Ferragamos for the summer!
Summer has hit Philly hard, like a ton of hot humid bricks. It's generally hard to keep your composure in a 90 degree sweltering heat: coifs crumble, shirts crumple, tops stain, the brow sparkles with sweat. However, one thing, if carefully chosen, will never betray you and will still make you feel like a million bucks: a gorgeous pair of shoes. Such as these fabulous
linen Ferragamo wedges, simply purrrrrfect for the summer:
I'm not one to walk in high heels anymore, but even I, lover of comfort as I am, admit that wedges offer enough support. These are about 3" high (but the platform will absorb some of the shock), and they are simply yummy. Not only will they keep you happy, but they'll also bring a smile on everybody else's face. Now, that's what I call a shoe!
Clergerie knock-offs?
Remember these sandals?
That's right, they're the
Robert Clergerie suede slides "Ravhi," here pictured in "gold" (well, it's more like a mustard color), which I had deemed
fit for the emancipated princess in you. They retailed for over $360 on Zappos (I got them for just a little bit over $70).
Well, here's a much cheaper
knock-off, on sale at Anthropologie:
It only comes in brown, at least on their site (the original came only in black, orange, and gold), and the sole is man-made as opposed to leather, but the resemblance is uncanny, isn't it? At about $70 on sale (down from $98), they're about as much as I paid for the original, but on the other hand they might just solve my lack of a nice brown sandal for this summer. Mmmmm.... tempting.....
Am I OCD? Wait, don't answer that.
So, today, rushed by the imminent specter of the moving-out day (by "imminent" read "July"), but mostly because my modest closet in our rental seemed to be bursting at the seams with shoes, and clothes, but mostly shoes, I decided to take out my entire collection, sans running shoes, dog park shoes, garden shoes, and any sort of winter shoes and boots, and re-arrange it so that it will fit into my three
canvas shoe-organizers. (The rest of the shoes are cramped on the floor of the closet, underneath the organizers.) The organizers themselves only have 10 spaces each for shoes, which means that all this time I had to fit these 47 pair, pictured above, into 30 slots. As a result, the poor organizers are bursting at the seams, as they are forced to do double duty to accommodate my ever-expanding collection.
After some contemplation and soul searching, I managed to eliminate 6 pairs on account of color redundancy, utility, heel size, etc. I have already found a good home for most of them (love girlfriends with the same shoe size!).
All I can say, I can't wait until we move into our new home where I will have a real walk-in closet with plenty (PLENTY!) of built-in shelves especially for shoes. I already counted them, looks like enough...for now...
If you care to know what you're looking at, though the picture, obviously, doesn't do them justice, here is the breakdown:
Front row, left to right: Marc Jacobs orange quilted flats, Taryn Rose 2" burgundy patent mules, Taryn Rose pink nappa and suede 2" wedge loafers, Blay blue cracked metallic T-strap flats, Arche burgundy nubuck skimmers, Gabor perforated pink suede Mary-Jane, Coach black patent loafers, Bandolino pink ballet flats, Icon multicolor skimmers
(As you may have guessed one pink pair had to go, and it was the Bandolinos.)
Second row up: Anne Klein 2" black career pumps, Taryn Rose 3" black and blue T-straps, Casadei tweed and patent kitten heels, Ferragamo brown croc patern patent flats, Clergerie 2.5" suede pumps, Clergerie 2 3/4" brown suede loafers, Delman lime suede and patent ballet flats, Miu Miu tobacco suede with floral vamp flats, Dries van Noten grey and blue distressed leather 3 3/4" Mary Janes, Kenneth Cole orange with black flower pattern leather flats.
(The Kenneth Cole took a beating last year during a trip abroad, as I waked in them basically every day, so they're about to get kicked out. Not yet, though, I'm still fond of them.)
Third row up: Clergerie green sandals, Clergerie gold slides, Casadei white+red patent 2 1/4" slides, Born "froth" thong, Aquatalia aqua slides, Franco Sarto green thongs, Donald Pliner animal print haircalf loafers, Espace red Mary Janes, Aerosoles 3.5" lime leather wedges.
(The wedges are precariously positioned here. In fact, they'll probably go. No, definitely.)
Fourth row up: Donald Pliner black mesh slides, Espace white and bronze strappy leather flat sandals, Espace red suede 2 1/2" wedge sandals, Kenneth Cole gold and bone thong, Kate Spade rainbow canvas Mary Jane, Born brown+cream Mary Janes, Cole Haan G-series velvet and metallic skimmer, Materia Prima red bandana slides with a 2 1/2" semi-wedge heel, Aerosoles black suede flat mules.
(The Aerosole mules will most definitely go: they're poorly constructed and the insole keeps bunching up at the toe. Most aggravating.)
Fifth, almost invisible row up: Bandolino navy 2 1/2" slingbacks, Etienne Aigner red 2 1/2" slides, Mila Paoli black kitten heel slides, Joseph Seibel red Mary Jane with blue floral accent, Aerosoles metallic mauve sneakers, Icon "Carcel Street" print velcro sneakers, Kowalsky distressed print leather sneakers, Sperry Top-Siders blue+white nubuck mule, Sperry Top-Siders lime green nubuck loafer.
(Of these, I'll part with at least the first three, if not four...the rest are practical shoes for busy or rainy days.)
Most of these shoes have a little story, are attached to some feelings, memories, images... Some, the newer ones, don't (like the Marc Jacobs pair, which I haven't had the pleasure to wear outside yet).
A little OCD exercise like this also had the merit of letting me see what I have, what is redundant and should be recycled, and what I'm missing--for example, I am shocked to discover I don't have a good pair of brown sandals. For shame. It also lets me get all excited at the prospect of filling this unacceptable hole in my shoe wardrobe!
In Her Shoes
I finally, FINALLY, got around to seeing
this movie, and what can I say--it's an excellent reminder that, really, it's not about the shoes (gasp!).
