Trending for Tassels

I love the a shoe with a tassel. From gold Coach loafers to classic Bass Weejuns to edgy Alexander Wang Silver heels - the tassel speaks to me.

I can't get enough of these shoes.

Apparently Paul Andrew can't either.  I love the excess of tassels on his Arta Sandals from this Spring. 

The Aqazzara Forever Marilyn heel incorporates tassels in a more subtle way.  I love the heel placement.  These will draw the eye as you walk away confidently.  I'd love to pair these with a sharp grey suit.

And a shoe that made my "must have for Fall" list early, is the Sophia Webster Layla Pom-pom sandal. I WILL find these in my size.

Sure tassels can seem preppy or parochial, but these new styles are anything but boring and tame.

Cozying Up to Keds

I've been dreaming about finding the perfect Fair Isle pattern this winter.  But I never thought I would find it on a pair of Keds! 

I am totally loving these new Fair Isle sneakers and slippers from my favorite Keds.  I already needed a new pair of slippers.... how cute would these be?

The sneakers are cute as well (and come in 3 color options).  I would probably add laces though.  I'm not a fan of the slip-on version.

Who knew sneakers could look so cozy!

Featured Shoe: Isabel Toledo Pom Pom flat

I like to get inexpensive flats for keeping in my office or for walking around city streets when know they might get a bit beat up. But I also want them to be classic and cute, because I know I may need to grab them in a hurry and pair them up with a random outfit.

I usually prefer a metallic color or black and these pom pom flats from the Isabel Toledo for Payless collection fit the bill perfectly.

Cute. Simple. Fun. And only $35! Grab them while you can.

UPDATE - Fashion's Night Out Events with Payless.

Payless will be having a big Fashion’s Night Out event in NYC.  You can hop on board one of Payless’ Fashion Rides – free grey line double decker buses – and head to the Lexington Avenue store (between 57th and 58th streets) on Friday, September 10 from 8:00pm to 10:00pm with all four Payless Guest Designers: Christian Siriano, Lela Rose, Patricia Field and Isabel Toledo on hand, who will be available for a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity

WHERE: Payless ShoeSource, 716 Lexington Ave. at 58th Street

Payless is also selling an exclusive limited-edition Fashion's Night Out Totes for $10 in more than 40 stores throughout the city, while supplies last, beginning Sept. 10 with $5 per tote sold donated to the NYC AIDS Fund.

A limited quantity of totes pre-signed by all four Payless Guest Designers will also be available at the Lexington store only Sept. 10 beginning at 7 p.m.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit

I'm doing the transitional thing again. Trying to work in some of the clothes from summer that I haven't had a chance to wear as well as putting together color combinations that I like the look of.

On Wednesday, I decided to wear this bright pink patterned silky wrap dress from JCrew with the much more substantial dark brown corduroy blazer from Target. One of my favorite elements of the dress (and the reason I bought the same style in three fabrics - on sale!) is the ruffle collar. What's fun with it, is when you wear the dress under a blazer, the ruffle gets pushed up and creates this sort of ornate neckline that really frames your face.

The two colors are very strong and contrast each other well. I walked in the door to work and got all sorts of compliments which I directly contribute to the colors working off of each other.



In keeping with the simple/ornate look I wore one of my new Paraphernalia pieces - a "P for Poochie" Petit Nom Initial Necklace. If you have not found a Paraphernalia piece that you like, you just can't be looking. I think I have about ten pieces and I love them all - from girly to a bit goth.

You're going to be seeing a lot more pieces of hers because I just received a bunch and I'm so excited I'm wearing them almost every day.



For shoes, I wore these Casadei dark brown suede mary janes. I love the shape of these when they're on and the color and material are an equal weight to the blazer - they help to ground the dress.



Plus they have giant pom-poms!



The Focal Point

It was all about the dress and the great color and pattern. I am a sucker for a great saturated pink. I really cannot resist, even when I should.



I think this weekend might be the right time to do the seasonal switch for the closets and pulling out the sweaters. But I'm going to have to keep this transitional idea in mind and not bury anything too deeply that I might want to layer with.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
Yes, I'm wearing layers and dark brown tights and warm stuff because it's cold and wet and rainy. I'd rather be wearing my Bettye Muller Coast sunny, pretty, floral-y slingbacks.

But no, it's raining again today and it's predicted to rain into next week. Yuck!

But we need the rain, so no complaining I guess. I'm wearing a dark brown cardigan, burgundy camisole and navy pencil skirt, all from Target. Some dark brown tights and my copper bubble necklace from Etsy.



The necklace also has these lovely faceted garnets on either side of the pendant.



The Focal Point
Being warm in my brown tights as well as tonal wearing my dark brown suede Casadei pom-pom mary jane heels.



The pom-poms are made of suede too and are in dark brown and a deep brick red.



Because of my arch I had to do a little shoe surgery on these - I ended up cutting the straps and then re-sewing them together so they didn't press as hard on the top of my foot. Now they are totally comfortable.



Sometimes you have to do a bit of cobbling to get your pieces to adapt to you. Not the other way around.

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit(s)

I've been slack with my outfits again, but to tell you the truth, I've been feeling crummy so I haven't been feeling very inspired. Plus the weather has been very warm still with rain off and on. Generally just annoying.

The other day I was wearing a black skirt and top with patterned hose. I should have taken a picture because otherwise this looks even more boring! The hose were neat though - skin tone with black outlines of roses - so they looked almost tattooed on. Paired that with my Steve Madden double strap mary janes.

Today I'm wearing all white, but my skirt has a very graphic almost Indian pattern in black, then edged in white pom-poms. The shoes are black patent mary janes from Target. I'm also wearing a vintage pin I just got this weekend.




The Focal Point

So I know they're kind of tame but the pattern in both instances is what first jumps out at you. Here's a close-up of the actual skirt I'm wearing:



I love how the pattern is the somewhat formal traditional motif contrasted with the cheeky pom-poms. I definitely need more pom-pom embellishments in my wardrobe!

Lost and Found

I haven't shopped in Old Navy in a while but a few months ago I popped in and got a few items. Then after my disappointing Kohl's adventure, I went into the neighboring Old Navy and found a bunch of skirts that were exactly what I was needed. Now I may be falling back in love with them.

Their prices are great and they have a good mix of fun pieces and classic pieces. And when trolling through their site today I saw these darling little Cable-Knit ballet flats. They look so snuggly that I just want to pet them. Look at the little little pom-poms! I love pom-poms!



Heather grey



This color is called Polar Bear! Polar Bear! Who can resist a pair of shoes this cute, with pom-poms AND in a color called Polar Bear??? No one, I tell you. It's like the CuteOverload Trifecta!

I also have to point out that Old Navy is also doing really adorable plaid flats. These are flannel and $19.50.




These are satin, from JCrew and $118. I like the satin, but I know I would scuff them up royally in about 5 minutes.



They're pretty but are the (almost) 10x's prettier???