Summer loving

I'm still trying not to buy shoes. Except. Sometimes something so perfect shows up, even off-season. I fell in love with these Surface to Air "Pandora"sandals when I saw them on Net-A-Porter. I swooned, but didn't hem and haw because I couldn't (as ever) justify the price. On a "whim" search on eBay, they showed up, in my size, and voila! I couldn't (could) help it.

Fit on these is small. These are a 37, and I find them to be narrow in the toe area.  They are taller than I expected,  and will take a bit to get used to walking in them,  but they are quite fabulous and worthy of a little adjustment. 

Back? Maybe.

New job (sort of). Newly single (sort of). New life it seems - I'm slowly creeping back to my heels. So, I'm on the hunt for booties with an ankle strap, and along comes these beautiful shoes at Macy's while I was out with my kiddo.

INC "Brenna" Booties in black suede/mesh

They aren't exactly what I need, or am looking for (I want a kid leather boot without mesh that I can wear in the winter), but they *are* pretty.

Perfect with skinny pants, or a skirt - anything, really, that shows these off in full-effect. Sizing seems true-to-size, moderate comfort. I took a 7 in these. I would probably add insoles for added comfort. You can find them here at Macy's.

I am going to try (I say this every time) to be more regular. Feel free to send me email reminders. I like email :)

Continued obsession with mesh

I had some time to kill yesterday, so I stopped by Kohl's. I used to think that store was kind of a crapshoot, but there's one near work and I stop by from time to time and often find cute, cheap things (single parent budget).

I really like the Vera Wang stuff there. Some of it feels older than I am (or rather, older than I feel, because at nearly 35 I am probably the target demographic), but there are usually chic, flattering pieces.

First up is the "Svenny" style. These caught my eye when I came in because I was immediately reminded of a similar Miu Miu style from a few years back. Perforated leather seems so sexy to me, and these are no exception.

Simply Vera "SVENNY" in Black

These are a 6.5, and while my feet push forward a bit with the pitch, the sizing is perfect. Comfort is so-so, not great even with the platform. They are available in black and nude (on sale!) on the Kohl's website.

We also have the lovely Jennifer Lopez offering up a nude mesh ankle-strap heel. These are HOT!

Jennifer Lopez Mesh Heels in Nude

I also took these in a 6.5, and found the comfort negligible. For both pairs, I think insoles would help greatly. These are on sale as well at Kohl's for a great price.

It's summer, my toenails are actually painted again, and I'm going to try to be more regular. Welcome back!

Red Wine

I don't have *that* many things that match, so when I find items that go all matchy-matchy for other things I own, I can't help but get them.

I met up with friends for happy hour yesterday, on an incredibly cold day in a bar that had basically no heat. (well, if there was heat, it wasn't felt) I kept my coat on the entire night which was saddening to me because I loved my outfit.


As previously mentioned, I've been on a tights/stockings spree lately. I saw these Jonathan Aston "Siren" tights awhile back, thinking they were super cool, but not sure if I "needed" them. With after-Christmas sales on the Mytights website, I decided to add them to my cart because they were such a great color.

Paired with these tights are all thrift finds. The dress is a dance costume (love!) and the shoes vintage Nine West shoes that seemed to fit with these outfit perfectly. I look and feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Fit on the tights is larger than I expected. I normally always order the largest size available because tight tights feels awful and cut into my stomach. The middle size would have fit nicely. I don't see them online in cranberry, but Figleaves has them on sale for cheap in black!

Long Time Gone

So I got an email that it had been a year (almost, really) since I've last updated this little blog. It's true, I've been lax. Life changes, budget adjustments, etc. They all happen.


My shoe budget has shrunk from the days of yore, but I still appreciate, and have filled that hole more and more lately with tights and stockings, and occasionally pretty dresses.

Over the years I've had the best luck with Marshall's and TJMaxx for my tights purchases, and these latest finds are no different.

So the tights are interesting. I first found them in a deep blue, and called them my "syphilis tights." They were too odd for me *not* to buy, and cheap. I hate wearing jeans, so the winter affords me with the time and the weather to wear warm leg coverings.