Apart from the fact that it's filmed in my beloved Philadelphia, which alone would have had merit for me, with the added bonus of featuring gorgeous shoes (ah! I want Rose's shoe closet so bad!), the movie is just beautiful. Hope that you you didn't wait like me and have seen it already. You know what I'm talking about.
Shoes for Elizabeth Bennett
What do you know:
Which Classic Female Literary Character Are you?
You're Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen!
Take this quiz!
Which of course, got me thinking, what kind of shoe would I wear in that case? Perhaps something sensible yet sophisticated, delicate and lady-like:
(Image from Linda O'Keeffe's
Shoes: A celebration of pumps, sandals, slippers & more.)
El Naturalista
As a relentless pursuer of shoes that attain the Holy Grail of being both comfortable and stylish, I'm always on the prowl. It is as a result of such an ardent, passionate hunt that I came across this brand:
El Naturalista, a Spanish company (and I've always felt good about Spanish shoes--funky, unique style with a mind to comfort), offers such gems:
which I think are too adorable. And that's not all: they're also environmentally conscious. Quoth their
Zappos page:
El Naturalista shoes are made with nature in mind using vegetable tanned leathers, recycled, and natural rubber outsoles that tell a story that has inspired our designers work from different parts of the world.
Not only that, but every shoe comes with a detailed description of the materials used and the manufacture process, plus--and that's even better!--with a whole story about the inspiration from the shoe, usually coming from a journey to some exotic country. The cute green-and-yellow Mary-Jane on top, for example? It's called Nokue and it's inspired by a trip to Benin. A whole narrative follow involving amulets, princesses of the tribe, a sailor uncle, and much more. Intriguing, n'est ce pas? I'm a sucker for good stories, as well as for comfort and uniqueness, so I know I have to try these shoes some time. Unfortunately, I'm also a sucker for sales, and it looks like I'm going to have to wait for that a little more...
New obsession: Thierry Rabotin
I was with a friend in one of the most important shoe stores in the Philadelphia area,
Benjamin Lovell Shoes. This store prides itself on placing the emphasis on comfort as well as style. Their brands aren't cheap, and they're also very selective with the styles they carry (no stilettos there!):
Donald J. Pliner, Beautifeel, Naot, Ara, Mephisto, Arche, Born, Dansko, Merrell, Mephisto, Paul Green, Michael Kors, Tsubo, Camper, Keen--you get the point.
My friend was enamored with a Naot brown loafer that she simply had to have. I wasn't particularly enamored with said shoe, too plain for me, as was most of their Naot collection. As an aside, you'd think with a store like this nearby and my passion for stylish and comfortable shoes, I'd practically live there. Not so. Their buyers seem to favor a more Teutonic approach to style--less frilly, more on the practical and classical side, that is, which would be fine, if they had good sales, which they don't often have (not of the kind
Zappos has spoiled us with, anyway). Anyway...still a great browsing experience, overall.
While my friend was trying on the shoe, I looked for the Taryn Rose collection I knew they had, and couldn't find any, so I asked a salesman.
"Do you still carry Taryn Rose shoes?" I asked.
"Oh, no, we stopped carrying that line. We found that she's moved to making more fashion-type shoes, not really the kind of shoes we carry here," said the blond, bespectacled young man behind the counter.
"That's too bad!" I said sincerely.
"Well, we do carry instead a whole bunch of Thierry Rabotin," he said helpfully. "He used to be a designer for Taryn Rose," he added hastily, in response to the somewhat confused look on my face. "He makes more of the type of shoes we usually carry in our store."
I was going to make a point about their lack of
Icon shoes (they used to have quite a few), but was forced to cut the conversation short as we were on a tight schedule (what with my friend having to catch a plan and all), but of course, that meant I had to learn more about this Thierry Rabotin. From
his website, one can find out that he also worked for
Robert Clergerie (another one of my favorite brands...hmmmm, this is looking good!) and that his hand-made shoes promise "the incredibile sensation ... of walking barefoot." Mmmm, better and better!
Now, the only thing I had to really worry about was price. That turns out to be a problem.
Zappos does not carry this brand (sniff-sniff!), nor does
Shoes.com, and the only pair of Thierry Rabotin available on Ebay as of 50 minutes ago is used and looks sort of blah.
How do his shoes look? Let's see. These
red sandals are kind of cool and they are also 20% off (still almost $300, not very encouraging!)
These
black suede slides look stylish and comfortable too, for just a little under $240:
I wouldn't be ashamed wearing
this pump, either ($345):
Or this
Mary-Jane inspired one, for $375:
I also fancy this
leopard-print peep-toe ($375):
I mean, if you have to wear an elegant pump, you can at least be comfortable, right?
These Mary-Jane mules are also rather attractive ($225):
Now, if I could only find these on a proper sale, somewhere...
Marc Jacobs on sale!
Ok, I'm officially a Marc Jacobs footwear junkie (btw, my
MJ orange velvet flats arrived today and they are simply spectacular, plus incredibly comfortable, indeed). At any rate, if you're wearing a size 40 (I find that's more like a 9 than a 10 in MJ), you can't pass up
these blue suede pumps (2 5/8" heel??? oh well)--70% off at Nordstrom:
Featured!
I noticed that a large amount of referrals to my site came today from
Glam.com. It turns out I'm one of the featured blogs--and they even used part of my masthead for the "Adorable and Affordable" banner! Took me a while to figure it out, since I didn't expect yours truly to be featured on such an
extravagant spot of website real-estate (I expected, at most, more of a marginal link somewhere way, way, way down). At any rate, thanks, guys!
So I believe it's time to celebrate in time with something cute and practical for the summer. Today, let me recommend:
That's right--
Born Lisbon thongs, of all things! I got them in the middle of the winter, for a lucky $39.95, but they're now about $61. Still, I think you should give them a try.
