Jimmy Choo for Hunter

I'm very very excited! On Friday night we booked a trip to Ireland in December. I'm so excited in fact that, realizing I ONLY HAVE FOUR MONTHS to plan I immediately started to think about what shoes I'm was going to need to pack.

It doesn't help that I already know that I need new black boots - flat ones and heeled ones. But then I thought, welllllll...... it will probably be raining some of while we're there.

I must get new wellies!

And there just happened to be a pair that I was smitten with a few months ago but had no really valid reason (excuse?) to get....

Ummm, hello Jimmy Choo for Hunter.



If you are not familiar, Hunter wellies are THE wellies. We're talking iconic. Classic. Royal Warrants for providing footwear to HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

But why just settle for standard Hunter wellies (although I like them too) when I can get a fancier limited edition pair (those words are like crack to me, I KNOW!)



Fancy, huh?

To quote:

The legendary Hunter silhouette with natural rubber construction has been embossed with signature Jimmy Choo crocodile print and branded top bind. Gold buckle hardware, metal rivets and an extra long eyelet strap add attention to detail. A leopard print lining provides a contrast against the black glossy rubber of the boot. Presented in the original black Hunter box and lined with leopard print, the boots have a unique identification plate, uniting the logos of these two iconic British brands.

The boots will be sold exclusively in Jimmy Choo stores in the United Kingdom and the United States and online at www.jimmychoo.com. A waiting list will be available for the boots from 1st May on www.jimmychoo.com.

"I was inspired by images from the festivals of the hip Brit girls in their wellies. This led to our collaboration with Hunter to produce a sleek interpretation of the British classic". Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo President and Founder.

Peter Mullen, Hunter Chairman, comments: "We are delighted to work with Jimmy Choo to create a superbly sophisticated incarnation of our original Wellington Boot. Both brands have a strong visual identity which works well combined - the resulting Boot has a unique DNA of luxurious practicality."




Luxurious Practicality. I likey.

Anywho... waiting list, smating list. So what if they're either on back order or gone or amazingly overpriced on ebay.

SHOE HUNT!



By the way... I love love love the buckle element.

Okay, this is going to be a bit mean. I apologize in advance.

I found a pair. In my (small) size left in a store. Nabbed 'em. Quite possibly they were on sale too. I'm trying not to chuckle evilly.

Kind of.



Now, what else do I need for this trip??? I need to start planning what I'm going to pack too!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
This was the outfit I was envisioning when I first bought this dress. I finally have all the pieces - a wide brown belt, a delicate yet substantial necklace and accessories and strappy brown sandals.



The Focal Point
I love the dress - its light and comfortable and the pattern is fun. Plus, it's a dress! And I'm happy I'm finding dresses I like.

But it's all about the accessories and the texture. I've gathered the pieces and they work well together. The bronze-y beaded necklace...



a chunky wood ring...



the wide leather belt and these faux-croc strappy sandals from Franco Sarto...











I wore these sandals when I was walking around New York, for blocks, and they were comfortable. That's pretty surprising for sandals, I think. They were a DSW buy and well worth their discounted price! Now I think I need a similar style in black, since these are getting so much wear this summer.

If you have any favorite shoes, let me know!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I just realized I'm wearing black and brown again today. I'm wearing cropped black pants and a black camisole, plus a croc print Merona cardigan. Because I have a lot of pattern, I am only wearing my rings and my nice watch for jewelry.



I really only have two watches. My sportier one is the acrylic Toy Watch, which I wear a lot because I like the chunkiness of it. My everyday, nicer watch is a Raymond Weil Parsifal with a diamond bezel and numbers. This is actually my second one. The first one got stolen at the gym because I dumbly, took it off during a class.

I am of the belief that if you have a few key nice accessories you can dress up most any outfit. I would say the key things to invest in are a wallet, watch, sunglasses, and, of course, shoes. You can even get away with a less pricey bag or other jewelry if you have a nice wallet and watch. Same goes for men - wallet, watch, belt, shoes. From there, you're good to go.



The Focal Point
Croc! No, not Crocs (ick!). Croc print. I'm risking wearing a pattern overload by wearing two croc print items but the color tones are complementary and not matching, so I think it works.



I luv these shoes. Their Manolo Blahnik Tuccio in pony hair with the print magically on there.



These are the most comfortable heels ever. What a silhouette.




I would wear these everywhere if I wasn't so over-protective of them.

Le Silla Sale

If you are lucky enough to wear one of the available sizes left, here's a classic and pretty open toe pump by Le Silla.



Available at Saks for $138.54 down from $385!

If you get them, I will be so jealous!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
It's warming up again but still nicely brisk. We had a great weekend and I got a lot accomplished around the house. I know I'll be crazy tomorrow rushing for Thanksgiving, but today I wasn't feeling too overwhelmed.

