"When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen." -- A.A. Milne (Winnie The Pooh)

Those gloomy, overcast brisk days call for an outfit of darkness, this time with a few quirks. Librarian meets Tim Burton. The ripped sweater is far to sheer to wear on its own (unless you wear a stunning piece of black, grey, navy, plum or ruby lingerie) then you must factor in the autumn temperature. Layering is the answer to most fall wardrobe dilemmas. A plain black turtle neck could work, just inch the sleeves up to above the elbow to make it more interesting along with flattering; however this look called for more, I don't know, va-va-voom. The lace-up sleeves on the Guess top fit the bill. When an outfit has extra details there has to be a foundation consisting of a few basics. To balance out the "crazy" is an always chic pencil skirt, black pleated handbag and a basic wide-band silver ring (doesn't it bring to mind a bodily joint?). Rounding off the finals details are: printed tights and black versatile cut-out shoes. I also happen to consider nail polish just as important as accessories. The wrong shade can clash, tarnishing all the effort put into clothing selection. For this I choose Sci-fi-like Wicked Game by Lippmann. The shades within the polish and tights bring to mind how the stars twinkle on a clear night; sparks of silver, plum and navy; even a tad of mossy green. Day sometimes needs a dose of twilight.

At times it can be difficult to put together a stylish look during the rain/snow covered street season, mainly due to the bulky and barely feminine wet weather shoes for under a hundred. To make matters worse, the shoes that were supposedly more 'fashionable' had the height and shape of the toe styled ackwardly; often making the wearer look like an upside-down pear. Root through the numerous items, to find there are actually a few gems thrown into the mix. Chooka, London Fog, Sporto, Tretorn and Ugg Australia are go-to lines to browse (love online sales.) Also, while Sperry Top-Sider is a classic brand, the designs have improved greatly the last few years' from blah to "ah, that's more like it". I had to throw in the AK Ballet Flat since it has a rubber sole, allowing wear on a drizzling day. Fashionable and Fuctionable. Perfect. --- Other shoes worth a mention are: Jeffery Campbell Voom Boot, Helly Hansen Women's Equipe Snow Boot, London Fog Wales Waterproof Patent Boot, Sperry Top-Sider Sadie Tall Boot Winter/White.