Thift in Vic (Or: Spring heels & Smurf's Greatest Hits)

One of my favourite things in the world is thift store shopping. Not because I'm a wannabe hipster who will only wear clothes that have been worn by other people until they're useless (or look like they've been worn by other people, but have actually been destroyed and distressed carefully by the manufacturers, so as to warrant an enormous pricetag), but because of the strange things (and occasional treasures) you will run across.

For example, while visiting my favourite lady, Miss Estee, this weekend, I found myself in a Salvation Army Thrift Store in downtown Victoria. The first thing I noticed was the shoe section, which was right in the front (as it should be), and that was where I saw these eyesores:

Not a huge fan of orange and yellow plaid to begin with, I had to stop and giggle when I saw these. Yes, that is a spring in the heel, and, after testing it thoroughly, I will admit that these are probably quite comfortable, as the spring has a good amount of give. That being said, they are a little difficult to get the hang of right away, as they feel a little like walking on Moon Shoes.

Sitting right next to them were these:

A little too Barbie's stripper limo party for my tastes, though Steve Madden (who typically rocks my world, footwear-wise), I can't really question why their previous owner chose to donate them...

And, in case you're concerned that wearing actual bling around your legs in the rain will cause your adornments to rust, I have just the thing for you!

That's right! Chains and bling printed right on to your rainboots! Genius, no?

I joke, but let's move on. Not everything that people donate is worthless, I actually found a few things that I thought fit more into the treasure category than the "oh-my-goodness-why?" category.

These little pumps would be lovely for work, or a dinner out:

With black tights and a pencil skirt? Super cute! Again, these are Steve Madden, though an example of how he does it right, this time!

I've been seeing a lot of geometric patterns, metallics, and, of course, colour-blocking, so these little flats would be a sweet way to run around town in your favourite jeans, while still looking put together.

And, finally, I have a belt that these would go magnificently with, and how perfect for a night of dancing with the girls? Spicy!

Unforunately, none of my treasures fit, which is the chance you take shopping second-hand. One shot, one size. Sometimes you win, sometimes you take photos.

I did, however find something that was a definite one-size-fits-all: a full selection of Smurf vinyls. If only I had a turntable...

Walking in a winter wonderland

This past Friday, I took a little trip with my man to Whistler, land of winter and snowflakes.

It was so lovely! I took a bus up and spent the night the Summit Lodge and Spa, had a lovely dinner at 21 Steps, and then got to wander the village and relax, all with my charming boyfriend, Milos.

Being the shoe-aholic that I am, I, of course, was in heels for dinner. One of my favourite things is when Milos and I get all dressed up and go out together, so I was not going to waste an opportunity because of the cold. So, with a wool overcoat and a velvet scarf over my lacey dress and tights, I popped on a pair of Vera Wang stilettos and stepped out into the snow.

They're a little hard to see in this photo, but those are suede, and strappy with open-toes. Not necessarily the cleverest choice to go tromping through the snow, but I made it work. The platforms kept me high enough off the ground to get wet, and the dry snow didn't stick. It was a chilly stroll, though!

I probably won't be attempting open-toes in the snow again in the near future... At least not unless there's a vehicle involved!

The rest of the trip was spent in my knee-high black boots, a much more winter-friendly choice, with their fuzzy lining and unexpected waterproof exterior (I was pleasantly surprised by my bone-dry toes after 90 minutes of kicking through fresh powder).

Overall, it was a sublime weekend, and got me very much in the Christmas spirit. So much so, in fact, that I spent all day Sunday baking Christmas goodies with my best friend, Estee.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

The great UGG debacle (Or: Why I hate UGGs)

It's no secret that I can't stand UGGs. My mum thinks they're adorable, I have friends who adore them, had classmates in fashion school who wore them daily, and am sure that many people will disagree with me and proclaim their undying love of them after I post this, but I hate them. With a firey burning passion. (I also hate Crocs, but we'll talk about that another day)

Here is why:

They are slippers. Slippers are meant to be worn inside.

Now, I'm not innocent in this, I've worn slippers outside. But, I learned my lesson, fast. Though my "boots" were much cuter then flumpy UGGs, they got wet in rainy Vancouver, instantly. And I threw them away when they had gone through the wash a few times and still smelled like someone's feet had died inside of them. Ew, not pretty.

