My inspiration for this outfit comes from a great cashmere sweater that I found on sale at J.Crew for $49.99. (Most of the pieces in this post are from J.Crew - they have pretty great sale prices, if you, like me, can't afford J.Crew's regular prices). I love this dark yellow color for the fall, because it also goes well with rich oranges, browns, and reds that we see all around in the Sept-Nov months. This sweater is great because it has a rich color and a nice detail in the ruffle on the edge of the sweater.
Cotton Cashmere Ruffle Cardigan in Spicy Olive
Pair the yellow sweater with a neutral bottom. In this case I like navy, also on sale at J.Crew for $75. This piece is definitely one of the "foundation" pieces I was talking about. Since it is wool it can last you through winter and since it is neutral you can get a lot of wear out of it by pairing it with different tops - people at work won't even know its the same piece.
Wool Crepe Pencil Skirt in Navy
The skirt and sweater colors might look a little harsh together, especially if paired with a stark white... I would pair it with a champagne or beige colored top underneath the sweater, to soften the look. There are many options available in a beige cami, but I like the delicate feel of this top from J. Crew for $39.99
Silk Double Cami in Champagne
For accessorizing, I would use something like this patent leather belt - the tortoise adds a bit of pattern to the outfit that it was lacking from using all of the solid pieces. In this case, you wouldn't want to overdo it with a pattern because the yellow of the sweater is already the showcase of the outfit, but using a small pattern to break up the solids will add interest to the outfit. This is also a foundation piece that can be worn in many, many outfits. ($39.50) You could wear this belt around the waist to cinch the sweater together or down at the hips, on top of the skirt. For women with a pear shape, wearing it around the waist would help accentuate your slimmest part. For women who want to add a little fullness to their figure, accentuating the hip by placing the belt on top of the skirt would also work.
Skinny Tortoise Patent Leater Belt
For shoes, I would go with a simple, elegant brown shoe. I like this one from Nine West ($79), but depending on your budget, there are a ton of options to choose from in this style. I like this shoe because the leather looks a little worn in, which is a nice contrast for the rest of the very "put-together" look.
Nadia in Cognac Leather
For earrings, I always like to go to Forever 21 because their stuff is cheap and if it goes out of style, who cares! I find that the jewelry can tarnish pretty quickly, but I like both of these earrings below because they don't have too much metal on them, so they wouldn't show wear as quickly.
(L) Cascading Lacquered Shells $4.8, (R) Bead Cluster Earrings $2.8
Hope you enjoy my color inspiration and can find away to pull this tip into your wardrobe next time you need a little pick-me-up to get you through the work day!
