Holiday Sparkle 2014

Last night was my work holiday party.

And, always looking for an excuse to dress up, I had purchased this gold sequin dress from Lulu's a little while back.  The husband looked dashing in his JCrew and Banana Republic ensemble in grey and burgundy.

When I finally got the Sophia Webster Mila's a new they would be the perfect edgy combination to pair with the sparkly dress.

They're graphic and just so cool.  Now that they've had their "debut" I plan on wearing them with tons of other skirts, cuffed jeans and cropped pants.

For a clutch, I'd had my eye on a Charlotte Olympia Pandora for a while but haven't found the perfect one.  In the interim, I got this great customized version from Estoite on Etsy.

I love the details of his combo too. They're a bit hard to see here but the burgundy shirt has white and blue dots which are picked up in the blue bow tie with white equations.  The cool tones of the blue work with the grey heathered jacket fabric and contrast with the dark burgundy.   Snazzy!

We had a fun time at the party seeing everyone's outfits and then the two of us went to our favorite taco restaurant for a delicious meal!

Giving my heart away

I have a soft spot for heels with hearts…

How could I not fall in love with these cheeky, whimsical "Cora" sandals from Louboutin for Spring 2015???

I hope the heels isn't too high.  I couldn't bear the heartbreak!

Pants and Pumps

For someone who claims to prefer skirts, I'm wearing a lot of pants lately.  My new uniform is fun pants and awesome shoes.

Red Old Navy pants and spiked Louboutin Pigalles…

Black diamond Old Navy pants and mint Kate Spade Karolina Bow pumps..

Jcrew olive military-inspired tuxedo-stripe pants plus old Jimmy Choo Thunder slingbacks…

Old Navy red print pants plus Manolo Blahnik red sequin heels...

Plaid pants and red Valentino Rockstud kitten heels…

I think I can make it through winter like this.

On The Fringe

I have been wanting a particular dress for ages.

I loved all the costumes in Down With Love but I particularly loved the red fringe-y dress worn in the date montage scenes.

I finally found a similar dress and feel ready to wear it.  I got it yesterday and it looks spectacular!

I've been planning this FOR YEARS, because I have a pair of vintage red velvet Joseph La Rose heels, just like the ones worn in the movie that have been panting to be paired up with that dress.

They look so good together I can't stand it!  Now… where shall I go to shake my fringe?

Not Even Winter; Waiting For Spring

What!?!?

Like you wouldn't be thinking about these even though they are 6 months away from being a reality.

I mean, come on!  Rainbow Rockstuds.

Also known as the Valentino 1973 Chevron Slingback Rockstud.

Falling Forward

I know I've been terrible at posting but Fall is such a busy time that it's hard for me to get on the computer to write when I'm out and about!

That said, here's a small cameo shot from a recent outing.  My co-worker took a picture of my shoes, the JCrew leopard Ettas, and my husband's stripy socks.  We're co-ordinated in a "power clashing" kind of way.

I'm also going to give these babies a try… the Sophia Webster Mila booties (I've been eyeing them up for a while) and...

… the Valentino runway Carmen booties.   They're so impractical but I'm so in love with them.  

I hope I hate them both so they can stop haunting my dreams.  But I'm worried they won't!

Loving Lucifer

Everyone is loving the Lucifer Louboutins today.

 They are well named, because, damn… they are high even for me.

I do have two peeves about them, as gorgeous as they are, though.

1. The spikes have dulled a bit after 2 years but I can't think of a way to polish them up.

and

2. The sizing, as with all Louboutins, are wildly inconsistent.  I mean I had to go a full size down with these - from a 35 to a 34.  That's just crazy!

But at the end of the day, you just can't fault them because they are so darn good.

Something good, something bad? Bit of both?

Dalek Dots Define

When I first saw the runway shots from Valentino's Fall/Winter 2014, all I could think was really elegant Daleks.

The great thing is…. I love the Daleks.  They're so evil and snarky.  My people!

Now the question is, do I want the mary janes or the booties.  The mary janes are more practical but I'm in love with the booties.

Aww, hell, maybe I need both.

Obviously Obvious

Well, of course I'm going to get the Rouge Louboutin nail lacquer. Why would you even need to ask?

