It's time... (or: The Gret Croc Debate)

Yes, my friends, the time has come for the Great Croc Debate. Except this is going to be more like the great-rant-on-why-I-hate-crocs.

But, feel free to chime in and tell me why I'm right. Or wrong, I suppose.

Reason #1: They're ugly.

Yes, yes, this is a matter of opinion, and I recognize that, but they look like gardening clogs. And, really, who would wear their gardening clogs out and about in the real world?

(yuck)



Reason #2: They were originally developed to be spa shoes. Crocs, like Uggs (more on Uggs here), are footwear that became street wear by accident (though I'm sure that the stakeholders in both companies are pleased about it, I can't say I share their enthusiasm). Originally developed as a spa shoe, I can understand why it was a successful design. It's soft and comfy, has all those holes for ventilation, the toe is quite wide and roomy, so it probably would be good to protect your pedicure without ruining it, and they come in a bunch of wild colours. Sure, I might wear them in a spa. Keywords here: in a spa. Just like slippers don't belong on the street, neither do spa shoes.

Reason #3: They give you the weirdest tan lines. As a shoe that was not meant to be in light stronger than the soft glow of spa ambiance, the idea of tan lines was never a factor in their design. Or, they completely disregarded it on purpose, who knows. But, the fact of the matter is that if you wear Crocs in the sun, your feet will look like this:

 

Why people would do this to themselves voluntarily if beyond me. A flip-flop or sandal tan is one thing (no one is exempt, unfortunately), but if you footwear make your feet look diseased.... That's quite another.

Now, like Uggs, Crocs have expanded their product line and recognized that people need something less horrible to put on their feet. And, I have no problem with these designs, but, please, leave the originals in the spa.

I actually think the pink heels are quite cute, though I do worry what would happen if you wore those yellow bubble flats in the sun too long... Bubble-toes.

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!

Happy Love Day!

It's Valentine's Day again, my friends!

And, unlike last year, I have a date tonight. With my man.

I'm pretty excited.

But, back to the task at hand... shoes!

I'm wearing something festive today:

 

At one point in my life, I recognized that wearing pink and red together was a very bad idea. And, this is a principal that I generally stick to when it comes to a ful outfit, but on a cute little wedge, I think it works quite nicely.

Plus, it's so appropriate for the day. Like these:

(A little Vivienne Westwood to get your heart pounding)

 

And, to all you singletons out there, all I have to say to you is: Spend some time today loving yourself. You're worth it.

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...

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.

Personal style and footwear: A user's guide

A little while back, my dear friend, Cashew, has asked me about trends, embellishment, and what was in style right now.

Fashion in general is very trendy heavy (of course), but because we've seen so many changes and so much diversity in trends, I really feel like the most important thing is to define your personal style, build a great foundation, and then embellish from there with trendy pieces.

For example, my style can seem to be a little incongruous, but generally, I would say that I am a classic dresser, a fan of the little black dress, pencil skirts, classic prints, and well tailored pieces. I would have no problem investing in a great jacket, or coat, knowing that it will be with me for a few years, and when I find a piece I love, I buy it in many colours (as you know) that I know will flatter.

When I'm going out, I do wear the short skirts, the low-cut dresses, and flaunt my curves, but the principles and shapes tend to be the same. Well-cut pieces, colours that will translate through seasons, and can be worn long-term.

This is the foundation of a good wardrobe, and the same speaks true for shoes. While you do have a little more free reign to play with footwear, (a hot pink stiletto with a black dress is safer than a hot pink dress with a black stiletto) you still want to have some basics.

I'd say that you need five things to make a basic wardrobe: a pair of black pumps, a pair of neutral flats, Rollasoles, a pair of neutral boots, and a pair of easy flip-flops. These will get you through any outfit, but who wants to stick with neutrals all the time?

So, get those guys first. Then, it's time to play!

I find that Million Looks is a great website to read up on all your trends, if you're not a Vogue follower. They've done a great summary of shoe trends for Spring/Summer 2012 here.

