twinkle toes

maybe it's the holiday season - don't really know - but i seem to have sparkly things on the brain...  i've learned to just give in when these things happen, and roll with it.  the last few days (not shockingly) the mind has been locked firmly on footwear.  ah yes, the shoe.... and it's a fancy time of year, so why not wear a fancy type of shoe?  it's pretty much scientific logic really...  hardly a surprise, i'm drawn immediately to the blue Louboutins winking their twinkling eyes at me from Barneys...  damn my heart and its desires for the finer things!!!  but how happy would my feet be in these babies???   in a much less shocking to the system realm, these little golden Badgley Mischka darlings at Piperlime are doing their best to seduce me...  even a day as dreary as today is outside can be brightened up if you just look in the right direction - ie down at your twinkly toes!

the olden days

for once i don't mean the Elizabethan era (with which i am so firmly fixated...)  these days of yore of which i speak are the early naughties.  (the 00's if you will)  the days when we were all in love with Sex and the City.  there are a few episodes that are burned into my memory, but one in particular. . i was single at the time - while pretty much every single one of my friends was coupling up and marrying. in said episode, Carrie wondered why SHE couldn't register as a single girl.  for shoes.  it seemed to me like a perfectly sensible, bordering on brilliant idea that no one had come up with up to that point.   now that i am about to take the leap into actually having to register as a bride - i can't come up with much that i want.  stuff you want/need but can't necessarily afford... that's what the concept is behind it, oui?  well, we have plates and all that stuff.  i'm sure as sugar not going to be serving on fine bone china and crystal any time soon.... you know what i DO want??????  these shoes.  sigh.  i guess the Carrie Bradshaw in me is trying to stake her claim...  my fiance wants a huge tv.   old habits die hard, i suppose...  i still think the idea was pretty super fantastic.

imagine

after reading the (enormous) September issue of Vogue, i have decided to spend all day living in the imaginary world where i can acquire the things i desire from said pages.  i won't bore you with the list.  but let's just say that this pair of Christian Louboutin boots knocked me over the head and dragged me into their cave.  OH.   MY.  GOD.   completely impractical, and teetering on the almost too sexy line... but none of that matters because today is all about fantasizing.  aim high as these heels dolls!

shop and awe

summer is here, at last.  and because of the crazed timelines of the fashion industry, sales on summer merchandise are already beginning.  no complaints on that!  in the past i've wandered sales simply for the fun of it - and lord knows i've come away with some doozers.  some of my absolute fave closet dwellers were scored that way.  i won't stop the aimless wander - i just enjoy it - BUT i've decided that perhaps it's time to also incorporate some military precision strike tactics as well.   i can't claim all the credit on this idea.  wandering around aimlessly this weekend, enjoying the glorious heat and sun, bf and i did the drill, stop for an iced coffee here, pop into a newly opened chocolate shop there, and of course me being me, a few boutiques and shops.  (where, over the course of the weekend, i was treated to SEVERAL goodies to add to the summer wardrobe by the man.  love when that happens!)   anyhoo -- in one of said stops, Filene's Basement to be exact, i saw a rack of Missoni merch with a big ol' sign saying "additional 50% off!!"   you won't blame me for getting heart palpitations - right?!!?  i picked up a dress, held it up to me - and bf said "it's marked down extra - but it's still a couple hundred dollars for something you don't really need".   i kind of need to admit that he was spot on.  (if it were a pair of Louboutins, it might be a diff story - that's a collectors item thank you very much)  thus was born my 2010 sale shop concept.

Bergdorf's sale is starting this week. will i go?  YES.  will i buy?  only if it is on my list.  there are a few things i've been pining for - and if they are marked down, they may end up mine.  Barney's sale will be starting soon too - same rules apply.   when the further markdowns are made later in the summer - all bets may be off - but let's just wait and see, shall we?  let's live in the moment.  make a wish list.  keep it on hand - and shop the sales that way.  better to get a discount on something you've been lusting after (jury please see photo exhibit A)  than to end up with a closet full of things you never knew you needed, and therefor will never wear.  i believe in you stylies.  shop like no one's watching - do it like you mean it - but do it right and you'll have a closet full of gems to take you through the rest of your life!

summer dreams

when i graduated college i went on vacation to the south of france.  it is, quite literally, the most beautiful place i've ever been.  it was like being in a Cezanne painting.  i came back with the best tan i have EVER had, and with a lifelong obsession with espadrilles and straw bags.  i had my straw bag for years, until the leather straps got worn to within an inch of their lives. living in the city, it's a bit hard to work the whole espadrille and straw bag thing into the daily wardrobe... but this year there are a number of shoes and bags that are doing their best to urban up the beach staple.  and i'm LOVIN it. 

sale alert quickie

this is not one to sneeze at, if you are of the shoe-obsessed mind frame as myself.  Christian Louboutin shoes are marked down up to 65% theOutnet.   it's definitely worth a looky-lou(boutin)!!

love is in the air

wedding invite... west hollywood... quite the to-do. what to wear? let's go with this, shall we? oh - and add a custom necklace made by a good friend of mine -- keep an eye out for a post on her new online store - coming soon!

