Ensemble du Jour

Is it weird that I can't remember what I wore to work on Monday? It was only three days ago and now I have no idea. I'm losing my friggin' mind. Seriously.

At least I can remember back to Tuesday. I wore this black shift dress from Target and a new cropped cardigan from Old Navy in olive. I did wear this big chunky pendant necklace which has a distressed chain. It looked pretty good together because the chain picked up the finish of the metal in the shoes.

Of course, I realized later, after swanking around feeling great all day that I had left the stupid size sticker on the front of the cardigan. Oh yeah, and no one told. Thanks, folks!



The shoes are my new "tough" pair from Nine West which I am totally in love with now. Not only are they cool but they are extremely comfortable. I mean, surprisingly so. And I got them for only $30 or so bucks on sale. That's cheaper than Target shoes.





Yesterday I wore my other Old Navy polka-dot skirt. The top was a jersey twist top from Ann Taylor. I should have bought 3 of them, they are that comfortable. And I wore a sparkly pink star pin to pull the accent colors together.




I actually thought about a few shoe options and had started by considering a lighter pink shoe but then remembered this sparkly Guess pair.





Happily the jeweled element has a tone of black in it which works back with the top so it looks good together.

Today's outfit is lame. It's raining. I'm off tomorrow, so today is my Friday and I'm being slack. I'm just wearing my Gap denim pencil skirt, a navy/red rugby stripe polo and my red Chuck Taylors. Although, according to my co-workers, me in flats is worth taking a picture of!

Sweet Treats

I'm not even sure where it was, but a while back I saw these adorable vintage heels on a website.

Sadly, they were already sold, so I totally missed out.

But that doesn't mean I still didn't long for them. They looked like the most adorable mix of candy taffy colors.




But I was on Amazon today and found this pair of Oh Deer! heels on there and they reminded me of the vintage pair that got away.



Not quite the same, to be sure, but a very similar candy-colored heel and edges.







This pair has a more baby doll shape the body is glittery. I hope they are as cute in person as I am hoping they are!

Imitation = Flattery?

I was on Zappos looking longingly at my shopping cart which is full of shoes that I can't buy right now (just like my Amazon shopping cart. Oh, and my Nordstroms shopping cart... okay, I'm just going to stop myself now because I'm depressed) and saw that one of the items there was out of stock in my size. I clicked over to the brand's page to see if other sizes were available and saw these studded, round toe mary janes....




Hmmm.... Remind you of anything???



Oh yes, that's it. The uber-hot and popular Louboutin Mad Mary mary jane from last fall.

Not exactly the same but pretty darn close, don't you think?

Top shoe: Oh Deer! Confetti available on Zappos for $204

UPDATED: They have an even closer version in a pump rather than a mary jane - Oh Deer! Sweetie

What's Black and White and Read all Over?

Hopefully this blog!

Okay, enough silliness. Here is my amazingly black and white outfit for the day.

The Outfit
This, thank goodness, was one of those "Aack! I'm totally late" outfits. Something I know will be appropriate and comfortable but, yeah, not amazingly inspired or creative.

You can't go too wrong with black and white. And since I'm still carrying around my emerald green Dooney, I get an injection of color in there.




The skirt is so neutral. You could pretty much get this anywhere and wear it anywhere it is would be fine. A bit boring? Perhaps. But sometimes that's about as inventive as my 2 minutes to get dressed gets me. Eh.

At least the shoes are cool.

These are Miu Miy Vernice Pop heels. What I liked most about them was the way the crazy heel goes up the back of the shoe.





Funky, right?



So neutral skirt, modern shoe. I need to get back to my outfit planning. I'm relying too much on my shoes for giving my outfit some personality. And it would help if I went to bed at a decent hour so I could actually get up on time and get my act together in the morning rather than rushing around at the last minute!

Eeeewwww!!!

There is only one person who I think could turn these boots from a real "Eeeewww!"



Astronaut Minni Mouse!

Otherwise - no. Especially not for over $1000!

Sorry Viktor & Rolf. I still love your cutsey ideas. And if you find me a pair of these, I'll totally forgive you.

Separated at Birth?

Even though I already own, and love, my Manolo Campari mary janes...



I still really like and want these Manolo Mladari mary janes.



See? The strap is in a totally different spot, thereby justifying my need for this pair of shoes.

Right? Right????

Beautiful Living at Bele Chere

Yesterday we went to the Bele Chere festival over in Asheville.

Asheville is one of our new favorite towns. We've gone there about four times in the past year. Ever since our first visit, we just keep going back. It's a small town and, while we've already walked all over it, there are still tons of places to go and restaurants to try. And it's something like #2 in the country for micro-brewing.

Asheville has some really cute architecture and the people are an interesting mix of hippies, artists, environmentalists and foodies. The town prides itself on being weird so how fun is that? This is the place where we saw the naked bike ride through downtown on a previous visit.

