shoes

sensible heels

by Lara on February 25, 2011

in fashion

I can’t believe it. I bought sensible heels!

Last Tuesday, while the bf was at the dentist, I went to the nearby DSW and perused. I actually took a pair to the register but the checkout chick was on her cell, never even made eye contact with me and left me standing there like a chump for a few. I hate shit like that. HATE IT! I put them back and left. Like, “take that DSW and your crap service! You’re not getting my money!”

Well, I couldn’t get the damn shoes off my mind and went back today and bought them, only to experience a new wave of horrible service. I actually went looking for the manager only to find that the new horrible was the manager. I’m writing to corporate about this. Seriously. Anyhow, they were still there and I bought them.

They’re Etienne Aigner, always an old-lady brand in my mind, but I love them! The sole is rubbery for getting around, they’re grey suede with wingtip details, and under the holes are subtle sparkles (you can’t see in my bad pic). They looked great with skinnies and a modern slouchy sweatshirt. Only $25 on clearance!

My birthday is coming up and if you don’t already know, my mom is disabled with MS and used to be a shopping maniac. You have no idea. It used to be our favorite pastime – a day of shopping, a movie, lunch, dinner… She’s the most generous person I know and I have to tell her “no” to things constantly but for holidays, she gives me a rough budget (that I never meet) to shop for myself. I grabbed 2 other pairs of sensible summer heeled sandals while I was there. I can’t have these until my b-day.

It still blows my mind that I picked these out but I think I’m wising up to this whole comfortable heel thing. These will be endlessly versatile for a long time to come. Loving the cone heel.

Franco Sarto – Upmost Sandal

I think the thing that bugs me about shorter heels is that they have always kinda seemed old to me… like what an older lady wears when she can’t handle the sky high heels anymore. It was almost like admitting defeat. Well, I can’t handle the sky high heels anymore for days I need to walk a lot either! Maybe I was numbed by booze back in the clubbing days, or it was stubbornness of form over function but a few years ago, I could walk 30 blocks, dance all night and it wouldn’t phase me until the next day, but I was too hungover to care.

I don’t always want to rely on ballet flats, flat sandals, flat boots, or sneakers on the days that require a bit of walking. It always makes me feel more casual than I want to be. I also don’t want to feel like my feet are in a vice and have to hobble to my car and have random aches all over the next day when I wear crazy heels.

So many bloggers are embracing this heel height. I’ve been watching them for years elevating their outfits to being a wee bit more dressed up and I’ve envied that subtle difference. If I see something long enough, it starts to grow on me. Is it maturity? Saturation? I don’t know. I’m ready to be cute and comfortable though!

What are your thoughts?

{ 8 comments }

das boots

by Lara on January 31, 2011

in fashion

Sunday, we went out for tacos and I took the over-the-knee boots for a spin. I am in love with that cardigan I just got from UO  and it went well with the dusty grey of the boots. I used a kilt pin to close it and paired it with a mustard tank.

The sweater is a little hippy with the pockets but whatever. I was feeling cute and comfy. With the suede finish and wedge heel on the boots they’re kinda toned down – not in Pretty Woman territory. I know a lot of women are anti-otk boots but they’re really no big deal. There are probably a ton of flat versions going on sale right now too! Here are mine on crazy sale.

Here are some other otk boots I wouldn’t mind having (click to shop):

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trend forecasting

by Lara on January 26, 2011

in fashion

Sometimes I look at fashion trends and wonder what hasn’t been around for a while because it’s bound to make an appearance again soon. (Crappy thing about getting older and seeing things from your teenhood coming back.)

I thought about old-school canvas jungle boots with the rubber toe caps, best worn in warm weather. They were a cheap and easy punk staple 15 years ago and usually ended up getting covered in studs and patches. They’re impossible to find now. (I think you can order from vintage stock here.) Mark my words they’re going to come back soon. Mark ‘em.

(via)

I don’t know when these were sold at Saks but Converse by John Varvatos made a similar (now unavailable) style and they sold for $295.

Well, guess what? This post has been sitting in my drafts since October and lookie what I just found on Solestruck!!!

$84.95

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jeepers creepers

by Lara on January 20, 2011

in fashion

Well, after lamenting the non-existence of perfect oxfords, I caved and ordered those spectator creepers. They arrived yesterday and fit. (They didn’t sell half-sizes but I was wearing socks.) This morning, I got dressed in my wide-legged trousers and put on my shoes… and felt like an idiot. It’s not the look I was going for.

