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!

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!

The circle of sandal

Something divine has happened.

I found new indestructable flip-flops. Pink ones this time!

These things always come from the most unexpected places... These guys are from Shoppers Drug Mart (weird, I know) and were a grand total of $4.00.

It's ridiculous.

And, these ones should last longer than their blue counterparts, as they are made from rubber rather than foam, so they'll be harder to walk through.

Here is the circle of sandal-life, for your viewing pleasure!

I also have a horrifying flip-flop tan, despite my best efforts to wear different shaped sandals. Alas...

It's been a really busy summer for me, so, as you can see, I haven't been posting as much as I should be.

Two trips to Vegas, lots of parties and a new boyfriend will do that to a girl.

Not to mention New York coming up in two weeks.

Pray for my credit cards.

When blue foam just doesn't cut it...

I am at work. It's a blessing and a curse that summertime is our slow season: a blessing because it means I don't have to put in any overtime, and there's a relaxed atmosphere in the office, and a curse because it means that there's absolutely and painfully nothing to do.

So here I am.

The other thing that's great about summertime in an office (besides air conditioning...) is that the dresscode get a little less... professional. We still look sharp (I'm in a blue sundress right now, with a little shrug), but there's no need for blazers and tights.

Which means that I also retire a good portion of my work shoes for the summer. It's the season of slapping around in sandals. But, of course, the blue-foam-not-so-beauties get left at home. I don't work at the beach, afterall.

That being said, there are lots of beautiful options for easy, throw-them-on-and-run-out-the-door sandals out right now, and they still look very put together (although the post-Vegas state of my pedicure leaves a lot to be desired... oops!)

Today, I have these darlings on:

See? I wasn't kidding about the toenails...

These guys came from Square One in the Mall of Manhattan (of course), and they unfortunately don't have a website, but they do have a great selection of ridiculously inexpensive shoes. It's a great spot if you're looking for something trendy to wear for one season. I think these were $10.00...

Anyways, these are a little less flashy and trendy than some of the others I picked up on that trip, but that's what makes them great for the office.

If you want to wear something like this in a professional atmosphere (we're talking about business casual here, they just won't work with a suit, I'm sorry!), look for something with gunmetal or brushed metal accents, in a neutral colour, and then have fun with your pedicure, so you can have some colour down there without looking like a paint store exploded on your feet. Save that look for the weekend.

These Louboutins would be perfect:

But, then, aren't Louboutins always perfect?

Bright lights, Vegas city!

Hello, my darlings, my dears!

As you know, I've recently been to one my of my favourite cities of all time, Las Vegas. My recent post regarding school and getting out of Dodge sums up pretty well how much I adore Vegas.

And, really, it's hard not to. My partner-in-crime, Dominique, and I managed to disappear from real life for a week to relax in the sun, drink plenty of cocktails, lounge by the pool, dance the night away, every night, and meet some lovely new people.

The best part? In 24 days, I'll be back again. And, I've registered for school, probably to apply for Fall 2013. But, don't worry, I won't leave you all behind!

Ok, back to the important things: Shoes!

Katy, you may ask, when you pack for a trip to Vegas, what shoes would you bring?

Well! Let me tell you!

As you've already packed your indestrucible flip-flops and your Rollasoles, the next thing you're going to need is something cute to wear during the day. My suggestion is a pair of espadrilles. They're comfy, and will look sweet and casual with whatever you wear. I just picked up a pair almost identical to these beauties in nautical stripes:

The low wedge means that you'll be able to walk on it for hours, and the slight platform will save your toes. Plus the natural fibres will let your feet breathe, so you're not going to sweat until they slip right off. But, just in case you do, the ankle ties will keep them in place!

They're also good to wear to the pool with your bikini and a giant sunhat, though I wil admit, I prefer to wear my indestructible flip-flops to the pool, to keep the chlorine off my more damageable shoes.

Now, in case you're planning to walk long distances up and down the strip to explore, you may want something a little flatter. There are plenty of beautiful embellished sandals around this summer, continuing with the trend we've been seeing the last few years.

Try to stick with light or bright colours for day, they'll be cooler, and will look breezy and light while you're strolling the strip. Check out these from DNA Footwear (I've linked the photos, for your shopping convenience!).

