Good morning, sunshine!

Nothing like sale shoes to kick start my day. I only wish the selection at Saks had been better. I arrived bright and early around 7:45 am to be greeted by a crowd of maybe 50 people, most of them seemingly set on the shoe department as we raced in when the doors opened.

My first thought was "where are the shoes??" Then I noticed the racks that looked like this:

(size 7-7.5 rack of shoes)

And of course, the sad selection of boots.

I actually really love the Prada maryjane "fakeout" boots, but they were not my size (and really, I wouldn't spend that much on tacky no matter how much I love it).

Prada Bi-Color Suede Boots in Red-Nude FW 2011

I only ended up trying on one pair, a Suede Fringed bootie from Gucci. It wasn't love. I ended up going home with nothing but some much needed thrill from getting to (window-)shop.

These were the 36.5, slightly larger than what I usually take in boots (I find Gucci to run large in general, except for the calf-width of boots). I found the pitch to be a little uncomfortable, even with the platform. Suede is almost never practical in Pittsburgh anyhow. Very cute for a night out, though.

The only shoe that *really* stood out for me was the Jimmy Choo "Begonia". Very classic and understated, and of course, not on sale. I think these will be a sleeper hit for spring. Lower-heeled, but the netting makes them a sexier version of a classic pump. Didn't get a chance to try them on as this was the last pair in store!

Jimmy Choo Mesh and Patent Leather "Begonia" Pump

I've been wearing non-stop a pair of boots I actually got from Target. They were a $10 bargain buy I bought to replace my long-gone Frye Veronicas (which stabbed my feet to no end). They are fabulous and I will chronicle them later this week.

Vacation window shopping

I've been out-of-town the last two weekends, so I'm still crashing from the tiredness and overactivity, but I did manage to make a stop into Saks in Columbus. I had promised my fella that I would be good and only spend 20 minutes (yeahrite) in the store looking at shoes, so I made it short and sweet only trying on a few pairs I really loved.

As always, I tried to be discreet with the shoe picture-taking, hence the low-quality cell pics. Owell!

First up is a pair of booties I am dying over. I find the ankle cutout very unique and extremely sexy. The salesman who waited on me in the store called them "cute", which I found kind of funny. I'm still pretty shoe-banned, but even if I weren't I would be a little hesitant to buy a pair of booties with such a thin heel. But if money grew on trees....

Christian Louboutin Lisse Bootie in Black Nappa

Fit on these was true-to-size. My feet were quite swollen from walking around all weekend, so the 37 felt a bit tight, but would be perfect sans swollen feet. They were a bit tricky to get on, but felt wonderful after I zipped them up. As I stated above, the heel made me quite nervous. Definitely not "city walking" shoes.

No collection has stunned me more than Prada this season. Lots of luxe suede and vintage throwbacks made me want to gobble up everything. The pictures don't do the shoes justice, but here they are anyhow.

Prada Suede and Calf-hair lace-up Wedges

Prada Suede Slingbacks

Fit on both pairs felt true-to-size. I am wearing the 36 in the slings, and the 36.5 would have been best (my usual open-toe size), and in the wedges I am wearing a 38, while a 37 would have been perfect. Both were uber-comfortable and chic.

All of the above shoes can be found online at Saks, Neiman's, Bergdorf, etc, but I wholeheartedly recommend the wonderful sales associate that waited on me at the Columbus Saks: David. He was polite, not pushy and very knowledgeable.

The shoes I am wearing in the picture are Louboutin "She's Back". They have become one of my favorite, most-worn pairs of shoes. They got me through the last two weekends, and even a makeshift stint volunteer waitressing for charity.

I don't know if I ever blogged about these, I bought awhile back -- as you can tell from the picture, it was still snowing, but they are fabulous! So fabulous a random father shopping with his family stopped to compliment me on my shoes!

More green, less money

While at the outlets trying on a bunch of fabulous shoes, the first pair that caught my eye were a pair I'd actually reviewed (and loved) in September.

When reviewing my heels, I've noticed I don't have a lot that are under 4", or can be worn comfortably all day. I think these shoes meet those requirements, and are stylish to boot. It helps that they were steeply discounted and I had an extra coupon.

These are suede, which I typically reserve for cooler weather, but I think the brighter color lends itself to year-round wear. I can wait to break these out with vintage dresses!