Now, as far as wearing all of these, it really comes down to what you're comfortable with. You don't have to love every trend! And, remember that a lot of these will be gone by next year, so you don't need to commit too much and buy designer. I buy most of my trendy shoes from Kohls, because they're generally well-made, comfortable, and cheap. I actually went shopping yesterday and walked out with four new pairs, all on trend, and almost all will actually be wearable next season...

Let me show you:

Prime example of pastels, but I'll wear them next year too! Nude/fleshy colours were around last summer, and the pastels are sticking around. Plus, they make your legs look 500 feet long.

Mega-platforms? I think so... 

And, a little bright colour, with a little platform!

The fourth pair are a little more scandalous, but I'm having trouble finding a photo, so you'll have to wait for those.

These are all going to continue to be wearable because they really only exemplify one trend, and they're not too over the top. That being said, there's something so much fun about finding a really statement shoe, and using it through the season, to be buried in the back of your closet once it's out of style. Maybe one day, they'll come back in fashion...

So, if you've developed your personal style, know what you like, and find something deliciously on trend? Snap it up!

I'm lusting after these right now:

They're like pink-S&M-disco-ball-flamingoes.



Staying on track.

Once upon a time, I refused to attach the term "New Year's resolution" to anything that I actually wanted to accomplish. Buy fewer shoes? Sure, that can go on that list, because, the second that it does, I know it will never happen. In fact, if I resolve to buy fewer shoes under such circumstances, I'll almost certainly have 12 new pairs by Valentine's Day.

Such is not the case any longer, though I still prefer to make "new year resolutions" on my birthday, rather than "New Year's resolutions" on January 1st, because they're more personal and I feel less like another hopeful who will start out attempting to run 15 miles a day and end up ordering greasy Chinese food from the take-out place up the street and demand that they deliver because one simply cannot leave the house with a waistline in such a state. 

All that being said, setting goals any day of the year is good practice, and you're actually far more likely to succeed if you make a point of writing them down. Which is why I told you all mine, way back in January. 

If you recall, my New Year's resolution was nothing quantitative, but qualitative. More exercise, more fruits and vegetables, spending less money on eating out, and spending more time making healthy meals. In short, healthy. 

And, I'm very, very pleased to say that I'm keeping on it! Nearly two months into the year, and I've been walking to and from work everyday (though I've given up on the idea of wearing running shoes in favour of my trusty rainboots, due to my severe lack of faith in the ever-changing Vancouver weather... and they're way cuter), swimming lengths with a lovely friend from work once a week, and, after having a fantastic bicycle ride with my brother on the weekend, have decided that it should be a weekly affair as well. 

On the food front, things have been delicious, nutritious and inexpensive, so we're doing well there too! And, the inexpensive part means that I was able to pick these up, guilt-free:

Vera Wang perfection! I also have the same shoe in flesh pink:

Delish, no?

And, when paired with my new bright pencil skirts (which look awesome on my newly healthified bod!) either pair look simply divine!

They also look fabulous with stovepipe jeans.

In other news, I think there's a gremlin in my basement... I'm missing three different boots, and one pair of heels. He's probably responsible for all the holes in my tights, too. Curses.

Happy Love Day!

It's Valentine's Day, which generally goes one of two ways for girls. Either, they're all sunshine and lollipops and spend the day receiving flowers, candy and love while gushing about how awesome their boyfriend/husband/lover/sugar daddy is, only to run off to a candlelit dinner and an evening of maribou, silk and lace-coated sport. Or, they're elbow-deep in a vat of ice-cream (probably chocolate-chip cookie dough), with a half-empty box of tissues within grabbing distance, while mushy romantic movies play at volumes loud enough to drown out the sobs and sniffles that punctuate thoughts of how completely terrible it is to be single on Valentine's Day (everyone else has a boyfriend, and I'm pretty right?).

Am I wrong?

Now, I'm a single girl, have been for nearly a year now, and I still love Valentine's Day. It's about love, but that doesn't mean it has to be about romantic love. Love your friends, love your family, love your self! (What an often forgotten concept in our society, oh my!) Go out and do something fun for yourself, with some people you love!