Yesterday on Dramatic Personae, Ashe did a fun year in review post of her shoe purchases. She pointed out that she was worried a pair of spectator maryjanes her mom had gifted her were “too 90s”. Yup. The creepers just didn’t feel right. The toes were all wrong (I had suspected) and they were just… too much.

Sending em back.

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spectators

by Lara on January 11, 2011

in fashion

Do some things in fashion never really click with you until it’s already feeling overdone and passé?

I never thought I would ever say this but, I want a pair of oxfords. Not the sleek jazz shoe kind with narrow toes (gross) but some with a thicker sole and a rounded toe. A pair with some weight is what I’m looking for… but not creepers… or do I want creepers? Oh geez.

It took looking at the Rochas Pre-Fall 2011 collection to finally get it.

Not the most exciting thing to look at but, those sturdy rounded toe flat shoes peeking out from those wide legged trousers just killed me. This could change my entire world. I could wear these with my wide legged trousers TO WORK!!!

This is when I seriously miss my 3 eyelet Docs. Damn that bitch for borrowing them and never giving them back!

I used to have a pair of spectator oxfords that I wore into the ground. So, after digging… and digging (even in men’s shoes) online I found the pair I want, and they don’t have them in my size anywhere!

Dirty Laundry – Lulu

So, I looked at creepers. I’m debating on these with a 1″ platform but the toe just isn’t doing it for me 100%

And oh my god look at these by Marc Jacobs!

MJ15431 – $542

And so begins another frustrating internet hunt for the perfect shoe I have imagined in my head, in my price range, that doesn’t exist until I’m over it and onto something new.

{ 11 comments }

+ & –

by Lara on December 1, 2010

in + & -

  • Thanksgiving weekend is OVER!!! The bf was gone TG morning until Saturday night. I had to be at my parents’ house on Thursday & Friday anyhow. My dad went hunting, mom and I watched the dog show, and I cooked all day. We all had a quiet dinner together and I went home and decorated my apartment.
  • Color Splash w/ David Bromstad made the cutest wonky trees on HGTV. The bf and I really wanted to make them ourselves but had no idea where to get the huge birch trunks. He drilled holes in the top half of the wood and then snipped off branches from an artificial tree and made his own! He put fuzzy white garland in clumps on the branches to look like snow! They’re so whimsical and Dr. Seuss-ey! This was the best pic I could find.

  • Hello cute and easy Christmas wreath! Click here for the tutorial.

  • I’m almost done with Christmas shopping! The last few things are easy to get online and 2 stores right next to one another at the last minute.
  • Oh. My. God. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Bambi pumps.

  • Our pet Toki the rat passed away on Thanksgiving. The night before, I thought something was wrong with him. He was having trouble lifting his head to drink water and was sleeping by the water bottle, when usually he curls up with his brother Barnaby. On Thursday morning, I checked on him before I left for my parents’ house. I held him and he let me. He was never the cuddly one. He seemed lifeless. I came home that evening and he was curled up dead. He’s now in the freezer until we can properly bury him. I don’t know what happened and there wasn’t much I could do. Rats can live up to 3 years and he was a little over 1 year old. The bf is taking it kinda hard since he never really had pets as a child. I’ve gone through so many, I feel a little disconnected from it all but, it’s still sad of course. I feel bad for Barnaby having to live the rest of his life out alone. We’re spoiling him rotten.
  • I haven’t been able to comment on WordPress blogs for a couple weeks now. No clue what’s going on. I use Firefox and have made sure 3rd party cookies are enabled, logged out and tried to comment etc. When I try to comment the same thing twice, it says that I already said that so… the comments are obviously registering somewhere and disappearing. Anyone know what’s up?
  • This is insane to me: In Entitlement America, The Head Of A Household Of Four Making Minimum Wage Has More Disposable Income Than A Family Making $60,000 A Year

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more boot lust

by Lara on November 9, 2010

in fashion

I just can’t help myself but drool over these two pairs of pricey pricey boots. Sigh.

Oh that color! Balenciaga

Reminiscent of the AW2006 Balenciaga harness ankle boots (and the Sam Edelman Zoe Boot knockoffs) that everyone went mad over. Topshop

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+ & –

by Lara on October 28, 2010

in + & -

  • Oh dear I love these shoes called the Robot by Ruthie Davis for Dennis Basso ss2011!! (via)

  • I finally brought my sewing machine, box and spool holder from my parent’s house! I never thought we had the space here but I made space. My mom kept her machine in a closet and just sewed at the kitchen table when I was kid. That’ll do! I need to be able to work on projects here in the evening or I will go crazy. Sewing is the only craft hobby I’ve stuck with since I was a kid. Now… do I need an adjustable dress form?
  • Hey! If you like edgy fashionable DIY projects, you should be reading Outsapop. Really. Would I wear these feather shoulder epaulettes? Hell yes I would!