I wore this Merona Croc Print Cardigan and a pencil skirt. I love this Mizrahi pencil skirt. The shape is nice and slim but the material is very comfy. No jewelry, the top is pattern enough.



For the shoes I wore my vintage alligator peep-toe slingbacks. Damn, I love these! They are so 40's secretary and they fit perfect. The pattern ties in with the top but not overly so.



The Focal Point
What do you think? The top or the shoes? The cardigan patter in more obvious, but the shoes are just so amazing an have an amazing shape on. Plus they're vintage.

I vote shoes.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I feel very Fall-princess-y in my outfit today. I'm wearing a dark brown cardigan and swishy skirt from Target layered over a black lace-edged camisole. It was quite chilly today so I have my faux-fur trimmed coat - also in black and brown.

My main accessory is my amazing feather fascinator from KissCurl on Etsy. It's so gorgeous in person.



The Focal Point
Although it is hard not to say my feather fascinator, I have to give some props to Mnsr. Manolo. And in keeping with the whole "textures of nature" thing I have going on with my earth tones, feathers and fur, I'm wearing Manolo pony hair heels that have a crocodile print - unexpected but elegant.



These shoes fit to perfection. I could wear them and walk in them all day.



Keep warm! It's time for hot chocolate tonight!

Textures of nature

Over the weekend it finally got kind of cool, so when we went to this really great antiques show, I was exited to pull out my cozy wraps.

I was still excited when this morning rolled around. It was chilly in the morning so I decided to wear a sweater. Unfortunately was in the 80's today and it was way to warm for wearing a sweater. I looked way too excited for Fall and, probably, pretty stupid.

Anyway, I wore my new Old Navy sweater in a light heathered teal, my brown skirt - the classic Johnathan Adler "happy chic" color combo.



I wore my vintage alligator peep-toe slingbacks with it.

I got these on eBay and they fit perfectly. They are rather high but have a perfect silhouette.

I'm trying to stick to my palette of black/grey/white/silver/red/green/blue, so most of my Fall pieces are very clean and streamlined. Not overly patterned.



I'm going to add some punch to these basics with accessories like unique vintage jewelry, bright scarves, gloves, socks and tights and lots of texture from natural materials and exotics.

Those vintage heels will great with the bright opaque tights. I also bought these Michael Kors "Cairo" heels in python. Their one of the pricier pieces I bought for Fall, but so classic and well made that they are truly an investment piece. These will be great with dark brown tights, light taupe knee socks, black and green.



I'm also going to start trying to wear more of my unique accessories. I have several hats and lots of vintage gloves. And besides eBay and antiques shows, Etsy is fast becoming my go to spot for finding neat stuff.

I fell in love with this Copper Pheasant feather fascinator about a month ago. I love the colors and the pattern of the feathers and that it is unlikely that anyone will have something like it. I had it in my shopping cart for a while but when I went back to get it, it was gone! On Etsy, things are mainly one-of-a-kind and handcrafted, so it's best to get them asap.

I was totally bummed. How surprised was I when I saw that the purchaser was Miss Style Bubble herself. I'm in good company then, because I ran right back to Etsy, saw that KissCurl had another one in stock and bought it straightaway.



Gorgeous, gorgeous! And, since my hair is auburn, it will look so cool!



And because I love feathers and black and white, I bought the Spotted Guinea one as well.



Now I just need to learn how to do my hair in a messy updo or something.

Exotics are the trend for Fall, and a lizard/alligator/crocodile handbag is a classic that will never go out of style. Neiman Marcus sent me an email asking me if I was "living the life of luxury". Okay, so probably not by their standards, especially when they have a bunch of $1000 plus designer bags made of exotic materials listed on their site.

They are gorgeous, but for that much money, I don't want to see a bunch of the same waltzing around town. Well, I know they probably won't be around my town, but it's the principle darn it! And why would I need these engineered to be "must-haves" when I can find a gorgeous piece like this:



This nearly-pristine lizard doctor's frame bag is so in style it's scary. Marc Jacobs must have a stash of these inspiring him because I know I've seen bags like these on the runway. The color is a perfect neutral tan. The interior (with original mirror) is perfect and the shape is eternal.

I have to get the handle stitched - an easy job at the shoe repair - but that is really the only flaw.

And get this... it was $50 at the antiques show I went to this weekend. How crazy-amazing is that?



This is the kind of thing you can totally luck into but you have to pounce! Do not hesitate just get them when you see them! You can always re-sell them on eBay later if you don't love it.

I'm also going to get a lot of wear out of my vintage La Rose black leather and creme/black lizard pumps. I need to get the insole glued down, but the vintage deadstock is in amazing shape.



Manolo Blahnik is doing a water snake heel this Fall in a similar material. It runs about $700. These are under $100 from Circa Sixty-Three.



So lots of great texture, patterns and materials. And by buying vintage and supporting small artisans, not a huge price tag.

Plus lots of fun!