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.

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.

Gone shopping, back soon!

I've gone to the motherland.

Back on Sunday.

(Source: http://www.thisisglamorous.com/2012/08/take-me-away-34-city-guide-4-new-york.html)

 

Trendhunting (Or: Mummy on a mission)

Recently, my mum went to New York (without me, I know! Actually, I opted out of this trip, in an effort to be financially responsible) with my aunt and grandma.

Now, I know that when my mum goes back to our Mecca, that she's busy. How do I know this? Because, when I go with her, I experience it first-hand. So, imagine my delighted surprise when she told me that she and my aunt had been diligently documenting some things that they thought I (and you) would enjoy!

So, quickly, a retrospective of their trip, in footwear!

(duh)

Their first stop was Betsey Johnson, land of bold prints, colour-blocking, and pushing the envelope. I love that Betsey's designs are always a little loud (sometimes a little too much so), so they're pretty much guaranteed to be perfect statement pieces! 

I'm not entirely sure where these little gems came from, but, with my spike-envy in full effect, I love them. And, I would unapologetically wear them to the office, and to a party.

Then, they brought me lots of patterns and embellishment:

It's no secret that I love an embellished heel, and I'm definitely lusting after the candystripes and the florals, but I think my favourites are the yellow curly-ques! They're so whimsical and bright, I think they belong in my collection! But, then there's those turquoise and feather beauties... 

Then, of course, who could pass on a black and white maryjane? And, the cutout detail on back of the other pair (though a little hard to see) is beautiful (and studded, oh my!)

Plus, the capped toes are so now. I have a great pair of flats with the same gold toe, and, let me tell you, they make yoga pants look chic. Not that I would ever wear them with yoga pants... yuck. Not that I would ever even wear yoga pants outside of the house/gym. Double yuck. 

Finally, my mum showed me these little numbers:

Not my personal style, but I can appreciate them. The hidden platforms are clever, and they look pretty comfy! With a pair of tights and a mini-skirt, they could be pretty cute! 

But, I think my favourite shot of the lot of them was this one:

If only we could wear shoes as clothes, my life would change forever! 

All in all, this little surprise was enough to make me feel like Cinderella! 

And, I've just booked my own airfare to New York for March, so I'll be able to do some research (read: shopping) of my own! 

Hurricane Shopping

I've returned, once again, from New York. Ah, New York, shopping mecca of North America, fountain of life for my sizeable closet! My second home.

It was, as always, a whirlwind trip, a hurricane of retail insanity, if you will (too soon?).

And, of course, there were shoes.

The plane ride was spent doing some much needed research in InStyle, and I have a few quick gems to share (pick up the issue if you have a chance, there's some good stuff in there, footwear and otherwise!) before I get on with my stories!

Just a couple of cute things!

After a good nap and some page flipping, we had arrived! Then it was off to the hotel, then straight out to shop. And we didn't stop for three days.

At one point during this spree, my mum spied these in the window of New York Look:

Naturally, we popped in for a closer look. And, that was when I found something glorious!

Beautiful, no? Ok, I admit it, I was afraid to look at the price tag. The floral booties were $218, these had to be around $500, right? Wrong! They were $96! That's just all sorts of right. And, my amazing mummy offered to purchase them as an early Christmas present!

So, the only possible outcome was:

Floral booties for mum, and purple tweed for me! How divine!

Of course, I picked up a few more pair through the rest of the trip, but I'm not going to give the whole game away just yet.

Although, to my previous point about tuxedo slippers and androgyny, I did pick of these pals:

Blue, tassels, tuxedo? How can you go wrong!

And, I tried on the closet thing I'll ever wear to tacky New York tourist souvenirs:

Which I think are actually rather adorable. Irregular Choice. But then, who else could pull off putting the New York skyline on a pump?

Sadly, Tuesday came all too soon (though I was glad to come home, as I was missing my man and my kitty!) and it was time to pack up and fly away!

I think that that last photo is evidence of just how successful a trip this was! Eight pieces of newly-filled luggage later...

Leaving on a jet plane...

Heading to New York again tomorrow.... Stories to follow!

It's starting to look a lot like... winter?

It's cold.

Delightfully so.

After a great summer, I am so very ready for fall. But, after about 2 weeks of what felt like fall weather, it is extra nippy today. I definitely had to wear cozy gloves to walk to work today.

But, this means something excellent! It's boot season!

While I was in New York, I bought a few pair, including these darlings:

Just some little Chelsea boots. Adorable, no? My mum and I were reading the September issue of InStyle on the plane on the way to New York, and they highlighted Chelsea boots for fall!