We ended up just making this a day trip. With the drive only being a little over 2.5 hours, we left early and got there just before the festival started up for the day. Not only were there a ton of vendors but we went to our favorite stores too. Plus the Asheville style of window shopping is fun. I love this display of star lanterns.

But this silly display of yard art violence was even better. You have to view this bigger and see the other two shots I have, here and here to really appreciate it.

But of course it's the people that make the town the weird, fun and welcoming place that it is.

This image below is a pretty typical example of the types of folks you see around town. The town can be a bit "crunchy-granola" but also you get a good variety of food and music and experiences. We like the local co-op grocery and that you can find a wide variety of organic and vegetarian foods.

The festival brought out bagpipers in kilts...

little cuties like this one who was enjoying an a cappella group (this is a very family friendly town)...

plus I saw some great street style, from a little punk-y...

to this very stylish pair.

We ate lunch in an Irish pub/restaurant and then hung out at Jack of the Woods, our favorite (non-smoking, music every day, kids welcome, micro-brew) pub.

We did get some old favorites and made some new discoveries while we were there. Our first stop was at Chocolate Fetish for some of the our favorite chocolates, behind only Vosges. Then we stopped at a few of the mineral stores in town. I was looking for a piece of pink salt and found a great salt lamp. We also got some jams from Imladris Farm, who have their stuff everywhere in local stores and coffee shops. They ship so let me recommend how yummy they are.

We discovered a new brand of chocolate which I can't wait to try. The Maglio chocolate bars are single origin chocolates and we got the Africa, Equador and Extra Bitter bars. I like dark chocolate so it will be interesting to see how good they are.

When I met this lovely girl on the street dressed in layers of vintage with a parasol, we struck up a conversation, since I had my parasol too. She told me about the store Vintage Moon which I had missed on previous visits. I was glad I stopped in because it's an adorable little store jam packed with clothes, hats and more. I got this black lace robe-y item - great for layering and to pick-up on all the lace sure to be around this Fall.

And I fell in love with these cute sweater clips. I may even wear them on some v-neck shirts as a sort of necklace.

As we walked along we took a ton of pictures and sent Tweets. We laughed when we saw this sign for folks to get updates on the festival via Twitter. You can't escape it!

I put up a TON more pictures on Flickr including some cute doggies, so check them out. And don't forget - sign up for Twitter and we can "follow" each other.

Ready for a Recap?

It's been a busy couple of days since I last posted up here.

I came home early on Thursday because one of the city papers wanted to interview me about the blog. The reporter came over after I got home from work and we had such a good time that we're going to do a follow-up next week. Exciting!

Friday was actually pretty quiet. I took the day off from work and, after we got Napoleon taken care of for the morning, I watched movies in bed with the other pets. My hair stylist had an opening so she was able to fit me in for a cut and color. I got bangs! Long ones, since I haven't had bangs in ages. They swoop over to the side, so we'll see how I continue to feel about them.

After my appointment I had to go to the mall to return some shoes (I returned these - too uncomfortable, kept these - very comfortable, and am not sure if I'll even get these). I exchanged my Old Navy skirt and got a smaller size in my Gap denim pencil skirt. I also got some new Clinique eyeshadows, a new bottle of my Origins Ginger perfume and a bottle of Estee Lauder Private Collection perfume (which I haven't worn since college). I also found the perfect big boyfriend cardigan in black and grey stripes for which I have a few Fall outfits in mind. Oh yeah, and a few Godiva Key Lime Truffles.

When I got home my Pearl River order had arrived. Lots of fun Chinese fans and parasols and straw slippers (which are very comfy indeed!).

Yesterday we went to Asheville for the Bele Chere festival. If you follow me on Twitter (and I hope you do, so I can follow you as well!) I had lots of "at the moment" updates and Twitpics - you can always see the most recent down below on the right. We took lots of fun pics so I'm going to upload those to Flickr and will do a post asap!

At the Crossroads

So I am finally wearing my Proenza Schouler sandals that I got on sale. These heels are way higher than they look. Kudos to SJP/Carrie for trotting around in them, even if it is only for a shot or two during filming.

I have a vision to get a cute mustard colored skirt to wear with them, but in the mean time I decided to wear a denim pencil skirt, a black cami and the hook and eye jacket from Patrick Robinson for Target. What's cool is that the hook and eyes on the jacket are a brass metal and it picks up the hardware on the shoes.



Mine are brown leather on the heel rather than the snakeskin version from the movie.



I am totally convinced that all they did for the movie was just cross buckle the straps. I wore them the traditional way but here they are both ways.



From the outside the cross-buckles look cute and the shoe still fits well but you do get a bit of a gap where the bottom strap attaches to the inside of the shoe. So I'm not totally convinced. But I'll probably give it a go with a different outfit.





