Can I just tell you how truly fortunate I feel when I find a cozy sweater dress that doesn’t make me look like a tent?  Every Fall I hope to get one of those chunky cable knit sweaters, and I have yet to find one that doesn’t give Martha Stewart vibes.  No shade to the homie Martha, but I’m 30, Black, and not wealthy, so we shouldn’t be dressed alike.  Hence, why I was thrilled with this sweater dress from Tobi.

The off the shoulder neckline really helped to take out the matronly aesthetic sweater dresses can give, and of course I added a belt to give it some shape.  This was my first time shopping with Tobi, and I am always a bit apprehensive about the quality of online clothing boutiques, but I was very pleasantly surprised with how soft and heavy this dress was when it arrived.  Find it here.

As much as I would love to do a full slouchy look, I know my limits as a 5’2 curvy girl.  Which is why I opted to add some height in the form of my trusty over the knee boots.  I am crazy particular about how over the knee boots should look, and how they function. I only do leather, because suede boots can only be worn in good weather, and the way global warming is set up, you just never know these days.  The heel has to be substantial, but also a block heel, so I can reasonably walk in them for a full workday in the city.  Lastly, they have to be affordable.  I got these last year on a ridiculous sale.  You can find a similar pair here.

I wanted to add something more to the look, so I decided now would be a good time to finally wear a hat, which I always say I’m going to do, and forget about it or something.  I couldn’t find a wide brim hat that I really loved until I ventured into the men’s department at Zara.  This is why shopping takes me a while, because I never limit myself to where I can find the piece I’m really looking for, and more times than not I come up on really cool pieces in the men’s department.