Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

Yeah, I was supposed to be off today. But hey, I'm dedicated. When a client has a meeting, you go to the meeting, right? So, in spite of technically being off work and it being a Friday and Halloween, I still made the effort and dressed nicely for an hour and a half.

I recently rediscovered this really cute pencil skirt (actually from Victoria's Secret) when I switched around the closet. I should wear it more because I love the button detail running down the back. The top is a black embellished cardigan. Since it was cold out, I wore tights and a vintage cape and off-white gloves.


10-31-08 by Princess Poochie

I love vintage gloves. I have small hands so I can usually fit in to most of them so I have a whole hatbox full. These are plain leather and were really inexpensive, so I don't have to act all precious about them.



The cardigan I had on is the black version of this one. It's from the Behnaz Sarafpour Go International collection from 2006. I really liked this collection and this cardigan is one of my favorites. I wear it a lot. The black lace on black is a neat textural element.




The Focal Point

I think I mentioned that I have a ton of tights. I think I will need to wear tights every day. These are a neat pair. They're black and cream herringbone with a claret floral pattern running up the side. The shoes are a pair I've had for years. I have these in black also. They're Aerosole's Sixty Chic and may be the perfect pumps. I didn't realize until later that they were possibly Celine or Vivier knockoffs. I don't care, they're so comfortable.



I had fun wearing my cape and gloves. The hubby said I looked like I was from Nanny 911. Not quite the look I was going for, but on Halloween I guess I didn't look too out of place.

But what will I do when I wear it later?

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

I was so excited. I had the day off and I was finally going to get some errands done, including getting my car's oil change. I was going to go to the dealer to drop off the car then walk across the street and have a breakfast at Panera while I waited.

I was thinking I wanted to be all comfy and snuggly and warm. But since I wasn't going to work, I could wear my really bright yellow tights and no one would bug me. My top is this dark green shawl collar sweater jacket from Athropologie. I love the giant golden yellow velvet pin that came with the sweater. My denim skirt to ground it and a pashmina in the same dark olive green for additional warmth.


10-30-08 by Princess Poochie

The Focal Point

Well, yeah... it's the tights. I mean these are BRIGHT! But I love them. And I did get a nice compliment from a lovely older lady at the restaurant. I wore my black flats from Target to further ground the crazy color.



Sadly for me I ended up being at the frigging Panera through lunch because the dealer said I needed my back brakes done too.

Great.

I thought I was doing a quick inexpensive oil change and it ends up being this huge cost. Now I'm broke!

Wonderful.

So that was my Halloween "trick", I guess.

Happy frickin' Halloween.


(Just kidding, folks!)

Beauty Has No Pain

I thought this was an interesting video on the cultural and historical significance that shoes, mainly high heels, plays in our society.

Of course, I kept getting distracted naming all the brands of the shoes I recognized... but still... interesting. And I would totally wear some of those historical shoes that were featured.

Do you agree with the commentary expressed here?

P.S. Thanks to the Shoe Girl for finding this!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

Today's outfit is part of my Fall mix and match separates. I bought the plaid skirt and jacket and then some knit tops. I've already worn this skirt with the jacket but I like the creme top with it too.

One of the reasons I wanted to get this top was to get more use out of a few pairs of creme heels that I have.


10-29-08 by Princess Poochie

For jewelry, I just bough this lovely delicate necklace from a friend who makes jewelry. Isn't it darling? Little pearl charms that slide along the chain.



The Focal Point

But what I wanted to wear were my glittery cream peep-toe heels.

There are lots of dressy glittery shoes but most of the time they are red or silver or black. These are a creamy light gold satin and glitter.

Lush, puffy bows!

And a great curvy heel.

I bought these Nina Melia heels were bought at Zappos a while back. They also came in a great brown and a deep black - which you can still get on Amazon.