This is a very graphic and tough-ish shoe. I'm a fan!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
Not that this is a good admission, but sometimes when I get downtime in meetings I like to plan outfit options. Since this "down time" happens fairly regularly I have a whole bunch of outfit options planned out on paper. This isn't that innovative but it was on the list, mainly because I haven't worn this skirt or these shoes in a while.



I love this skirt. It is a faux bois or wood print skirt from Mizrahi for Target. This was when Isaac was designing quirky whimsical items that were not priced way over all the other stuff in the store. This and the big peony skirt are two of my favorites.

I paired this with a royal purple cardigan as a top. I like pairing these two colors together. They just seem to contrast well.



The accessories I wore one of my new Moo Stickers (just for fun) and this wood bead bracelet from Target. You can barely see it but I'm wearing this really dark plum nail polish which said it was black. I think it may be a bit too dark but I'm testing it out.



The heels I'm wearing are ones that I have not worn in ages. About 8 or so years ago I was searching high and low for a pair of camel heel. Finally I found a pair I liked at Nine West and had to then search all over for my size. I was happy they were Nine West since that brand fits me so well.



They may be a little pointy but I've certainly worn the heck out of them.





Well worth their very reasonable price.

Yesterday's outfit was okay. I had a whole thing planned which focused around a pencil skirt I just got from Old Navy. But when I went to unzip it to put it on the zipper completely came apart. The teeth split and then the whole thing came un-sewn from the fabric! What the heck?!? So I have to take that back now. But since my whole outfit plan fell apart I just grabbed some stuff from the closet - a simple khaki linen skirt and a khaki-toned knit top.

I wanted to wear a darker top to play up the stripe-y stockings I was wearing. I had paired these with my new Manolos from my New York trip that I'm finally wearing.





Cute, huh? I will be wearing these a lot this fall. Maybe even mix it up with some bright tights.

Oooh! I just remembered this skirt these would go great with, especially if I find some lavender tights. Need to put those on my shopping list.

Mining Ebay

I was talking with a co-worker today about whether the shoes I "invest" in could retain any of the value (aka the crazy prices I sometimes spend for them). We were debating if they might even increase in value much like what is happening in vintage these days.

I'm not counting on that but it is possible. Many of my shoes are very well made and very lightly used. But they are worn. I love them far too much just to look at them in their boxes. I want to wear them.

But I think, if I wanted too, I could get maybe 50% or so of their purchase price. Why? Because I see it happening on eBay now. In fact, here's a great example -



These little beauties are a fun pair of Manolo Blahniks that I got off of eBay a few years back. I'm not even really sure of what year they are from but, while I know they aren't current, I still think they are adorable.



They were were in great condition - immediately wearable. The back half is a spotted pony hair, and the front half is a black satin with black and white cording.



I was wearing these on Friday and I did break off heel tap (darn it!) so I do need to take them in now.



I think ankle ties can be dainty and elegant. Not necessarily chopping your leg at a bad point.



These sit below the ankle so that probably helps.





Yes, they're tall but, as always, so well made they're comfy. I mean that!



Now, I'm not planning on selling off my collection anytime soon. How many people in my size would like the same things that I do? But if I needed to, I think I could.

And maybe someday they will be coveted classics auctioned off at a big Christie's event.

Shoe Customization: Corset Sandal

I'm kind of in love with these Alexander McQueen uber-tough ankle-tie heels. They're kind of scary but I would love to be able to add more toughness to my wardrobe with them.

But they're about $1000+. Sooooo, I'm not going to get them anytime soon, I don't think.



I wanted to find something that would have a similar feel but be easier on my wallet. Especially given the fact that they are not what I would call a "classic-wear-anywhere" shoe.

After some searching I found these corset style heels. They're actually a bit trashy (the brand is "Pleaser" for Pete's sake!) but since they were only $35 I felt I could make something out of them.



The style seems simple enough that they don't look totally trashy. My biggest issue was with the clear heel. I felt I could paint them and you'd be none the wiser.



So I dug into my pile of arts and crafts supplies and got my acrylic paint and paintbrushes out.



Before. After.



Not too bad, huh?





Not one to leave well enough alone, I thought it might be fun to add a contrast heel... and some glitter. Yeah, glitter might be too much but if it starts to look too crappy I can take off the paint and then just repaint them solid black.



Granted not the best lace up job here...



but I think they'll be pretty cute with this black sequined dress I just got.





Sexy, not too trashy right? The simplicity really helps.

Glitter!



Not a bad solution for the price.

There's No Place Like... Saks

Ruby Slippers collaged by Poochie

Oh My Goodness... Where do I sign up for this auction?

From Vogue -

Betsey Johnson is just one of the designers who will be designing a pair of ruby slippers to commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz next year.

19 designers, including Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Manolo Blahnik and Roger Vivier, will be using Crystallised Swarovski Elements for their shoes - that will be showcased at New York's Saks Fifth Avenue in September.

To raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the shoes will do a tour from Saks to the Bryant Park tents at New York Fashion Week before heading to Art Basel Miami Beach.

