Can I See the Sunshine

I'm a big fan of color but there are two colors that I tend to shy away from.  The first is orange, which I love for accessories but the other is yellow. 

But I'm trying to encourage a love of yellow.  I used to have a yellow bedroom growing up so I'm still a bit traumatized.  I got my Lemonade Converse, on pale end of the yellow spectrum. And today, I'm embracing the sunny side.

I'm smitten with these Manolo Blahnik Uliepe golden pumps ($575 at Barneys).  Such a pretty color and classic shape.  I want to wear them as an unexpected element paired with colors or patterns you wouldn't expect.

But... they are pricey and selling out fast, so I'm searching out other options too.  I started with the sunny pumps but there's lots in the color to choose from.

Like these Stuart Weitzman "Naughty" pump - $295

Cole Haan Air Talia - $195

Francesco Morichetti Platform pumps - $130

I love these, but they are not quite as versatile. Patricia Rosales d'Orsay - $240

These are simple and bright too. Sebastian slingbacks - $155

And to get more summery and sandal-y, you can get these Sigerson Morrison Birdcage sandals - on sale for $435

Vicini kitten heels - $294

And these are my favorites of the options actually. I just got these in taupe because I needed a nude low heel. They're really comfortable and it's more yellow and grey.  Sam Edelman Orly - $104

If I have to tolerate the summer trying to avoid the sun, I can at least wear some sun on my feet.  Any sunny favorites of yours?

More Black Sequins

I love it when YOOX has a sale. They really do have some amazing gems in there.

I swooped in and nabbed this black sequin Valentino skirt (orginally $3000!) for a STEAL.



This sucker is dense with my favorite black sequins and in heavy.



I plan on wearing it with a tee and these cool black patent Daniele Ancarani oxfords. These are totally going to be my summer shoe. They're going to be perfect with everything.



Of course, I can dress up the skirt too but I love contrasting it with the t-shirt... that way I can wear black sequins even more often!

Caught Unawares

I was clearing out my inbox when I was stopped in my tracks by this ad from YOOX. Not because of the free shipping offer....




... I immediately honed in on those SHOES!!! I wasn't looking for them but I had to have them!




Viktor & Rolf black and white graphic peep-toe heels.

I think I snagged the last pair of the pumps but there is a cool sandal version left in a size 8 on there too.

While we're on the subject let's chat about YOOX. I love them to death but they overwhelm me. I don't have hours to sift through the site. I'm sure there are more treasures to be found but when you have 80+ pages of shoes that are available in my out-of-the-norm size you know there is a lot of product.

I don't use YOOX to look for something specific. I like to just browse and be surprised and delighted but I can't. They only show a maximum of 30 items on a page and it drives me crazy! Their iPhone app is even worse. You see 10 at a time and then when you click to see product details and go back, you are at the beginning again. Grrr!

Dear YOOX, I want to shop with you more but you are just not user-friendly. Please let me see a few hundred a page and I will spend more time on your site.

Thank you!

Shoe Customization: Gold Oxfords

I hate when I can't find (or afford) a pair of shoes that I totally fall in love with. Sometimes they don't have my size or they run out. Not that I usually accept those reasons at first. Typically I will still attempt to hunt them down. I'm very patient and will search all over. But if I've already done my shoe hunt and I still can't find them, I'll still try to find a way to get what I want.

The latest pair that I fell in love (okay obsession!) with were these boyish gold oxfords that Kelly Wearstler was wearing on the Domino October 2008 cover. Ever since then, I've been searching and searching for them or for a pair like them. This is how obsessed I was. First I looked at the magazine's "resources" section. Not there... hmmm... Then I tried a simple online search. Nothing. I then contacted Domino editorial. I mean they were bound to know, right? Nope! They said they were Kelly shoes that she had brought with her and that they were custom made. This gave me hope. All I needed to know was where she got them made. Time and distance are no barrier these days, right? Sadly, the Domino staff didn't know where they came from (and apparently they had received a number of inquiries besides mine).

Okay, now I was determined to find out. This was getting ridiculous. So I called her offices. Yes, yes, I have a problem, I. Know. This.

If you can believe this I actually spoke to someone on her staff (alright, I'll admit it. I made up a pretense of wanting them for a photoshoot or something. I told you, I am obsessed with getting something I want). They told me that she had them custom made somewhere in Italy or they were vintage from Europe or something but they/she didn't remember where so there was no further info they could give me.

Yeah. Sure.



I finally gave that all up as a dead end. I figured I would just need to do a search online and see if I could find a good substitution.

But you would think I was searching for the Holy Grail or something. I mean there is a serious opportunity in the marketplace because I found nothing. Well, I actually did find a lot of gold jazz shoes but not a lot of this style of oxfords.

The closest pair I found were this pair from Toast. They were pretty good but first of all they started at size 37, which is way bigger than my 35, although I did actually consider them. But they are around $300 and not quite the right color. Still, as a back up, not a bad choice, right?




Then I was sifting through the YOOX sale and found these Apepazzas. The style is pretty good, albeit a bit too pointy. They describe the color as gold. I'm not sure if I believe them, though. And still $130 plus shipping. Not that that is a huge amount, but it is a lot for a third choice.



Then I remembered I had a pair of vintage deadstock oxfords that I had bought on eBay a while back when I was looking for a off-white bucks alternative. I wasn't too thrilled with them at the time and considered reselling them. This would be a good option for another shoe customization project!

The shoes cost me about $15 and I bought black and antique gold acrylic paints, varnish and a gold leaf pen from Michaels. Total - $15.



The shape is slightly more elongated and these have holes where Kelly's didn't but I couldn't be too picky at this point.

Pristine vintage!

I love the heels on these.

Supplies...

