It’s always the same story: our babysitter arrives at 6:30, kids already in pj’s and ready to start their night, then I finally emerge from my bedroom around 7. It drives my husband crazy, as he’s the one left making small talk with a teenager for half an hour. He asks: Why are you so slow? Why don’t you ask the sitter to come later?! What are you doing up there for so long?! Well, funny you should ask…

Cue last Saturday night and the hold up was the same. What am I going to wear?  I tried on a sleeveless jumpsuit, a big party skirt, black leather pants.  Too summery, too formal, too trampy.  You’d have thought I was hosting the Oscars with my maniacal behavior.

“Why is this so difficult?” I asked myself as I looked at the termite-sized mound of clothes that had by now accumulated on my bed. Argh! After all that, guess what I settled on?  Black. Basic, safe, when-in-doubt-wear-black, black. Specifically, a black pleated midi skirt with a black crepe crop top, finished with statement earrings. Saved by an accessory. The moral here? Keep an arsenal of fun jewels in your closet to up the style quotient of your basic black ensemble.

Here are some favorites, including that infamous pair from Saturday night (here):

Pink Drops // Turquoise // Floral Hoops // Yellow Tassels

p.s. Those yellow tassels are only $32 and considered a “mini”… made for us gals who don’t have amazonian necks.