I was meant to go to a play with my mum, but, due to unforseen circumstances, it looks like my evening will be free instead, and I'm going to get some well deserved "me time" and build my new shoe rack (photographic evidence will be provided once everything is together).

And, because I'm not going to be receiving any flowers today, I decided to wear some on my feet! These are Madden Girl beauties from Spring 2011 that I bought in New York (of course) in May! They came from Filene's Basement, which was a great place for bargains, but I've just found out has gone bankrupt!! Too many great deals!

Also, I was given a shoe-a-day calendar by a former colleague of mine, and the page from today was pretty adorable! It's a chocolate shoe!

I want two, one to eat and one to look at!

Born to SHOP!

From the time I was born, my Mum and Grandma taught me well. So, no one was all that surprised when my first spoken sentence was "Shop 'til you drop!" (though it was pronounced more like "Shop-a-drop!"), a sentence I, no doubt, said with great gusto, and a manta that I've kept pretty true to for most of my life.

I come from a long line of shopaholics, and, but for a brief spell where I was having trouble handling my finances, I can say that I am proud to follow in the family tradition! My father, on the other hand, doesn't get it. Maybe it's a feminine legacy. 

So, with all that in mind, it's only to be expected that a quick road trip across the border for groceries and a few basics would turn into a quest for fashion. That's not to say I walked into the first store, blacked out and came to surrounded by shopping bags and couture. I am very responsible with my money, but sometimes a girl needs a treat... or five. 

Needless to say, there were shoes in there. Here are my new darlings:

They're another stroke of genius from Candie's, and hit on a bunch of delicious trends all at once. 

If we look to Christian Louboutin's Spring/Summer 2012 collection for inspiration, there are some great examples of all the trends that these little darlings embody:

Satin. It's been on all sorts of feet. Natalie Portman, Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham, to name a few. Charlotte Olympia, Manolo Blahnik, Sergio Rossi, Vera Wang and Jimmy Choo did them, amongst others. Satin is hot for Spring this year.

This one should come as no surprise, after all the fuss I've been making about colourblocking in the last few weeks. Mixing a shoe like this with a bright coloured pencil skirt (I picked up three last night) is a great way to wear colourblocking without it being too overwhelming. You don't have to look like a you drive a Delorian to pull it off, either. Modern shapes are key here.

Then, we have the best part, the embellished heel. Glitter and crystals are so much fun in Spring because you can utilise all the extra sunshine to put a little sparkle in your step. There's nothing quite like walking down the street and wanting to bust out a few moves, and it would only be fitting to do so when your heels look like disco balls. 

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!

Fresh start.

Well, it's the beginning of another year, and what do we have to show for it? An expanded shoe wardrobe, of course!

Hopefully, a little more wisdom and some stories, as well.

It's been an eventful year for this shoe-anista! There were trips to New York, Las Vegas, New Orleans, then back to New York less than a week after touching ground again. There were birthday parties, and themed parties, and lots of memorable moments. And, of course, shoes to go with each.

This past week has been spent relaxing at my parents' house, in the sleepy little town of Gibsons, where my mum runs a successful clothing store, SWISH (check it out on facebook here), which facilitates all the trips to New York, as I am her assistant buyer. I'm also taking on another project, working on her facebook page and writing a style blog for SWISH as well.


All this relaxing means that I've spent most of my time in these:





These are my delicious pink slippers, a Christmas gift from years gone by, and the only suitable footwear for lounging around while watching horror films with your dad. While wearing charming pyjamas, and maybe a touch of blush and mascara. You never know when you'll be hosting unexpected houseguests.


I've worked a few days for my mum at SWISH, as it afforded us the perfect time to spend some quality time together, and it let me shop the leftovers of the season, and get a few good deals (hooray for family discount!!), including these little Candie's numbers:



I'm so excited to break these bad boys in! And, to save my poor toes, I bought about a thousand sets of gel toe cushions from the dollar store in town... Amazing, that I got them for 1$ a set, when the drugstore was going to charge me 7$ for the name brand ones...


Now, because it is the beginning of the year, I'm also going to be spending a lot more time in these:



Because, really, no list of New Year's resolutions is complete without a promise to one's self to get healthier and fitter. With so many sheath dresses in stores right now, a girl simply must be in tip-top shape to rock the look. Shoe shopping counts as cardio, right?