As an aside: I am one of those people who stayed away from thong footwear for the longest time (specifically, until last year), because I was dead sure it would cause chafing and rubbing and pain and general horror between my toes. I started off gently with a Kenneth Cole Coconut Grove gold leather thong, which looks approximately like this (except, you know, in gold):
And what do you know! They were comfortable and cute--and perfect for that hot steambath that passes for summer in Philly, when you want to cover as little of you as possible.
I gently expanded my thong brood with this rather unique green
Franco Sarto Dey (on sale now for $39.95, if you're interested):
And finally got around to the above-pictured Borns. Now, Born is a tough brand to find cute, girlie styles in, but they've come up lately with a variety of shoes that are just as much a pleasure to look at as they are to walk in (I'm keeping my eye on their
slide with detachable vamp flower, which comes with 5 interchangeable floral leather accents).
Should you be in need, however, of a cute, practical, feminine, and outrageously comfortable thong (that is NOT a flip-flop!) to saunter through those hot, lazy summer day, look no further than the
Lisbon. Just don't try to run in them, and you'll be fine. They also come in a green+blue ("Celadon") and a brown+off-white ("Henna") combination. I own the "Froth" one, pictured.
A short break off the topic of shoes to discuss the gorgeousness that is Monica Bellucci
I love, LOVE the bitchy ladies at
Go fug yourself--always a great, most entertaining read, my favorite Internet spot for a little fashion Schadenfreude. It's not hard to agree with the conclusions, either. However, I must immediately take issue with the opinions expressed in one of their latest
editorial about Monica Bellucci. Now, it's not that the dress she was wearing wasn't worthy of damnation. It wasn't completely and horrifically fugtastic, in my opinion, but it certainly deserved some pointed criticism.
I must nevertheless utterly and vehemently disagree with the following opinion--and I'll do it here, since they've disabled comments on their site:
I've never quite gotten Monica Bellucci. I can recognize that she is a lovely woman, but she's not a traffic-stopping exotic stunner to me even though I've heard her referenced as such. Unlike with, say, Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose effortless glamour always captivates me, my gaze always drifts past Monica Bellucci without registering. It never stops on her -- she never grabs me and makes me stare because of the charisma or rare beauty she possesses. In fact, all I can ever summon up about her is that she is a brunette, and she is married to Vincent Cassel, who was funny in Elizabeth and extremely flexible in Ocean's Twelve.
Monica Bellucci is NOT a traffic-stopping exotic stunner??????????? What? And George Clooney is your garden variety run-of-the-mill character actor, I suppose, much plainer looking, say, than the ever-frowning Michael Keaton?
Exhibit A:
Um, say that again?
I would KILL to look like that, and so would you (don't deny it!).
I think this is due to the regrettable fact that Americans (sorry to make generalizations like that, but sometimes they're warranted) don't bother to watch or seek out ANYTHING that is not carefully mass-marketed to appeal to a comfortable majority of the US market. (Hence, Heather at GFY could reference only the Cassel movies that were marketed with some fanfare in the US.)
Monica Bellucci--excuse me, time for another photo:
...is simply, one of the most extraordinarily beautiful women I've ever had the pleasure to ogle (as a straight woman, that's saying something!). And she has a real body with real curves, not the anorexic, fake, childish sillhouette that's so in favor in Hollywood these days. She did start off as a model, but quickly moved to a movie career (first major role: one of the brides of Dracula in Francis Ford Coppola's
Dracula). She's fluent in Italian and French, and most of her major roles were in French movies that were not marketed in the US; if you saw them, you'd know she's a damn good actress, too.
I've seen and subsequentely recommend
Malena (Italian),
The Brotherhood of the Wolves (French; Vincent Cassel, her husband, is in that one, too);
Irréversible (French, also with Cassel, and quite brutal);
Agents Secrets (also with Cassel);
Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (French, silly, but she's gorgeous). She had her less successful roles in English (
The Matrix Reloaded,
Tears of the Sun,
The Brothers Grimm), and I guess more successful (as Mary Magdalene in
Passion of the Christ). There are many other roles, and you don't have to believe me (yet) that she's a good actress, but one thing is certain:
The woman is absolutely stunning.
Hear that, Heather? Love ya, but I've got to fight you on this one. Because, look:
Love Catherine Zeta-Jones, too, but if I ever had to choose, I'd have to give the smoldering, ultra-sexy trophy to this one.
Jellies
I have an inborn horror of jellies. I was horrified--horrified!--when Marc Jacobs came up with what seemed like a
whole line of them (complete with a
gladiator version!). What's the appeal of plasticky-rubbery-sticky substance rubbing against your feet, promoting sweat, blisters, and discomfort? Brrrr! I can't imagine an occasion for wearing ostentatiously plastic shoes other than transporting your sun-and-sea-drenched tanned self from the long chair to the thatched-roof bar on the beach and back. (Let's face it, it's not worth it putting any other shoe through the ordeal of sand+sun+seawater. Plus, you don't really have to wear them for long anyway).
So, a resounding no to jellies, for my part. Well, maybe with one exception, due mainly to the extraordinary sale price ($39.95): these
Icon jelly slides, with leather insole and upper and "Girl in the rain" print:
Now, I wouldn't be ashamed ordering my Mai Tai in those (and an assorted swimsuit, of course)!
First pair of Marc Jacobs!
When you've ALWAYS wanted a pair of Marc Jacobs flats, and you LOVE orange, and velvet and patent are HOT this year for shoes, and there's just ONE pair of
these left in your size, and they're as CUTE as ever, and the reviews say they're ULTRA-comfortable, and they're 65% OFF, how, I ask you, how can one resist?
A girl can only show restraint for so long, you know.
Is it wrong...
...to associate a perfectly innocent bag:
...with
one of the freaks on Total Recall? (warning: graphic picture ahead!)
More Anthropologie obsessions.
