• Waist-Detailed Black Sheath Dress: Ann Taylor (previously)
• Long Light-Grey Cardigan: H&M
• Black Tights: HUE
• Black Croc Wedges: Stuart Weitzman, via Bloomingdales
• Silver Woven Belt: Forever 21
• Blue Pop of Color Necklace: Forever 21
• Yet-Again-Invisible (But Different!) Teal Earrings: Forever 21

I could whine—really, really a lot—about the extent to which the weather totally took the wind out of my sails yesterday, but I won’t. Instead, I’m going to sing an ode to ponte knit. Metaphorically speaking, of course!

Seriously, folks: what’s not to love about this fabric? It’s stiff enough to look oh so much dressier than matte jersey, it drapes well enough to provide just a touch of extra curve concealment where necessary or desirable, it doesn’t cling, it de-wrinkles quickly in our dryer’s steam cycle… I rescued this dress from the same deep discount rack at Ann Taylor from whence came my much-overused jersey dress, and while I’ve worn this one less, they’ve both become major staples of my wardrobe for both work and play. I’ve typically layered this one under blazers in various colors, with black or nude pumps in the summer, or dressed up with a wrap for a special occasion. Here, I’m pairing it with a muted grey sweater (which felt appropriately cocoon like given the weather), a belt, and some brightly colored accessories to add some visual interest. The necklace brightened up my mood, and distracted a bit from the slightly awkwardly high neckline. I didn’t really have much of an audience hidden in the quietest possible corner of the library all morning, but for an afternoon that involved being on call to talk about some difficult stuff (substantively and emotionally), looking put together gave me a much-needed lift.

Has spring finally sprung in your neck of the woods? Have you been dressing to flout the last gasps of winter, or subdued by its lingering hold?