But, I'm getting side-tracked. UGGs originated as surfer boots, to wear between sessions, so one's toes didn't get too cold. Sounds like slippers to me: footwear that one puts on during periods of rest between activities so that one's feet stay warm and toasty.

Plus, they just look like slippers, and if everyone would just wear them inside, I would be totally ok with that. But, more often than not, the street is taken over by girls in their skinny jeans and squealchy UGGs as soon as the weather gets a little nippy.

And, they think they look like this:

All cute and cuddley and Kate Hudsoney (notice she's wearing pyjamas in this photo, proper UGG-wearing attire). When in reality, most UGGs end up looking like this:

Slouchy and crumpled and more bag-lady than fashionista. Not to mention that they take about 30 seconds to go from snuggly to soaked:

Ew. Who would want to put their foot in that? Not to mention that they take eons to dry, and smell like wet dogs in mud puddles during that drying process. I've had roommates who like them too, I know.

You'd think that, as a booties made for people who surf (a water sport), they would be waterproof, or quick-drying. Apparently not.

Recently, I was at Nordstrom, killing time while I waited for my mum, and I thought I would check out the shoes. And, of course, I stumbled upon a whole bunch of UGGs.

Look! Slippers! Oh, no, wait, those are supposed to go outside?

And sparkley slippers? Sure, why not.

But, then, they admitted it! These are actual UGG slippers:

That's not to say that everything the UGG company does is terrible. Their riding boots are pretty spot on:

And, though I'm really picky with motorcycle boots (most of them are too clunky for me), the styles in their Motto collection are pretty on trend:

So, let me end the great UGG debate by saying: UGG, you and I can be friends! Just, please, stick to making real footwear, and keep the slippers at home.

What do you think of them? I've love to hear your thoughts, whether you are pro- or anti-UGG!

Rainboot 911!

Things break. We all know it's true. The trouble is that we live in a throw-it-away-and-buy-a-new-one society, rather than the oh-well-I'll-just-fix-it society of many years ago. Things are too accessible to us, and we're lazy. I'll admit it.

But, like any good relationship, sometimes these things take some work. The relationship between you and your footwear is no different. Sometimes, your shoes need a little TLC.

And so it was with my rainboots. (Check them out here, if you don't know the ones I'm talking about)

The black ones are my favourites, of course, and I actually have two pairs in that colour combination, because, travesty that it was, I didn't repair them soon enough, and something terrible happened.

The bows are gone.

About 6 months ago, I was riding on the bus out to visit my parents, and I looked down to see that a bow was missing. It must have fallen off while I was waiting for the bus or something, because it was no where to be seen. Of course, I couldn't walk around with just one bow, so I pulled off the other:

I kept it, in case I needed it for something one day, and ordered another pair from DNA footwear and decided to keep these in case I found some cute buttons or something to glue on in place of the bows.

And life went on. I still haven't glued buttons onto the old ones... Projects for another rainy day.

But, then the most terrible happened. I noticed that one of the bows on my new ones was loose...

Crap.

But! This time, I vowed to make sure I didn't repeat the same mistake, and, today, I pulled out my handy Shoe Goo.

Shoe Goo is a godsend. It's marketed for use on tennis and running shoes, but it works just as well to restick bows on rainboots, and seal the edge on that peeling platform. It's incredibly inexpensive (I picked mine up years ago at Canadian Tire for around $8.00) and, after about a day of drying, is waterproof and foolproof (I've tested the latter a few times).

Et voila!

Like new!

So, remember, don't give up a pair of shoes just because they're no longer perfect. Sometimes, they need a little love, too!

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!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made...

I have returned from the North American fashion capital! A little lighter in the pocketbook, I'll admit, but richer in experience and closet. It was a great ten days spend with my fabulous mummy, exploring, shopping, and enjoying!

Having taken four trips in the last three and a half months, I was on a bit of a budget, so it was a task to try not to end up in a total shopping free-for-all (I won't lie, I definitely broke the bank when I was there in May), but it was a blast concentrating on finding really fantastic pieces, instead of my typical shopping mantra of "it it looks good, buy it in every colour."