i now pronounce myself dressed

a peek inside my head

on a tuesday afternoon.... i'm not on the couch on the 18th floor. my hair is not in a ridiculous pouf pile atop my head (i'm just realizing as i write this that i walked my bf's parents dog with this hair. HOT). there is nothing particularly wrong with the sitcho here... but in my mind, maybe i just got it a little more together today...

let's have a lookie, shall we? ah yes, a cute utility dress from the Gap collection...good place to start. and since it's January, even in my head, a toasty pair of Plush fleece lined leggings (no - i'm not kidding. it's like god turned into a fashion designer) then, perhaps a gorgeous belt from Linea Pelle - probs from the vintage collection. and hey, it's not snowing in my mind, so i'll wear my fave suede booties! toss on a scarf or two from the closet, pile on a bunch of bracelets -- and i'm good to go. to another corner of my mind...

award show 101

it's a bit like a warm up - it lets people get back into practice for award show dressing... (and allows others who are not deemed worthy of big boy and big girl awards to play) i speak, my stylies, of the People's Choice Awards. it's usually a fun watch, and sure it's a fun idea - to have the fans pick the winners... but there are some very un-worthy people in the world these day with fans - so let's not give them tooooo much credit, eh? (yeah i'm talkin to you - Jersey Shore wretches!!)

HANDS DOWN winner -- Dianne Kruger. a gorgeous woman in a Herve Leger dress is a bit hard to not love. but man, did she do it justice. the loose hair - ADORES. jewelry from H&M? more-adore! i know it's ridiculous that i love her even more so because she is dating Pacey/Peter Bishop/Joshua Jackson. but i do. so there. also big ups to cute little Taylor Swift. i'm totes late on her bandwagon - but i can't get enough of this little lady. she is so sweet - and this Jenny Packham dress makes her look amazing. the Louboutin heels help seal the deal by making her legs look 40 miles long.

in the hmmmmmmmm..... category - Katie Cassidy. i have to admit i am a teeny bit obsessed with this girl. part of it is my lingering adolescent fixation with Melrose Place, in its new incarnation. her character rocks. part of it is that she's David Cassidy's daughter. and part of it is that she's flingin flangin GORGEOUS. the hmmm comes in with this dress. first let me say i LOVE the hair, although i'm really not sure it works with this dress... just a bit too much goin on all over the shoulder-y vicinity. second - the dress by Talbot Runhof. when she is turned sideways like this, i kind of dig it... full frontal - not so much. it's like two dresses met up and had an illicit affair that created a confused bastard child dress. so i'm left a bit bewildered.

and then there's Jessica. oh Miss Alba. you are so pretty. you could probably wear a potato sack and look good. i wish you had. in addition to the fact that you need to eat several cheeseburgers, because we do not want to see your skeleton from the outside, this dress is taking away from your pretty. i love your pretty. but looking at this i think "holy hip hell!" and "hey wait - don't bend over or lift your arms!". on the plus side - LOVING your Burberry Prorsum shoes.

phew. ok - that's enough for now. for more pictorial delights visit the People's Choice site. and then set your style radars for the Golden Globe/SAG/Oscar trifecta!!!

holiday party in the nude

even at your office party you can do it! ok - let's clarify shall we? i'm talking about the nude SHOE you dirty little birds.

the nude heel is one of the best tricks in the book. in case you don't have the book - allow me to "flesh it out" for you. (heehee). the gamut of brightly colored, sequined, or otherwise party-rific dresses that are no doubt on your mind at the moment can cause a bit of confusion when it comes to footwear. the best way to go when you're dazzling them up top is to stay basic down below. and basic does NOT have to mean boring. the nude heel is remarkably sexy. it makes your legs look like they go on for miles. obviously the trick is to find a shoe in your general skin tone (and obvs, if you're anywhere but warm, you'll be wearing a nice sheer pair of tights that make your legs look au naturel but better)

i have nude sandals for summer, but recently embraced this idea for winter. going to a birthday dinner for a friend of the family, i broke out the new nudes. i felt long, lean, sexy. and was also complimented on the shoe sitcho by one of the ladies attending, whom i consider to be quite in the loop when it comes to these things.

as with everything in the world of style, you can find a nudie to fit your budget. i love the shape of the Aldo shoe, i'm newly obsessed with Pour la Victoire shoes, and it goes without saying that the Louboutin is the dream shoe... regardless of the dollars spent - you can feel like a million. it's a little trick i highly recommend to balance out the festive frocks you'll be fa-la-la-ing around town in this holiday season!

seeing spots

leopard print comes in and out and in and out of fashion like nothing else. it's having its most recent resurgence at the moment - and i'm close to getting sucked in this time round. it can be found on pretty much every single possible garment a female can wear. from a teeny thong to a full length faux fur coat.

for me personally - i only like my leopard in two locations. short dress jacket, or nestled on my feet. and as it is my greatest obsession - i am focusing on the shoe. ahhhh the shoe. i'm not the biggest fan of the leopard pump, although i freely admit there are may ladies who can fully pull it off. my taste goes to the leopard ankle boot.

