Back in the real world...

Or is it? Maybe the real world is New York. Or at least I would sometimes like to think so.

Sometimes.

This trip was, of course, a whirlwind of fabulousness! After the typical few days of working and shopping for the store (and me, of course!), we had one day left where the clouds gave way and the sunshine shone down while we wandered Bleeker Street and down through Little Italy. Sublime.

There was, of course, new shoe purchases and some drooling over designer beauties, but I'll save some stories for another day.

The only real disappointment was that, while gazing at the windows at Bergdorf's, I saw that Manolo Blahnik would be in the store to present his collection. Two days after we left.

Woe!

 Ah well, another time.

Gone shopping, back soon!

I've gone to the motherland.

Back on Sunday.

(Source: http://www.thisisglamorous.com/2012/08/take-me-away-34-city-guide-4-new-york.html)

 

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...

Leaving on a jet plane...

Heading to New York again tomorrow.... Stories to follow!

Monkey feet (or: the lesser of two evils)

New York story the first: the monkey feet.

As I told you, my mum had been having trouble with her orthotics, and was wearing them in a pair of those Sketchers Shape-Ups (which are pretty much the reason she fell last trip, the soles of those things can be precarious...). She was suffering from cruel and unusual punishment, walking on them 10-12 hours daily, and had had enough.

So, while I was shopping for snuggly sweaters for my man, she snuck into the shoe section and attempted to find something sensible (read: comfy, but inevitably ugly as hell). She found a pair of really awful fleece-lined clogs, a pair of less awful pseudo-Mary Janes in tan leather, and a pair of horrific Fila toe-shoes in baby blue.

Thankfully, the clogs for vetoed, the toe-shoes didn't fit and the Mary Janes made the cut. They worked spendidly... until the next day, when the blisters kicked in.

Slightly enamoured with the toe-shoes (which I had not-so-lovingly dubbed "monkey feet"), she struck out in search of a pair that did fit, and we found them, in Soho. Adidas, this time, which I suppose is a little better...

 

Once we had located the things, we went through a very round-about process of men's sizes masquerading as women's sizes and finally, my mum found the ones that fit her tootsies...

 

And, her feet breathed a sigh of relief, while I promised that I "wouldn't not be seen with her" while she was wearing them.

 

I tried them on, too, a purely academic exercise. I'm not above doing unpleasant research to please my readers.  

 

Verdict? They're weird. I used to wear toe-socks when I was about 12, and these were a lot like those, but more sturdy. I won't be rushing out to buy them anytime soon, but my mum swears they were the most comfy thing she's ever put on her feet. So, there you go... If you're going camping, marathon walking, or need to walk several miles everyday on pavement, these may be for you.

I would most likely hate them less if they were black, or some less-conspicuous colour...

I guess these aren't so offensive... No, forget it, I hate them.

Also, my absolute worst nightmare embodied in footwear was realised during this trip. We were shopping in the massive dollar store, and stumbled upon these:

Not only are they monkey feet, but they're Crocs. Worse, they're foam Crocs from a dollar store. I shudder just looking at them.

One day in the very near future, I will write a post (read:rant) detailing exactly why I despise Crocs (and their wintertime partners-in-fashion-crime, Uggs), but for now, let me just say this: they should be outlawed.

The only redeeming quality about these is that they're childrenswear. Children can get away with wearing the most horrific things and they're still cute. I will admit there was one day where I put on a plaid dress and a pair of bright polka-dot socks, thinking they went together because they were both patterned. Give me a break, I was three.

Not quite like this, but I'll go with it. Think smaller, louder, and more multi-coloured.

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!

Always practice safe... shoe?

Now that sex ed is starting to open up past abstinence a little (no pun intended), and condoms are passed out by the bucketful at every free clinic, no one has any excuse not to know that safe sex is a must. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to YouTube right now, and search Sue Johanson. She'll teach you everything you need to know.

Any lady who makes friends with hookers and has what it takes to do that on stage, is a friend of mine. She also happens to be a speaker for the agency I work for. Check her out here.

So, now that you all have pocketfuls of condoms and pamphlets, I would like to show you a very different kind of condom, Heel Condoms!

I came upon these gems when I was in New York with my mum in May. They actually come in two styles, condoms and panties (is it wrong that I love the shock value of being able to tell that girl that fawns over your feet that they're "condoms"?).

This is a condom:

They slip over the heel of your shoe, and turn a pair of plain blue stilettos into a masterpiece. These are my favourites, with the feather, but there are lots of different styles. Check them out here.

There are also "panties" and they look like this:

These don't cover the heel, just the back of the shoe. You can check them out here.

Shoe accesories are underrated, in my books. There's plenty to be said for buying statement shoes, but, if you think back to my post about a basic shoe wardrobe, think of the possibilites of expanding those basics with a few accesories.