Also, while checking my email one night in our hotel room, I stumbled upon a sale on my shoe racks, so I have two more coming! I'm well over a hundred pair right now and I'm having the most ridiculous time trying to squash them all onto the racks I have. It will be grand to have a little space.

I have plenty of stories, but I'm going to spread them out a little so that I can tell them in more depth, so I'm going to skim over the events of our trip and then elaborate later.

The first four days were spent "working." And, by that I mean buying for my mum's shop (which is changing location and expanding by three times the square footage, so we had a lot of space to fill), and picking up a few pieces for myself. I had written myself a list before I left and managed to get just about everything (I still don't have my spiked heels, but that's a tale for another day), including a great pair of black flat boots to get me through the fall and a beautiful red reddingote.

Through all this, we were wearing "comfortable" shoes. My mum wound up having trouble with her orthotics though, and having to buy new "sensible" (read: not super pretty) shoes to walk the 70-80(one day it was actually over 100) blocks we would typically cover in a day. Again, we'll get to those beauties another day. I stuck with my indestructible hot pink rubber flip-flops. Also, not super pretty, but they get the job done. Needless to say, at the end of each day, it was time to soak our soles and love our toes a little.

I'm sure this photo looks incredibly familiar, as the New-York-end-of-day-foot-bath has become a bit of a ritual with us. Believe me, it's well deserved, and much appreciated.

Of course, the day we walked over 100 blocks was the same night as Fashion's Night Out, which is always a spectacle and a delight, if only to people watch and see the culture come to life. I wore flats, mum wore wedges, and many a girl that night was in stilettos. Fortunately, I was still vertical at the end of the night, while mum was dying in her wedges, and I'm pretty sure I saw every limping stiletto-clad girl similtaneously reach into her impossibly small clutch at the stroke of 11, to produce a ratty plastic shopping bag and replace the offending footwear with flats in one fluid movement. Those were ladies in dire need of some Rollasoles...

Just sayin'.

That's not to say that our feet weren't also in serious need of some R&R. There was one day that we stopped for a quick peek at our shopping directory and thought to ourselves, "Damn, I could totally go for a pedicure right now..." And, low and behold, we turned around and saw this:

 

It's hard to read, but the top line says "Mani + Pedi + 10 min massage: $40." We were sold.

 

A well-earned pedicure. Having the knots rubbed out of my poor soles was amazing. The mid-trip mani-pedi is definitely going to have to be a new New York ritual. And, the girl who did mine did some fancy twirly thing with tissues to make the toe separators pictured here. I need to figure out how to do that...

The last two days were spent wandering about the city, gathering the last bits for the store, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, and enjoying Little Italy. All in all, a smashing success (less the utter failure to find the perfect spiked stiletto!), including walking the last 40 blocks back to the hotel with the impending threat of thunder showers (which turned out to be mostly idle, on the thunder-front at least.).

Then, it was time to come home. And, after a long day of travelling yesterday, it was good to get back.

Now, I just need to unpack, and I can tell you some real stories!

Gold medal style

14 minutes til the Olympic opening ceremonies, and the energy is a-buzzing in my office. Working in a speakers bureau, we represent a lot of current and past Olympians, so we're pretty caught up in all the madness.

Also being a Friday, we're having a hard time concentrating on work, so what better time than now to post a little summin'-summin' for you guys!

I'm reminded of all the fun we had when the Olympics were hosted in Vancouver in 2010, particularly of broadcasting how Vancouverite I could really be by running through the streets in open toes in the rain:

These little friends were my go-to going out shoes that year. I bought them in Vegas the very first time I went, and they were amazing. I could walk on them for 15 hours straight and my feet would feel like a dream. Sadly, they succumbed to overuse after being glued back together 18 times.

And then there was the men's gold hockey game. A greater show of Canadian patriotism was never seen! I was lucky enough to be downtown amidst all the madness, and madness it was.

Choruses of "O Canada" could be heard between whistles, shrieks and cheers, and the roads were impassable for hours.

That night, we took part in a giant street party to mark the closing ceremonies, and I nearly died wearing evil ankle boots:

They look so innocent, but dont' be fooled. Evil.