Chie Mihara Arizona in Ante Charcoal F/W 2010

These are actually a 37.5, though a 36.5 or 37 would have been best. They are secure because of the ankle straps, and the extra room will allow me to pad for even more comfort. These seem to be out of stock at most stores, but ShopCoclico has a 38.5, and endless has a 41, though for the savings it's worth calling around various Off 5ths. Post a comment if you would like the SKU #.

A day at the outlets

Nothing says "Spring Break" like shoe shopping, right? Or maybe that's just how I am enjoying a nice day off from my usual routine. I haven't been outlet shopping in at least six months (maybe even a year) so I decided to make a venture there with my sweetie in tow. (Him? not so psyched on the shopping, but that's okay!)

I so rarely have someone shopping with me that it was a very nice treat to not have to take my own pictures. I tried on a zillion shoes, since the closest Off 5th to me is about 40 minutes away, and I wanted to get more bang for my buck!

The favorite pair of the day, that I didn't actually buy, were these boots from Proenza Schouler. I really loved the idea of them -- a backless boot with straps. The execution even felt amazing to me, but I didn't want to spend the money (they were still pretty expensive) on brown shoes. If they were black I might have gotten them just because they were awesome and so ridiculously comfortable.

Proenza Schouler Boot in Brown leather

I tried on the 37.5, and as you can see in the picture they are pretty big on me, especially around my ankles. I think the 37 might still have been a little big, but I like a lot of "toe room" in boots. They are available at Endless, but I would check around other Saks outlets because they are still nearly full-price. La Garconne has a similar pair in a high-wedge style for 50% off as well (though be aware they are final sale).

These Rag & Bone wedge booties were an amazing deal, but I had to pass on them because as much as I loved them, they aren't really "me". They are some cool hipster girl I'd like to be (well, sometimes), and I couldn't see them meshing with my wardrobe. Normally I go by "buy now, think later!" but I'm trying to keep myself instead to "will I really wear these?" La Garconne has them on sale in Taupe (though they were MUCH cheaper at Off 5th, if you wear a 7). Comfort was only so-so, which was another deciding factor in me passing.

Rag & Bone Combat Wedge

I'm really obsessed with python (or python print) in shoes, so of course I loved these pairs from Elizabeth and James. They were a size 10 (sandals) and 11 (wedges), and I couldn't find them online but the Off 5th at Tanger Outlets has them with an extra 20% off.

Elizabeth and James Sandal and Lace-up Wedge

As I've said a bunch, I really like netting/mesh in shoes. These Loeffler Randall "Georgia" booties were pretty cute and a really decent deal, but I found them uncomfortable. Loeffler Randall seems hit or miss on comfort in general (these are the 37).

Loeffler Randall Georgia in Black mesh/leather

And last but not least, a picture of me trying on the Loeffler Randalls, and the rest of my outfit. I like dressing up for shopping, because I can always get a better idea of how shoes I like will mesh with the rest of my wardrobe.

Vintage Coat, 3.1 Phillip Lim dress, Trasparenze Renella nylons, Loeffler Randall Georgia

All in all, a good day! I had a lot of fun trying on clothes, and I did pick a little something up, but I'll save that for next time. Happy Easter!

The eagle has landed

I made a post semi-recently about the only shoes I was really wanting lately (and was willing to rationalize). I saved up my Amex rewards points and armed myself with a gift card for Saks, because it's easiest to order from them in case I need to exchange (as I have a brick and mortar store here). Well, I ordered my gift card, waited for it to arrive... and then they sold out of my size. I called and called for days, weeks, bookmarked the site hoping my size would pop up. No such luck.

Finally, after about a month of periodic calling and stalking the website, a store in New Orleans had my size. Eureka! I called the store, and sure enough they were there. Except... I couldn't use my gift card over the phone. Really? Really. I couldn't find them anywhere else at this point, so I said send them anyhow.

If you'll recall, I also talked about the not-so-stellar service in the shoe department at my local Saks. Maybe they saw my blog post. Either way, the shoes arrived on Friday, I called and asked if I could return/rebuy so that I *could* use my gift card and they gave me the okay. I had really great customer service this time, and I don't have his card handy but I will update with his information. Incidentally, there were 5 pairs of Louboutins someone had returned from online. Who are you?! They were all my size-ish, and I got to try on some really cool pairs.