The price may not always be right, but
Anthropologie surely has some unique, colorful, youthful, and cute-as-a-button shoes on sale at the moment. I can't stop slobbering over these
Maloles espadrilles, for example. Aren't they perfect for summer at the Riviera? Perhaps with a breezy long white eyelet skirt gently flapping in the breeze, while you dreamily lean against the strong shoulder of your handsome, sensitive companion who scopes the green waves of the ocean together with you? He might also remark how perfectly your espadrilles match the color of the sea. So what if he's gay? At least you haven't paid $135 (that's 50% off, still!) for nothing.
It's also maddening how well they match my Rafe tote, whose color scheme, coincidentally, is also described as "seawave":
More in my price range, however (about $65), seem to be these lovely
rose thongs (all leather):
Tres cute, n'est ce pas? Or even these
fabric and leather Mary-Janes, which also spell summer with a capital S:
Oh, and speaking of Rafe:
these Bollywood-inspired gold-and-turquoise bejeweled leather thongs could make anyone feel like an Indian princess. They could even convince me to try on a sari for the first time in my life, and despite my deep conviction that such a garment would do nothing for me. Regardless, at $250, they're pretty much out of reach for now.
Ok, enough shoe goodness. It's enough to make one feel dizzy. Just a word of caution: not all Anthropologie is shoe gold. Case in point:
While the front of these
linen pumps is interesting and unique enough, I just can't imagine for the life of me why one would shell $200 to have their feet look like hooves.
Stylehive Bag Contest
Something I should have done long ago but hey, I can be quite forgetful sometimes:
Stylehive is offering a chance to win a Botkier Large Fan Hobo Botkier handbag (retails for $695) courtesy of
RevolveClothing.com. The contest runs May 1 - 31, 2006 and you can find details on their
blog. If you want the bag, I hope there's still time for you to give it a try!
Carnivale: The Halloween Costume Edition!
The
Style Graduate asks this week a fun question: what runway look we would wear as a Halloween costume. This is a question that is both easy (so many choices!) and difficult (so many choices!).
Still, I feel that my task is a breeze thanks to this year's Dior couture collection, presented by the "funky little fashion troll" (as
The Manolo dubbed him), John Galliano:
What I would go as? The High Priestess of Galliano Church. In truth, I died long ago and now I walk the earth to cast the Galliano curse onto whomever dares to look into my lifeless eyes. The cross is a decoy to lure in unsuspecting nuns and priests and rob them of their garments in order to slash them and drape them "artistically" around new converts.
If the host of the Halloween party is indeed the more free-spirited cutting edge person, I could even dress like this:
"Galliano fashion victim road kill." Not even the deflector mirror shades and the spiky cross could save me, and now I roam the earth, inconsolable and forever cold.
If however, my host would be easily scandalized with my lack of a visible undergarment, I could button up but keep the mirror motif in this Comme des Garçons outfit:
I am evidently inhabited by the unhappy, violent spirit of the Phantom of the Opera. I may look melancholy, but I have a short temper that manifests itself in my low tolerance for karaoke competitions. Before Simon Cowell, it was me--and I will not stop at snide remarks. No--I'll make that chandelier fall on your head before you can torture me with you squeals.
Oh, ok. Maybe none of those looks is really me. Really. However, this Alexander McQueen creation--now, that I would wear at any Halloween party:
Why? Isn't it obvious? I am sort of an academic type, so those owl feathers sprouting out of my skull would be subtly indicative of my bookish, utterly geeky nature, right? Plus the jacket is rather cute, the skirt seems flattering, and I bet I could rawk those granny boots.
Who would I be? The spirit of your English teacher coming to torment you about all those times you mocked her in classroom and refused to learn that it's recEIve and not recIEve, despite being told oh, about a thousand times. I carry on my head the plumes of wisdom and in my tweed-and-ruffle-clad heart, the seed of revenge. This time if you don't behave properly in the vicinity of the English language you will be flunked, double-flunked, and flunked again. Beware!
Casadei Velvet Bow
Velvet is very "in" this shoe season, but that's not the first reason you should like these
Casadei velvet bow skimmers. You just
know that the plush, rich velvet upper spells C-O-M-F-O-R-T. The bow adds a little flair and frivolity to an otherwise quite sophisticated shoe.
Still not convinced? Perhaps this will help: they're 68% off ($114, down from $352) on Zappos. Which is not bad at all for the quality. I generally find Casadei shoes to be very well constructed and overall quite comfortable (of course, I do stay away from their otherwise large stiletto collection!).
Anniversary Equation
What do you get when you add up:
- husband's birthday--big 4-0!
- anniversary--4 years (whoa!) (and yes, we did get married on his b-day)
- elegant French brasserie downtown Philadelphia
- 1/2 mile walk to said brasserie (and back!)
- outside seating
- breezy evening (not really suitable for sandals)
-
happy bag to coordinate with
- dress in earthy tones?
Why, I don't know what yours added up to , but my result was this tobacco suede Miu Miu skimmer, with orange and green floral vamp:
The dinner was delicious--I had steak and he had chicken, for a change. Except he ended up eating the whole chicken AND 1/2 my steak. For appetizers we shared a sublime fricassee of mussels, and for desserts, we also shared a strawberry-rhubarb compote with creme fraiche icecream.
The best part of outside seating is that we could watch the shoes of the passers-by and make snide comments about them. He deplored the fashion horror that he proclaimed bicycle-toe shoes to be; I deplored the general ugliness of the "comfortable" shoes and the obvious painfulness of some of the towering heels I saw hobbling our way.
You just can't fake a genuine bond over quality footwear.
Oh, and in case you wonder, he was wearing
Edward Green shoes.
Crush du jour: Anthropologie
Occasionally,
Anthropologie has astonishing shoes- unfortunately at less astonishing prices. There's reason to rejoice right now, however, as they run a sale and some of their online choices are pretty delectable. Like these
purple suede Lulu Guinness wedges.
So rich! So plush! So yum!
