This little piggie went to market...

Let's talk about toes.

Part of wearing pretty open-toed shoes is having pretty toes, the basis of which is having a nice pedicure, regularly upkept, if possible.

Trends in pedicures (and manicures) are pretty similiar to those in fashion. This summer, there are lots of brights, metallics and a bit of a throwback to the 80's.

One of my favourite trends is doing an accent nail. This is where you paint all of your nails one colour, and then do one or two toes in a contrasting colour.

These are my toes (before Vegas turned them into the mess you saw yesterday):

Hot pink, with a black accent toe on either foot. I think they make my feet look a little like watermelons.

Another trend I keep seeing on fingers and toes is doing an ombre effect, starting with a dark colour, and then using a lighter shade of the same on each subsequent digit. It looks a little something like this:

(No, that's not my foot.)

And, I had to include this photo, because I think this palette looks beautiful, and I love dark polish for summer:

It's not a foot, but you get the idea.

Buttons and bows

I'm back, resettled and busy as heck. My apologies for not posting much in the recent weeks, I've been battling the most terrible cold, and needed to lay low for a little while.

But, my health has returned, I'm in fighting form, and ready to go!

The 1920's obsession rages ever onwards, and, as the weather here in not-so-balmy Vancouver has been pretty chilly as of late, I've been pulling out some of my favourite fall boots, which have flavours of the early 20's, namely: buttons, lacing, and curved heels.

The first pair came from Vegas. They have military-inspired buttons, and look fabulously classic with a pencil skirt and some tights. I have a great cobalt blue skirt that looks divine with them! To be honest, the buttoned-boot look is really more of a look from La Belle Epoque, which was ending around 1920, but there's always a little crossover in fashion, and I still feel that these serve my purpose. Everything's open to a little interpretation, no?

The second pair are from the vaults. They're vintage (read: 5 years old) Steve Maddens that I bought myself as an aid to get over a breakup. And they served me well! I like that the wider grommetts make them a little modern, and the toe-shape on both aren't really true to period, as most shoes from the early 20s were pointier. Either way, they're delish!

To give you an idea of the look we're going for, here's a few examples of the real thing:

As you can see, the toes are a little pointier and the grommetts are much more delicate, not to mention those prices... Damn, if only! 

And, these beauties are actually from 1917, but, again, they serve the purpose. I really like the contrast of colours here. If someone did a reproduction in brights, I think they would be beautifully on trend with all the colour-blocking we're seeing for summer. Think cobalt blue and hot pink. Divine, no?



Oh! I forgot to tell you the best bit of news! My good friend, Pierson, is having his birthday party this weekend, and, magically, chose a Speakeasy theme! What a grand excuse to indulge my flapper cravings! I'll report back with all the glorious details!

Gadzooks! (Or: The cat's pajamas)

I warned you. It's flapper time.

After seeing the cast Charleston-ing the night away in Nice Work If You Can Get It, and picking up the most fantastic tights, printed to look like they're stockings with garters, I'm obsessed!

(worn with one of my new Betsey Johnson dresses, divine!)

It also doesn't help that the first thing I saw on my Facebook feed upon arriving home was this:

Trouble!

While I was in New York, I came upon the most darling T-bar shoes, shopping at Strawberry. Unfortunately, the straps on them hit a little funny, so I had to pass up on them, but I'm back on the hunt now, and the second that I find a pair I love, it will be on. It may have to wait until I've paid off my credit cards from New York, though...

In the meantime, the obsession grows. Here's a little history lesson to show you what we're going for here:

These are all shoes from the 1920's, and we can gather the basic elements pretty quickly. They all have straps across the foot (I'm sticking with the T-bar for the sake of this exercise) and a wider, mid-height heel. A lot of designers have done sky-high versions of the same, but I think the mid-heel works best, and looks more authentic.

Now, I've done a little sourcing (of course) and here's what I've found thus far.

These are by Monsoon, and are essentially exactly what I'm looking for. The issue is that I found them on Polyvore, but when I went to the Monsoon website, they were no where to be found... Back to the drawing board.

Then I found these little numbers. They're by Office (apparently the UK has the right idea), and are adorable in mint green! How cute with a complimenting minidress and those garter tights?

And, of course, if we're shopping London, we have to check out Vivienne Westwood! The queen of British fashion, no pun intended! (The crown is her signature symbol, and she has been known to make fun of the monarchy,) These demure little beauties would be perfect with knee socks and short shorts, no?

