• Polka-Dot Tunic: Japanese Weekend via eBay
• Red Cardigan: Vintage Michael Kors, mommed
• Nude Cork Wedges: Jones New York via DSW
• Black skirt: induetime via eBay
• Necklace: David Yurman, gifted

Here’s something that isn’t news: I have pretty pale skin. Even in the summer, when my upper body at least manages to get a little tan, I’m still pretty lacking in the pigment department. It wasn’t always this way, actually. When I was a kid, I was one of those people who never burned despite some somewhat lackluster sunscreen habits and a great deal of time outside. Then, sometime in my early twenties, around the time I started expressing more of my mother’s genes for no apparent reason, my skin just . . . got lighter. I got a sunburn for the first time, decided I’d really rather that never happen again, and started being, well, rather aggressive with the sunscreen.

For a while, this bothered me, and admittedly there are still moments in early spring when I’m, well, rather stunned by my own paleness. But like my shoulders, my quirks and my unusual name, this too is something I’ve grown into with age, and something I’ve come genuinely to embrace as time has worn on. My pale, sunburn-prone skin is a constant reminder to be more careful (or at least, as careful as I should be) with my skin in the sun. It’s led me to experiment with garments that wouldn’t ordinarily be high on my list (read: sunhats). And unexpectedly, I’ve found my pale skin to be . . . somewhat dramatic. Today, I’m highlighting that drama in an outfit that breaks all the rules for pale-skinned gals (and particularly, those of us who also have dark hair): I’ve gone black and white and red all over, anchoring the look with nude pumps that allow all the visual “weight” of the look to remain above the knees. It flirts a little with Dita von Tesse for summer, but the relatively airy fabrics and nude shoes keep the look from seeming too out of season. And as with all my  attempts to “dress my best” this week, it reframes and celebrates something that’s sometimes been a struggle for me to embrace.

Do you dress your skin tone? If so, how? How have you experimented with or challenged the “rules” for someone with your skin tone?