And now! It's time, so I'll leave you with this:

Patriotic shoes from DSquared. Go Team Canada!

Buttons and bows

I'm back, resettled and busy as heck. My apologies for not posting much in the recent weeks, I've been battling the most terrible cold, and needed to lay low for a little while.

But, my health has returned, I'm in fighting form, and ready to go!

The 1920's obsession rages ever onwards, and, as the weather here in not-so-balmy Vancouver has been pretty chilly as of late, I've been pulling out some of my favourite fall boots, which have flavours of the early 20's, namely: buttons, lacing, and curved heels.

The first pair came from Vegas. They have military-inspired buttons, and look fabulously classic with a pencil skirt and some tights. I have a great cobalt blue skirt that looks divine with them! To be honest, the buttoned-boot look is really more of a look from La Belle Epoque, which was ending around 1920, but there's always a little crossover in fashion, and I still feel that these serve my purpose. Everything's open to a little interpretation, no?

The second pair are from the vaults. They're vintage (read: 5 years old) Steve Maddens that I bought myself as an aid to get over a breakup. And they served me well! I like that the wider grommetts make them a little modern, and the toe-shape on both aren't really true to period, as most shoes from the early 20s were pointier. Either way, they're delish!

To give you an idea of the look we're going for, here's a few examples of the real thing:

As you can see, the toes are a little pointier and the grommetts are much more delicate, not to mention those prices... Damn, if only! 

And, these beauties are actually from 1917, but, again, they serve the purpose. I really like the contrast of colours here. If someone did a reproduction in brights, I think they would be beautifully on trend with all the colour-blocking we're seeing for summer. Think cobalt blue and hot pink. Divine, no?



Oh! I forgot to tell you the best bit of news! My good friend, Pierson, is having his birthday party this weekend, and, magically, chose a Speakeasy theme! What a grand excuse to indulge my flapper cravings! I'll report back with all the glorious details!

What's on someone else's feet: Part one

Recently, we had our first fan submission of 2012! My darling friend, Praise, suggested that I write an entry about the custom-fitted footwear that we both have. I've already shown you mine, but it's been a long, long time, so let's have a little refresher. 

About a year and a half ago, I was working at a company called Vorum Research Corporation, where I did administrative work. The company has a sister company, called Selve, who create custom-fit footwear, for a pretty penny. Being incredibly fortunate, Praise and I were both working at Vorum when Selve asked if we would mind helping them test the new foot scanner they were buying from us, by scanning the legs of all the women in our office, so they could make us each a pair of custom-fit boots. 

Of course, there was no question, we all jumped at the idea. 

Now, the best part about Selve is that you get to "design" your shoes. They have a whole bunch of styles (some more classic, some on trend) and then you choose the heel height, shape, and the colours of all the pieces of the shoe. Six to eight weeks pass and then... Early Christmas presents! 

I went to the site to do some sourcing to write this, and I will admit, I might be in trouble... And, they already have my leg scan... 

Praise's look like this: 

Pretty beautiful, no? And, as I can attest, they fit like a dream. 

Thanks, Praise, for sending me this! I'd love to see more of your shoe wardrobes, by the way! Send me photos and descriptions, I'd love to post them!

 

For the bodacious babes!

After my last post, one of my dear friends came to me for some help. She laments that, being a curvier lady, she's unable to wear any fun shoes, being stuck wearing heels with a "thicker, clunkier heel" and was hoping that I had some advice for her, and all you girls with similar problems.

Well, ladies, you're in luck.

I think it's a travesty that any girl would feel like she can't wear a beautiful shoe and experience the leg-lengthening, posture correcting, glamazon confidence I feel every time I step out the door in a pair of footwear masterpieces, and so I spent a good part of my weekend scouring the internet looking for information from women with similar troubles, and it all seemed to come down to a few fundamentals, and, not surprisingly, they're pretty universal rules. So, I would like to dedicate this post to my darling Cashew. Onwards!

The first and most important thing is fit. If you buy a pair of shoes and want to shoot off your feet as soon as those soles touch the ground, take them off, and walk away. We've all been there. They're so damned beautiful, but you know you'll walk about three steps out your front door before you regret buying them. And, chances are, they won't get better as you break them in.

