Almost (but not quite) finished with my Nordstrom haul

I got this dress.

Eliza J V-Neck Crepe Sheath Dress

Which, I KNOW. It's just so ... dull. Navy blue. Tasteful. Ladylike.

One of my friends commented recently about my penchant for solid colored dresses. And come to think of it, my closet actually does resemble a box of knee-length solid-color crayons in beige, brown, gray, black, and now navy.

The thing is, I really like dresses like this. First of all, I'm short-waisted, and a solid color lengthens my torso.

Second, a boring dress like this is crying out for a scarf. Which I have been known to accumulate collect.

Third, back in the olden days, before there was fast fashion and Forever XXI and H&M and blouses that cost less than lunch at Panera Bread, buying clothes was a big deal. Clothes were expensive. So you bought stuff that was versatile.

This means instead of having a closet overflowing with adorable individual pieces: a mint green halter top with cherries printed on it, white jeans covered with studs, purple suede mary janes—and ending up with nothing to wear, you picked your favorite basic colors and had a lot of black (or brown or navy or beige or gray) pieces that you could coordinate with different belts, jewelry, cardigans, and scarves. You assembled little ensembles. It was creative.

It sounds like I'm trying to explain the joys of cuneiform—at least, it does when I try to impart this wisdom to my daughter.

At any rate, I bought it for $106, and IMO it's still a good buy at $158. It comes in four colors. I'm eyeing the pine green one.

On top of that, here's the thing about gazelle-like models. Simple little dresses like this look a lot better if you can accessorize them a balcony or some badonakadonk.

See what I mean?

I am sadly lacking in badonakadonk, but I have a balcony and a stack of Hermes scarves. We're good.