Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit(s)
I'm still catching up with capturing the outfits I wear. It's been a crazy week at work so I've been hit or miss about it. On Wednesday I wore this new dress from Target. It's a modified trench/shirt dress with a neat seam and flare towards the bottom. Yesterday I wore my dressy denim pencil skirt with my aqua argyle cardigan over a paler aqua cami.



The pattern on the dress are these very graphic circles and I decided to wear my new lillibee Jessica peep-toe heels. The large stitching goes well with the pattern and the large buckle and peep-toe style matches the vintage-y yet modern style.



Yesterday I actually brought two pairs of shoes with me since I had a client meeting but was also going out later. For about half of the day I wore my pale aqua Mizrahi driving mocs from Target.



Then later I wore my Isaac Mizrahi slides (not from Target, but on sale from Zappos a million years ago). They are very delicate suede. My favorite part is the darker whip-stitching in aqua leather.







I used to buy a lot of these girly little slides but haven't really found many I like recently. Most of the ones I see coming out are heavier or a more somber color. Maybe it is switching from Florida. I like this style because they are so perfect in summer and great with dresses and skirts. I'm going to have to do a quick search and see if they really are disappearing or if I'm imagining it.

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!

Time to Buckle Down

Nine West is continuing to impress me with their latest crop of styles.

I'm very much smitten with these new strappy safari-esque heels. I know I'm a sucker for white heels but these have a tougher element to them unlike some of the others I fancy.



They didn't go overboard with the straps, they look just right. And I think the leather has a Coach texture to them so they seem to have a good quality.



Do I need another pair of white heels? No. Do I think I want them? Yes.




I also like that they have a substantial stacked heel but that it isn't too chunky. They also come in brown leather, but I much prefer the white.

Well done, Nine West!

Showers and Flowers

On Saturday I went to a bridal shower of a good friend of mine. I didn't know any other attendees, other than the bride of course. It's always a bit apprehensive when you are planning what to wear to an event like this. I think the big challenge is that there aren't as many rules any more.

In the past you would know what to wear to events depending on what they were. But nowadays, it could be anything along the range of very casual to somewhat dressy. And given that I didn't know the group very well, I didn't have a gague on the types of folks the would be.

So I erred on the slightly dressier side. Given that it was a bit warmer and Spring, I decided to wear one of my new dresses. It was also a good comfort test run with the dress before I wore it to work for a full day. I have to say, I liked it a lot. I brought along a cardigan just in case it was chilly, but ended up not needing it.



I had been planning on pairing this dress with the new Franco Sarto gladiator-esque heeled sandals I had bought, but when I tried them on together, I just wasn't feeling it. So I ended up contrasting it with green because I was already using my green Dooney bag and I didn't have time (or interest, frankly) to change it.



So I ended up wearing my dark green Jimmy Choo Thunder slingbacks. The color went really well with the dress - both have muted shades.



I have a feeling that this will be a great dress for summer.



One thing I do want to do is get a good brown belt to go with it. I'm not usually a belt person so I don't have a lot of options. I think this dress calls for a good bold belt to break up the pattern and tie it back to the shoes. The fabric tie that came with it is in the same fabric and gets lost, plus it's a bit wimpy for the dress.

The bride-to-be was wearing a great dress. She got the sleeveless beach dress from JCrew but in a cute brown and white pattern they don't have on their site. It looked great on her and she also had some cute heeled thong sandals with some bit-looking hardware on it. She looked just smashing.

I had to return a shirt to Ann Taylor yesterday so I also popped into JCrew myself. I have been looking for a simple khaki pencil skirt and haven't really found one I liked. JCrew didn't have any but the did have a big sale going on with marked down items getting an additional 25% off. I ended up getting 3 dresses, including this swiss dot wrap dress in white, and a pair of patterned shorts. I'll have to take pictures because I can't find the rest online. But all of that came to well under $200.

I'm trying to get over my "fear" of dresses. I think they can be so pretty, I just feel like I need to be very selective about fit but still give them a chance.

Lucky Breaks - Tibi Sandals

It continued to rain here all weekend long. It totally sucked! All I did was catch up on filing and reading, including my April Lucky magazine.

If you haven't received this or read it yet, I was so excited to see that my friend's site was a Lucky Break this month. How cool is that?



If you like these awesome sandals, in my favorite grey, you can go to Simply Soles and get a major deal on them. Just use the code "lucky8" at check out!

Who could not use a pair of these for summer?

