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?

Summer? (Or: The return of the indestructible blue flip-flops)

I feel like I've been neglecting you, which is inexcusable.

It's been a very busy few weeks, not that that's an excuse!

For one, summer appears to have shown up. It's a little odd... And, with summer, comes summer-mode, a rather terrifying state of mind that I go into when the weather gets nice. Think lots of high-heels, tight skirts and wine. On a merry-go-round. Now, you've about got it. A bit of a whirlwind, no pun intended.
Essentially, my weekend warrior setting has kicked into overdrive, and, it's hard to slow down.

But! That being said, I've been shopping. In fact, I plan to do much, much, much more shopping, as I will be on a plane to New York in just over a week. And, last May, I came back with 15 new pairs. Let's see if we can break that record...

Anyways, back to the present! The sun has been trying to shine the last few weeks, and is slowing gaining ground over the rainclouds! This means one thing: it's time to bring out the indestructible blue flip-flops. If you don't know the ones I'm talking about, let me jog your memory here.

I've also picked up a few new pairs of beauties since we last spoke, one of which I'm wearing today.

It's going to be a beautifully bright summer, people! I love that I can wear these with most anything (I'm in a blue sundress above the patent leggings) and they add the perfect pop of delicious colour that just makes you feel like you're walking on sunshine! Plus, the cork makes them a great day shoe, and the wedges mean you could wear them to the beach and not sink into the sand.

They're much prettier than my ugly blue flip-flops, but sometimes, you can't beat the feel of hideous foam against your toes!

I have a summertime resolution (as we all know I like to make these things at odd times of the year) to keep up my toenail polish, so expect some cool colours in photos to come!

I'd love to see your toes! Please send me photos of what's on your feet, and I'll happily feature them!

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.

Who says you can't wear closed-toes in the summer?

Ok, so it's summer. That we all know.

I've been pretty much living in my flippy-floppies all summer (you know the ones... they're bluueee) but today I opted to go a little classier.

I'm going camping tomorrow with my partner in crime Miss Dominique, and we all know that you can't wear classy heels at the lake. At the VERY most, you can get away with wearing wedges... but even then... it's CAMPING, you crazy shoe-anistas!

Anyways, these are Payless Shoes. They were cheap, I won't lie. I bought them when I was just starting doing officework and I still believed in work-appropriate clothing (very much a thing of the past, I'm in shorts and a t-shirt right now, but believe me, I'm still smashing).

I used to hate Payless Shoes with a fiery burning passion because I thought they were cheaply made, and therefore:
a) uncomfortable; and
b) going to fall apart at any moment.

Payless was my store of choice when I was in high school and it was incredibly important to purchase 18 pairs of shoes for less than 100$ cause I was working in a grocery store for minimum wage and a shopaholic.

Anyways, I love these. they're pseudo-spectators with the suede and patent patches, and they're actually comfy and durable as all hell. Enjoy!

PS Like I said, I'm going camping, so I won't be posting for a few days for sure... Have a grand weekend!

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.