According to The New York Times, two pairs of each shoe will be produced for auction - while Betsey Johnson's design is rumoured to be a slipper turned into a high heel, Diane von Furstenberg's takes inspiration from her upcoming Wonder Woman collection and the Jimmy Choos are said to be red snakeskin pumps. Either way, we have no doubt they will all raise a lot of money when it comes to auction.

How much do you think I need to save up to get one of those shoes (any one) in the auction. Wait! What if they don't make them in my size???

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I found these really cute flippy swishy skirts on sale at Old Navy so I got 4 of them. Two polka-dot ones in black and in cream and then a solid teal and black. Today I wore the black polka-dot version and paired it with a simple black knit top. For fun I have these sheer aqua leggings (No! Not leggings... sheer tights, that's it). To pull out the color I wore my vintage bubblegum necklace.



I was going to wear mary janes but ended up with these Tar-get peep-toes in black patent.



Not leggings, sheer tights... Right?



Don't mock me. I like them. I think they're cute.



The Focal Point
See cute polka-dots. Cute flippy skirt, sheer bright (footless) tights, shiny shoes.



Well, I have this skirt in two colors so you may see a similar combo again.

Oh alright, I'll probably wear regular tights next time. Geez!

; )

Pretty as a Peacock

I'm not going to use any cliche "blue suede shoes" lines for these beauties because they are just far to gorgeous for that.

I know I'm getting far to predictable with my desire for blue heels but I love peacock teal and I love this style from Manolo Blahnik.



For as much as I love this color, I don't have nearly enough of it in my wardrobe. Must get more!



If you love the Butterflo style but this color doesn't work as well with your skin tone, it comes in black as well. And who can't use another black heel?

Midnight Blues

I think I have a bit of an addiction to blue shoes lately. I went through a grey suede phase and now all I can see are blue shoes of all shades.

I love the deep dark shiny blue of these lillybee pumps. Wouldn't these look great with some bright or patterned (especially some black lace) tights for fall????

Hillary by lillybee at Simply Soles - $195

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
It's not overly fancy or anything but sometimes when you're tired or stressed you just need simplicity and comfort. And that's what this outfit has. A v-neck white knit top and a long khaki skirt. Just my watch as jewelry.



The Focal Point
I wanted to wear a comfy, summery shoe with my long skirt and I don't wear my espadrilles enough so I thought I would wear these cute little wedge floral slingbacks. I always feel like I'm so tall in them.



Plus they have a cute little floppy bow!

Updates and Reminders

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to send you some updates on how Mr. Napoleon is doing. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and good wishes. Here's how he normally looks. As I mentioned, he lost almost all the feathers on his back and tail. Frankly, he's a bit of a mess right now. If you want to see how he's doing, you can click here.



But, he's still alive and that's what matters to us. Were working out a system to keep him calm and for giving him his shots and the meds. We decided to give him his pain shot in the morning so it calms him down during the day.

Yesterday, we had our webcam on him and I was able to peek at him throughout the day. He spent a lot of his time looking out from the porch over to the coop. When I got home I saw that the two girls were up next to the coop yard fence looking over at him. Sweeties! I know they miss each other but we have to keep him safe and clean right now. So they must be apart of a while more.

I also wanted to send a quick reminder that I'm still looking for your shoe story! The anniversary celebration is on through Sunday! So drop in a comment or send me an email at princesspoochie (at) shoedaydreams (dot) com.

Working at Cross Purposes

Remember my second favorite outfit from SATC: The Movie? What? You don't have that list memorized???

Okay, to jog your memory, it's this Proenza Schouler outfit...



I especially liked her sandals. A bit chunky, graphic, a little nautical in there, strappy but not delicate.



All of the images I've seen of these shoes are as above - with the ankle strap and instep strap configuration. But all of the movie images show them on Carrie as having crossed straps. This leads me to believe that they simply cross-buckled the straps. Top strap attached to the bottom buckle and bottom buckled to top.

Clever, huh?



Well, I'm going to test that theory out, because, while the snakeskin covered heel version is nowhere to be found, I did score the brown leather version on sale (thank you again, Barneys!)

Sometimes I love having an off shoe size!




I hope I don't scrape myself up on the heel studs.



I didn't expect the straps to be leather. They looked more canvas but I guess I was wrong.







I hope the straps fit in the cross pattern. It will be like having two shoes in one.

Please Send Good Thoughts

If you've ever looked at my profile you would have seen that I have another blog that I write called The Daily Coop. I'm not as good about updating it but it's all about my three chickens who we've only had about a year.

My main love is our rooster Napoleon. Napoleon loves me and I love him. He comes when I call him and he likes to snuggle down in my lap when I sit down. This is even more unusual as we have not had them since they were chicks.

Today Napoleon was attacked by a dog and hurt severely. I rushed him to the emergency vet and was there with him for hours. They've asked us to have him there for a bit and then call them back. I don't know what is going to happen with him. He's is so little.



