxedo jacket and some thick opaque black tights. This time, I tucked the sweater dress into a pair of loose, cleanly tailored black dress pants. The pants have a slight crease running down the front of each leg, however, feature no additional adornments or embellishments by way of pockets, stitching, piping, and the like; as the sweater is rather busy, in an optical illusion type of way, combining it with a simple bottom provided the most polished and elegant look.

This black, cream, and gold scarf is a highly versatile accessory; with the amount of black clothing I own, it is an easy addition to spruce up an otherwise rather plain and simple look. Here, I enjoy the contrast of the fabric textures, as well as the contrast of the sharp black and white stripes with the bold checkered look and golden festoons.

My golden barbed wire bracelet has become a wardrobe staple since I purchased it last late summer and I sometimes wonder if it grows trite with its use, however, with its edginess and with the interplay of harsh, brutal metal and smooth lucite, I cannot imagine tiring of it and retiring it. The large pearl globes encased in the black and gold earrings are also a wonderful versatile piece of jewelry, again complementing all the black in my wardrobe as well as many bold colors: reds, blues, creams, violets, peach.

Open-toed heels are an easy method to marry what may be construed as more winter appropriate slacks or jackets or cardigans with the tempestuous and haughty humid transitional months here in the area. The heel height is perfect for allowing a longer, more flowing dress slack, but not overly extreme so as to be uncomfortable as I travel through my office, to the kitchen area for more coffee, to the conference rooms for meetings, to the other desks of my colleagues.