Emerald and Vanilla

I'm not sure why, but I've been having a hard time writing here lately. Partly, I think, because I've been writing for my mum on her company's blog, SWISH Notes, partly because I've just had a lot on my mind lately and partly because there hasn't really been all that much going on in my world that's blog-able.

Anyways, I hope that explains why I've been doing more sharing of things and less writing of things. Which will not be a trend.

Moving on!

I will be headed to New York, this coming Wednesday night, and there will be much more to tell you when I return, I promise.

In the meantime, I've been trying really hard to avoid spending mass quantities of money on anything, including footwear (though I have acquired some gems in the last few weeks)

These are my new friends:

 

 

The green ones are the result of much lusting after I stumbled upon them by accident. I was searching for mint green trend photos for SWISH notes, when I saw them on this blog. She had included them in this beautiful mix-match of all things emerald (which was the pantone-named colour for 2013:

 

I especially love the seat in the very middle. Beautiful!

Now, when I saw these, they were on the Target website, and I kept telling myself that I would go try them on when I was in the US next. Unfortunately, by the time I made it to the other side of the line, they weren't at Target anymore.

But, all was not lost! I was at my fabulous Bellingham-neighbourhood Goodwill, which happens to get all the cast-offs of things that Target can't sell. And, sitting in the middle of a pile of Target-rejected goodies was (you guessed it!) my emerald shoes! (And, in my size, no less!)

So, I, of course, wasted no time in snapping them up, and felt a little like Cinderella dancing about in my emerald glory. Did I mention they were only ten dollars!? (Which seems to be my magic number these days...)

The vanilla-patent perfection in the other photo comes with a little anecdote as well (of course). I was shopping at Kohls, looking for inspiration, and I stumbled upon them. My mum was shopping on the other side of the shelf, and we both exclaimed at the same time, in near-perfect unison, "Oooh! These are cute!" and held up the same pair of shoes so that the other could see. It was one of those sit-com moments.

These are LC by Lauren Conrad, which is a label I'm becoming more fond of. I also picked up a beautiful floral dress by her, which is making me feel a little more prepared for Spring.

New York will help with the rest of my Spring-y preparation.

 

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! 

Mix or match?

There are a lot of interesting flats out and about in stores right now. I think they're darling. Especially these little charmers I picked up in New York (of course):

Just a little Missoni knit to brighten your day! They aren't real (unfortunately), but adorable none-the-less.

We're also seeing lots of bright colours (remember my bright blue tassels?) and details (cap-toes, fabric, studding, etc, etc, etc), and the big dilemma becomes: mix or match?

Do you mix patterns, colours, metallics, brights, fabrics, or let the statement stand alone?

And the answer is: it's really up to you. 

Depending on the day, I will do both. Today, I'm wearing those lovely little cobalt tassels, but the rest of my outfit is neutral (actually, black, to be honest), so that those shoes are my statement piece, and they get the spotlight (it's working, too, I've had three compliments on them, already, and I've worn them to my office already). But, I've also worn the Missoni knit flats with a bright cobalt polka-dot shirt (I'm just realising that that is a lot of cobalt for one paragraph), mixing patterns, quite boldly.

If you're going to mix colours, try to stick with two brights, max. Do bright shoes with a bright dress, and then black tights, or bright tights with bright shoes and neutral clothes. Some people can get away with three (I remember nights where I would be in a bright skirt, bright tights, and bright shoes of all different hues), but, especially if you're not used to colour-blocking, play it a little safe. At least to start.

As for patterns, if both are multi-coloured and obvious, keep them as far from each other as possible. For example, you'll look more fashionista with a bold patterned shirt and bold patterned shoes, but if you wear a bold patterned dress, shoes, belt, and tights, you may look more like you got dressed high on acid. And these aren't the kinds of things one wants to broadcast.

If you want to mix patterns closer together, look for pieces that are tone-on-tone, or softer colours and that the patterns lend more texture to, for example: tweeds, flocking, meshwork. Keep it subtle, and you can mix all sorts of patterns!

Metallics are neutrals, so you can do whatever you want when it comes to mixing them. Don't be shy!

Except maybe this:

So, you really can mix or match, to your heart's content! As always, go with your gut, as to what you're comfortable with, but have fun with it! Who says that because the winter weather is dull that your look has to be?