Shoe diversity by KeturaP featuring open toe pumpsS

Some women are more adventurous with their clothes than with their shoes — they realize the don’t want only black dresses, pants and T-shirts, but they don’t quite see that the same principle applies to their shoes, too.

My advice for this type of woman is to start slowly. You don’t want to shock your system. Consider a nude heel, the shoe of the moment. There are variations at all price points and heel heights. They look fresh and modern with almost everything. The other shoes to have are some sort of animal-textured heel or ballet flat. They’ll go with almost everything, too — and add immediate interest to your go-to basics. (Just don’t be afraid to mix them with other prints, too.)

From there, you can just go crazy — a colored ballet flat, metallic sandals, colored strappy heels. Go crazy!

What’s your most adventurous shoe, and how do you wear it? Leave me a comment and let me know — I want to hear about it!

(Need help finding the best shoes? Ketura Persellin is an image consultant and stylist in Washington, DC, and area suburbs.)

Keeping cool in the heat by KeturaP featuring metallic gold shoes

It’s hard to know what to wear when it’s beastly hot outside, but here’s what I came up with — what works for me personally:

First, a bare-up-top top/tunic/mini-dress. This can work on its own or over cropped, breezy pants or some sort of longish shorts. (Many women complain that their upper thighs rub together when it’s hot, which is why the pants or shorts work. Or just put some bicycle shorts on under the minidress.)

Next: flip-flops. My go-to flip-flop of choice is the Birkenstock Gizeh, a fresh pair every summer (because I wear them into the ground). But this pretty gold flip-flop is a nice alternative. Certainly we don’t want to be wearing rubber ones all summer, do we?!

Next, big earrings. Why’s that? Because it gets too hot to wear a lot of other jewelry — bracelets, necklaces, rings — they’ll all make you sweat. It’s often just not worth it. However, unless you are rock climbing or something, it always looks better to wear a cute pair of earrings.

Water — gotta rehydrate!

A big ethnic-inspired bag. I love a good summer bag, one that doubles as a weekend bag or beach bag or whatever.

A great nail polish, in a great color. It’ll act like another piece of jewelry.

Finally, a scarf or shawl for when the sun sets and it gets a little chilly, or when you duck in to a movie theater during the day as a respite from the heat, only to find that you’re suddenly freezing.

Have I left anything out? What are YOUR staples when the mercury soars? (And what will be on your playlist?)