SD Review and Preparing for Inclement Weather

I like to baby my shoes. Have I mentioned this before? I mean, if I'm going to spend any amount of money, I want what I'm buying to last as long as possible.

So I don't wear my good shoes out in the rain and I certainly don't drive in them if I can help it. I have a stick-shift car so my shoes would be very likely to get scuffed or smudged or worse. Plus it's not really safe to drive in heels, especially if you are trying to shift gears.

So I have car shoes.

I carry by nice shoes in a canvas bag from the house to car to office. Then I switch them. So I'm perpetually switching from flats or wellies to heels. I'm wearing a pair of Old Navy flats now but they are about ready to go bye-bye. So I was excited to receive a pair of Kushyfoot's Flats-to-Go portable ballet flats.

I actually ended up giving these guy quite the workout because the day I wore them we had a massive storm and I still had to run all over. So they were subjected to walking, driving and rain. And I have to say they help up pretty well.

I did slip a bit at one point so I scuffed up the toe on the left shoe, as you can see.

Part of the Kushyfoot story is their wavy insole that is to help massage your feet. I found them to be comfortable but a bit thin, at least for me anyways. I have very sensitive feet, though!

I would say that they fit true to size as well. The pair I received were for a 5/6 so they were a bit loose on me but not falling off.

The sole did fine outdoors and held up but my slip happened when I was walking quickly into the grocery stores with wet feet, so bit a bit cautious.

These are handy flats to tuck into your purse if you have to quickly run somewhere or are like me, not wanting to get your nice shoes wet. I'd keep a pair in my purse, car and even carry on suitcase. Have you ever had to sprint through the airport in heels? It's no fun, I assure you.

I'm also interested in a new product that I just heard about called Shuellas.

They are meant to go over your heels or flats (not athletic shoes they say) and protect them from the wet. I really like this idea because wellies, while wonderful (I love alliteration), are kind of a pain to shelp around and not very portable, you know?

Of course, shoe covers are nothing new but I like that these seem designed with heels in mind rather than most others that are more focused on flats or for men's shoes.

They come in pink, black, yellow and green, so that's fun. Plus they fold up when you are done with them and even come with a handy wiping cloth. They are a bit pricey - $50 - which is more than some wellies, so I'm not sure when I will get a pair. But if I do, I'll let you know how they work.

A little something to make you smile

The boy makes a suit look good...

Oh, yeah, and this scene was worth the whole movie...

Eeewwww!!!!

I probably shouldn't be so harsh.

I'm sure there's a dress or some cropped pants that these would look great with.

But for me, it's a big "Eeeeeewwwww!!!!"

I'm sorry, Prada. I'll love you anyways.

Prada Perforated Raffia Wedge - on sale for $275 (from $690)

In My Head

I'm what you might call a long-range planner. While I try to be flexible, I like the planning process and can tend to get a bit obsessed too. I'll plan out everything from where I want to live five years from now to a trip next year.

And that is where my head is at right now.

We're considering a trip to Turkey next year, so I am already planning my wardrobe. I need to pack light, will be doing lots of walking, possibly over uneven terrain and it will still be winter when we are thinking of going. So I'll need to pack for variable weather, nothing too precious and it has to be comfortable.

Of course I'm starting with the shoes.

I've decided I need to find the perfect lace-up desert/city appropriate boots. I don't want to go too expensive, ideally faux leather and durable. I want them to be stylish and a bit retro - not lug soles. Sort of like a vintage paddock boot.

I've started looking at a few options...

I like the Steven "Alec" boot. Pretty simple and classic. I like the piecing on this.

The Steve Madden "Harllem" isn't bad either. A nice mid-tone brown. Although I'm not fan of Steven Madden.

The Steven "Axee" looks like the "Alec's" twin, but is a bit more brown.

I was hoping for a faux leather boot and each of those are kind of pricey for what I want to spend. These Dolce Vita boots for Target are more in line with what I'm thinking. A bit less detailed and the laces are skinnier but for $35-ish they aren't bad. At the time of writing, these were not online yet. I'm going to look for them in stores.

But as I was researching, I found these from Charlotte Russe, a store or online shop I rarely frequent. They have a nice look and piecework. Good laces and I like the dark brown. They are also the least expensive of the bunch at $20 on sale.

I have a while until my trip so I may still look around. I also need to plan the rest of what I need to pack. Miss Jennifer created a great Polyvore set that got me thinking.

I need some more inspiration! What would you pack on a trip to Turkey?

Snappy Dressing

Dear Gentlemen,

I beg of you. Please, please, please start wearing suits more often. Preferably 3 piece suits or suits with suspenders. French cuffs and cufflinks if you have them. And laced up shoes. Not slip ons.

Trust me on this. The extra effort it takes will repay you in spades!

