Back to black: with a shot of plaid

Even though I've lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, I'm still a typical, New Yorker in the most basic, fashion sense. Meaning no matter how hard I try to embrace color, I'm really all about having a lot of black in my closet. I can't help it. It's such a no-brainer.

But one thing I have discovered is that a single item of color or one pop accent can ignite even the most austere black uniform.

Take this combo I hastily threw on during a grim and cloudy, New England day. I pulled on a comfy, black t-shirt along with black, velvet jeans and some vintage necklaces. But instead of throwing on my go-to, motorcycle boots I subbed in red, black, and white, wool and leather booties.

That little shot of plaid popped my basic black and made me feel more adventurous. The booties were a random, Boutique 9 find at Marshall's, but you can find similar items on sale right now. Such as this Paul Smith, Valentina bootie, available at  Zappos.com. Isn't that rubber heel the cutest? And great for inclement weather too!

Or these yummy tartan plaid boots from DSquared. Some websites have labeled them "tartan terrors"!

These Manolo's are currently on sale at Sak's Fifth Avenue here if you're looking for something a little more lady-like...

And if you're a purist and love black as much as me, you can still snag these Harajuku Lovers booties on sale at Overstock.com for $65 here. What a deal!

Finally, if you like the shape and style of my plaid monsters but are looking for a similar cut in a seasonally malleable color, try these Boutique 9 booties in the same shape, but in a rich Cognac, on sale now at endless.com.

Happy Hunting!

With Love,

Noa B