Now, we've got day covered, it's time to get to the best stuff! Whether you'll be dancing all night, wandering the casinos, or hitting up a show, it's important to look fabulous! And, what better way to attract the attention of that super cute guy playing at the high roller table than by strutting your stuff!

Remembering that you have limited space in your suitcase, (I had to cram a week's worth of dresses into a duffle bag, it was madness!) you won't be able to bring a lot of evening shoes, so we'll keep it to two pair. Bring a pair of black heels that will go with everything, and one pair of statement shoes that will go easily with a little black dress.

Don't forget, just because they're black doesn't mean they have to be boring. Look for something with some visual interest. The idea is that you can wear them with anything you've packed, but you are in Vegas, after all, it's the city of over the top, so have fun! I love these from Cascadei:

They're perfectly on trend with the embellished heel, have a little sparkle, and will go with just about anything but gold lamé. Actually, on second though, rock that gold lamé number, mixing metallics is totally fun!

Time for statement shoes. You'l probably only wear them once during your trip, but you'll be shining like the star you are when you do! There are no rules here, choose something bright, something sparkly, strappy, pink, blue, green, yellow, the sky's the limit. Try to mix several trends together, the only requirement is that they're show-stopping! Keep the outfit a little tamer so you don't look like a fashion victim, rather than a sleek style assasin, but go crazy! Here are some that I'm lusting after:

 Louboutin (of course!)

Pierre Hardy

Kurt Geiger

Enjoy!

Prison and The Big Apple

This weekend, I went to prison.

Ok, I don't mean it the way it sounds, but at least the shock value was there. My partner in crime and I hosted a party at our house on Saturday night that was prison-themed. We dressed as cops and policed the evening, while our guests came dressed as criminals and debaucherized until dawn.

I looked a little something like this:

And, of course, there was some delicious footwear involved! These bad boys are Vera Wang, and I have them in a slate blue as well:

Yummy, no? And with some wild fishnets? Let's just say those legs went for miles.

Overall, it was a great weekend.

Sunday was spent in my indestructible flip-flops, lying in the sun in the park near my house. It was delightful. I really feel like summer has arrived, and hopefully it will stick around for a good while!

Cause, really, all those bright summer shoes would look so much better against a tan...

Also! I'm headed to New York with my mum on Thursday night, so I'll be MIA for a while. That being said, I promise to have lots of stories, and photos, to share with you upon my return!

Man, busy makes it hard to blog.

Hello, my darlings!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know it's been awhile!!

But! I have stories to tell you. Promise!!!

Ok, where did I leave you off....? Right! I was working at Vorum and trying to make the best of the summer while still wearing fabulous footwear.

What has happened in the meantime? Ohhh, sooo mucchhh!

Let's go chronologically:

Labour day weekend, we went to Nola! (New Orleans for those who don't know) and practically lived in my indestrucible flipflops (as always). Actually, by the time that the real fall weather hit, I had a pretty impressive tanline...

Anyways, after that, I continued working at Vorum for awhile, and we were told that we were going to get AMAZING custom boots from our partner in the UK and I picked THESE beauties:

They're forest green suede, and black patent. Yum, no?

You can check them out on the website too! Anyways, this whole process involved getting my feet scanned so that custom lasts could be made, so that custom shoes could be made! Neat, huh?

Anyways, moving on! I've since left my job at Vorum, although I'm still getting my boots ;), and am working at a new company called National Speakers Bureau/Contemporary Communications, as an office administrator/accountant of sorts... So far, so good!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I've also been to the Vancouver Museum to see a shoe EXHIBIT with my mum! Check out the flyer, as found on a lamppost:

Those gorgeous stained-glass leather boots are Fluevogs, and he was one of Vancouver's FIRST fantastic shoe-designers. Now, he has a cult-following. Anyways, it was an amazing exhibit, and ran through all the history of Fox & Fluevog as designers and as a company. Neat stuff if you ask me! This was my favourite sign:

Truth, sir, truth.

The best of both worlds?!

I've returned! Camping was splendid, although Dominique and I DID have to share a pair of flip-flops (again, the blue ones, those things are indestructible) because the pair that she brought broke about 3 hours into the trip. Oops... I really should have got a photo...

Anyways, it's been SO hot out lately that I'm quite reluctant to revisit the whole wearing-closed-toes-in-summer idea, at least until we get a breeze or two.

So, for all your shoe-anistas out there who LOVE a little heel in your life, but hate the idea of sweating in your pumps all day, I bring you the solution:

Heeled flip-flops.

