Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
The clothes were simple - black v-neck top and black swishy skirt. But it was just a backdrop for the shoes and my cute new Etsy necklace.



Adorable pink cameo from Zombuki.



In person, it is a bit lighter pink.



But the big piece of the outfit was the shoes....



Yes, these...









Lush!



I'm finally, finally, finally wearing my Alexander McQueen rose heels that I got about a year ago.









What have I been waiting for????

Ensemble du Jour

Even though the Candlelight event at Biltmore was less than our favorite thing during our trip, it did give me an opportunity to dress up a bit. Since it was kind of chilly I didn't get to wear any of my new open-toe heels. Also, we were going to be doing a bit of walking so I needed warmer and somewhat comfortable shoes.

The Outfit
I paired a long black skirt that I got a while back from Nordstroms. What I love about it is that it isn't just a plain long skirt. It has a very neat back design that gives it almost a train. I paired this with a v-neck top from Ann Taylor. The black top has sequins on the cuffs going up the arms and is v-neck front and back.

I paired this was low-heeled calf length boots from Bandolino. They're simple but comfortable and give a sleek look under the long skirt.




The Focal Point
The focal point was to be sleek in all black. It was quite chilly so I had to wear my heavy long cinnamon colored coat over my outfit. While we were looking at the shops at Biltmore, I found this beautiful huge silk flower pin.



I know big flowers are going to have a bit of a resurgence give the SATC movie but I would grab this anyways. The fabric has a beautiful lustre and it is about 6 inches wide. I pinned it to my coat but I can see wearing this on tops, with belts, in my hair, on a bag, really anywhere.

Lush!

Store Focus: J Crew

I've liked the J Crew style for a long while. Their preppy yet sophisticated style appeals to my desire for clean lines and quirky details. I think they have come a long way with their accessories too, especially with the addition of their dedicated accessories sections online and in the catalog.

But I do have two big gripes with them. First - They don't make shoes in size 5 or 5.5. That means I have to get a 6 and it will probably be too big, if not swimming on me. And second, they sell out too darn fast!

I had just received my October catalog when three out of the four shoes I wanted were already gone. Not sale item, new seasonal full priced item.

I'm so ticked off right now.

I really like these tie-silk sandals in either the pink and orange "Pumpkin" combo, or



the pink and brown pairing. If you wear a 6.5 or up you should be in luck. Curse you!



I was also completely enamored of the satin mary janes. Especially when they showed them paired with equally bright stockings and socks. They're out of the the gold ones in 6 but other sizes are still available. I was going to pair these with bright fuchsia tights like in the catalog.



But I did get these in bright rose. They are going to look so cute with my hot pink/black/white argyle knee socks. The strap is a little bit of a challenge but I think it is because of my high instep. This style always bugs me that way.



One other peeve is that I think they are somewhat overpriced. I don't think their quality or styles are that good, but maybe that is why they are creating demand with their limited quantities.

Shoe Anguish

I have a good friend that is getting married in November and she has asked me to be in the wedding party. I have never been a bridesmaid, so I am kind of apprehensive about it. Mostly because I am not sure how I feel about being "on display" in an outfit not of my choosing.

Well, to be honest, to some degree it was of my choosing. We were told that we could pick any dress at David's Bridal in the Truffle color. It's not a bad color really, it's just not a color I would choose to wear given my coloring. The brown is sort of a reddish-brown and my hair is a bright-ish auburn red and I have a lot of pink/red tones to my skin. I think I may clash.

Plus the styles available in this color are not great for me either. I have never really worn/liked strapless or sleeveless clothes but those are your main options. The wedding is in November, but is is in Florida, so I don't think I will be freezing. I guess I can't use that as an excuse. Anyway, after debating between a few of the options, I ended up with this style. I was originally going to get a shorter style but got this, which I will need to get hemmed. Which brings up the question of what shoes to wear. Because you have to know when you go in to get the hemming done.



We have been requested to wear some form of a metallic shoe with the dress. In spite of my vast collection of shoes, I am having a challenge with this because a) I don't really wear this color a lot, and b) I'm not sure of what colors would actually look good with this.

I immediately ruled silver out. I don't think that would look good at all. So then I went to gold. I have a pair of gold Manolo heels some what similar to this pair. In person they are a very bright gold like 24K. I fear they will be much too gold to go well with the dress.



So I am actually thinking of going with a champagne color, maybe in satin like the Kenneth Cole ones below, to get some of the shine. I think it would be less of a clash of colors. And I actually don't think I have anything in champagne. I may have one pair, but they are glittery and may be too much of a competition with the dress and/or too casual. Not that I don't want to distract people away from me in the dress. Hmmm....



What I would actually like to wear is something bright and jewel toned like grass green or a bright teal or, like this, bright rose.

I love the feather poof on these Kate Spade heels.



And I'm totally smitten with these satin Rose ankle-strap heels from JCrew.



I can have the dress hemmed right to the floor so they'll be kind of hidden which makes them perfect, right? Or is the wedding just an excuse to buy them.

Decisions, decisions!