I love this Judith & Charles dress, and I love that it coordinates so well with my beloved jade pumps. My matchy-matchy heart is truly content. Here’s a closer look at the dress on its own, since I can’t remember if I’ve shown it to you guys before.

The blazer is actually pinstripe, but faintly so which makes it almost impossible to tell. But! It means that there are three — count ’em, 3 — patterns in play here, which is some kind of record for me these days. Even so, I think the overall effect is fairly sedate, which pleases me. It’s not often that I can satisfy my inner frustrated minimalist AND my inner print-loving magpie (it’s a thing) at the same time.

Obviously, I’m wearing an outfit here, but let’s face it: it’s all about that skirt. It’s a good one, you guys. A nice silhouette with the added bonus of stretchy, feels-like-pyjamas material. And that print — oh, that print. That print, is a perfect example why Neoclassical Aristo-Quirk (thanks, Cassie!) is the name of my style game, and Minimalist never will be.

The rest of the outfit is, dare I say it, pretty basic … and colour-coordinated, as is my wont when an eye-catching print is in the mix. The overall effect is definitely on the casual side of “business casual” but it squeaks by. It’s days like these when I wish I worked in a business with a creative dress code.

The draping on this Lida Baday dress is amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I didn’t mind wearing a strapless bra all day to do justice to that beautiful neckline. You guys know how much I love my comfort, so that should speak to my dedication. I love the demure check material, which balances what could be a very va va voom silhouette. And this belt was made for this dress, even though it didn’t come with it.

Speaking of serendipitous pieces, this cropped Tristan jacket is a surprising match for the dress too. Because of the floral embroidery — with sequins, no less — it’s not the easiest thing to mix, but it worked well in this combination. Add some red pumps, and bam. Done.

Did I mention that the dress has pockets? Because, like all awesome dresses, it does. Speaking of which, you should definitely read this fascinating article on the politics of (women’s) pockets, if you haven’t already.