I need to go eat a bar of Cadbury's like, right now.
I'm also quite fond of these
Kashmir gold paisley-print wedges. Gold paisley print leather! Say no more. I'm a sucker for footwear-expressed opulence.
Anthropologie's flagship store is in Philly, smack-dab in the middle of the city, on Rittenhouse Square. I believe a small trip is in order. Perhaps not to buy (I'll try not to fall off the wagon) but at least to touch and luxuriate....
The Green Apple Fairy's Shoes
The Green Apple Fairy was exhausted. She had run all night through the dewy meadows, sprinkling fairy dust on the apple trees, and throwing magic Vitamin C dreams at sleeping fair maidens, which usually made them wake up with rosy cheeks, healthy appetite and boundless energy for the shopping trips of the day.
But now the Green Apple Fairy's dainty little feet were achy. She couldn't help but notice that her trusted fairy pumps had lost their brightness and looked somewhat pathcy and ratty in places. I guess griffon skin doesn't take well to damp meadows, she mused, examining the raggedy heels. Plus it was getting a wee bit too warm for pumps now. It was time for a new pair of sandals.
So she called the shoemaker for the fairies, Mr. Hugglewelt, who was pretty busy with a backorder of elf slippers, but who was kind enough to listen to her request. Oh, he said, I have just the perfect thing for you. Just a marvel. Come see me in two days.
The Green Apple Fairy could barely wait, so two days after, early in the morning, she knocked cheerily at Mr. Hugglewelt's door.
"Ah, come in, come in!" he said. "Look!"
And he showed her the most perfect sandals she could ever imagine. The luscious green leather upper (a water dragon leather, Mr. Hugglewelt revealed) was woven simply but irresistably into shiny perfection. The dainty strap was just enough to keep the shoes on her feet during her nocturnal flights. And the gold heel, not too high and not too low, gracefully reflected the image behind it to the tiniest detail.
"I figured," the shoemaker said with a wink, "that this way you can keep an eye on whover might sneak up behind you."
"Oh yeah," she thought. "Those pixie fights can sometimes become dangerous. I need all the help I can get!"
She held them in her hand. They were light as a feather and the leather was soft, luscious, and the most beautiful apple green shade she could ever wish on the fruit of her beloved trees.
"Thank you," she said softly. "They're perfect!"
Robert Clergerie has a knock-off version of the Green Apple Fairy shoes. Get them while I don't!
Craft envy
Don't you sometimes have a blogger you wish you could emulate? Like, you wish you had her talent, for example? Or her life? Or some other skill that she in fact dedicates her life/blog/evening commute to?
I have a long list of bloggers I admire, but in the fashion world I think few people turn me greener with envy than Erin at
A dress a day. Why?
First of all, the woman can write, 'kay? Check out her
Secret Lives of Dresses series, which I know she'll turn into a book some day, once I get my ass in gear and come up with the requisite counterpart series, Secret Lives of Shoes. Or something.
Second, but most importantly, I am absolutely envious of her nonchalance in talking about the objects of her affection (dresses). You see, Erin makes dresses. To judge by her blog, she produces at least a dress a week. She comments on patterns and says, hey, I think I'm going to do this in green/checker/stardust, only a little bit shorter/longer/puffier, with a pocket/flower/gizmo just above the left side/thigh/elbow. She picks materials and breezily mentions that hey, this is going to be this dress, or that dress, and I'm going to get a-sowing this weekend. Her quest for beauty is not restricted to lusting, admiring, browsing, or even purchasing: no, she MAKES that which she loves.
You can begin to understand now, right, that for someone like me, who loves shoes as much as Erin loves dresses, this can begin to get a little frustrating. Because I NEVER have the option of MAKING my own shoes.
Not that I wasn't curious about it. But you know, and I know, that unless I change my career plans drastically,
shoe-making is simply not an option. One doesn't simply take shoe-making as a hobby; a sewing machine, patterns, and scissors will simply not suffice.
Is this why shoes are such objects of lust, above all others, for women (yes, more than dresses)? (See the related
Coutorture poll about fashion fetishes: 67% of respondents so far answered "shoes"!).
No matter what, I do fantasize sometimes I had Erin's relative freedom in custom-making the objects of my desire. Ah, one can dream, can't one? I'd have a resplendent line-up of pretty, colorful, supremely comfortable and durable shoes that could brighten just about every day of the week.
I'll go dream about that some more...
Carnivale: The Bargain Edition!
This week the fabulous
Bargain Queen asks us, quite logically, what our best fashion bargain was. What a wonderful opportunity for bragging! Of course, this is a rather redundant topic for this blog, which was created from the very beginning in order to promote stylish and comfortable footwear at BARGAIN prices.
Good quality bargains are sweeter, juicier, and more enjoyable than the items I paid full price for--and for which there's the ever so slight tinge of bitterness.
Like many other respondents to the carnivale, I've become convinced that it's practically absurd to pay full price for anything in our economy (well, unless you really, really, REALLY can't live without it NOW). And so, I've become an expert at browsing sales. I've posted most of my shoe finds here, so I'm just going to revisit some of them briefly, before I move on to some other bargains.
The biggest discount ever I got, and by definition the one I'm the proudest of, has got to be for this pair of
Casadei slides. List price: 463.95. What I paid: $33.95. That's, um, what, 94% or something? Not bad!
Moving on: these
Robert Clergerie loafers were listed for $428.95, but yours truly got them for $39.95. On the subject of Clergerie: I got
these wonderful slides 77% off, and also these other
equally wonderful sandals (in green) 85% off. He-he! :)
Finally, these
kick-ass patent leather Espace boots (which I got in teal) retailed for $353.95. I paid: $47.95.