A Lovely Young Lady

I'd just like to give a quick feature on my lovely neighbor. Miss KA here is off to a dance in her adorable (and not overly-sexy - thank goodness!) dress. She stopped over on her way out to show us her cute outfit... and shoes, of course!



I was also very impressed with her hair, which she styled herself. I can't do anything near as good as this!




And... cute shiny black peep-toes!



This girl is a lady in every sense. She's sweet and talented and very smart. Isn't it nice to know that there a people still out there like that?

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

I've been trying to be good about planning out my outfits the night before for the next day. I have a tendency to just throw something on because I'm always rushing in the morning. I'd end up wearing the same thing all the time and not wear any of my fun cool stuff.

I wanted to wear this new JCrew jacket, which I just love. It's green metallic bouclé and I like that it has a classic shape but some interesting details to it... and it was on sale! Whoo! Of course this jacket would be great with jeans (and I'm sure I'll wear it with jeans soon) but I had a client meeting so, while I could wear jeans, I didn't really want to.

So that meant a skirt. I have this dressy denim pencil skirt that is less casual but still has some texture to the dark navy fabric. Once I decided on the skirt, I was debating shoes. Oh yeah, and the fact that it was darn cold out. So I needed some tights. I had been thinking I would wear these Claudio Merazzi heels, but thought with so much green I'd be getting into leprechaun territory. And what tights would I wear?



10-28-08 by Princess Poochie

The Focal Point

I ended up deciding on navy tights and my Lela Rose navy and tan polka-dot heels. The navy tights, heel fabric and skirt give a streamlined look and the blue is equal in tone to the green of the jacket. I had a tan camisole on under the jacket which tied back to the dots in the shoes. I also wore a brooch with pearl on it. They mirrored the polka-dots. I also liked the contrast in the two patterns, especially since the jacket's is more textural and tonal.



I really like these navy tights from Target. I bought them to wear with a grey outfit (yet to be worn) but I'm happy with them here too.



I need to put an insole or heel gripper in these. They're a bit slippery, especially with having the tights on.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

So I did the big Seasonal Swap over the weekend coupled with a huge purge. I now have a giant pile of stuff that I am itching to get out of the house asap! It also let me bring out my favorite jackets which I wait all year to wear.

Today I'm wearing a grey wool jacket from Target with a grey beaded JCrew tee. I'm also wearing my favorite Gap Classic jeans (I went in there to get the same pair in the Ankle length and they were out! This is the Gap... shouldn't they have every size all the time???).


10-27-08 by Princess Poochie

I love JCrew's embellished tees. They're thin and comfy and cute!



The Focal Point

Well, even though they're hard to see because my jeans are so long... it's all about the Manolo Blahnik Hangisi, a.k.a. Something Blue, heels. I wanted to have the shiny blue peek out while the grey crystals echo the grey jacket and tee.



Movie Shot!

I took a ton of shots of these and have them on flickr. The color of these is so amazing. They just glow!



I like cheering up a grey day with satiny sparkly shoes!

For the Love of...

Well, I'm all for testing out new social media... especially as it's my job!

Are you following blogs? Do you have Blog Love? If you've joined...

Follow my blog with bloglovin´

See you there!

Imitation = Flattery?

Do these metal circle Manolo Blahnik booties remind you of any thing?

Maybe this Burberry Prorsum dress from last year?

What do you think? Long lost twins?

Change of Season

More from the Manolo-front!

I was just browsing through Neimans and saw these gorgeous Manolo Blahnik heels. At first I thought they were a printed satin or silk but upon a closer inspection I found I was quite wrong.



They are actually pieced suede placed together to create the tapestry like pattern.



This d'Orsay style sandal is one of my favorite of his. The fit is very comfortable.

The color is very rich with the jewel tones that are so popular this fall. I was a bit surprised to find a sandal clad in such cool weather tones. But these are a part of the resort collection, so I guess that makes more sense.

I think I would prefer these as a pump, however, so that I could wear them all year round.

