Sheathed

My sense of style is just a tad schizophrenic.  There is the free spirit that adores Free People, Gypsy 05 and Jen's Pirate Booty; but then there is at the core always the J. Crew, Kate Spade, Banana Republic girl.  Case in point: the moment the temps here in Colorado took a dive all breezy maxi dresses remained glued to their hangers and suddenly it was all sheath dresses, sweaters and slacks.  I can barely believe that it was just earlier this month that you could not get me to take off my Nation Ltd. Central Park dresses.  Now, the thought of that t-shirt material, comfy as it is, is appalling.  These days, I don't open the door without my fave Marc Jacobs moleskin coat (circa 2005) and a pair of mittens (Disclaimer: It's actually not cold enough for mittens, but I'm one of those people who hates even being cool.  Yes, I did grow up in Chicago; why do you ask?).

I had planned on writing on an entirely different subject today, but after the fourth day of painfully dry, chapped, flaky lips, SPiCY's Sugar Lips post came to mind.  I ended up trying one of the products she recommended in that post with some amazing results.  It suddenly hit me that the vast amount of time I spend inside has led to me being a little slow to acknowledge the arrival of the cold weather.  Though I was wearing sandals last week, it is now time for boots.  As I got dressed today I thought about each piece I was layering on to combat the not-quite-but-almost cold and decided to focus today on the fall accessories that we must all add to our outfits when the temps start to drop.

I'm sure this will only be the first of many posts, so I decided to focus on an outfit for the working woman that builds upon a very simple basic with various suggestions from previous posts.  I centered it around a classic sheath dress in a basic solid color (gray, black, navy, red).  If you don't already have one or more of these in your closet, here are some of my favorites at the moment:

J. Crew Super 120s Emmaleigh Dress $188.00
Banana Republic Winter Wool Piped Dress $150.00
Lane Bryant Geometric Gem Ponte Knit Dress $69.50
Limited Curved-Seam Sheath Dress $89.90
Banana Republic Piped Sheath Dress $129.99
Lane Bryant Ponte Knit Dress $69.50
Kate Spade Raya Dress $395.00
Limited Waistband Sheath Dress $128.00

The first must-add accessory is a pair of tights.  Though stockings, especially skin-tone stockings are always a classy alternative, the comeback of tights this season gives you free reign to use them to add more spice to your wardrobe and keep warmer than you could with just a plain pair of hose.  There were quite a few options given in the Hang Tight and Sweater Girls posts which would all work well with a classic sheath.  I bought 4 pair from Banana Republic recently that I love.  SPiCY recommended this awesome site to me called We Love Colors that has everything you could imagine to add color to your sheath.  For inspiration on how to pull it off well, study the way the Kate Spade website flawlessly executes the look by pairing bright yellows, blues and reds on the legs with feminine open-toed shoes.

As shocking as the thought of tights and open-toed shoes are, the next piece to add is a pair of peep-toe heels.  Whether they are pumps, slingbacks or booties, the key element is the little daring peep of tights at the toe.  Some pairs ideal for this look:

Miu Miu Open-Toed Pumps $295.00
Roberto Cavalli Heeled Sandal $450.00
ALDO Orpin $80.00
Kate Spade Grand $298
Charles by Charles David Curtsy $137.75
Kate Spade Giada $350
ALDO Pasquel $90.00
Barbara Bui Open-Toed Ankle-Strap Pump $356.00
Kate Spade Carly $298
ALDO Vanliere $70.00
Nana Open-Toed Pump $155.00
Kate Spade Graham $325
ALDO Vanis $70.00

I recognize that some of us cannot overcome years of training to the contrary and just cannot do hosiery and open-toed shoes.  For these women, there is always the classic ballet flat or the again-popular kitten heel.  If you opt not to go for the daring of the peep-toe, try to look for a shoe with texture (tweed, houndstooth, sequins, quilting) or embellishment (large bow, buckle, ankle strap).  The idea is to push the envelope beyond the standard plain black pumps since the dress itself is pretty simple. Some truly perfect pairs for this look:

Tory Burch Reva Woven Straw Flats $164.50
ASOS Soul Kitten Heel $55.17
Donatella Lucchi Ballet Flats $160.00
Steve Madden Mitzie $79.95
Prada Sequined Kitten Heels $314.00
Pour La Victoire Ballet Flats $135.00
Steve Madden Nitasha $69.95
Missoni Ballet Flats $224.00
Les Trois Garcons Ballet Flats $120.00
Juicy Couture Alex Houndstooth Ballet Flats $157.50
Nina Keesha Kitten Heel $19.95
Roxy L'Amour Ballet Flat $34.00
Seychelles Pretty Little Thing Kitten Heel $29.95

Finally, for the purposes of keeping those arms warm, a cardigan sweater is a definite must.  My personal favorites are J. Crew's Jackie and Infinity cardigans.  The cuts stay stylish from year to year and they come in a ton of colors.  Don't clash the color of your cardigan with your tights and consider tying or knotting a belt around it as discussed in the Belt It Out post.  Try to add a pair of studs so that your jewelry doesn't compete too much with all of the other eye-catching accents.  My three favorites at the moment are Marc by Marc Jacobs Metal Bow Studs, Kate Spade All Wrapped Up Studs and Lauren by Ralph Lauren Braided Knot Earrings.