Bag-wise, I've had some good bargains, too. This
Treesje gold leather hobo, which retails for $300 or so, was mine for $89 (my version has more colorful details and hence is prettier than the one in that picture :)). And then there's a
Rafe shoulder bag (link is to an Ebay auction), large enough to tote my tiny laptop in, in a chevron pattern with blue and green ("seawave") leather piping and pockets--a beautiful piece, which I got 70% at Nordstrom ($118, down from $395).
I've also gotten some great clothing bargains in my time. Whereas these days I rummage through the sales racks at Banana Republic (I find the occasional beautiful pink top with a satin waist tie for $14, down from $78, or the flattering wrap dress for $33, down from $198 or so)--my all time favorite boutique to shop was the now defunct
Inguz on 20th and Walnut (link is to a
Citysearch review of the shop, which has not been taken down yet). I got some fabulous skirts and tops there, really unique pieces you won't see anywhere else, at equally fabulous prices. I sobbed when they went out of business--Anne, who ran the shop at the time, claimed the location was bad, and she couldn't survive there. It wasn't for my lack of trying, I tell you that! I was such a good customer she gave me a gorgeous green dragonfly brooch as a parting gift. Oh, and a complete knitting kit (she wanted to learn but changed her mind. I haven't made much progress either, but one day, one day...).
Another boutique sprouted in its place--Maria Baros, but I couldn't really bring myself to shop there. Yet. But still--Philadelphia does need more independent boutiques like that, so I guess one day I'll get over my grief for the demise of Inguz and start supporting local boutiques again.
Shoes for the SuperWoman
You might have noticed that blogging has been somewhat light chez Scarpediem of late. That's not because I have forsaken shoes--God forbid!--but because, perhaps, the only inspiration I've had of late has been dirty, heavy Timberland or other types of equally unattractive construction boots, adorning the feet of sweaty, tan, and gruff construction guys at Scarpediem and hubby's new place. Predicted date of occupancy: some time in July. Not sure when, since we're entirely dependent on a team made of beefy, football- and Timberland-loving men on the contractor's side, and a thin, flamboyantly gay designer with a high-pitched voice, really tight jeans and Prada sport shoes on the other side.
[As an aside, remember that gay character,
Anthony, who helps Charlotte with her first wedding and remains a good buddy throughout the movie? Remember when they keep bringing her wedding gowns she doesn't like and she defers to him to verbally abuse the shop attendants and get her what he wants, style-wise? That's kinda how I feel sometimes about our designer when dealing with our gruff contractor. But I digress.]
Anyhoo, to get away from the maddening construction project, we went to see
MI: III this weekend, which was exactly what you'd expect of it (met my very low standards for mindless, action flicks, that is). The only bad part about it, in my opinion, was Tom Cruise, whom I've grown to loathe for reasons totally unrelated to his dedication to his craft.
On the way out, however, we saw this poster for an upcoming movie:
Those of you who know me will immediately sense the beef I have with this poster, which is not about either Uma or Luke (adore them both)--but about the boots she's sporting as SuperGirlfriend (I believe the plot is that she's some sort of superhero, and he doesn't know, and dumps her, and all sorts of hilarious trouble ensues).
I just wonder, why is it that female action figures have to wear 4 inch stilettos to save the world? Why?
I first wondered about this back when I was seeing the X-Files, in which agent Scully was invariably chasing aliens in 3-inch heels.
You'll see this trend cropping up steadily in movies or series centered around an action heroine. My favourite spy show,
Alias, has poor Sydney Bristow run her heart out in perilous heels ever so often. Since I like
Alias so much, I'll make a concession: I understand many of those perilous missions involve her transformation into a sex kitten that will temporarily dazzle and confuse the unsuspecting villain, until they realize it's a trap and she kicks their ass anyway, using the stilettos as a weapon.
Twisty will of course, explain to you that all the comic heroines and villainesses are clad for the sole purpose of catering to some disgusting male fantasy involving tons of leather, spandex, bustieres, buckles and studs, and, of course, debilitatingly high heels.
I wonder, are these women superheroes precisely because they can run at amazing speeds and do kung-fu DESPITE their crippling footwear? It
is a distinct possibility.
However, let's be fair. Even SuperWomen need to wear adequate shoes on their missions to save the world, don't they?
That footwear, however, should look more like Uma Thurman's character in
Kill Bill. It seems so much more practical to kill hundreds of hapless Japanese warriors in sensible yet super-cool sport shoes than, say, in the ridiculously high stiletto boots she wears in the poster that triggered my little tirade.
And yet, Beatrix Kiddo had the distinct advantage of going about her revenge business without really having to seduce anyone along the way.
If you saw a single episode of
Alias, however, you should know that this is hardly the case in the rarefied world of ultra-espionage. Sooner or later, you're going to have to shake those goods, baby, and while you need to do it in style, you also need to keep in mind that you'll have to run for your life, karate-chop your way through approximately 150 300-pound bad guys, defuse a bomb, and make your escape while climbing up a ladder to a helicopter.
So I guess, for the purpose of seducing a bad guy at a high-class charity ball, for the purposes of stealing the secret password that would get one a step closer to solving the Rambaldi mystery, one could wear these gorgeous
Casadei velvet pumps, which, at 2 1/2 inch high, will not be supremely comfortable, but will give one a bit of leeway, not to mention dazzle the villain; plus at 85% off, won't break the CIA budget.
Alternately, these
metallic Sigerson Morrison might be a low-heeled, sexy alternative:
Here's also something sexy-funky with a strap that will keep the shoe securely on those butt-kicking feet: an
Etro spectator-inspired pump, 1 1/2 inch heel:
Let me also throw in the mix my absolute favorite pumps of late, these
gorgeous Christian Lacroix:
As for me, were I ever put in the position to make a run for my life in couture, I'd oscillate between these
gold Clergerie pumps:
and perhaps, these
bejeweled Zanotti beauties (can you tell I'm feeling the gold lately? give me a break, I'm still in super-heroine mode):
Now that is certainly a nice break from contemplating grimy, lumpy Timberlands for the next few weeks!