Another Reason I Wish To Be in London

So, yeah... I'm jealous. But for all you London-folks -

Handbags to High Heels

...Satisfy your fetishes!

From handbags to shoes - all the answers to your fashion prayers can now be found in both our Accessories and Shoe departments with Selfridges' biggest ever luxury accessory fest. Come and delve into a dazzling array of all the latest fashionable must-haves arm and foot candy as well as indulge in a host of exclusive offers, extra gifts and even surrealist performers making their way through the department. And while you’re there, why not pay a visit to our new Fendi Accessories boutique in Manchester Trafford.

For the even more dedicated shoppers there will be some personal appearances from leading accessory designers including Anya Hindmarch (October 27 at 1pm), Giuseppe Zanotti (October 27 at 6pm) and Jonathan Kelsey will be in the shoe department (October 31 at 6pm) as well as Rupert Sanderson, who will also be visiting the Shoe department (November 1 at 6pm). Also on hand to answer your accessorising questions for the season ahead will be the Fashion Editor of Harper’s Bazaar (November 1 from 12pm to 7pm) at the Oxford Street Store, and extra exclusive offers and entertainment in Trafford and Exchange Square.

October 27 – November 2

And to spoil you fabulously rotten, Selfridges has worked hard to put together the ultimate prize:
In partnership with Harpers Bazaar you can win a year's supply of the new season designer handbags, from brands including Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Anya Hindmarch and Marc Jacobs, and shoes from Kurt Geiger, Yves Saint Laurent and Marni to name a just few!

The competition is the ultimate finale to 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty and launches in-store on September 30 so mark your diaries now!

For your chance to WIN and remain on trend all year long visit either Selfridges London, Birmingham, Manchester Trafford or Exchange from October 27 to November 2 and every time you spend £50 or more in-store you will receive your complimentary competition form.

And now, if you win, you have to share with me!

The Air Up There

I think I've mentioned before that I am a complete sucker for certain heel shapes. Vintage La Rose are the classic 60s shape, Choo does a great heel with a squared off tap at the bottom and, of course many of Louboutin's heels are great as well.

But my new favorite is from Manolo Blahnik.

Big surprise, I know, given that I'm such a fan but when the "Something Blue" heel was introduced I was drawn to the heel immediately.



Not only is it tall and slender (both pluses in my book) but it has this great addition of a metal accent right above the tap. Shiny silver, paired with the blue, grabs the light as you walk.



I wasn't sure if this would be a one-off element as the shoe was designed for the SATC movie but I'm glad to see that it was not.

This new pair of Catalina heeled sandals are sporting the same accent, but this time in gold to match with the bright tangerine.





I'm not sure if the metal is purely decorative or if it provides an extra level of structural support. Either way, I like how the square-ish heel is offset by the round tap and that the metal calls attention to it.

Anything that draws attention to lovely shoes is okay with me.

Your Shopping May Now Resume

Let's all congratulate Zappos for listening to their customers and adopting a policy to no longer sell fur products.

According to the PETA article -

Back in August, we wrote to the company about this, urging it to adopt a fur-free policy. At the time, the company said that it would look into the issue to gauge people's thoughts on it. So, to help speed that process up, we launched an online marketing campaign, getting members of the public to write to Zappos.com's CEO and urge him to send the pelts packing—and more than 11,000 of you did! The campaign became totally viral and social networking played a huge part—many people posted tweets on Twitter, passed around our petition on Facebook, and much more.

I mean, seriously, is this the first campaign in history ever to be won by tweeting and the slick use of other online tools? It's pretty exciting if you ask me—and also pretty novel! We are paving the way of the future, my friends.

Well, it seems that Zappos.com got the message that people hate fur, because yesterday, the company officially adopted a permanent policy never to sell any products containing the fur of an animal!

Thank you SO much, all you fantastic online activists, for helping—and thank you, Zappos.com, for making the kind decision to forgo fur now and in the future. This will help spare countless minks, rabbits, foxes, and other animals all the horrors of fur farming and trapping, such as being electrocuted, bludgeoned, and skinned alive.


