Instant Access - 10/24 - 11/6

It's finally Fall!!! 

We drove over to Asheville for the day to do an errand and saw some great leaf action.  There were rumors of snow flurries so I pulled out my coat and blue/brown faux hat, but it was so pretty I didn't even need it.

The animals are loving the weather too.  Kitties in the windows, Jake and Meg scratching around and the goats are all frisky!

Special breakfast for one...

More flats if you can believe it. These sequined skimmers from Alloy were so pretty I got all three colors.  They were only $30 each AND I had a $20 off the total order coupon code.  Score!

The A. Wang Anais silver loafer heels.  Murderously high but so gorgeous!

The Betsey Johnson satin-lined boots were a bit easier on the ankles.

And of course fun manicures for Halloween - spider web nails...

And glow-in-the-dark zombie nails.

The weeks ended on a scarier note than Halloween... trying to sync and update my iPhone and iPad.  Why is it such a pain?!?!?

But all my apps are back and the weather is fine.   Hope your week went well too!

Imitation = Flattery?

Alloy isn't a site that I go to often. I find it to be confusing and cluttered. But a while back I was on there sifting about for what I can't even remember now and saw these black and white striped wedges. Where had I seen these before??? Hmmmm....



Oh, yeah, on Net-a-Porter. Because these below are the original Louboutin Sing Sing patent wedges. Don't they look identical? I mean, I can't even say "inspired" here. I can only say - Ripped Off!

Now although I can see a noticeable difference in the materials, even from the pictures, I don't think it is 20 times more noticeable. The Louboutins were something like $695 originally and the Alloys were $29.50 (later marked down to $15). These are really cool shoes (in spite of some tacky hussy wearing them too) and they'd be a fun pair to own but, it would be hard to pay the designer price when the $30 pair is so cute too. If I had never seen the Louboutin pair, I probably would have bought the pair from Alloy and been happy with them.

But as they say, you can't unknow something, so maybe it is for the best that they are sold out in both versions.

Classic Cap-toes

As Summer winds down, all of the pre-Fall and Fall styles begin trickling into the stores. A design that still looks fresh during summer but that can also work with the more traditional styles that show up during fall are cap-toe - in heels, flats, boots or booties. During the Spring we saw how Miu Miu interpreted the design in Satin and with unique color combinations (see earlier post). In the late Summer/Fall, the traditional combination of black and white is more common.

This year, Chanel celebrated 50 year of this timeless design, which has been an inspiration for all of the designers to follow.


Marc Jacobs keeps to the traditional white shoe/black cap in his Fall flats, but reverses the trend in this ankle strap pump. I think this gives a look that can go school-girly, mod or very traditional.

Alloy's NYC Mary Jane is a very affordable way to take advantage of this look. Because the design is so classic, even less expensive materials look sharp. And the wood platform and heel keep it summery.

This sharp-looking boot is actually from Payless. This mix of patent on the cap-toe and shaft keep this boot from being plain. Plus, the top piece zips off for another look.

Even though I don't typically like booties, they are going to be big this Fall. These are my favorites and are by Christian Louboutin. This version is grey, white and black but they also come in solid black or white and black.

Because this is such an iconic look there are tons of interpretations out there and the design will come back year after year, so find a favorite.