I started out by testing on an interior spot if I could paint the gold right on them or if I needed to do the basecoat of black. I determined that I did need the black to get the right depth of color I wanted. I used the paint pen on lace holes which are metal.

One shoe done with the base coat.

I ended up doing two coats of the black and then I did the gold as each shoe dried. I was worried that the paint would dry and make the leather too stiff but so far that doesn't seem to be an issue.

Both shoes done...

I then did a coat of satin finish varnish to protect them. I could do a few more coats but I'm impatient. I don't put my shoes through too much abuse so I think they'll be okay.

Once they were all dry I had to lace them up. I had a vision of using ribbon laces but I still need to find the perfect color. After going through my boxes of ribbon I picked a few to use for the time being. But I think I'm going to end up getting a pair of black regular type laces for them. More cord-like.

For now I put the mauve-y wire-edged ribbons in, which I think are cute with the gold.

Bows! I edged the ribbon ends with some Fray-chek to stop them from shredding.

What do you think? Of course, they'll look closer to the "inspiration" pair when I get the black laces, but not bad, huh?

I think they are super cute! Now I just need to plan an outfit around them. And the good thing is I can swap out the laces and touch them up if I get any scuffs.

Now I have what I want (sort of), am recycling by giving a vintage piece a new life and saving myself a good amount of money. I like the customization projects I've done so far. Maybe I need to plan on doing more in 2009.

Calling all Magpies

It is becoming more and more apparent that I'm obsessed with sequined thing. I just can't get enough!

I mean, I have the 3 sequined Manolos, the lovely black Oh Deer! Jamocha's and as I look through the closet, all this!

I got this skirt from YOOX last year in the after Christmas sales. It is probably the cause of all this madness.



Then a cute little dress on the cheap from Old Navy. I wear this with tough strappy sandals, a boyfriend cardigan and a belt.





I love JCrew's embellished tees... even if they are over-priced. I don't like crewnecks but I like wearing this under blazers.



I had to swipe Gala's same sequin hoodie. It was just too cute and too reasonable not to. For $20-something bucks from Forever 21, this is really well made.







I also got this cardigan from there...




... and this v-neck. Why, yes, I do like black sequins.

I was VERY excited to get my silver sequin Chuck. I mean, how adorable are these?!? Love them!

And last night I went to Target (evil place!) and saw this tee shirt in black with black sequins. Feather detail done in sequins? Yes, please! And only $10.

I am actually wearing it right this second! It is a crew neck, but I'm wearing it, predictably, under a (grey wool) jacket. I love it!!!

Do you ever find yourself organizing your closet and realize you have become obessed with something?

I think I need to step away from the sequins.

New York, New York - Day 3

New York adventures - Day One

New York adventures - Day Two

After staying up way too late the previous night, it took some doing to get up the next day. As it was, we didn't get going until mid-day. I wanted to stroll through the park because the day, again, was unbelievably gorgeous.

Wanting to be outside and maybe have a cocktail, we ended up at The Boathouse in Central Park.



It was the perfect place to be for the next few hours. We grabbed a tall table and ordered a plate of fruit and cheese. My friend had a vodka tonic while I had (quite a few) Kir Royales. Being that I don't drink all that often and somehow I got the idea that four (!!!) Kirs were somehow in order, I was a bit tipsy (hic!) as we left the restaurant.

I'm not going to say I was drunk but it may have been less than a great idea to try and figure out a new subway line while being tipsy AND late to meet up with Miss Gala Darling at Magnolia Bakery for an obligatory cupcake tasting.



It was early afternoon on a Thursday and yep, there was a line. But still, we were chatting and in no rush.

I have the Magnolia Bakery cookbook and have tried to make their cupcakes and icing before. It wasn't my favorite icing of all time, but I was game to try an original. We got in line and grabbed our box and each took two cupcakes. I got a chocolate chocolate and a red velvet. Don't they look tasty?

I started with my chocolate one and I have to say, the icing on it was pretty darn good! Very fluffy. If you want more images, check out Paris Breakfast's post here. We sat in a little park across the street and chatted as we enjoyed our treats.



After that we walked around a bit, saw Carrie's steps and stopped in a Batch for another cupcake sample. I got us both a cupcake - mine was lemon with a lemon curd center (I ate it later and it was delish!).




We went into a novelty store and looked masks and then went to a Marc Jacob sample store. After an hour or two we both had to run off to other appointments but it was really great to meet her in person. She's a sweetie!

During the day, I'd been wearing my red Gap v-neck light sweater with my denim skirt and my red snakeskin Manolo mary janes. I walked all over and I have to say, I think these were more comfortable to wear than my flats.



That night we went to dinner at Ruby Foo's - Uptown not Times Square. It wasn't bad. I'm not sure if it would have been my pick but this was sort of a "thank you for letting me stay" dinner so I didn't do the picking. The restaurant itself was nice but it kept playing really bad 80s music. Not sure what that was about.



To dinner I wore my sequin skirt from YOOX and a simple black v-neck. I had my black heels but ended up wearing flat more since we walked all around for a while. We stopped into a small clubby bar and had a final night cap. I got a St. Germain, which may now be my new favorite drink. I love champagne and I live elderflower presse. What could be a more perfect drink!



That night I was up super late. I was not scheduled to fly out until 7pm on Friday but when I woke up I was missing home a bit. Since I'd been able to see much of what I wanted, I decided to push up my flight. I got a flight home mid-day and am now back with all my new goodies.

I love New York, but I think next time I'd prefer to go with the hubby. New York is such a beautiful city filled with unique and romantic opportunities. It was a bit sad to be there with out him.

UPDATED: I forgot to mention that we did see a bunch of girls going to the midnight (?) showing of SATC movie. There was much shrieking and wearing of their best SATC outfits and shoes. I'm kind of glad that I wasn't a part of that group.