Read the full article here.

All of us shoppers can now get back to give so many of our dollars to one of the best retailers around!

Thank you Zappos!

Delicate Tendrils

I know we are as far opposite the ideal time for wearing these Dolce & Gabbana heels as possible but I simply adore them, regardless.

I love everything about them - from the blush pink suede to the grosgrain ribbon, the adorable round toe and smart silver heel - every element is just as if this shoe was made for me.

These are shoes I would coo over and stand and stare at in the mirror for ages.

I'd buy them now, tuck them away in their cocoon-like box and wait until the blossoms of spring to then them out in all their glory.

All Tied Up

I know this isn't an outfit or shoes or anything but I'm just really excited because I just ordered a big 2lb cone of red and white twine. I've been wanting this forever and am finally getting it.

Love!



I hope it's as cute as this. I saw these as high as $20+ but I got mine for $9 here.

It will be cute as decor and for holiday baking packages!

Week In Review Again

Over the weekend we went to Asheville and it was an amazingly lovely day. Because it was a bit chilly but still warm and sunny, I only needed a light jacket. My favorite is a light blue corduroy one from American Eagle that I've worn for years. I love the sky blue color and I paired it with my favorite color with it - lavender. The color combo was sky blue, lavender and off white with touches of black

I had a lavender Gap tee, Gap Classic jeans, vintage off white leather gloves, my pink/lavender cameo from Etsy, a lavender pashmina wrap as a scarf and my Paraphernalia "Story" pin. I also had a silly little dog in a doggie sling wrapped around me because he was cold and doesn't like to walk!


10-13-08 Asheville by Princess Poochie

I was trying to remember what I wore this week because I was all over the board. While the henna tattoo on my hand finally raised some interest in folks my other crazy accessories didn't. I think I've exceeded the shock value limits here.

We had a Dio de los Muertos-themed lunch at the office so I wore my skull tattoo necklace and Sourpuss skull striped socks from SockDreams. I paired that up with a blue JCrew sweater (since there is blue in the necklace) over a base of a black cami and skirt.

The next day I was a bit more professional in my cute black jacket and pencil skirt from Target with my bright blue Manolo Butterflo heels.


Week of 10-13-08 by Princess Poochie

Isn't this cool?



Stripey!



Yesterday I wore a dark grey deep v-neck from Gap over a khaki pencil skirt. But it needed a bit of shine so I paired it with these brocade Estrella slingbacks from Manolo Blahnik. They are soooo gorgeous.









I love wearing a fancy shoe in a more toned down way. If I waited for an event for these they'd never see the light of day.



Today I wasn't even supposed to go into to work but we had a huge project so I did. In spite of feeling crummy. In spite of being cold. In spite of it raining all day. I'm a trooper!

Anyway, I didn't even blow-dry my hair - just put it up into to buns on the side of my head. I wore a simple black jersey top, my polka-dot Old Navy flippy skirt and grey canvas flats. Pretty comfy and basic. Now I'm going home to loaf and read one of the fifteen books I've got going!

Happy Weekend!

Halloween Horror Show

Over the years, I will have to admit that I have had my share of bad (or questionable) costumes. My old office used to have costume contests so it got a bit out of control.

Okay not this out of control...



But there have been some classic moments from me and my group of somewhat insane friends. I'm actually looking at some of the pictures right now.

Yikes!

Anyway, now is the time to profit on those "scary-in-maybe-the-wrong-way" costumes...and not just through the blackmail which continues to this day. And if you don't have a costume yet... go get one here - halloween costumes !

No, Miss Winona is having an awesome contest over at Daddy Likey. Go on over and check it out. Email her your story and you could win a $100 gift certificate for ModCloth.com!

For that I may even tell the story about certain people that I know and how they got certain nicknames... unless they bribe me first!