The first step is admitting you have a problem.
Hello, I'm Scarpediem and I'm a shoe addict.
It started with one pair. They were pretty. Great brand, great quality. Qualities which in and by themselves are laudable but not enough to make my cheapskate self buy them. But then they were 91% off. Naturally, I couldn't pass that up.
And then there came another pair at another pretty discount. I felt powerful, I heard angels sing. With every new pair gotten at yet another ridiculous discount, I would feel this adrenaline rush through my veins. I would admire the luscious leather, the precious hardware details, the beautiful craftmanship, the designer's name elegantly etched in gold letters, the harmonious shape, the lure of comfort and luxury. Like in a true addict, the rush would soon be gone and I would be left alone and in despair, craving more and more of the beautiful shoes. My unrest would only pass with my next dose.
Oh, sure, I rationalized it. I needed to replace my high heels with low heels: my feet couldn't take it anymore, the pain just wasn't worth it. I was getting rid of old, uncomfortable shoes just as I was gaining a new, cheerful, quality, comfortable shoe wardrobe befitting a woman of my age and stature. I really, really needed them--I needed colors, cuts, I needed to match outfits and purses. Besides, these were bargains, and sometimes, downright investments. And they were pretty! What better excuse to find than that!
And so it is that in the past 6 months I bought--yes, prepare yourself for the shocking truth--a total of 24 (twenty-four) pairs of shoes. In the meantime I only got rid of about 12 pairs.
When I ran the totals, it turned out that I got them at an overall discount of approximately 75%.
On the one hand, that is the good bargain shopper, right? These purchases included 4 pairs of Robert Clergerie, 3 of Taryn Rose, 3 of Espace, 2 of Icon, and a various assortment of Casadei, Kate Spade, Franco Sarto, Gabor, Blay, Cole Haan, Delman, and Donald Pliner, all gotten for an average of less than $70 a pair. Surely, my frugality should be admired. Especially when other clothing items and accessories have been purchased in good moderation all this time.
And then on the other, hand, one should laugh heartily at the idea a woman who bought approximately 4 pairs of shoes a month in the past 6 months should even be allowed to pronounce the word "frugality."
For shame.
I do have a problem, dear Internet. I admit it. And there's no other way to deal with it than go cold turkey.
The pain and withdrawal that my system will suffer as a result will no doubt be assuaged by the considerable reduction of my credit card bills.
It is going to be painful. It is going to be tough. But I know I can do it.
My mind will only be preoccupied from now on by the abstract beauty of shoes. You know, the things in themselves, the noumena behind the phainomena, the eternal beauty that transpires from a pair of well-made, beautiful, comfortable shoes worthy of the modern woman. My comments from now on will be purely philosophical and never, ahem,
applied.
I can only assume the tremors and foaming at the mouth and general sense of nausea my body will experience in the first stages of shoe withdrawal will subside with time. And medication. Like, a lot of medication.
I've taken the first step. Let the healing begin.
It's Monday, so it's a Carnivale!
The question
Clothesaholic asks for this week, in short, is:
What movie, TV show or video featured clothes that made an impression on you? What movie, TV or video wardrobe did you try to emulate?
I had a double hard time trying to answer this one. First, I drew a blank. I couldn't think of aything at all I was trying to emulate (save something so obscure, old, and juvenile that featured the 80s fashion in all its glory--leggings, loose blouse pinned in place by hip-hugging crooked wide belt, huge earrings, bangles. For the record, I was never able to pull that look off, so let's get over it, shall we?). Still, I wanted to find the show/movie/wardrobe that I MOST tried to emulate or that made the most impact on my sense of style, and I couldn't find it for the life of me.
So, when it finally hit me, though, I was in shock. In SHOCK, I tell you. "Surely," I thought, "I could never tell anyone that THIS is what I've been admiring!" (Without even being aware of it, might I add, as I rarely stopped to think about it). Remarkably, it's still an 80s' show (which I got to see in the early 90s back in the old country).
So, don't hate me if I tell you that it's... Cybill Shepherd in
Moonlighting!
I LOVED that show. I can't tell you if I still do since I'm pretty certain I haven't seen an episode since, oh, 1993 or so. But Cybill Shepherd! No matter what she put on, she exuded a classic sense of style and an ease that transcended the times. I mean, here she is looking defiantly at a Bruce Willis in his hairday, umm, I mean, heyday:
That casual crisp shirt, thrown over some breezy ensemble, looks both laid-back and sophisticated due to the ornate bracelet and the beautiful gold ringlets. To me, that's just practical and timeless fashion. Sorry I can't find more telling pictures, but you oughta remember the series.
Now here's the deal: in all honesty, I'd love to take as a style model Audrey Hepburn or Katharine Hepburn, in just about any movie they've been in. It's just that, well, their kind of wardrobe doesn't work for me. My body type is closer to Cybill's (well, I could stand to lose a few pounds), and I even, from a certain angle, in a poorly-lit room, look like her (as my mother fondly and annoyingly often pointed out). I'm tall, broad-shouldered, athletic, and unapologetic about it, and the truth is, I look good in that type of outfits--and when something looks good, why spoil it?
So I guess that's been my subconscious influence: a classic, crisp, clean-cut style, which I'm accessorizing with slightly more unexpected choices (colorful shoes or purses, for example, or even the occasional turquoise butterfly brooch) to make the outfit my own.
My first pair of Kate Spade!
My philosophy for acquiring high-end designer shoes is to approach them from the shallow end of the pool, given that if you're not careful, you're likely to drown in a deep ocean of debt.
Ebay is a wonderful tool for that and it offered me the chance to bid for this pair of new Kate Spade rainbow canvas flats with a chic Mary-Jane inspired buckle.
I got lucky and won them for $38 + S&H, $47 altogether. They arrived today, and they're just as cute as they look in this picture. They fit very well, are in pristine condition (except for a pesky Saks 5th Ave sticker on the bottom, which required an extensive amount of scraping), and are so cheerful I simply must wear them tonight for dinner with friends. Yoo-hoo!