Now, I've admitted that the balls of my feet are a little on the wide side, and I've had problems with some shoe companies because their shoes are too narrow. For you girls with wider feet and curvier calves, there are plenty of sources for wide-width shoes and boots that are cut more generously through the calf. Wearing a wider shoe will not only keep the blood flowing through your baby toes, it will give you a wider base to balance on, so you won't feel nearly as precarious when you're strutting your stuff. Two websites that had some good stuff were WideWidths.com and designershoes.com. WideWidths specializes in boots, and designershoes more in shoes, but both have lots of options.

The next thing you're going to need is a good pair of gel insoles. I wear ones that only cushion my toes, because I don't find that my heels are ever bothered in heels. Try and find a pair that are reusable, and then you can move them from pair to pair. I would suggest bringing them with you when you're shopping, as well, so you know that the shoes you buy fit with the insoles in them.

Something many curvier women worry about is that heels with hurt her feet more than they would a thinner lady, because her foot has more to support. I can see where this might be true, but at the same time, most women have trouble with high heels when she's not used to them, so it's really important to start slow. If you've been wearing flats your entire life, try a kitten heel, and then work your way up from there. Rome wasn't built in a day, ladies.

That being said, if you're anything like me, you'll probably go from zero-sixty and try a heel that's a little bigger than you think. This is where Rollasoles can save your life. You can read my full post about them here.Believe me, you'll thank me later.

The only other advice I can give is practice, practice, practice! Walk around the house in them, walk to the grocery store in them, any excuse to walk a short distance in your heels will help you in the long run, because you'll be breaking them in, and getting used to walking on them. Just don't forget your Rollasoles if you want to be brave and go out for a night on the town!

Now that we have all the technical stuff out of the way, let's talk about styles! My friend was disheartened by the sea of clunky, chunky heels that she thought she was stuck with, but there are lots of options!

The easiest way to go is a wedge. Wedges are going to be the easiest to walk on and they're comfy. I pulled a few examples from designershoes.com and these were all from the wide-width category, but they come in narrow, medium, wide, extra-wide and triple-wide, so you're covered no matter what!

I particularly love the booties in the middle...

Moving on! You can also wear high heels, and they don't need to be "clunky." There are lots of shoes in stores now that have a tapered heel that ends before it becomes a pencil point. For example: (again, from designershoes.com)

Ok, you caught me, I loved those patent peep toes enough that I showed them to you in three different colours, but this speaks to my buy-it-in-every-colour principle. The black is a great basic, the nude were huge last summer and seem to be sticking around this year, and the hot pink... well, enough said already! Also, notice that they have a platform. This is helpful because it will actually balance the height of the heel and let you wear a higher heel without creating a harsh arch in your foot.

But, this shows that there are stylish heels that aren't insane stilettos, and these are probably pretty comfy!

And then, one more little treat, in case you want to be adventurous! Our good friend, Mr. John Fluevog has been known for most of his career for his choice of unique heel shapes. They tend to be shaped like hourglasses, meaning they have a wider, less precarious base, but a lot of visual interest, and no "clunk."

All beautiful, all interesting, all unique. And all easy to wear.

There you have it, ladies. High heel 101 for the bodacious babes! I hope that helped!

Here comes the rain, little darling!

Ahhh, the rain has finally come. All the snow is gone, and I had the pleasure of sloshing through puddles all the way back from work yesterday, as seen below:

You can even seen the shadow of my umbrella! It was a rainy, windy day but I had a blast walking from my office to downtown Vancouver before heading home. It was lovely, as long as you don't mind getting a little wet.

My mum has been sending me photos again from New York, and this is her latest find:

Ankle socks with sandals. There were also a bunch of knee socks flying around with open toes. I think that that the ankle socks work best with a sandal that has some weight, on the heel, as well as something with less delicate straps like this shoe, and I love the way the off-white socks compliment the neutral tones in the shoe.

I find that the knee socks tend to be a more winter look, so it's easier to do the blacks and jewel tones, but it's also a good way to keep with the colour blocking and work with some brights!

Try it out and take a photo! I'd love to see what you've got on your feet!