How much is cost an issue here? How old are you? What’s your body type?
I’d suggest thinking in terms of “wardrobe.” What basic items does a grown-up woman need in her wardrobe? This will vary from woman to woman, of course, but a few outfits that will work as business casual will be part of most womens’ wardrobes. Include shoes and accessories when thinking about this stuff.
Your crisis here is an example of why a woman needs to have a wardrobe. If you had some more basics in place, you’d just have to do a little fill-in instead of scrambling for lots of items.
Although the “shoes must match the pants” thing is not a hard and fast rule, when doing black pants, you pretty much ought to stick to black shoes. (Unless you’re a fashion-y type and know what you’re doing)
A plain-ish pair of black loafers will serve you well as part of your wardrobe.
And don’t think you have to wear heels with a skirt! A long-ish skirt is great with flats!
A few suggestions for sources for business casual basics:
–Macy’s. I hate shopping at Macy’s, but they do tend to have a good selection of basic pieces, and often very good sales. Lord & Taylor does too.
–Talbots. Yawn, right? But again, good quality classic basics.
–Lands’ End Business Outfitters. (Not regular Lands’ End.) Nerd chic, as nashiitashii would say, but seems good for more casual stuff. It’s all in one place and they have a big range of sizes.
–Travelsmith. Lots of items that would work as business casual, and you’ve gotta love all the wrinkle-resistant machine washable stuff.
On preview: The shirt looks fine. Get the loafers. A light short-sleeve cotton sweater might be a good choice, but you probably would have to wear some bolder jewelry.