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! 

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...

Hurricane Shopping

I've returned, once again, from New York. Ah, New York, shopping mecca of North America, fountain of life for my sizeable closet! My second home.

It was, as always, a whirlwind trip, a hurricane of retail insanity, if you will (too soon?).

And, of course, there were shoes.

The plane ride was spent doing some much needed research in InStyle, and I have a few quick gems to share (pick up the issue if you have a chance, there's some good stuff in there, footwear and otherwise!) before I get on with my stories!

Just a couple of cute things!

After a good nap and some page flipping, we had arrived! Then it was off to the hotel, then straight out to shop. And we didn't stop for three days.

At one point during this spree, my mum spied these in the window of New York Look:

Naturally, we popped in for a closer look. And, that was when I found something glorious!

Beautiful, no? Ok, I admit it, I was afraid to look at the price tag. The floral booties were $218, these had to be around $500, right? Wrong! They were $96! That's just all sorts of right. And, my amazing mummy offered to purchase them as an early Christmas present!

So, the only possible outcome was:

Floral booties for mum, and purple tweed for me! How divine!

Of course, I picked up a few more pair through the rest of the trip, but I'm not going to give the whole game away just yet.

Although, to my previous point about tuxedo slippers and androgyny, I did pick of these pals:

Blue, tassels, tuxedo? How can you go wrong!

And, I tried on the closet thing I'll ever wear to tacky New York tourist souvenirs:

Which I think are actually rather adorable. Irregular Choice. But then, who else could pull off putting the New York skyline on a pump?

Sadly, Tuesday came all too soon (though I was glad to come home, as I was missing my man and my kitty!) and it was time to pack up and fly away!

I think that that last photo is evidence of just how successful a trip this was! Eight pieces of newly-filled luggage later...

Velvet, my dear chap!

Something that was hugely popularized by Coco Chanel and then by Yves St. Laurent, was the idea of menswear as womenswear. And it's still huge now.

Not going to lie, some of my favourite shoes are feminine takes on men's styles, including floral brogues and patent oxfords:

But, the big one that been coming out this season is the velvet tuxedo slipper! I picked up a pair in navy when I was in New York last, and the luxe look is to die for! They bring all the charm of a gentlemen of a bygone era in his smoking jacket, and still look divine and ladylike with a mini dress and pair of tights, or shorts and a blazer.

Plus, how can you go wrong with studs?

Or a royal purple! Decadent!

Velvet is such a rich fabric, always present for fall and winter, and beautiful in jewel tones. But, typically, it isn't reserved for footwear. No more! The snuggly velvet will keep your toes warm on those bitter November days, and you'll look like royalty (or at least silverscreen nobility) doing it.

What Mikal made (Or: my new slippers)

Something delightful has happened!

If you remember, back in July, I had reposted an entry from my friend, Mikal's, blog, in which she had made some adorable little knitted bootie slippers.

We had gone for tea a little while after that, and she had offered to make me a pair. I was happy to graciously accept her offer, and we didn't really speak of it again for a long while.

As I've been insanely busy with New York trips and a major undertaking of closet organization and clutter purging, I hadn't seen my dear Mikal in a few months, and, as we hadn't spoke about it, and she's getting really close to her due date (she and her husband are expecting their first child at the end of November), I assumed that she'd forgotten about my booties, and continued on with my life.

But, I was wrong! We finally managed to get together for tea once again, she presented me with these beauties!

They're so comfy, and perfect for wearing inside my raccoon slippers when it gets really chilly at night. Plus, I've slept in them a few times, and the ties make sure they stay on my feet. The few times a year I sleep in socks, I end up finding them in the bottom of my duvet or on the floor in the morning. 

Thank you so much Miss Mikal! I love them! 

And, again, if you want to check out her blog, it's here. It's a great spot if you're looking for a project! 

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!

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!!