Especially if you're not in the financial market to buy 1,000 pairs of Louboutins, it's much easier to make a statement or ten with a pair of black heels, a pair of bright heels and a few sets of these.

Plus, if you're a jet setter like I am, this makes your packing much lighter, and your wardrobe much more diverse. I'll be headed to New York again a week from Saturday for Fashion's Night Out, and now I can use the same pair of patent black heels for dinner before a Broadway show and to go drink champagne and rub elbows with Oscar de la Renta (last year I had the pleasure of listening to him sing with a band in his boutique while standing next to Barbara Walters. Literally, rubbing elbows with the elite).

And, retailing for around $50.00 each, it's a small price to pay for fabulousness.

I'll be sporting these babies for sure:

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.

Bright lights, Vegas city!

Hello, my darlings, my dears!

As you know, I've recently been to one my of my favourite cities of all time, Las Vegas. My recent post regarding school and getting out of Dodge sums up pretty well how much I adore Vegas.

And, really, it's hard not to. My partner-in-crime, Dominique, and I managed to disappear from real life for a week to relax in the sun, drink plenty of cocktails, lounge by the pool, dance the night away, every night, and meet some lovely new people.

The best part? In 24 days, I'll be back again. And, I've registered for school, probably to apply for Fall 2013. But, don't worry, I won't leave you all behind!

Ok, back to the important things: Shoes!

Katy, you may ask, when you pack for a trip to Vegas, what shoes would you bring?

Well! Let me tell you!

As you've already packed your indestrucible flip-flops and your Rollasoles, the next thing you're going to need is something cute to wear during the day. My suggestion is a pair of espadrilles. They're comfy, and will look sweet and casual with whatever you wear. I just picked up a pair almost identical to these beauties in nautical stripes:

The low wedge means that you'll be able to walk on it for hours, and the slight platform will save your toes. Plus the natural fibres will let your feet breathe, so you're not going to sweat until they slip right off. But, just in case you do, the ankle ties will keep them in place!

They're also good to wear to the pool with your bikini and a giant sunhat, though I wil admit, I prefer to wear my indestructible flip-flops to the pool, to keep the chlorine off my more damageable shoes.

Now, in case you're planning to walk long distances up and down the strip to explore, you may want something a little flatter. There are plenty of beautiful embellished sandals around this summer, continuing with the trend we've been seeing the last few years.

Try to stick with light or bright colours for day, they'll be cooler, and will look breezy and light while you're strolling the strip. Check out these from DNA Footwear (I've linked the photos, for your shopping convenience!).

Now, we've got day covered, it's time to get to the best stuff! Whether you'll be dancing all night, wandering the casinos, or hitting up a show, it's important to look fabulous! And, what better way to attract the attention of that super cute guy playing at the high roller table than by strutting your stuff!

Remembering that you have limited space in your suitcase, (I had to cram a week's worth of dresses into a duffle bag, it was madness!) you won't be able to bring a lot of evening shoes, so we'll keep it to two pair. Bring a pair of black heels that will go with everything, and one pair of statement shoes that will go easily with a little black dress.

Don't forget, just because they're black doesn't mean they have to be boring. Look for something with some visual interest. The idea is that you can wear them with anything you've packed, but you are in Vegas, after all, it's the city of over the top, so have fun! I love these from Cascadei:

They're perfectly on trend with the embellished heel, have a little sparkle, and will go with just about anything but gold lamé. Actually, on second though, rock that gold lamé number, mixing metallics is totally fun!

Time for statement shoes. You'l probably only wear them once during your trip, but you'll be shining like the star you are when you do! There are no rules here, choose something bright, something sparkly, strappy, pink, blue, green, yellow, the sky's the limit. Try to mix several trends together, the only requirement is that they're show-stopping! Keep the outfit a little tamer so you don't look like a fashion victim, rather than a sleek style assasin, but go crazy! Here are some that I'm lusting after:

 Louboutin (of course!)

Pierre Hardy

Kurt Geiger

Enjoy!

Indecision...

Is it insane to want to move to Vegas? I'm seriously considering it.

Think: beautiful shoes, beautiful people, beautiful weather. Sounds all perfect, does it not?

Truth be told, I just got back. Two days ago. And, last night, I booked another trip and I'm dying to go back. 

There's something truly intoxicating about the lights, the air, the people, the energy. It's like crack to my soul.

Now that I think about it... That might be dangerous. But, I'm just so happy when I'm there. It's delicious. It's bliss. 

And it doesn't even bother me that I spent most of my time in my indestructible blue flip-flops. 

Not to mention that I haven't been able to sleep since I got back, and I keep having nightmares about my room here. Seems like a sign to me, no?

Who knows... 

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?

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!