Initially I wanted these in black, but after seeing the nude patent on a fellow shoepal online, I changed my mind, and I didn't have a nude patent heel anyhow.

So, here are the nude patent Maudissimas. They are possibly the most unique style I've ever seen, and I'm so happy to be able to own them. I still love the black, so here's hoping they go on super sale.

Christian Louboutin Maudissima pump in Nude Patent, S/S 2011, shown with Jonathan Aston knee-highs

I couldn't help but take a million gratuitous pictures of these shoes (including with knee-highs I thought looked cute with them). I love them so much. As you can see, they are quite a bit darker than my skin tone (or than I expected). I would say these will look "nude" on tanner, more camel-toned skin, but I don't find them unflattering on me.

I ended up wearing them out that very night and I paired them with a vintage dress. I thought they looked perfect together.

Fit on these seems true to size. They are a bit big in length, but the shoe itself is pretty narrow. I ordered a 37, and maybe I could have gone down to a 36.5 but I think my toes would have been crushed. I am a baby about painful shoes. I would say if you have a wider foot, size up a half size, even if the length might be a bit long. I wore these out with ball-of-foot pads, but they need heel grips as well.

Comfort is so-so, not amazing. They are 110mm, instead of 100, and I think that extra 10mm makes them a little less comfortable than I was hoping.

They are available at Saks, Neiman Marcus and Louboutin boutiques. The colors and materials available as far as I know are black kid, black patent, nude patent and royal blue suede.

Boxing Day

The day after Christmas seems a time for family, but at 7:30 am, I quickly dressed and headed downtown for Second Cut at Saks. First things first, let me talk about the appalling service at the Saks shoe department in Pittsburgh (putting keywords here so they are hopefully reading). I didn't see anything I loved really in the sale section, so I inquired about another favorite brand of mine that they don't stock regularly, but sometimes keep a pair or two in the back from returns. I asked two sales associates before someone would help me by taking a peek in the back.

I understand every second lost on the sales floor during the frenzy means a possible loss of a sale, but a polite "I don't have time now, but I can check later" would have been helpful. The only sale section that seemed wonderful to me was Chanel. They were only first cut for those (30%), so definitely not enticing me to bite, but some really cute styles (and all my size!).

My favorite find was a velvet lower-heeled shoe, adorned with the signature camellia. Beautiful and a manageable height, these ran surprisingly true-to-size for Chanel. These were the last pair (I believe), a 37, and they fit perfectly.


I really am not a fan of the clog-style shoes, but I couldn't help but try these on for fun. Maybe UNfun, I should say. I know I get annoyed when people ask me "how can you walk in those?!" but I can't imagine people walking gracefully in these. They were uncomfortable, awkward and heavy (to me, anyhow). I admire the chutzpah of clog-wearers, but they most definitely aren't for me in form or function. Sizing seemed to be small. These are a 38 (the only pair there), and the 37.5 would have worked best for me, but the 38 wasn't unbearably large.


I love, love, love the cap-toe maryjane flats. These were so soft, and I had a gift card so it was difficult for me to put them down, but for such a staple, I can't imagine purchasing it in bone. Already in-store I could see some light stains waiting to take form, so I placed them back on the rack after a quick try on. These also ran small. I tried on the 37.5, but I could have worn a 38 comfortably.


All of the above are (or were as of yesterday) available at Saks in Pittsburgh, so it's worth a call to see if they are still there for purchase. Unfortunately, I don't have a Sales Associate to recommend, as everyone seemed pretty inattentive and rude.

Black Friday

I am usually too lazy to do a lot of shopping on the busiest day of the year, but I do like to go downtown to check out Black Friday, since it's never usually too crowded there.

This was the sale selection in my size at Saks (this is the 7-7.5 rack):


It's crap, right? I'm on a no-shoes except for the Mauds ban for awhile, but I was still disappointed. The clothing selection wasn't much better, imo.

The only pairs I really loved there, were some from Kate Spade, especially these glitter pumps. The last pair was an 8 (too big for me), but they were darling in person and perfect for holiday parties.

Kate Spade Charm Glitter Bow Slingbacks, FW 2010

If you'd like to try to track them down, they are sold out on the site, but you can still use the store locator. Here is the link.

All is not lost though, I finally ended up buying those Doc knockoffs at Kmart. Really, one of my best buys all year. $20, and I've been living in them this weekend!