Or you could get the great Tibi button flats in grey suede or the satin Delman striped flats, both of which I love.

Tailored for Spring/Summer 2008

This is such a schizophrenic time of year when looking at shoes. It's the middle of winter, but you're seeing early Spring and Resort sandals and peep-toes, leftovers from Fall going on sale and it's all rainy and crummy outside so you feel like you can't wear anything but boots and wellies.

Plus, you're broke from all that darn holiday shopping and spending on others.

But now is the time to get in there and pre-order any of the shoes you are in love with for Spring and Summer or, guaranteed, there will be slim pickings in a few months. I've already received two of my favorites - the Prada Spuntate flower heels and the Miu Miu Capretto jeweled sandal (both of which are freakin' amazing!) - because if those were to have run out before I got them I would be seriously heartbroken.

In looking through all of the new arrivals quietly drifting into stores I've seen a lot of color - bold blues, pinks, corals, reds and yellows - which I think I will save for another post. But another thing I've seen a lot are some strong tailored looks. Not tailored as in menswear, which we saw in the Fall of this year, but more like classic 40's influences as well as some safari elements mixed in through the use of colors and materials.

Of what I've seen out there, here are some of the ones that rise to the top for me. In somewhat of an alphabetical order with front and back views as available. (click on the text to visit their page):

Dior Jeweled Python Slingback - $1450 - Neiman Marcus



I love exotics and the shape on this is great. Plus the jeweled element adds a contrast.

Giuseppe Zanotti Patent Open Toe Slingbacks - $492 - Saks





I love tan and red together and this sculpted heel just puts it over the edge.

Giuseppe Zanotti Patent Trim Spectator Pumps - $595 - Saks





This may be my favorite of the bunch. Guiseppe Zanotti is fast becoming one of my top designers. I love the classy stacked heel and the red patent at the back.

Gucci Sissi High Heel Peep-toe- $550 - Neiman Marcus



A very classy peep-toe and I love a well done white heel. Also available in black.

Jimmy Choo Eliza Patent Sandals - $585 - Saks





Just throwing in a little uber-glamour there. Kind of like a palette cleanser. What a heel! This comes in red with a black heel but I think the black with green is much sexier. Back to the show...

Jimmy Choo Erica Nappa Pumps - $660 - Saks





That to me is a real power shoe, perfect with a structured suit but still seasonally appropriate. I love that clay/taupe color too.

Louboutin Moyen Empire Cork Slingback - $735 - Saks





Very sexy, yes, but still sort of tough looking too. It has a very hot weather vibe to me.

Louboutin Quadrillette Leather Sling backs - $620 - Saks



These look eminently wearable all summer long. A great height, a great color and breezy. Perfect with work clothes or linen pants.

Louboutin Xatrinxia Platform Sandal - $425 - Saks





These are some serious statement shoes and, I think, sort of a departure for Louboutin. But they check all the right boxes for a tough, tailored safari-summer-ish look. I'm not sure if I would get them but I think in the right environment they would be amazing. They have to be accessorized with a icy drink that has an umbrella. And can you believe the "low" starting price for a Louboutin? Maybe because they are so different.

Manolo Pointed Toe Suede Slingback - $815 - Neiman Marcus



These have to me by second favorite. They are so lady-like and perfect. Of course they are totally pricey but they are suede and have lizard trim, so I guess that explains it. You could invest in these and wear them forever. They are very reminiscent of a pair of Ralph Lauren slingbacks I have from about 10 years ago. I still wear them.

Manolo Leather Kati Crisscross Pump - $666 - Neiman Marcus



I'm sure there will be events and nights out during the warmer months. These gold heels are tough enough for jeans but would be gleaming paired with black.

MARC by Marc Jacob Color-block d'Orsay Sandal - $395 - Neiman Marcus



These would be perfect with a linen shirt-dress in either a tan or dark brown then pair it with wood bangles and a large bag that incorporates the rusty orange. I'll bet you could walk all day in those.

Stuart Weitzman Gator Printed Slingback - $285 - Neiman Marcus



Yeah, I'm a sucker for an alligator/croc print especially when it is as classy as this. If you can't find a pair as good as my vintage ones, these are a good way to go. Get the brown and the black and you'll always have something to wear.

Tod's 85 Pump - $465 - Saks





Clay and white patent with restrained but luxe looking embellishments. What's not to love. This would be great with a tennis looking outfit all in classic white. Dress your guy in white bucks and your good to go.

Enjoy!