Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
Since it's been pretty cool, even this far into May, I've been holding off on wearing many of my Summer clothes. I haven't even switched out my closets yet. I know that I will get sick of the heat and the clothes soon enough so I don't want to rush it unnecessarily.

Even so, I decided to I wanted to wear this outfit which is comprised of all new items and all from Target. The skirt is a cute khaki circle-ish skirt with big flower appliques. The edges are kind of raw so it has a modern almost graphic appeal. The shirt is a simple jersey top but the neckline is cute and not your standard scoop neck. I bought a wide brown belt and decided to pair it with this to provide a bit of contrast. I don't wear belts very often but I liked how this all went together even though it takes some getting used to for me.



The Focal Point
I might have worn white heels if I hadn't worn the belt but now it called for a darker shoe. I think these Franco Sarto heels have an almost gladiator look to them. I'm not a huge lover of that style but this doesn't take it too far and they add a tough edge, something also a bit new for me.



Now I'm kind of on the look out for more "tough" shoes. I have my eye on a pair, but we'll have to see if I end up getting them.

I think I'm SAD

I think my wardrobe has Sesonal Affective Disorder and it's making me have it too.

It's no wonder April has been called the cruelest month. I feel like the weather has been trying to trick me. The lovely spring and summer clothes and shoes have been in for a while but they just sit there, unworn, while the chilly skies and dreary rain comes down. The flowers are leaves are out but we can't go out and enjoy them.

Instead I'm still wearing dark greens and browns and dark grey cardigans and tights.



I tried to rebel yesterday by wearing my gladiator-esqu sandals, since I didn't wear them with my dress for the bridal shower. But today I'm wearing black patent flat mocs since it's rainy again.



What I want to wear are cute bright pinks and whites and greens. I think, as the description of the SAD symptoms says, I'm craving sweets.

So what better cure than to look at all the girly shoes from Sugar. I love the bright pink plaid fabric.



They're ever so Irregular Choice but I still like them. Especially the stripe-y ones.



These are my favorites though. They look like lollipops!



Maybe if I had these I would be able to perk up a bit.

DSW is the Devil

Over the weekend I went to DSW not one, but two times! I haven't been to a DSW in ages. There wasn't one close by and in the last several years I have not had much luck finding stuff in my size that I liked.

But they just opened one in the shopping area not far from me. My dear friend Miss S's birthday was Saturday so we decided to make a day of it. We went to DSW and then lunch and some of the other stores like JCrew and Ann Taylor that were there also. I gave Miss S a lovely multi-stone necklace and earrings in green and, as always, she looked beautiful.

What's fun about going shopping with S is that we wear the same shoe size. But, we don't compete for the shoes. Our taste is a little different, but it's fun to both try on the same pair. Not that they always fit the same.



We made the rounds and hit the sale room and then camped out in one of the many booth areas to try out our spoils, of which there were many, and narrow down the selection. Here's our pile in progress.



Miss S found some great items like these adorable yellow retro-y peep-toes. I may just have to borrow those! They're super cute. She also got some great Nine West sandals and some vintage looking shiny champagne sandals to wear with her vintage dress. They are so perfect.



I actually went there looking for a particular style of shoes. I had decided I needed a pair of wide strap brown heeled sandals to wear with my new Target blue and white dress. I found this great pair of Franco Sarto "Million" sandals. I like that they have a texture too. They're just perfect and just what I wanted as well as being comfy.



My other buy on Saturday was from the sale room. These I don't need at all but how could I resist a pair of opalescent pink oxfords on a white stacked heel. Plus, they were on major sale. They are just Poochie-tastic!

On Sunday, my other friend Miss C wanted to hang out and since she had not been to the mall the DSW is in, we decided to head over there. Plus, who can't use new shoes? Apparently me because I got two more pairs while I was there with her. What the heck!?!

I was totally seduced by patent leather and cannot be held responsible for my actions. Plus, I had 30% off coupons both days so bar-gain!

Just ignore all of those shoe boxes the new shoes are sitting on. They are completely irrelevant.

; )

I ended up getting these grey ombre patent peep-toe heels by Kelly & Katie. I tried looking this brand up online and found out that this is one of DSW's store brands and I think they are actually manufactured by Liz Claiborne. I'm wearing them to work today and they are really comfortable. Plus they were pretty inexpensive. If I ever get around to making my ombre stockings I might pair them up. I am totally on a grey kick. What is this #4? Yikes!

Then I got these double strap mary janes from Nine West. I had seen these on Saturday but had dismissed them because the smallest size they had was a 6 and I am a pretty true 5 in Nine West shoes. But they were so shiny and sparkly and so red that I had to try them on and see if I could make them work.

Sadly, they were so frickin' gorgeous on that I had to get them. What's just as bad is that I convinced Miss C to get a pair too and she looked hawt! I promise to get better pictures of all of these. It's really crummy and dark out and the photos do not do them justice, especially not the red ones.

Miss C did not fare much better. She got these saturated teal little mary janes (so adorable), some bright grass green flats, the smoking red Nine Wests like mine and some sexy brown and orange floral satin heeled sandals that Miss S and I had been dying over the day before. Sadly they didn't come anywhere near our size (so we were out of luck). Therefore, Miss C was not allowed to leave without them.

I had been safe for a while but now that DSW is in town I am in a dangerous position. They need to hurry up with that birthday coupon!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I've been very excited about my new socks from Tabio which are reminiscent of the Prada socks and have been pining away for a chance to wear them. As these are a bit adventurous for my neck of the woods, I wanted to "test" them out on a day I knew I didn't have any external meetings.

I started planning my outfit the night before but found when I was putting everything on that the reality was a bit more challenging than I planned. It was kind of a struggle to find the right balance - I went through a few shoe and skirt wardrobe changes in the process. What I ended up with is my new grey kimono sweater from Gap, a stretchy pencil skirt from Victoria's Secret, my Etsy flower pin and the charcoal and burnt orange knee socks from Tabio.




I struggled with the shoe pairing because I wanted to balance the chunky socks but still be able to see the colors. So I ended up with these pewter Franco Sarto ankle-strap heels.



Cool stripes, huh?



The shoes by themselves...



The Focal Point
The socks, of course. Duh!



They're sporty and warm and kinda sex-ay! Or at least I think so.

A Shoe List - Silver

Time for another true confessions shoe list!

Silver is color that, especially nowadays, you can't have too many of. Off the top of my head, here are all of the silver shoes I have that I can think of off the top of my head:

1. New distressed silver Guess heels


2. Silver double-strap Miu Miu Mary Janes


3. Celine silver crocodile patterned heels with silver buckles


4. Manolo Blahnik Estrella silver brocade slingbacks with crystal stars


5. Franco Sarto ankle strap heels with bronze accents


6. Nine West distressed silver flats

That's not too long of a list. Maybe I need more, hmmmm....