Trouser-obsessed mum in dress purchase shocker - but what do I do about shoes?

[Pidge]

Ok, so it's not the world's most exciting purchase, but I fell in love with a simple black dress in the Monsoon sale. I am a total trouser girl - before this purchase I owned no dresses, and only 2 skirts - both bought this year, so obviously something is happening to me!

Anyway, what on earth do I do about shoes? Do I just go for black, or do I need some colour in there to spice things up.

Tips from style gurus eagerly awaited

Phew - didn't want to commmit a fashion faux pas in my naive new dress wearing career!

It's not the one you linked - I can't find the exact one I bought. It's got a V-neck at the front, but in sort slight of wrap across style, and is knee length and with short sleeves. It is very very simple, but it was one of those moments when I put it on and thought - gosh that actually looks good, why don't I get myself out of my sloppy jeans and t-shirts habit more often!

Pidge: LOVE the name of this thread! That is me all over.. and I never know what to do about shoes!

LL - shucks - thanks for the big vote of confidence! I think the dress must have been very old stock, as it doesn't seem to be on the website and it was the only one on the rail, just happened to be my size.

MrsB - I also have a BIG shoe problem - maybe I should start a whole other thread . My feet are skinny and long, and I have a nightmare getting shoes to fit. I was measured once and my width fitting was narrower than AAA. I have one pair of shoes for work, which I have had since 1999, and the thought of having to go out and buy another pair is enough to trigger a nervous breakdown.

pidge, i bought a lovely squishy pair of lowish wedges in the office sale recently, they're a bright tomatoey red colour but they also have them in gold or tan (though not in sale) here

they're not the most exciting shoes in the world, not particularly dressy but you can wear with/without ankle strap and they are very comfy

Oooh - very nice shoes! Not sure if they would suit my feet - generally I need lace ups to even have a hope of getting the blessed things to stay on my feet! But I think things may have improved slighly after two pregnancies - maybe if I go for a 3rd baby my feet might get squashed out into something resembling a normal width

Ah - LK Bennett - now there's a topical subject. I recently bought a fab top from our local charity shop, which was admired by the mums in the school playground, they asked what the make was and I said "LKB", which at that point I'd never heard of, being a fashion dunce. I'm off to investigate stockists ...

Who needs Trinny and Susannah when you MNers can supply such a fab makeover service!!

I'm in London - so loads of stockists in the central area, not that I go there often (the website has a decent store finder tool).

I think neutral shoes and bag always look v classy with black, this kind of colour

flowery - my goodness those are extremely classy. I'm only just getting over the shock of the frock purchase, not sure I'll manage anything quite so stylish on the shoe front!

if something like that would be too shocking maybe some similar coloured more casual wedges or something.

We don't want you fainting dead away at the stylishness of it all, you need to ease yourself in gently!

Casual wedges sound very promising! Don't want to be too drastic, as you say. Am about to go off on hols to France, so maybe I can absorb some French style whilst I'm there. Also an opportunity to practise my dress-wearing where I won't meet anyone I know!

tres 'a la mode'!

what the devil are "starppy keyyen hells" - sound very painful

LOL - just had to google 'kitten heels'! No time to shop now before our hols, so French shoe shops it is ....