It's time... (or: The Gret Croc Debate)

Yes, my friends, the time has come for the Great Croc Debate. Except this is going to be more like the great-rant-on-why-I-hate-crocs.

But, feel free to chime in and tell me why I'm right. Or wrong, I suppose.

Reason #1: They're ugly.

Yes, yes, this is a matter of opinion, and I recognize that, but they look like gardening clogs. And, really, who would wear their gardening clogs out and about in the real world?

(yuck)



Reason #2: They were originally developed to be spa shoes. Crocs, like Uggs (more on Uggs here), are footwear that became street wear by accident (though I'm sure that the stakeholders in both companies are pleased about it, I can't say I share their enthusiasm). Originally developed as a spa shoe, I can understand why it was a successful design. It's soft and comfy, has all those holes for ventilation, the toe is quite wide and roomy, so it probably would be good to protect your pedicure without ruining it, and they come in a bunch of wild colours. Sure, I might wear them in a spa. Keywords here: in a spa. Just like slippers don't belong on the street, neither do spa shoes.

Reason #3: They give you the weirdest tan lines. As a shoe that was not meant to be in light stronger than the soft glow of spa ambiance, the idea of tan lines was never a factor in their design. Or, they completely disregarded it on purpose, who knows. But, the fact of the matter is that if you wear Crocs in the sun, your feet will look like this:

 

Why people would do this to themselves voluntarily if beyond me. A flip-flop or sandal tan is one thing (no one is exempt, unfortunately), but if you footwear make your feet look diseased.... That's quite another.

Now, like Uggs, Crocs have expanded their product line and recognized that people need something less horrible to put on their feet. And, I have no problem with these designs, but, please, leave the originals in the spa.

I actually think the pink heels are quite cute, though I do worry what would happen if you wore those yellow bubble flats in the sun too long... Bubble-toes.

Rocky start (or: Why Ralph and I are not currently friends)

Last week, I went to Bellingham with my mum, as per usual.

We stopped at Value Village, as per usual.

I made a bee-line for the shoes, as per usual.

I discovered a pair of beautiful velvet smoking slippers with gold crests, as per not-so-usual.

They had leather soles. I was intrigued.

Turning them over, I discovered that they are Ralph Lauren. And they were 5$.

Needless to say, they're mine now. And, today was the first day that I decided to wear them. So, upon arriving at work (back to the usual now), I swapped my rainboots (yes, the sunshine is gone, alas!) for my fabulous, pratically-new Ralph Lauren smoking slippers. Two minutes in, I started to limp.

I've lamented the trouble with flats before, but I thought these might be different, because they're, well, Ralph Lauren. No dice. The backs are driving me crazy, and I'm worried I'll be coated in blisters by quitting time.

But, not one to give up easily, I'm trying to stretch them out a little. I have no ice on hand, so I've doing this:

Ridiculous, I know, but I have jammed a stack of post-its in either shoe (yes, I only order bright coloured post-its. Who says you can't have pretty notes?) in a desperate attempt to save my heels.

And it looks insane, but it seems to be working... Fingers crossed. Note to self: Always buy 5$ designer shoes from Value Village, but be ready for a world of pain if they're flat.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

The first days of sunshine.

Something glorious has happened this weekend. The sun came out.

And, I resolved to go out and enjoy it. And, I did!

Today, I managed to go to the park and lay out on a picnic blanket with my feet in sandals and my legs bare. I wasn't even cold.

Hopefully, this is the beginning of something beautiful!

I almost opted for my indestructible pink rubber flipflops (the blue foam ones were finally laid to rest in the bottom of my garbage can just a week ago when I discovered a hole on the ball of the foot. I had literally walked through them, and they will be missed.), but I decided to keep it classy and wear some fancy sandals instead.

And, these guys are just as comfy! Happy Easter!

These boots were made for walking

Well, it's finally here! Spring!

It's been a long, cold, wet winter, and I am definitely glad to see that it's coming to an end. After almost a week of beautiful days, I think it may even be safe to say it. Spring has sprung!

And, with the turn of the season comes flowers! But, not just in our gardens...

I was out for dinner with a few lovely friends of my mine, and we popped over to ALDO and I fell in love with these:

These little darlings are actually wedges, and the floral pattern continues around the heel in wraparound perfection. I've worn them once, and, though still breaking them in, I'm still completely smitten.

Though, I must say, spring is not just about flowers. It's also about the beginning of nice weather, and being able to be outside without rain boots and an umbrella. At least, it is in Vancouver.

Which is why I'm wearing these:

I picked these guys up in New York, during this past trip, and they're perfect for a walk in the park, or along the Seawall. And, I've been getting up to a lot of walking recently.

With all the sunshine, I've been trying to get outside for at least a little bit of time everyday. Yesterday, I actually walked 17.5km (not in these boots though!) and it was a great day for walking!

Plus, if I go out for a stroll, I can smell real flowers. Well, maybe not for a month or two, yet.

Shoe or boot? Yes.

When I was in New York, I went to Dolce & Gabbana, because this is one of the things that one does while in New York.

And, while I was there, I saw these:

I love these. They're absolutely beautiful. But, the thing that intrigues me most is that they look similtaneously like boots, and shoes with lace socks. Shoe-boots? Shoots? Bhoes? Who knows?

Because my current budgeting situation did not permit a spontaneous purchase of designer footwear (maybe one day!), I had to leave these lovelies behind, and try to find myself something similar in the land of trickle-down designs. Unfortunately, no luck yet, but I have my eyes peeled.

In the meantime, I did pick up a pair of booties that are sort of similar, and yet very different.

These are by Report, though I picked them up at Goodwill, land of bargains and (apparently) tasty footwear. I like that the patent pieces look like a cut-out pump, but the matte leather between bridges the gap to beautiful booties!

So, to answer the age-old question: Is it a shoe, or a boot? Yes.

Mint-spiration

New York Story Number One:

There was, of course, footwear. I'm currently obsessing over mint green everything, and shoes were part of the mix. I found a beautiful pair of mint pumps at Forever 21, and wasted no time in snapping them up:

A self-admitted shopaholic at times, I've managed to whittle my habit down to only buying really great pieces, instead of my previous philosophy of "If it looks good, buy it in every colour!", though that sometimes rings appropriate. And, so, I chose to leave the peach ones behind, because, though beautiful, they were really just no mint green.

(a little more mint-spiration)

 

Pastels are huge this spring, and I will admit that in addition to my new pumps, I also added a peplum skirt, two peplum tops, a clutch and two pairs of earrings in the same minty hue.

 

I've written a blog post for my mum's store's blog on the subject, which can be seen here.

 

By the end of the trip, I was so mint-infused, I got my nails painted to match!

 

(Accent-nails are another love-affair for me at the moment...)

 

And, yes, I would absolutely drive a mint green vintage car, if given the chance.

 

 



Back in the real world...

Or is it? Maybe the real world is New York. Or at least I would sometimes like to think so.

Sometimes.

This trip was, of course, a whirlwind of fabulousness! After the typical few days of working and shopping for the store (and me, of course!), we had one day left where the clouds gave way and the sunshine shone down while we wandered Bleeker Street and down through Little Italy. Sublime.

There was, of course, new shoe purchases and some drooling over designer beauties, but I'll save some stories for another day.

The only real disappointment was that, while gazing at the windows at Bergdorf's, I saw that Manolo Blahnik would be in the store to present his collection. Two days after we left.

Woe!

 Ah well, another time.