Napoleon got hurt because he was bravely defending his girls (who were able to run and hide) from this large spaniel dog. The dog may have meant no harm but Napoleon is less than 5lbs and does not know that. He just wants to protect the two hens. They were unharmed but he was not.

Almost all of his feathers were ripped off and he has a puncture wound in his back. I was able to stop the dog, gather up Napoleon and rush him to the nearest after hours vet, which is actually not that near.

I'm sitting here in tears and covered with his blood. I know this is gruesome but please please please send any kind and healing thoughts his way. I don't' think I could bear it if he did not make it.

Thank you.

UPDATE: Napoleon is home right now. We have to give him pain shots in his chest every 2 - 4 hours. We have to give him liquid antibiotics orally. He has to stay by himself for a while too and not go into the coop. We're not sure for how long. We bought an XXL pop-up dog crate. It's soft and has good ventilation which will also keep out flies, we hope. We have him in the basement right now which doesn't have bugs and is dark and draft-free. He's out of shock but he's very very tired. We just left him in the cat carrier that we used to take him to the vet. We took off the door and put a towel over it. We're hoping he stays sleepy. I have the dryer going down there so maybe the noise will soothe him.

We'll keep updates going on The Daily Coop.

Saturday Shopping and Wardrobe Changes

I'll admit it, sometimes I forget the stuff I have, especially if I've never worn it or if it's tucked way back in the closet (or if it is in one of the secondary closets out of necessity).

I had to do a few errands (including going a bit crazy at Old Navy - more about that later...) today and remembered that I had this silk bustier top from the Proenza Schouler Go International line. After wearing the dress from the line, I thought this might be safer as a weekend item. Probably not so much for work. I love the top but it's a bit too loose and a bit too busty for the office.

Anyhow, I decided to pair it with my denim skirt and, for modesty's sake, I wore my white cropped cardigan with it.



To tie the colors together a bit, I decided to wear these little kitten heeled white slides from Hype. These are more of the girly little slides that I like so much and used to wear so often.



My fa-vor-ite part of these adorable little shoes are the two buttons on the strap. Super cute.



Then, tonight we had a neighbor's party to go to. I was a bit tired but knew it would be fun, so I pulled it together. I wanted to be cool and comfortable as the party was an outside BBQ/potluck. I ended up wearing a dress I bought today from Old Navy which I had bought because it just looked so fresh and felt so comfy.

Yeah, I know, who is stupid enough to wear white to a BBQ? That would be me.

Actually, I felt the risk was minimal because we had had a late lunch so knew I probably would not be eating a lot. The dress is an adorable white cotton with red smocking and needlepoint stitching.



For some reason this isn't on the Old Navy site yet. Maybe it's too new.



Cute detail, huh?



It was warm out, but a bit buggy. I covered up from the late day sun with a straw hat and the same white cardigan from earlier today. I had a Chinese paper fan to keep cool and wore my favorite classic Keds sneakers. No fancy shoes when you are traipsing across the street, walking in gravel and standing in the grass.

It was a lovely night. My neighbors are all so great. We're lucky to be where we are.

The Devil's in the Details

Friday night we went out with our good friend Miss C for her bday. It was going to be a pretty casual group and we were going to a non-fancy restaurant, so I didn't want or need to get too dressy. Also we were going right after work so I wouldn't have a lot of time to change.

But even though I was not dressing up, I still wanted to have some very "me" items since I would be meeting some new folks. So, I went simple with the clothes, just Gap jeans and a scoop-neck black top.

But I jazzed it up with some red "details"...



Of course I picked the shoes first - the red sequin Manolos (luckily I didn't wear my red double-strap Nine West mary janes - Miss C wore hers). Then I wore my Paraphernalia heart necklace. To keep with the red but a totally different style element, I switched into my (80s?) vintage clutch.

Maybe a little matchy but because the styles and textures were all different, I think they played off of each other in a fun way.

Oh, My Giddy Heart!

In spite of some of the Stella McCartney craziness we saw from her this past season, I was totally smitten with these platform sandals. I was browsing the Barney's sale (why? why? why???) and saw them. There. On sale. For a huge amount off.

OMG!

Luckily they didn't have my size.

But never one to let a shoe get away I thought, well, maybe I'd just see if there were any in my size in the stores. Now, these started at 6, per the Stella site, so I probably won't even have the option.

Yeah, no, they had a 5.5 and it was the last one left.

Dear Reader, I got them.










I hope they are as beautiful in person as they are here. I think they are going to make me 10 feet tall! There's still plenty of warm weather left to wear them, right???

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit(s)
I'm still catching up with capturing the outfits I wear. It's been a crazy week at work so I've been hit or miss about it. On Wednesday I wore this new dress from Target. It's a modified trench/shirt dress with a neat seam and flare towards the bottom. Yesterday I wore my dressy denim pencil skirt with my aqua argyle cardigan over a paler aqua cami.



