Adding Color

I am 30 and work for a conservative midwestern company. The attire is business casual, but I try to dress up a little more than that, just to be safe. (Who really knows what business casual is for women anyway? Men = khakis + polo, women = ???)

Anyway, my question is should I always stick to shoes that are at least as dark as my pants? I read that somewhere a while back, and I was just wondering if that is true.

For example, I have these great red croc shoes that hardly get any wear out of, so I decided to try to work them into a work outfit. I wore them the other day with black pants, a b/w tiny houndstooth pattern jacket, and a red turtleneck shell. Is that okay or should I stick to trying to wear them with denim (not to work, obviously) or gray pants.

I am trying to work more color into my wardrobe, which is a big departure since my entire wardrobe basically consists of various shades of black, white, gray, and brown. I felt slightly uncomfortable, but I wasn't sure if that was because it was such a departure for me or because it wasn't a good look altogether.
Jaime

I think you have a good idea about how to handle the elusive "business casual." It's usually best to err on the side of more formality, not less, when at work.

About the colors, the outfit is almost perfect. The only detail that I would question is the use of two red items in the ensemble (the turtleneck plus the shoes.) If you would like to wear the red turtleneck with the houndstooth/black ensemble, add neutral (tan, or gray) shoes. If the shoes are the red item, add a white or gray turtle. The rules have all changed (that's the usual thing for fashion rules); so I'm struggling to put together some useful guidelines: An outfit may contain several neutrals (the B&W, and Gray) but keep it to one accent color (Red, or other brights like Turquoise and Bright Yellow.)

Until recently, Red&Black together were a WNTW; but things have changed. I like Red&Black if there is some white or gray in the outfit as well.

So, to encourage your excellent plan to add color to your wardrobe, don't be afraid to mix up your (terrific) neutrals; gray with brown and gray with black, black with brown. Add one pop of color, like red, and you will create perfect outfits that you can wear with confidence.
Be sure that the neutral pants are the right length. They should cover most of the pump.

You might consider a turquoise bag as the one accent piece (instead of red) too.

Good planning, and good thinking, Jaime!