Color me surprised when in a Marshall's trolling, I found them in black too, even cheaper. (I guess syphilis isn't a look people are going for) I paired them with another clearance find, and what are swiftly becoming one of my favorite pairs of shoes.

Cynthia Rowley Studded Tights with Steve Madden Concord Flats

The Steve Madden Concord "smoking flats" seem to be available online at various places, but not in the black/black combo. We can be appalled that they are knockoffs, or that I am buying knockoffs, or we can revel that I added cute shoes to my wardrobe. They fit true-to-size to a bit snug. These are a 7, and feel good with or without tights or thin socks. The comfort is so-so, but I suspect the glitterized part of the shoe makes them stiffer.

The Cynthia Rowley tights seem to be aplenty on eBay, and fit relatively larger. These are a small and I was happily surprised that they aren't sausagey on me.

Welcome back, friends! New year, new me. I have many more tights purchases to share and a few shoes here and there. See you soon.

He who must not be named

As you read this, I am on my way to D.C., but I wanted to leave you with some shoes for thought.

At the height of irresponsibility is your good old shoe pal Erin. My dirty secret is that I am ridiculously messy. To the point of embarrassment -- possibly even "Hoarders". This doesn't end with my car.

So, because of this messiness, I didn't realize that a SHOE fell out of my car as I was putting stuff in it, and I proceeded to shut the door, get in, and drive away. Of course this doesn't have a happy ending. This is what I came home to:



When I told my sympathetic shoe friends I was immediately asked... "May I ask... who it was?" Who it was indeed. If you're reading this Msr. Louboutin, and are inclined to help out a sad shoe lady who is sorrowful about the loss of "Double Strapper" (a vintage style, no longer in production), I am a 37.

All things considered I am pretty impressed. I ran over this shoe. With. A. Car. For the most part it's still held together and the break is clean at the heel. I could probably get them fixed (though it might be expensive), and while not good as new, would be decent. Otherwise my plan is to turn the other shoe into a wine holder or some other crafting extravaganza.

Bon week-end

In short, my weekend was incredibly busy, but spectacular. I've still got miles to go before I sleep, but let's talk about so far. Friday night I had tickets to see one of my favorite musicals, "Spring Awakening". I got really good seats, but I forgot about the fact that they also have stage seating... so while I was there, I asked if there were any seats available on stage. There were two left, so my fella and I got to enjoy the show up close and personal. As a side note, I've seen this musical three times, so I knew all the words... but if you're not as versed, stage seating makes it a little hard to hear the singing because of the band playing so close.

This is the second time I've worn these pretty shoes. I've had them nearly three years, but the heel is so delicate (made of "specchio" leather -- kind of a rubbed metallic leather?) that I was scared to wear them. Having beautiful shoes that just sit in my closet seems so silly, so I've been trying to wear them in all their fabulousness more often.

The dress was a great sale find while shopping when my dear friend Cecilia was in town for a wedding. After wearing it though, I think I may see if I can remove the ridiculous shoulder pads. Ignore that my face looks like I'm melting.

Christian Louboutin Numero Prive in Gold Glitter and Specchio, Black Halo Dress

Fit on the shoes can be found here, but as an update I will say that after two wearings these have stretched out quite a bit. These are a 36.5 and while the toe box was pretty tight when I got them and I worried about whether or not I needed to size up, I'm glad I did not.

Studly

My fella suggested going to the mall because he had a gift card and needed to replace his tea kettle, so off we went to Posh Park Mall and into Nordstrom... for you know, a cursory glance at shoes.

Pittsburgh is losing it's Saks, and while their shoe department was horrible, I'm terribly saddened by this loss. It looks like Nordstrom and a few other small shops will be the only game in town for pretty shoes.

I digress. Onward pretty! I'm in love with studs always, and thought these Valentino shoes were perfect.