Again, these are a Payless purchase, and they're actually about 5 years old (shhhh, we'll call them vintage), but they're pretty freakin' cute. The little sequins give them some sparkle, and the bright pink makes them really cute with a super casual outfit. Nothing quite like a splash of colour on your tootsies to bring life to neutral shorts and tops.


Do me a huge favour though and ignore the dirty feet, the unshaven legs and the flaking toenail polish, please. Remember that I've been camping for 4 days.

Ugly flip-flops

Ok, so remember in my post-pedi rant, I was talking about how every girl should have a pair of flip-flops? Well, these are my current pair:
As you can see, my beautiful pedi is LOOONNGGG gone, and I've been to the beach a few times this summer... Well, and Vegas. Lots of tanning going on (I promise, this is the last year that I laze about in the sun, walking that fine line between gloriously golden and, as we've lovingly dubbed the shade of pink our good friend Seanie turns in the sun, cotton candy pink. Well, until I change my mind next year.).

Anyways, these BEAUTS (I actually think they're some of the ugliest shoes I own...) came into my life the morning after a pool party we went to out at a friend's place in Cloverdale. Of course, being the ridiculous glamazon that I am, heels were worn (you'll see them soon, I promise). Yes, yes, I wore heels to a pool party, don't judge, just be jealous. Continuing on! The next morning, my DARLING friend Miss Annie and I went out to Metrotown to do a little shopping, and I decided that flipflops were in order! So, we went to a dollar store (of all places to buy shoes, I knowwww!!) and these guys were stuck in a shelf somewhere obscure (I think they were with the birthday crowns and Disney princess plates. It doesn't make sense to me either) and when I scooped them up and put them on my feet, they were just my size! 30 seconds after I had de-tagged them and stowed my heels, we walked around the corner to see a HUGE wall of flipflops just like them, but these ones are lucky. I think.

Well, that was a frightfully convoluted story, but here's the scoop on my flippy-floppies. They're made out of the same material as Crocs (ew, I hate Crocs) so, they're SUPER comfy. In fact, they're the BEST shoes to slip into after a LONG night of dancing (read: drinking) cause they also have killer arch support and massage your poor lil tootsies while you walk. I'm the kinda girl who dances to the point that she can't walk the next morning, and these guys have saved me. Often.

And, for 2$, how can you lose? ;)

To continue...

Ok, so moving on! I think that a total staple in EVERY girl's shoe-drobe is a pair of super accessible flip-flops, cause otherwise you end up with these on your feet:



And, I don't know about you girls, but these things ALWAYS break on me, and always in the most inopportune places (this time in Fred Meyer, where we had parked pretty much across the country >:[ and I had to walk barefoot across the parking lot, pretty much ruining my perfectly pedi-ed foot!). Anyways, keep a pair in the car, toss em in your purse (we're all carrying huge bags this season, don't think they won't fit), something! Then, spontaneous pedicures won't leave you stranded on asphalt with one shitty foam slipper.

Fan suggestions are always welcome! These beauties are my friend, Jeffrey,'s golf shoes. The green pieces are all faux ostrich they have red stripes down the back. Cudos to youdos, Jeffrey, for being a stylish bitch on the golf green! ;)

These guys I bought from Sears about 3 summers ago, at the end of season, and thought to myself, "These will be next summer's shoe," before gazing off into the visions of summers to come and throwing them, in their box, onto the shoe shelf. They didn't see light again for 3 years... But this year is theirs to shine!!! Come out my friends!

Ok, so I didn't REALLY document much in the way of footwear while I was in New York, mostly because I bought almost every delicious pair I came into contact with ;) So, you're going to have to wait until I wear them. Well, here's a preview of what's to come!! These guys are actually much more purple than they show up, and with a black mini and a pair of witchy tights, they are just the statement maker every girl needs!

These guys, on the other hand, came to New York in my suitcase. Here, they're finally getting a rest after a CRAZY day of walking all over the freakin' city! These are my Sam Edelstein fringe boots, and I ADORE them. After working a super trying Christmas season at a lingerie/sportswear/cocktail dress store, they were my Christmas present to myself. 100$ at Winners, can't go wrong ;) Plus you can wear them up or scruuunch them down, and they're fabulous both ways :D!

Almost ready for our fresh-start? Here it comes!!