Outfit Post: Back to Black

I was at a work conference earlier this week, and one of the events was an awards dinner. Immediately, I assumed it was black tie because my mind is always primed for black tie. It was actually business attire. Settle down, brain. I’ve written before about largely phasing black out of my wardrobe. Of course, black does have its place, especially after five. This is a rare all-black look from me, and I think it worked well.

Dress: One from the J. Peterman archives. It’s a wool crepe fabric similar to my Brynn Dress from Molly Moorkamp. I call it the Claudette Colbert dress based on the florid catalog copy that convinced me to buy it. My wonderful coworker/event roommate was kind enough lend me a safety pin when I noticed a tiny worn spot in the sleeve on our way out the door! It’s an easy thing to mend - 16 years is a long time for a dress to last without needing a touch-up.

Necklace: Vintage from my great-grandmother. I love the addition of diamonds to a double strand of pearls. It was nice to have an occasion to wear it.

Vintage earrings: Gift from my grandmother

Pumps: Ferragamo via eBay. I bought these recently to replace a pair of black pumps that have seen better days. Why do concrete steps love the backs of my shoes so very much? These were only $45 and in good condition. I can’t recommend strongly enough getting a secondhand pair of well-made shoes instead of buying $45 shoes from Amazon or Kohls. It’s better for the planet, and even pre-owned Ferragamos will last you longer than something of poor quality.

It’s worth noting that I initially tried to order a similar pair of shoes from The RealReal and had my order inexplicably cancelled. I hate to get online and rant about businesses - I just posted about my recent hair salon fiasco, too - but I’ve had the absolute worst luck with TRR. I’ve never actually had them fulfill an order I placed.  On a more positive note, I’ve found wonderful and reasonably priced secondhand items on both eBay and Etsy.

I kept joking that this look is cursed because the eleventh hour eBay shoes I bought arrived in the nick of time - but the seller had accidentally shipped the wrong ones! They were very nice and helpful when I reached out, and they immediately shipped the correct pair. It was too late for the event of course, but the shoes pictured arrived Thursday, and I love them! In the end, the incorrect pair fit me, matched my dress, and got worn to the event. I also wound up purchasing the incorrect pair from the seller for a reduced rate. All’s well that ends well in the secondhand shoe drama.