And if I can manage the 4 3/4" heel, I hope to pair it up with the Louboutin Argotik heel.

How sexy is the red cut into the vamp?  Swoon!

Also, want to see some sexy Louboutins worn in a sexy way… go see Lucy.  Scarlet looked awesome!

In Love with Barton

I fell in love with with the pale pink Ralph Lauren Barton ballet pumps from their Resort 2014 show.

But, alas, they were sold out in my size.

After much sighing and stalking of the Ralph Lauren site, I found that the black version was available, in my size and on sale!

It wasn't my first choice but black will be perfect for my Fall 2014 theme and I love how the ribbons wind their way up to tie around my ankles.

I'm going to still stalk the pink but the black is happily mine!

Lucky Seven

I can't believe it's been SEVEN years for this little blog.

Although my posting has wound down quite a bit, my love of shoes has not.  Still out there daydreaming about gorgeous shoes all the time.  I'm so glad people keep coming by and saying hello too!

If you want more shoes and beautiful finds, I'm on Pinterest and Instagram all the time!

Points of Light

I just returned from a lovely trip to NYC and immediately went to my favorite store, Bergdorf Goodman (of course).

 And, lucky day! It was shoe sale time.

 I had the choice of some lovely, classic two-toned Manolo Blahnik kitten heel pumps.

Or these gorgeously excessive, ballgown-worthy, crystal-encrusted and glitter-soled pale blue and gold t-straps.

Guess which ones I chose?

They're even more glittery and sparkly in person. I'm just going to wear them to the office to keeps some magic around.

What does this remind you of?

I love the quirky humor of much of Moschino's fashions but $3600 for a cow print dress requires someone way more brave or way more foolish than me.

You are either setting yourself up to look like the Chik-fil-a cows or your just begging for cow insults.

Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking

It's just not fair that a shoe should be this gorgeous, am I right?

I was hoping to hate the Louboutin Imperas but now that I have them on my feet, let's just say, it will be difficult to let them go…

Anthropologies Exercises Cute

Since January, I've been a regular participant at Pure Barre and I'm loving it! While I'd lost a bunch of weight over the last year, the PB classes have noticeably toned me up and helped improve my overall strength, especially in my core area.

And because I was going fairly regularly, I needed to get some new workout gear.  At PB they like you to be somewhat covered up but I also wanted to be cool and comfortable too, especially as it can get a bit warm but I was transitioning in from the cold of outside.

I don't like paying a lot for workout gear so I did a great stock up on cropped compression pants, sports bras and tees at Old Navy.  They really do have great activewear.

But recently I found out that Anthropologie expanded into activewear as well and I love the Pure + Good line.  Their jackets are especially cute, and as I needed an additional option, I nabbed this cute ruffled version

I also got these compression pants with the sweet ruffle, in grey and black.  Some of the reviews have said they were sheer but I find them to be rather thick and not great with breathability.  If you want to keep warm, these would be good options.  They hit me just below mid-calf and are very cute in person.

I got the grey pants on sale but the other two pieces were full price.  If you are buying the higher end yoga/workout gear, I'd say the prices are in line with these.  And they are fun and unique.  I like having a few unique pieces but for general day to day gear I'm sticking to my Old Navy pieces.  Of course, if these hold up tons better than the Old Navy tops, I'll let you know.

Introducing Coral 8

I love it when a new shoe brand comes on the scene, especially one that is trying to improve the offerings in the vegan and sustainable category.

 Coral 8 is a new business bringing some cute new styles with non-animal based materials.

Their Zooey pumps are super cute. The black and white is a classic combo but the gold glitter is really jumping out at me in a fun way.

The Bell lace-up comes in a bunch of different combos but I like the tri-tone the best.

Who couldn't use a sweet cap-toe flat, especially in coral and cream.  The Alicia ballet flat has you covered with this and creme/gold and black/black patent.

And I wear the heck out of driving flats, especially in the summer with cropped jeans or shorts.  So comfy and colorful. I'd select the royal blue Michelle but their green and black versions are great too. 

I'm really looking forward to see how they continue to expand their collection.  There are a number of other options including some very fun peep-toes and some work-appropriate options.

They are reasonably priced too so tons of positives all around!