A Spring Teacher Outfit and An Investment in Shoes

Today we had one of those weird, "Hey! Look! It's spring...maybe..." days, so I decided to keep things pretty simple. The thing I like about this outfit is mixing black and beige. I don't know why I like doing that, but I do. 

I also like this sweater because the back has a fun surprise. As one co-worker said today, "Oh! That's fun. I wasn't expecting that!"  I'm thinking that this one will come up in my wardrobe quite a bit this spring. It's a light sweater, and the stripes on the back seem to give it a bit of a spring look.

The pants are just my black Loft pants that I love,

But I do want to rave about the shoes. They're from a company called Nisolo, and I love them. I had been looking at their website for a few years and dreaming of buying a pair, but they are pretty pricey, so I hadn't taken the plunge. At Christmas, they had a 40% off sale, and I went for it. I'm so glad I did. As a kid, my dad had two pairs of Cole Haan shoes that he wore all the time. And any time they got beaten up, he'd polish them or get them resoled. It was a brilliant way to have nice shoes on a tight budget. I decided that getting a nicer pair of shoes that were well crafted with ethical practices would be a good investment. And, so far, I think I'm right. I wear these shoes all the time, they go with everything, and I've never had a pair of shoes that were so comfortable right from the start. I can see these being my version of the shoes my dad kept for years, and I like that from an environment perspective (not throwing out or giving away cheap shoes just to buy more cheap shoes), and I like it from a style perspective (these just look nicer than a cheaper pair that would wear out in a few years), and I like it from a small business perspective (since I'm supporting a small business that invests in its workers and values them). So, all that to say, I love these shoes. 

I threw on my favorite spring earrings and a necklace I've had for a while. I think most of these items are still available, except for the necklace. I've linked the pants, shirt and shoes below along with a few similar jewelry options! Enjoy! 

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