 Finally, I found a pair that were no longer available from Samanta. It's a shame, because this orange is very hip right now... I'm wearing a dress the same colour as I type this.

Now! To learn how to Charleston!

The Return Triumphant!

I'm back! So sad to leave New York, but I'm headed back for 10 days in September, so now it's just another countdown. And the only emotion that can stir up is excitement!

It was another whirlwind trip, but definitely a success! There was only one hiccough... about 20 minutes after dropping off our luggage at the hotel, my mum took a spill due to some uneven pavement and a subway grate. She tore up her knee pretty bad, and pulled a muscle in her shoulder. We got her bandaged up really well, and put her arm in a sling, but she was pretty sore for the rest of the trip.

Although, with the amount of walking we do in New York (not to mention the weight of the shopping bags we lug about) all my muscles were pretty sore, too.

We saw some shows, Nice Work If You Can Get It (starring Matthew Broderick, who was divine), and Harvey (starring Jim Parsons, who was also fabulous), and the former has sparked a new obsession with flapper-chic for me. Expect to see lots of garter-stockings and t-bar shoes. It's coming.

Of course, we did mass amounts of shopping, and visited all our wholesalers for my mum's store. We also paid a visit to Betsey Johnson, at the devastating news that she's going under, and I picked up a few dresses (25% off, yes please!)

And, it goes without saying, we picked up a bunch of pairs of sweet shoes! One of which I'm wearing today:

Little spectators, how adorable! Chanel inspired, and the perfect neutral shoe for all the bright colours and beautiful patterns I picked up! These babies are from Forever 21, but the one in Times Square, which is way better than the silliness they have at home.
We also went to the Met to see Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, which was a brilliant exhibition that compared and contrasted the two designers. If you have a chance to be in New York before August 19th, go see it, it was fantastic! I bought the book.

The last night was spent packing, of course. We actually wound up having to buy two extra bags to get everything to fit:

This is the pile before we packed the last few bags away. Excessive? Never!

It became necessary to discard all the packing materials, tags, bags, and wrappers in order to get it all in... I'll admit, it felt a little wasteful to be throwing away so much plastic. Next time, we'll bring reusable shopping bags!

Ridiculous, no? And that doesn't even include any shoe boxes, we leave all of those at the stores! I hope they recycle...

We also bought hats, and, to avoid either of mine getting crushed, I had to wear them both on the plane. My mum thought this was simply hysterical, and kept telling me that this was how fashion trends come about. I beg to differ, but for your viewing pleasure:

Silly, no?

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.



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. 

Here comes the rain, little darling!

Ahhh, the rain has finally come. All the snow is gone, and I had the pleasure of sloshing through puddles all the way back from work yesterday, as seen below:

You can even seen the shadow of my umbrella! It was a rainy, windy day but I had a blast walking from my office to downtown Vancouver before heading home. It was lovely, as long as you don't mind getting a little wet.

My mum has been sending me photos again from New York, and this is her latest find:

Ankle socks with sandals. There were also a bunch of knee socks flying around with open toes. I think that that the ankle socks work best with a sandal that has some weight, on the heel, as well as something with less delicate straps like this shoe, and I love the way the off-white socks compliment the neutral tones in the shoe.

I find that the knee socks tend to be a more winter look, so it's easier to do the blacks and jewel tones, but it's also a good way to keep with the colour blocking and work with some brights!

Try it out and take a photo! I'd love to see what you've got on your feet!

Flightless and grounded.

I've been getting text messages from my mum all day.

She's in New York.

I'm not.

This seems wrong.

New York is honestly my home-away-from-home (but only until I can scheme my way into getting an apartment and a green card...) and I haven't been since September. Again, this seems wrong.

Sometimes, having a day job is just so inconvenient.

But, I'm able to live vicariously through the photos she's been sending me of things she's seen, or things she'd like to buy for her store, so at least I can close my eyes and pretend I'm there too.

For example:

My credit card is happy that I'm not in New York.

Because, really, who could say no to these little beauties? And, I'm sure they have a few colours... I might need them all.

To be honest, colour blocking is everywhere right now. It was all over the Fall 2011 runways, and they're here to stay for Spring 2012. I especially love these from B Brian Atwood (who I'm loving more and more every season... damn!)

They're like a flamingo swimming in a Mondrian. Love, love, love!!