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.

My thrifty treasure (Or: ten dollars?!)

My recent ventures into thrift stores are no secret, I've been regaling you all with tales of delight and disgust for awhile now, but I hadn't had any great finds in recent trips. Until a couple weeks ago...

I was with my mum in Bellingham, and we were walking the aisles at a fabric store, which is located less than a block from Goodwill. Suddenly, I was overcome with an undeniable need to go to Goodwill, post haste!

Without knowing why, we marched down, and I started my hunt. I didn't have much in the way of expectations, seeing as most of what I was looking at was ick than eureka...

(Yes, that is a pseudo-cowboy boot slingback. Ew.)

 

But, then, something caught my eye....

 

 

 

Those are black and gold Michael by Michael Kors sandals. And, they were ten dollars. I quickly slipped them on (they fit like a dream), and, boots in hand, ran off to find my mum.

 

 

She was at the cash, and I rushed up with a breathless, "I'm blinded by the label, are these cute or ugly?!" It was agreed that they were adorable, and became mine in a matter of minutes.

 

 

This is my thrift store success story. You're welcome.

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! 

2013, here we are!

We made it! 2013 is off to a great start!

I got to spend midnight at a party with my man and a bunch of his friends (some of whom are my friends as well!) and sadly, as it was a house party, I was unable to wear the amazing heels I had bought for the occasion. Take a look at these lovelies:

They're by Anne Michelle, and the style is called Assassin. And they went perfectly with my black peplumed, cut to my bellybutton, meshed out New Years dress. Oh, woe.

Ah well, I'm sure they'll get their day in the sun. There are plenty of excuses to wear killer heels. Like a Tuesday.

Happy 2013, everyone! I hope this year is extraordinary for us all!

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!

 

The clock strikes 3am, your feet turn into pumpkins.

This has happened to us all. Don't lie, you know there's that one pair of insane stilettos that you bought because they make you legs look a million miles long and your ass go POW, but if you wear them for longer than 6 minutes you'd think that you were stuck in a furnace wearing these:

See? Now you remember. Or at least your feet do. Think New Years. We're notorious for wearing ridiculous shoes on the one night of the year it's nigh impossible to get a taxi in any city.

But, fret not! There's an answer! Enter Rollasole!

Matt Horan was struck with genius after one too many nights of having to carry his girlfriend home on his back as the result of her sadistic (though gorgeous, I'm sure) choices in footwear. Since that night in 2008, he's been the saviour of shoe-anistas everywhere!

In fact, they're so popular now, some clubs are selling them in vending machines on-site:

Let me explain how they work. They come rolled up inside a drag-string bag, and the idea is that you can cram them into your going-out purse and forget they're there.

Until furnace-feet kick in. Then, you will gleefully recall that they're hiding in the recesses of your bag, between the lipgloss and your cell phone, and you unroll them and swap them for your metal-fire-torture shoes.

And that handy little bag they came in? Big enough to fit your skyscraper stilettos and you can use the drawstring as a wrist strap!

I had seen them at various drug stores around various cities, but was a little unsure of the necessity of such a thing (plus all the ones I had seen were black and boring-looking). Like Jenna Marbles (as seen here at 4:42), I feel that when one walks out of the house in a pair of shoes, she is married to them for the evening. You made your bed, girl, now limp home on it. But, when we were in Vegas in October, my partner in crime, Dominique, came back from a toiletry run with these bad-boys:

First of all, they're gold. Come now, how can anyone say no to that? Dominique's are metallic pink, so they're just as adorable.

So, I gave them a shot. That night, we went out dancing like the crazy glamazons we are, in our very own version of the glass slipper (read: ticking-toe-time-bombs) and when the champagne began to wear off, I could feel the first few flames licking at the soles of my feet.

Of course, I had forgotten that I had them, but when I went to sit down for a moment, Dominique reminded me, and, lickety-split, I flipped off my heels, slipped on my little flats, and was back on the dance floor before the song was finished.

And my foot-fire was extinguished!

The best part was that when my Vegas-boyfriend (a charming Brit named Luke) came by, I was ready to pop my heels back on and keep dancing til dawn!

Long time, no shoes.

Ok, ok I know, it's been nearly 2 months since I posted. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

But, let me explain!!! I went to San Fransisco. And it was amazing. And there were lots of shoes to see (I'll show you!!). But, when I got back, I was having issues posting, and it was a mess.

And then all this time passed.... And I was still taking photos. Sometimes.

Anyways, I'm going to catch you up, and then we can have a clean slate! A fresh start. A gosh-darned NEW BEGINNING! What do you say? Good ;)

SO! San Fran:

**Special Thanks** to my mummy for modelling ;)

Super cute little microsuede wedges we saw in Bellingham before we flew out :)

It might be a little sick how obsessed I am with these crazy sandal-boots. Way too awesome!!

And all the ankle-sandals blow my mind. I got a few pairs you'll have to wait for me to wear :D!

This is one of the shoe displays at Barney's (Where we went and pretending to be heiresses, we know how to live it ;)

A particularly dreamy pair of peep-toed boots at Barney's. I was afraid to look at the tag cause I knew I would start rationalizing. :S!

Then my mummy tried these on. Omg. Chrome snakeskin PERFECTION. And only 800$ ;)


I HAD to jump in on the action, and slipped on some delicious Givenchy before I nearly melted to the floor. ("But, oh, Katy, wouldn't they just be PERFECT for that event we have to go to?" "Oh, yes, Mummy, absolutely DIVINE!")

And then we walked into Armani. And my heart stopped. Sorry, Givenchy, but these shoes are my soul-mates (no pun intended :P)

I had a really hard time taking them off ;) But then... wouldn't you??

Ok, I'm going to continue in another post. See you in a sec :D!