By Huma Rashid

For those of you that have been following my columns here at the Working Wardrobe for a while, you know that when I go about putting together business casual outfits for under $100, I usually select pieces that are pretty evenly balanced: If I’m going for pants, a blouse, a purse, and shoes, I try to get them each to hit around the $25 mark.

But today, I just couldn’t resist this BCBGeneration shirt dress. I don’t use nearly enough designer items in these posts, for obvious reasons (expense; one designer item would eat away the majority of my budget), and today, I thought, heck, let’s go for it!

Let’s take a look at what I did below.

BCBGeneration Striped Cotton Belted Shirt Dress ………. $56.10
Tapered Skinny Ankle Dress Pants ………. $15
Taddy Pumps ………. $16.19
Red Purse ………. $10

Isn’t the dress great? It’s got a professional look to it, undoubtedly, what with the collar and the stripes and the cuffs. The belt adds shape, and since I liked the cut and didn’t want to mess with it too much, I went with a pair of skinny black dress pants. Skinny pants look great with heels, so I picked the red heels for a bright pop of color. I matched the shiny heels with that red purse that the lovely dog is showing off for you. It’s an Etsy find, and I think it’s just adorable! I have my favorite Etsy sellers, and I generally like to share Etsy finds just because all the items are homemade and very unique, and you can get some truly pretty and fabulous stuff for a steal.

So there we have it: a black and white ensemble with a nifty designer dress and vibrant red to add brightness and fun.