of course the creme de la creme is monsieur Christian Louboutin. mais oui! these are the ones we truly lust for, n'est-ce pas? Neiman's, Saks, Barneys... you taunt me with Louboutin imagery! however, if we are feeling less than flush, there are of course other options. having done a bit of scouring of the olde interwebs, i found a couple of less pricey versions. the black bootie with the leopard heel is kind of a less "in your face" version too - if you're feeling a bit shy... Giuseppe Zanotti, and they also happen to be on sale at Piperlime. keep on going you say? ok...a pretty adorable pair of Charles by Charles David at Overstock.com and a cute little number at Nine West go even further down the price scale....

my mind is spinning and i'm seeing spots... but i like it!

sex in my city

this is not one hundred percent about style - maybe half NY half fashion... this morning jesse was on his way to work, and texted me to tell me he was stuck in a bus in traffic because of a movie shoot. pretty standard NY operations, really. movie trailers are everywhere, all the time. (you rarely get to see the actual people you'd want to see though.) about an hour or so later, photos such as this one here started to pop up all over the interwebs. THIS was what made j late for work. kind of makes it a little more fun i think... now to discuss ms Parker. she looks cute. not ridiculous like some of the get-ups she used to wear. like the dress, love the glasses and the shoes, OH the SHOES... i blame Sex and the City for bumping up the pricetag on my shoe fixation/problem/genius. and once again they're luring me in... will ya LOOK at those bad boys? Christian Louboutin of course... just imagine if you put them on - you would feel like Dorothy - you could click your heels three times and the world would be yours... oh come on, dare to dream.

if you're feeling sale spendy...

let's discuss "investments" for a moment. in terms of style. there are (and any person you find in the fashion industry will agree with this) certain pieces in a person's wardrobe that are worth an investment. a good shoe, a good bag, a good coat. all of these are things that you will wear often, and for years and years. so if you apply the old "cost per wear" calculation, these things end up being more worth it than the cheap dress you buy that starts to look like crap after the second time you wear it.

now i am not suggesting you break the bank and go all carrie bradshaw spendy. all i'm saying is that it is well worth considering purchasing said items IF they fit into your wardrobe. (2 good guide - are there at least 3 things you already own that you would wear it with? are there 3 scenarios in your REAL life you can imagine wearing it?) and look for sales. an investment can certainly be made at a discount price. it makes it a more exciting investment if you ask me.

ok - so that is a style lesson for the day. the sale gods have spoken, and there is a pretty big selection of Christian Louboutin (the holy grail of shoe investment. seriously. amazing.) at the Outnet - at up to 70% off. (great sale site - sign up!!) even if you are not buying - it's worth looking to get ideas for another rainy day. it doesn't hurt to look at the menu, even if you're on a diet...

perfect pumps please!

i am more of an "interesting" shoe person. so i don't often shop for the "traditional" kind of shoe. however, necessity sometimes calls, and like any polite person, i must answer.

this brings us to the pump. not a shoe i normally wear, nor crave. however, a staple to have in the old shoe wardrobe no doubt. i have a rather large place set aside in my heart for Karen Walker from Will and Grace. she is pretty much my favorite tv character of all time. and that's saying a lot, because miss e-stylist here watches a rather large amount of television. don't judge please. ANYWAY - Karen Walker is, 99% of the time, wearing full on uptown Manhattan rich mama clothes. not my personal style, but the woman looks impeccable. i like that. she's perfectly dressed right down to her pumps. perhaps that is what swayed me into thinking i should probably own some. (in case at any moment a magic wand is waved in my direction and i become a fictional billionaire socialite...or a real one, i'm not fussy)

and so, some time ago, i began one of my hunts. as i do. i went pump huntin'. usually i wear flats. this may be because i live in NY and have to walk a lot every day, or it may be because i am a klutz and am afraid of falling. that is neither here nor there. i just wear flats a lot. so heels were a challenge. i decided to start small. i tried on approximately 40 billion pairs of shoes. (give or take a few) in the "ok i can totally manage this without injury" category, i ended up with Christian Louboutin simple pumps in the lower heel height. (left photo). now, let me say here that i can't really afford to buy these shoes full price. i love them like chocolate, but they are pricey. worth it, but pricey. so if you are like me, (i really don't like to pay full price. i'm a sale fiend) i suggest trying them on at a shop, then doing the online scouring to score them on sale. Neiman's often has sales, and Bluefly is a great resource for markdown designer goodies.

0nce i had become ok with that height and worn them out a few times, i decided to get really crazy and go high. this still scared me a bit, so i decided to try a platform pump to even the playing field, so to speak. what i ended up with here was a pretty hot looking pair from ye olde Banana Republic...(right photo) they have enough of a platform in front so as not to give me vertigo, but they look high! i practiced a few nights in my apartment - then went out to dinner wearing them and felt spectacular and fancy. i felt like a lady. well, i felt like Karen Walker, and as she once said "I'm a lady, assface!" what's not to love?!