Happy New Year!

Nothing bad can happen in Birmingham!

Alright, so I'm back, for reals, I promise!!

Ok, well, I'm going to try. It's really quite tricky to keep up when you're so busy!!

Anyways, when I say back, I mean two things... Back in the blogosphere, and back at home!

You see, my counterpart, D, and I just returned from Birmingham, Alabama!! We had gone for our friend Jimi King's album release, and there were good times had by ALL! And, of course, excellent footwear ;)!

Ok, so quick side-note here: I am notorious for wearing the worst and most inconvenient footwear in airports. For some reason, I always end up in laced-to-your-knees boots or 20,000-strapped gladiators, and security becomes an incredible task. So, this time, I decided I would be insanely clever, and ditch my work pumps (the little brown ones I showed you in the summer) for my favourite ugly blue flip-flops!

This was a great idea until I stepped off the plane and realised it was freezing in B'ham.

D had been clever enough to wear Uggs, which, I'm sorry if you love them but, I hate with a firey burning passion. I think they're hideous, and that they look like slippers. (I share the same sentiments about Crocs, but that's a rant for another day.) Unfortunately, (and I think this is karma for wearing them in the first place) they had started to fall apart the moment she stepped out of the house to come and meet me.

So, after checking into the hotel and having a nap, we headed to Target (which was across the street) to get something more suitable. What we found were these:

Now, here's where I become a bit of a hypocrite, because, if you click on the link provided above, you'll notice that these are not shoes, but slippers, which is the precise reason that I hate Uggs so much. But, if you look at these guys, they're so much cuter than Uggs!

Anyways, hate me if you must, I wore them outside, and I liked it! Plus, I don't think I've ever gotten more compliments on a pair of shoes in my life! Wait, I think the general concensus on my Sam Edelman fringeys was a little more exuberant. But not by much!

The other darling shoes that we got on this trip were these:

(Although, I got the black ones and D got the pink... the website won't let me save the black picture. Weird.)

Now these babies are from Wet Seal. This place is a goldmine for going out shoes. D and I have both bought shoes from these guys before, and they are our go-to going out shoes. Mine are wedges and I have had to glue them back together a million times, and D's are stilettos that have been worn so far down the leather on the heel is starting to peel back. This is how amazing these shoes are, and how often we wear them. If you're in the states, go there now.

The other thing that's amazing about Wet Seal is that their shoes are cheap. Like a friggin' steal. These were 12.50$. No, I don't think you understand. Twelve-friggin'-fifty!!!! And they'll last forever. And you'll never have to take them off at midnight because 1 hour of wearing them was plenty thank-you-very-much. My wedges? I've slept in them. Amazing going-out shoes. Amazing.

Anyways, sorry for the stolen photos, my camera hasn't been unloaded from this trip yet. More to come, I promise!

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.

Stepping it up a notch...

So, I thought, since the sun was a-shining, I would step things up a notch (actually, writing this is really giving me a reason to wear more interesting shoes everyday... Now, if only I could bring myself to believe that getting up 15 minutes early so I can do my makeup in the morning is a worthy endeavour...)
Anyways, back to the task at hand. These lil babies are Steve Madden, they're leathah, and they have this cool faux wrap thing going on the toe. I've also had them since high school. In fact, I'm pretty sure I walked out of a Value Village in Victoria wearing them. Oops...

They're actually one of my favourite pairs of shoes, but I always end up wearing them on days when I have to do things you don't really want to be doing in heels. For example, these shoes have climbed a ladder today. They also went to the bank, but I like running errands in a pair of nice heels!

I'd said previously that I decided to wear these guys today cause the sun is shining. I don't know about YOU, but I LOVE to wear crazy bright coloured shoes with a dress of a contrasting (but still complimentary) colour, shake my hair out and run out the door. I think that being coated in bright colours (but please don't wear more than 2 or 3 bright hues, we're not trying to look like a skittles storm here) is one of the best ways to do summer. Extra points for a white sunhat.