Walking on Clouds

How amazing are these Cloud & Rainbow heels from Thea Cadabra!  

Now this is a woman after my own heart. I love a pair shoes with a bit of the fantastical about them.

Thea has been making shoes since the 70s when she could find shoes fabulous enough to match her style. You must check out her archives!

Her shoes had to be an influence for my other favorite witty designer, Ashely Dearborn. I am lucky to have 3 of her designs including my favorite ROY G BIV -

Ashley seems to have stopped designing but Thea is still doing custom orders. I know a few bloggers who would look perfect in her Boudior designs.


 Thea Cadabra image via Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.

Instant Access - 7/25 - 7/31

My week was pretty much composed of work, shoes, manicures, glitter and rain...

Nicole Brundage Sinnamon heels (circa 2006)

Betsey Johnson Fall 2011 Runway Llola boots

Ashley Dearborn ROY G BIV sandals (circa 2004)

Coral and Creamsicle

Ombre pink glitters

O.P.I. Teenage Dream

Glitters!

Deborah Lippmann Naked topped with black glitter

...And a decadent treat...

...ending with more sequins (because I can never have enough in my life.

Hope your week was as sparkly!

Color Study - Purples

I'm really spacing out these Color Study posts, aren't I!

I'm being totally lazy by doing some of the easier ones first. Black, red and brown will be excessive. But let's pretend we're going sort of in a spectrum of color.

Today is all about PURPLE! Admittedly there are not that many and I realized there is an overlap with one shoe. Not very organized of me.

Only 7 in this group.

Row 1:

- Melian Nichi - These were slingbacks but I cut off the back strap because it was too loose.

Row 2 - left to right:

- Christian Louboutin Prive 120 in Lilac suede

- Stuart Weitzman Bocaccio

- Manolo Blahnik Sedaraby

Row 3 - left to right:

- Ashley Dearborn Eurpides

- Luella heart heels

- Jessica Simpson Jada wedge slingback espadrilles

I love all the delicate shades but here are some of my favorite details.

More to go on Flickr!

Web Weaver

It's been a while since I've talked about one of my favorite independent designers, Ashley Dearborn, but when ever I put on one of the shoes I have from her I'm reminded all over again how much I love her work.

Not only is the quality great but I love her witty designs. From her Pegasus heels (which I so wish I had) to ROY G. BIV, the more clever the inspiration, the more I like them.

I only have 3 pairs from her - Euripides, Roy G. Biv and these Charlotte sandals. I can't believe I've never taken photos of them before!



Spider, Spider webs, Charlotte - get it? Wink, Wink!



The tie around the ankles is the 8th arm of the spider. and the little aqua bits on the end are flies, I believe



The web stitching on these is so great.



I wore these with a simple black skirt and top so all the attention went to the shoes. They're very comfortable and summery.

And, of course, clever!

Ensemble du Jour

On Friday I got totally lazy and wore my cropped jeans again! They're just so darn comfy.

The Outfit
I wore a amethyst cardigan over a black cami which were, of course, paired with the capris. I also added a large faux pearl choker and bracelet.



The Focal Point
While I didn't build the outfit around them, my Euripides heels from Ashely Dearborn are hard to miss.



They're pretty striking with their bright colors and unusual shape.









Personally I like the more odd or theme-y Dearborns. I that is what put her on the map. I think her latest styles are a bit tamer, which to be frank, don't cut it for me. But if like less craziness in your footwear, I would check out her styles (she does have some of the unusual pieces still too) as they are very well made and Ashely is very very nice.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
Finally, the rain has left us for a day and the sun is shining. It's warmer out and much more like Spring. I'm wearing a neutral silvery grey outfit but with bursts of bright pink as a fun accent color.



The top is a bluish silver and sort of shiny knit from Ann Taylore. The skirt is my warmer grey corduroy Old Navy skirt. The bubbly necklace is from Target, one of my new items.



The sandals are the Roy G. Biv slingbacks from Ashley Dearborn. She is one of the earliers independant shoe creators. Her whimsical designs really won me over and she's very nice to speak with. I thought these were especially appropriate today.



The Focal Point
I'm sure the change in weather had something to do with it, but really the colors all came from my eyeshadow.



I have two of Revlon's Diamond Lust eyeshadows and decided to wear the Platinum today. Everything just got pulled from there - not that I always match my clothes and make-up but the fun shiny feel was what I wanted to incorporate.



These are good eyeshadows by the way. I also have the "Grab Me Gold" which isn't too brassy or anything. It has a brown undertone which makes it a good color for me. I like the packaging too. They're worth checking out if you like the colors.