The pattern on the dress are these very graphic circles and I decided to wear my new lillibee Jessica peep-toe heels. The large stitching goes well with the pattern and the large buckle and peep-toe style matches the vintage-y yet modern style.



Yesterday I actually brought two pairs of shoes with me since I had a client meeting but was also going out later. For about half of the day I wore my pale aqua Mizrahi driving mocs from Target.



Then later I wore my Isaac Mizrahi slides (not from Target, but on sale from Zappos a million years ago). They are very delicate suede. My favorite part is the darker whip-stitching in aqua leather.







I used to buy a lot of these girly little slides but haven't really found many I like recently. Most of the ones I see coming out are heavier or a more somber color. Maybe it is switching from Florida. I like this style because they are so perfect in summer and great with dresses and skirts. I'm going to have to do a quick search and see if they really are disappearing or if I'm imagining it.

Imitation = Flattery?

Personally I liked the more extreme version of the Dior sandals with their metallic and architectural heel but these more toned down versions are very attractive and eminently wearable too. Plus they're on sale for 50% off!



But if you're a fan of the shape and still can't come up with the $400+ of the Dior's these Nine West Everless sandals are an even more restrained nod to the shape.



They didn't take it quite as far, but the influence is definitely there. I rather like these and have them sitting in my shopping cart right now as I ponder whether to get them or not.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I don't wear a lot of yellow, but I loved this postcard cardigan so much that I'm wearing it anyways, in spite of my janudiced appearance. Is that wrong?

So, we have the postcard cardigan, which I only partially buttoned, a white cami, yellow patent skinny belt and a black pencil skirt. Oh yeah, and my Target floral necklace.



The Focal Point
The patterned cardigan and other yellow accents was the main focus but the black on the skirt and shoes helped to ground it. For shoes I wore my Louboutin Yo Yo Zeppas in black suede. I also think the red sole is a nice flash back to some of the colors in the cardigan.

Don't forget to email or send me your shoe story in the comments so you can win the gift card or books!

Shoe Daydreams 1 Year Anniversary Celebration

Pink Explosions by tzatziki

Today is a very special day around here because today is the 500th post and the 1 year anniversary of Shoe Daydreams!!!

I can't believe that a year has already flown by since I did my first post. Back then I had been reading several blogs and was inspired to try my own. Little did I know how much I would enjoy it.

Part of writing this blog came out of my sheer love and enjoyment of shoes and fashion. North Carolina is a great place to live but, where I am, is not a high fashion capital. And, frankly, I think some of my office mates were getting bored with all the shoe talk!

Online I found some amazing friends who are great writers, hilariously funny and amazingly inspirational all around, not just in the fashion department. Just a few to mention are:

Manolo was very supportive and added me to his blog roll right away. I was so excited.

Miss WendyB has made me laugh my ass off and taught me a thing or two about crazy monarchs, something I already loved but now know lots more about.

Winona has also been so funny it's almost wrong. I've embraced by shiny addiction with Martin's support and learned to fear what five guys could be thinking about some of my crazier choices.

Style Spy is too ready of an enabler and entices me to get more red patent leather in my life... as if I needed more!

Susie Bubble - Her layered masterpieces and overseas selections help me keep my eyes and mind open.

The Queens' style has made me want to add more toughness to my selections. And more adorable jewelry choices.

Lady Coveted's vintage selections make me wish we lived closer so I we could share closets.

And Miss Gala - it was great to meet her in person and I'm glad she's online so I can get my fix each day. I'm sure there are tons of loyal nonpareils who feel the same.

Of course these are just a few of the people who keep the blogosphere running for me. I can't say how obsessively I check back to all of my favorite sites (and Tweets and Flickr) because it might be a little scary. Only their analytics programs know for sure.

I also love love love that you all come by to read my ramblings and listen to me babbling about new shoes or a designer I just found. I love the comments I get on here and via email. It totally makes my day like you would not believe.

To celebrate and to show my love and appreciation for you all, I'd like to give a little a little present back to YOU!

Since I love to hear your stories, send me a story (or a photo or a collage or anything) about your favorite/funniest/most mortifying/happiest shoe or fashion-related moment. You can send it to me either in the comments here or to my email (see up there to the right). I'm on Flickr, Polyvore, and Twitter - so any contact method is cool.

And what sort of a prize will we be having for this Celebration??? Well, you have two choices -

Option A: $50 Zappos Gift Certificate

Option B: Two amazing books - Manolo Blahnik's Drawings and Blahniks by Bowman book of photos.

The Shoe Daydreams Share Your Shoe Story Celebration contest will run through July 20th. I'm looking forward to some fun stories for everyone. I'll have this button up on the left so it will be easy to check back.

If you want to share the contest with anyone, please feel free to do so. You can grab the image here or I can even send you the html code - just drop me an email.