(And if you haven't seen Inception, dammit, why not? It's smart, original and has an amazing wardrobe. Plus my boy Cillian!)

Some tidy hair would be good too.

Let's just end it with these two images

And if you add some witty banter like Bogey, you're golden.

Pleasent dreams!

Bubblegum Plastic: Sally Hansen Nail Pens

I am not a big make-up or nail polish aficionado. I do like to have a nice pedicure but I tend to be pretty boring with my color choices: reds, pinks, whites. And my manicure is usually non-existent. I have the weakest nails in the universe. They split when you look at them.

But lately my nails have been doing pretty well and are to the point where I can actually paint them without looking like I just blobbed some polish on the ends of my fingers accidentally.

I had a coupon for CVS the other day and decided to try out a few new colors. I saw these Sally Hansen nail polish pens and thought that maybe I wouldn't knock them over and spill polish every where as I may or may not have done in the past.. just saying.

I bought two colors - black and chrome silver. Right now I have on the black. I was hoping this would be a true black but it's more like a really really dark navy with a bit of sparkle. I put on a base coat and two coats of polish topped with a clear top coat. It's been lasting pretty well even with all the typing I do.

I only swiped on the chrome silver over a previous nail color because I was eager to see how chrome it came out. I would say that this does a good job of looking metallic. Not shimmery but a good shiny silver. For a polish it does a pretty good approximation of the Minx silver manicures. This could be a great solution if you need to touch up or just don't have easy access to a Minx location, like me.

All in all, good stuff. I recommend. Lots of colors, easy to use. I think I may have to go back and grab the gold chrome too.

Le Sigh: Miu Miu Fall Winter 2010 Heels

I have a problem and that problem is call MIU MIU!

They really must stop making things that are so wonderful and so perfect that I have to posess them. Please Miuccia, Stop! For the sake of my wallet!

Here are the two latest "must haves"...

I adore the combination of fabric and metal in these cap-toe pumps.

Double bows!

Those are gorgeous but conservative. Equally gorgeous but less-restrained are these more loafer style with the metal flowers adorning the toe.

Same square heel, which I also love.

I'm seriously smitten.

I'm not saying that I am going to get a pair, but if I can't have both (I know! I know!), which one would you pick. Decision, decisions!

Buy them at Saks:

Metal Square-toe Platform pumps

Metal Flowers Square-toe Loafer pumps

A Tempting Tease

If you were on Twitter today, you may have heard some whispers of some shoes that just arrived via my Fairy Shoe God-sister (she's too young to be my godmother), The Shoe Girl ...

Whatever could they be???

Just a few sneaky shots. You'll have to wait for the full reveal!

Ensemble du Jour - 7-13-10

A few folks asked for an outfit shot when I mentioned what I was wearing with the YSL Tribute heels (yesterday's Shoe of the Day), so here you go!

I was going to try and get an actual shot of me in the outfit but we had a monsoon here so I was stuck at work until late. But we needed the rain so I can't complain too much.

The cardigan is from Target, the skirt is Michael Kors and the necklace is the Wendy Brandes Little Woolf necklace.

The shoes, of course, are the YSL Tributes...

The petal peep-toe.

I love the lamplight here.

And the contrast heels, which are a soft off-white.

I'd love to get a pair of the really high YSL Tribtoos but I don't think they are still making the ones with the yellow soles. Hmmm...

Shoe of the Day: YSL Tribute Slingback Peep-toe

I have been posting my Shoe of the Day over on the Shoe Daydreams Facebook page for a while now but I'm adding it here too.

Today's Shoe is the Yves Saint Laurent Tribute peep-toe slingback.

This shoe came out at the same time as the platform Tribute mary jane that everyone seemed to have and still continues to be evolved in sandal and other pump iterations.

I loved the contrast heel but didn't want the platform. I thought the non-platform slingback was more elegant.

Contrast heels are pretty common now but this shoe had one other unique element - the petal peep-toe. While most peep-toes are a round cut-out this shoe began with two petals forming the less-conspicuous window. The shape has been utilized by McQueen (and copied by numerous others!)

I'm wearing these with a black v-neck cardigan and a Michael Kors leopard print skirt.

Bubblegum Plastic: English Summer cloud necklace

Bubblegum Plastic is where we talk about all the other fun stuff... where I try to think about more than just shoes!

I love cute little whimsical necklaces, especially from the talented folks on Etsy. When I was browsing around the other day, I saw this sweet cloud and rain necklace from Mixko.

The piece is about 4" from the top of the little felted cloud to the bottom crystal raindrop.

Even though it is a raincloud, it's a happy little cloud with sparkly blue raindrops. So it makes you smile!

English Summer rain and cloud necklace - $30 from Mixko on Etsy. She also has an adorable rainbow necklace and some delicate butterfly rings that I love too. Check her out!