And a Happy New Year!

I got towels for Christmas this year. They are quite lovely and will be a wonderful replacement for our current towels but the fact remains... towels. It's true: I am supremely ungrateful and bratty.

I went to bed dreaming of shoes, not towels, and woke up at 4:30 on Boxing Day, hopeful of some deals, despite the fact I don't really need anything. I (stylishly) trudged downtown a few hours later ready to push my way through hungover shoppers. It was much more crowded than Black Friday, probably because second cut sales are quite a bit steeper.

As soon as the doors were open I moved my way past everything and focused on shoes. I was glad to do so, because right as I moved to my section of the sale rack I spotted these sandals. I generally find Yves Saint Laurent overrated, especially post-Tom Ford, but I have been wanting these sandals for two years and had never seen them on sale outside of eBay, which is unfortunately littered with fakes.

Imagine my surprise when seeing the lone pair of these babies, in my size(ish), no less. I had tried them on in September, when shopping with my friend Jess. We had gone to Saks to do the Frederic Fekkai shampoo exchange and browsed around the store. They were still full-price, and certainly not a price I could stomach.

I was hoping they would be available on Black Friday, but they disappeared. Still lusting the next time I returned to the store, I spied them there and knew I had to get them.

Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Tribute Patent Platform Sandal in Camel, S/S 09

Fit on these is probably true to size. These are a half-size up from my US size, but they were the only size available. The fit is fine, and the ankle straps fit quite well. They are insanely comfortable for the height (nearly 6"), honestly more so than many lower heels I have, but I wouldn't exactly call them "walking shoes". The polish is from OPI's Mini Merries collection, All A-bordeaux the Sled!

UHG

Wasn't I just talking about shoes I can't walk in? Yes. That brings me to my Ultimate Holy Grail (UHG) of shoes, Mad Marys. I don't remember when I first realized I wanted and needed these shoes. I actually wanted them in black suede with silver studs, but when I found the cream via Craigslist of all places (via a posting on the Purse Forum), I decided to bite. At first I thought they were too expensive, so I sent the seller an email offering her a lower price. We dickered a little and I found I could live with the new price she offered, so I bought them.

Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect. It's always a gamble when you are buying used shoes sight unseen. I think it's similar to meeting people online. There's talk and there's pictures with lots of admiration going on. Any hesitation is met with smooth-talking and persuasion. Both parties are selling something. Was the picture taken years ago? Did they lose a little luster? Glamour shots aren't just for people, you know.

I opened the box in anticipation and had a big smile on my face. They were perfect. Worn, yes, but nothing a little lysol couldn't correct. Well I'm gross and couldn't wait for the lysol so I quickly shoved my slippers off and the shoes on. "Hello, beautiful," I thought as I glanced down at my feet. Then I took a step. Oh.

I've had them for six months and still haven't mastered walking in them. Instead I perch my hand on whomever is closest and hang on for dear life as I try to inch my way across the pavement.

Christian Louboutin Mad Mary in Ivory Patent with Gold Studs, Shown with Hue Circle Net Tights

I am going to be the dissenter from everyone else in the world on the fit of these shoes. I find them true-to-size. Most people sized up a half-to-full size, but these are a half-size up (37.5) and I have heel and toe pads to make them fit better. They are incredibly uncomfortable, and I can barely sit in them let alone walk in them, but I mean look at them! When shoes look this good, who cares if you have to add an extra half hour to your day to allow for walking 50 feet.

PS: Still looking for a 37 in the black suede.

Baby it's cold outside

It's a nice day outside today, but I can feel the open-toe weather dwindling. Maybe in different regions one can get away with open-toe year-round, but this side of Pennsyltucky doesn't really lend itself to grin and bearing it when frost-bite is an issue.

When DSW first started carrying "luxury" shoes on their website, they were pretty cheap. Well, considering anyhow. These shoes showed up on the website 80% off retail, despite the fact they were still full-price on many websites and in-store. Never having tried anything by this brand, I decided to take a chance and hoped I would hate them in person, because I didn't really need them. Are you surprised I didn't hate them in person? Yeah, me either.

Seeing a picture of these off the foot really doesn't show them in all their splendor. On the foot? Hello, gorgeous. Lace-up shoes that hit right at the (c)ankle can be difficult to pull off, but these shoes are so damn sexy I can't stand it. (Hold the phone - I know it's creepy when I talk about my own shoes like that)

These shoes aren't in most retailers anymore, but I've seen the leather version pop-up on eBay, and I'd also check discounters as I saw this style make most final cuts. They came in fuchsia and black leather as well as the lace. They came in two heel heights, 3.5" inches and 4.5". These are the lower-heeled version.

Givenchy Gillie Lace Sandal, S/S 09

Fit is small and narrow. The 36.5 was the only size available to me at the time, but a 37 would have been much better. The leather version may be more forgiving in terms of width, since leather tends to stretch, but the canvas/linen blend of the uppers on this version has no give whatsoever.

Dancing queen

In the chicken or the egg conundrum, I'm not sure which came first: gold lurex thigh highs, or gold shimmer dress. I bought one to go with the other, I do know that much. My hosiery obsession would like to run neck and neck with my shoe obsession, and while it just isn't so, these thigh highs bring it up a notch.

I don't think there's anything as deliciously tacky, in a glamorous kind of way, as lurex. I feel like a disco ball, glimmering everywhere I go. These Lurex Shimmery Thigh Highs (available at sockdreams) are neither inconspicuous or subdued, but instead dare to say "Yes, I really am wearing this!" They are available in five colorways, but gold seemed to have the most guts.

Leg Avenue Lurex thigh high in Gold/Black, H&M dress tank dress

Fit according to the brand is one size fits most, 90-160lbs. They actually do stay up surprisingly well -- a good thing considering they are too thick for most standard garters. I did have to fold them over so they didn't roll down, but after that there were no issues.

Sale season among us

We won't see crazy firehouse sales like we did last year at Saks, but the sale season is among us. It's so hard to remain good when everywhere you look it's like the devil is sitting on your shoulder going "buy, buy, BUY!" So far I've remained staunchly on the not buying it side of the fence, but every day, every slash of price gets a little bit more difficult.

When I went on my DC trip, I had a Sales Associate hold two pair of shoes for me to try on. I ended up getting the Numero Prive in gold glitter, but I actually loved these more -- I just couldn't walk in them.

Whether I can actually walk in them seems like such a tiny detail when comparing that thought to how gorgeous the shoes are. Shoes this beautiful should come with a rickshaw voucher so I don't actually have to worry about tumbling to my death on the streets.

These were the first shoes I tried on at Neimans, and I was worried about chastised for taking pictures, so I took a quick "spy picture". I look a bit like the Wicked Witch of the East from this angle. Too bad I didn't have striped stockings with me.

Christian Louboutin Lady Page in Oxblood Patent, F/W 09

Fit on this pair of shoes is strange. The 37 was fine length-wise, but felt very short in the toe-box. I had heel slippage but could not have gone down to 36.5. There is a small hidden platform, but the pitch of the shoe is so steep that they feel like walking in 120mm without a platform. My advice? These are pretty and pretty perfect if you have a car-to-door kind of lifestyle. Otherwise you and me both need to work on that rickshaw front.