Thank you all again for being here and for making this so much fun. I was asked when I started this if there was really that much to say about shoes and all, I would have to say, resoundingly, YES! And I can't wait to keep going into the next year.

Luv,

Poochie

Back to School

School Supplies by Mon Solo

I'm not sure what it is about school supplies and the back to school time period that I like so much. I was in Target tonight and they were just starting to put out all of the school supplies and I had to take a run down the aisles. I know it's kind of dorky but I just love all the paper, folders, pens and notebooks. I have way way way too many notebooks.

But I also love the prep school/school uniform look. I'm pretty fond of plaid. I think nine years in a parochial school will do that to you. Now I when I see plaid skirts or school boy jackets I just can't resist.

I just got two blazers that I found on sale for 50% off. I wasn't familiar with the BB Dakota line but they're awfully cute. When I did a search to get some images, I saw my cute blazer was in WWD.



It was the Beetlejuice-iness of the stripes that made me jump on it. B&W graphic stripes. Yes please!









There were not a lot of images on the site I bought it from so when it arrived I was pleasantly surprised by all of the detail on the jacket. It's a little long in the sleeves but that is pretty typical for me. It's also a bit loose in the torso but I think I can always get it taken in, or even corset up the back with some ribbon.

I also got this jacket for 50% off and it's also by BB Dakota. This one is navy with white edges.




Here's my favorite surprise detail - both jackets have these giant safety pins at the cuff rather than buttons. Gah! Adorable!









I got both jackets for less than $100 bucks. Quite the bargain! I'm sooo pleased.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I've sort of slowed on on showing the outfits, haven't I? I guess I've just been a bit lazy and not really inspired.

What I wore yesterday was kind of simple. The top is from the Proenza Schouler Go International line for Target, along with a khaki A-line skirt. Since the shirt is pretty graphic I just wore my watch as jewelry. Okay, it was really because I was running way late to work and didn't have time to think up more inventive pairings.



The Focal Point
I wanted to leverage the white accents and sort of classic almost nautical feel from the shirt so I pulled out one of my favorite pairs of white heels. I know a lot of folks don't like white heels but I just don't understand it. If they are done well, they can be so cute and classy.

I love these Charles David pair becuase they are in a great white patent and have jaunty white tassles. I adore tassles on shoes. They're so cute.













My only challenge is that the top is a bit too big, so while I love the color pairing and the details of it, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. I just don't have the room to keep stuff that doesn't fit as well as it should or if I'm not totally in love with it (ideally it should be both!).

One more SATC: Movie commentary. Like we need more of those!

First off - If you are even more of a procrastinator than I am and have not seen the SATC Movie and you don't want any spoilers, please stop reading now.

Yeah, I know everyone and their brother has given a rundown on the movie and picked apart everything from the fashion to the shoes to the wall color and the brand of sheets on Charlotte's bed.

Whatever.

I'm slack, okay. I get it.

And even though I was actually in New York the day the movie opened, I didn't go until just last night. But, I like it that way. I don't mind knowing stuff about the movie. Heck, I bought the book and read it before I went. What was great was the movie was pretty empty so I didn't get all distracted by other people in the theater. And I went by myself so I wouldn't have to share it with the hubby (especially since I don't think he was totally into it. Not sure why.)

Rather than do a big overview and deconstruction of all the nuances, this is more of a list (albeit a long list) of impressions and the stream of consciousness thoughts that went through my head while I watched the movie. Some of which I was texting the hubby at home as it went on. Generally I thought it was good although a bit choppy in the beginning and the banter seemed a bit forced compared to the show. But I expected that due to the change is format.

1. Why the hell are they using a stupid Fergie song as the movie opener? Yuck!

2. Labels & Love? I never really thought that the girls were label whores. Yes, they like designer clothes but they didn't wear anything just because it was from a designer. It was fashion they loved. I don't consider that to be the same thing. Maybe it is nowadays.

3. That Smith Jared turned into quite a man, didn't he?

4. My favorite outfit in the whole movie is Carrie's white vest and slacks with the pink shirt, hatbox purse and black accents.

5. I love that Carrie wears that belt throughout.

6. I. Adore. Anthony

7. OMG! What the heck happened to Candice Bergen? I'm not trying to be mean but she's swelled.

8. I'm sooo glad they didn't have a ton of Vogue staffers (especially that insufferable Andre Leon Talley) all up in the movie getting screen time.

9. I have to admit it. SJP looked amazing in the Vogue shoot. I thought she looked good in the magazine shots but that could have been lots of airbrushing and soft-focus. Maybe they touched up the footage but she looked good in the dresses, especially the Vera Wang and the Lacroix.

10. Carrie cannot read with emotion at all. Get Gary Oldman in there to read Beethoven's love letter.

11. Second favorite outfit - the Proenza Schouler outfit she wears to the library. Especially those shoes. Darn! Plus, that library is gorgeous.