Dmetal

  • Soooo Marie Claire posted an article about how people feel uncomfortable watching overweight people on TV kissing or whatever. It got a bit cruel, garnered a TON of pissed off comments and media attention, and the author had to update and apologize (weakly). There has been a lot of fat-acceptance talk on the blogs lately and I think it’s great. NO, it’s not great to be unhealthy but it is great to not hate yourself because of how you look. I think some of the anti-fat-acceptance comments have been missing this point. It’s not “Yay fat! I love fat! Let’s all love fat!” It’s about still being strong and confident when you’ve put on some poundage. Appearance and self-worth are two completely different things that a lot of people get confused in darker moments, including myself. Something about morbid obesity that makes me incredibly sad though: Every morning when I commute like clockwork, I see a very large woman with a few small children about to cross 4 lanes of traffic to get to the school bus stop. The children dart across the road and she has a terrible time keeping up with them. I think about how she probably can’t play with her children as much as they would like, and how tired she must feel all the time. Growing up with a disabled parent, I can empathize with the kids.

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field boots

by Lara on September 29, 2010

in fashion

Well, I’ve found that the term “riding boot” is getting thrown around a lot right now, even by me.

Traditional dress riding boots are sleek and plain. FIELD boots are the style I’ve been looking for. They sometimes have buckles and toe caps. Because of the lacing at the front, they offer more flexibility and are used for jumping sports… not that I’ll be getting on a horse any time soon.

I had completely fallen in love with this pair by Vince Camuto but I don’t believe they are adjustable. They’re selling for almost $200.

There are also these Miz Mooz boots with a size zip for $185.

Then on eBay, I found these authentic Stallion field boots by Hispar. SWOON! They’re fully adjustable and come in multiple calf sizes. (Hispar’s size guide) These are the real deal and they’re selling for about $220. Check out the construction!!

I won’t be getting any right now but I like knowing what’s out there and what I should be looking for.

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taking a chance on used shoes + Fall boots

by Lara on September 3, 2010

in fashion

This post has been over a month in the making. First, the eBay sellers were on vacation so I didn’t get the boots for weeks after I paid for them then, my cobbler went on vacation and I had to wait weeks to get them fixed.

You know I’ve been dying for some brown leather boots. Well I got outbid about 5 times on a pair on eBay and ultimately reached my limit for a pair of used boots. I also had my eye on this horribly beat up pair of buy-it-now Kenneth Coles for about a week. No one was biting because they looked like crap. I decided to take a chance for $20 because they have a great worn-in vintage feel and the repairs they needed weren’t above what I was willing to pay my awesome shoe repair man. He’s re-heeled and re-soled a bunch of shoes for me already so I knew this was doable. The leather needed to be cleaned and conditioned plus new heel caps and treads were put on. Here are the scary before pics:

My bf thinks it’s gross to buy used shoes but women buy vintage and used stuff all the time. Of course, you can launder clothing so I understand shoes being a little weird for some. A lot of funk goes on in shoes. I used to buy vintage mary janes during my Courtney Love grunge phase all the time. (God, I wish I still had them!) I thoroughly de-germed the insides with Lysol and aired them out in the sun for a day, with salt inside. I also added new insoles. $55 total later, here are my lovely new-ish boots!

And here are the rest of my Fall boot steals:

Thanks to Poochie, I was alerted to these steals at Charlotte Russe. They’re not leather (all the better for bad weather) and were discounted to $20!! The laces are a bit too thick and too long so, I’m getting some different ones.

I also scored these Blowfish Hichi ankle boots at DSW for $10 after finding them on the clearance rack and using an almost expired coupon. They are the most comfortable things in the world!

I’m not getting these grey over-the-knee wedge boots until x-mas, as they will be a gift from my mom. I had to order them ASAP since I knew they would sell out fast. 2 days after they went online, mine were already on back-order. Other than not being real suede, at $46 they’re a dream. GREY! Considering my wardrobe has a ton of black in it, grey is a softer addition and goes with everything. They have a comfortable rubbery wedge heel and lug sole for really getting around. I also picked up some camel skinny pants so those, these and cozy sweaters will be my uniform this winter. I don’t know if I can stand waiting until Christmas!

There! Fall/Winter boot search is done! (I still want some riding boots without laces… but they will have to be a serious deal as well or a serious investment that may just have to wait until next year. I’m just about shopped out!

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