I love them. And, they're so comfy, and so easy. They go with pretty much everything, I'm wearing mine today with tights and a floral dress. Trust me, it's chic.

I also picked up a really great pair of black knee-length leather boots, very equestrian. They're a great staple, and will come in handy to cut the wind on all those chilly October days, kicking through piles of leaves.

So, box up your sandals, retire your indestructible ugly flip-flops for another year, and revel in the toasty tootsie goodness of boots! Happy October!

The quest for spikes. (Or: Wishes unfulfilled.)

On my list for New York was the perfect pair of spiked stillettos. They were the one thing I didn't get.

My heart is broken.

I don't think I was asking too much. All I really wanted was a little something like this:

 

... but with a smaller price tag. Love you, Mr. Louboutin, but I'm not there yet.

 

This is not the first time I've shown you spikes, if you remember. I've had spikes on the brain for awhile...

 

So, having thought long and hard about the lack of metal in my life, I decided it was time for some spikes of my own.

 

But, this was not in the stars. Every pair of spiked heels I came across were either the wrong colour:

 

Or too expensive...

 

Or tacky leopard print...

 

 

Or, in the case of the black beauty below the Jersey Shore mess going on up there, the wrong size...

 

Or, the studs were too short, too long, too big, too small, or too ugly.

 

 



It seemed everyone was getting studs and spikes but me! There were even skull-studded shoes for men! This just seemed unfair.

 

So, I figured I'd give the whole thing up, and just buy the Heel Condoms (actually these are panty-style) that I had showed you previously.   

 

But, wouldn't you know it, I couldn't even find those. Check the website, I dare you. They're no where to be found!

 

And, after 10 days of looking for the perfect spiked heels, I gave up. For now...

 

There's no time like November to check out those sale racks... Watch out New York, I'm coming back...

Monkey feet (or: the lesser of two evils)

New York story the first: the monkey feet.

As I told you, my mum had been having trouble with her orthotics, and was wearing them in a pair of those Sketchers Shape-Ups (which are pretty much the reason she fell last trip, the soles of those things can be precarious...). She was suffering from cruel and unusual punishment, walking on them 10-12 hours daily, and had had enough.

So, while I was shopping for snuggly sweaters for my man, she snuck into the shoe section and attempted to find something sensible (read: comfy, but inevitably ugly as hell). She found a pair of really awful fleece-lined clogs, a pair of less awful pseudo-Mary Janes in tan leather, and a pair of horrific Fila toe-shoes in baby blue.

Thankfully, the clogs for vetoed, the toe-shoes didn't fit and the Mary Janes made the cut. They worked spendidly... until the next day, when the blisters kicked in.

Slightly enamoured with the toe-shoes (which I had not-so-lovingly dubbed "monkey feet"), she struck out in search of a pair that did fit, and we found them, in Soho. Adidas, this time, which I suppose is a little better...

 

Once we had located the things, we went through a very round-about process of men's sizes masquerading as women's sizes and finally, my mum found the ones that fit her tootsies...

 

And, her feet breathed a sigh of relief, while I promised that I "wouldn't not be seen with her" while she was wearing them.

 

I tried them on, too, a purely academic exercise. I'm not above doing unpleasant research to please my readers.  

 

Verdict? They're weird. I used to wear toe-socks when I was about 12, and these were a lot like those, but more sturdy. I won't be rushing out to buy them anytime soon, but my mum swears they were the most comfy thing she's ever put on her feet. So, there you go... If you're going camping, marathon walking, or need to walk several miles everyday on pavement, these may be for you.

I would most likely hate them less if they were black, or some less-conspicuous colour...

I guess these aren't so offensive... No, forget it, I hate them.

Also, my absolute worst nightmare embodied in footwear was realised during this trip. We were shopping in the massive dollar store, and stumbled upon these:

Not only are they monkey feet, but they're Crocs. Worse, they're foam Crocs from a dollar store. I shudder just looking at them.

One day in the very near future, I will write a post (read:rant) detailing exactly why I despise Crocs (and their wintertime partners-in-fashion-crime, Uggs), but for now, let me just say this: they should be outlawed.

The only redeeming quality about these is that they're childrenswear. Children can get away with wearing the most horrific things and they're still cute. I will admit there was one day where I put on a plaid dress and a pair of bright polka-dot socks, thinking they went together because they were both patterned. Give me a break, I was three.

Not quite like this, but I'll go with it. Think smaller, louder, and more multi-coloured.