12. Saying "Let's just get it over with" during sex? OUCH!

13. I know it's not really a Disney coloring book but it sure looks like it.

14. Love the jeans outfit Carrie's wearing when she sees the closet for the first time. Per the book, SJP was just wearing that on the set for a fitting and Patricia Field suggested she wear it for the scene.

15. The Closet - WOW! Not that I would want that exact one, but the dream of so much space... sigh!

16. Fashion show montage - better here or in The Sweetest Thing????

17. Who packs boxes in those clothes?

18. You'd think they'd be used to seeing Samantha by the 5th "homecoming". Geez.

19. Okay, yeah, I'd squeal for the 2nd bottle of Champagne.

20. LOVE how Samantha shuts down Karl the d**khead at the rehearsal dinner. Loved it! But I'm not sure about those earrings with the collar of the dress.

21. Wait a second! Why are they letting the 4-year-old (five year old?) carry that $5000 cupcake bag. God dammit!

22. Carrie looked alternately scary and gorgeous. Under her veil she was transformed. It reminded me of how Astair transforms Hepburn's image in Funny Face.

23. All of the girls looked just gorgeous in their bridesmaid dresses especially Charlotte. I love that the crew nicknamed the dress "The Black Swan".

24. When Carrie beats Big with the flowers, I was a bit taken aback. She's was a little crazed. And frankly I thought it a bit of an over-reaction. I would have been a bit afraid of her.

25. Best acting of the movie - Charlotte's face as she yells "NO!" at Big. It was spot on. Worth it to see the movie again just for that moment.

26. I thought the whole "waxing" and having Charlotte "Poughkeepsie" in her pants was kind of unnecessary.

27. Although in the later scene it is funny when Carrie says the fact that she had pooped herself meant she was all done with the bad karma for the year.

28. Did anyone notice that Carrie's phone is all duct taped up? She's not a technology girl. So she doesn't spend her money there. Nice detail.

29. Oooh! And when Carrie's listening to her voicemail from Big on the day of the wedding the mailbox voice said it was from September 20th. That's my wedding day! Ha!

30. Did she not notice the Asian guy had walked in wearing a pair of hot pink heels? Seriously?

31. Okay, who has not heard about Bag, Borrow and Steal. I mean, I knew of them about five years ago when they first started. Also, to borrow a bag you still pay a rental fee for each week - like $100+ a week depending on the bag. If Louise is so broke how can she even afford that? It's still expensive. And the whole thing with her and the "labeled" bags just kind of creeped me out. It's why all these young girls are going into serious debt trying to keep up with women who are more established and have more discretionary income. So Louise is still trying to keep up.

32. Plus, I can't see Carrie ever caring about that service. I don't think she would be down with the whole borrow and return thing. It's like pretending you own something. I don't like it.

33. So here's a observation that could be so thin it's practically see-through but let's stretch the metaphor - I'm very glad it's a rescue dog but a) didn't they say it was a "she"? b) girl and fixed dogs only mount to display dominance. Is that what Samantha is doing with sex? and c) I'd say it was a bit of a compulsion with the dog. Is sex a compulsion with Samantha? Just reading too much into it possibly.

34. Sublimating with food. Ha!

35. I can totally understand Charlotte's fear about having so many good things and being terrified that something terrible was going to happen. Who doesn't feel that sometimes?

36. Dang it! Yes, I cried a bit during the New Year's Eve scene.

37. No one who loves shoes that much would wear white kid leather booties to run out into the snow and sleet.

38. Where was Vivienne Westwood at the end of her fashion show?

39. Miranda looked really really good on Valentine's Day.

40. Stupid Vogue masthead "beauty shot". We get it. Vogue. Sponsor. Can we be done already?

41. "I'm an emotional cutter." Funny line.

42. I'm glad that the girls are a part of creating their own problems, that they recognize it and then work to fix it.

43. A friend had a good point - Louise spends three months in NYC then gets her engagement? What a cop-out.

44. Hello! Penis!

45. Dang it! Cried more on the bridge. Stupid emotions!

46. Carrie's apartment - Love the new wall color. Not a huge fan of the floral couches.

47. When Samantha tells Smith she wants to leave him I was surprised he wasn't more surprised. I would have expected him to think she wants to move back to NYC not leave him.

48. I don't think that once Samantha left she would still be scarfing down food on the plane. Would she?

49. Charlotte looks like a big ol' beach ball in her polka-dot dress and pink coat - but I think she would revel in that since she'd wanted the baby so badly.

50. I love that deconstructed jacket with the floral rosettes Carrie wears when she goes back to the closet to get her heels.

51. I hate the fact that the "Something Blue" heels in the movie have a higher and skinnier heel than the ones they are selling now. I just know it! Oh yeah, and that's a heck of a price increase from $525 to $895 (or $945 or whichever it is today).

So there you go! Think there will be another movie?