Shoe crush of the week
I have a crush on this pair of
Blay Mary-Janes in cracked metallic finish with a subtle blue floral pattern. One of the reviewers on Zappos actually said she wore them for her wedding day--how sweet is that? I felt that was daring and unusual, given that most brides are forced into the regular white satin pump or delicate sandal, with the obligatory heel. However, I think this would be a great choice for a bride--you have to be on your feet all day, dance, make the rounds of the guests--it's a no brainer you have to wear something beautiful AND practical at the same time. Not to mention, you can wear them dressed up or down on many other occasions instead of storing them away with your wedding gown.
Which reminds me of my own wedding day footwear--a white woven-leather slide from Sesto Meucci with a 3/4" heel--no problem walking and dancing all night long! Got plenty of uses out of them afterwards, too.
Bag Borrow or Steal
Via the ever enterprising
Bag Lady, I found this website,
Bag Borrow or Steal, which functions approximately on the same principle as
Netflix: borrow up to three (or five) bags a month for a set fee, except you're also paying shipping and handling, about $10/bag. You also have to enroll for at least 3 months when you start, during which you can borrow 3 bags/mo, only one of which can be Couture; after that, you can borrow up to 5 bags/mo. They offer insurance at extra cost.
Scarpediem did a little research for you and here's what transpired.
There are 4 types of membership:
-
Trendsetter, which for about $25/mo gives you brands like JLo, BabyPhat (oh, the humanity!), but also some cheaper Coach and Dooney & Burke and other usual suspects such as Nine West, The Sak, Juicy Couture, Guess, and Hilfiger. Assuming you borrow 1 bag/mo, this will set you back about $420/yr; add $10 for ever other time you want to borrow an extra bag.
-
Princess, for about $50/mo: you get the more expensive Coach, Dooney & Burke, and Juicy, as well as Tod's, Francesco Biasia, Cole Haan, Donald J Pliner, Michael Kors, BCBG, and even some Rafe and Isabella Fiore. Again, for 1 bag/mo, this will take you back $720; add $10 for ever other time you want to borrow an extra bag.
-
Diva for $100/mo will get you Celine, Hogan, Botkier, Luella, Louis Vuitton, the more upscale Isabella Fiore and Cole Haan, Kooba, Bottega Venetta and Kate Spade, plus some Chloe, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, YSL, Chanel, Tanner Krolle, and Hermes. Not bad, but you have to budget at least $1320/yr; add $10 for ever other time you want to borrow an extra bag.
- Three levels of
Couture membership, whose comparative advantages are not well explained (or at all!) on the site; I suspect you have to call Help for that. At any rate, they are Couture 1, for $185/mo, Couture 2, for $245/mo, and Couture 3, for $285/mo, or, to put it in perspective, at a rate of 1 bag/mo only, $2320, $3060, $3540/year respectively (wow! it gives me the shivers just to type that! what do you get for that amount of money--do you get to make your bed out of Hermes and Dior bags? oh well). At any rate, the Couture collection includes, yes, all the usual suspects: Fendi spy bags, Dior gaucho saddle bags, YSL Muses, quilted Chanel and Marc Jacobs, Chloe satchels, boring Luis Vuittons, prim and proper Jimmy Choos and Balenciagas, shiny Judith Leibers and Guccis, Luellas and Dolce & Gabbanas padlocked to the teeth, demure Pradas.
Oh, and at the end, they give you the option to buy a bag ("steal" it) if you really really like it and if you agree to their price.
I was both drawn and repelled by the idea. After all, I'm one that can't ever buy vintage shoes, or any type of pre-owned shoes (brrrr!), and the idea of sharing bags isn't that far behind. Also, if I really really like a bag, I'll make the effort to buy it--if it's within my means, of course. And I think I'd look kind of...um... "off" with a really expensive bag paired with my beloved Banana Republic jeans. Or is it just me? If I really had the kind of money to buy a Dior Gaucho bag, I'd probably spring for, you know, more expensive outfits, too. And I'm just not that kind of person. Yet.
Finally, for the kind of bags I'm drawn to at the moment, such as this somewhat over-the-top Isabella Fiore:
- I would need at least a Diva membership, and I think I'd rather use the money to buy the bag and forget about it. I also tend to get attached to objects I really like, so it would sadden me to have to return a bag I can't afford.
After all these rationalisations, there is still something more deeply disturbing about the idea: the recognition that fashion is so fleeting we don't even bother to form attachments to the objects of our affections, since designers will force us to forget all about them next season, with the "next hot trend" etc. It reflects our chameleonic nature, the desire to conform to what's "hot" at the moment rather than take time to reflect on the objects we own, or we would like to own. It's consumerism sans ownership, since ownership means attachment, and we can't be attached--not to fashion, anyway, since it can betray us come Spring or Fall.
That is, if this site catches on. I'll be curious if they'll be thriving in a year or so. Time will tell.
Pucci for under $57!
And in my size? And with a relatively practical heel? **Swoons** Say no more.
Unfortunately the comments for
this shoe have turned me off, as they practically convinced me they're not going to fit properly.
But if you think you can pull it off, this is a GREAT price, and furthermore, you can always return them for free at
Zappos!
Shoe fever at Dooce's
Rather than leave the 179th comment on this (justly) popular
blog, I thought I'd just share the link to
this post, where Heather reaches enlightenment through a pair of shoes.
That's EXACTLY how I feel whenever I buy a pair. Heather, you complete me.
I'm not one to walk in high heels anymore, but even I, lover of comfort as I am, admit that wedges offer enough support. These are about 3" high (but the platform will absorb some of the shock), and they are simply yummy. Not only will they keep you happy, but they'll also bring a smile on everybody else's face. Now, that's what I call a shoe!