Valentino Rockstud Open Toen in Red shown with Asos two-toned tights

Valentino Lace Mena Wedge and Rockstud

Fit on the Rockstuds was true to size for me. I found them perfect in a 36.5 with very mild heel slippage (which may or may not have been caused by my stockings). I have to say for 140mm they seemed very comfortable. The toe box wasn't narrow at all for me, and I could see wearing them without being uncomfortable for a few hours. Available at Saks.

I did not get to try on the Lace Menas because they didn't have my size, but they were super cute and I think would be wonderful with summer dresses.

While checking out the studs, I also saw a super cute pair of Sam Edelman heels. The crossbreeding of different styles of shoes was maybe a bit much for me, but if they weren't peep toe (and exorbitantly priced for what they are), it would have been love.

I really liked the narrow metal heel, though, and will try to make it my goal in the future to track down something similar.

Sam Edelman Scarlett in Black and Gold

Fit on these seemed true to size as well. I tried these on in a 7 and the size felt right. They weren't the most comfy to walk in, because of the steep pitch and narrow heel, but would be great for a car to door night on the town. Available at Nordstrom.

In the age of dinosaurs

Probably the thing I love best about my job is that we don't have any kind of official dress code. With some casual inquiries and slowly testing the waters, I'm happy to report that so far my quirkier clothes haven't raised any eyebrows -- in fact, my boss' wife called these my "dinosaur tights".

Having no dress code is good and bad. Most of the time, it makes me pretty lazy and indulge in yoga pants and tees. Despite those days, I genuinely like getting dressed up and try to make an effort at least 2-3x per week to ditch the house clothes and instead wear something I wouldn't be embarrassed to run into a frenemy in.

Today's outfit consisted of my favorite new tights, a sale find at Marshall's. When I first saw them I thought "huh. What's with the ruffle?" but the more I looked at them (and the price! they were cheap!) the more I loved them and couldn't wait to wear them.

Wearing something more ostentatious like these requires a bit more of a subdued outfit. I paired the tights (Trasparenze "Melbourne") with an American Apparel wrap dress, Express tank top, and t-strap maryjanes from Kimchi and Blue.

Trasparenze "Melbourne" Tights

The tights are a size 4, which I typically need in Trasparenze (aka "large"), and they are very cozy. They are nicely opaque but not too thick. The ruffle in the back is a chiffon that sways when I move.

I took these pictures while out and about during my lunch break, where I stopped at a thrift not far from work. I found a great pair of flat patent boots there, and for $6 I couldn't say no. They are fun and even better -- insulated! Perfect for the upcoming snow.


Not much else going on in the shoe front here! The snow is kind of getting me down about pretty shoes, but Spring will be here before I know it.

The replacements

Confession: I used to own five pair of Fryes. I now own one, and they aren't boots. Every other pair has been sold due to horrible stabbing pain from wearing, and the saddest betrayal was the Veronica.

They were so pretty, so perfect... so darn painful! I wore them on my last trip to New York and ended up selling them shortly after due to the blisters I received. (I actually wore heels instead for most of my walking which *didn't* cause me nearly the kind of pain those boots did)

Since they've been gone, I haven't found a great replacement. I have those Kmart Doc/Chloe Knockoffs but I really wanted something sleeker for dresses. I happened upon these Mossimo Kena boots while looking for shoes for kiddo at Target and they are fantastic.

Perfect flat boot that looks way more expensive than the $10 I paid for them on clearance. The non-leatherness is a bit off-putting, but for the comfort and style I'm a-okay with it.




Fit on these is true-to-size if you like thick socks with boots. These are the 6.5 and they are wonderful with thinner socks, a little tight if I were to wear thicker socks. I didn't measure the calf-circumference, but it is really forgiving. There are three snaps to change the size of the opening at the calf, and I imagine they would accommodate at least 16". They appear to be out of stock online, but it's definitely worth a trip to your local Target to find them because they are on sale in-store!

Happy New Year!

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.

Happy Holidays!

Yeah, I know. It's been awhile. I keep apologizing for that, don't I? Well I haven't done much in the way of shoe shopping (though I do have some goodies to share later I suppose).

For a holiday party, I couldn't decide which shoes to wear, and actually I wanted to wear my Miu Miu "Ice Cream Pumps" because I thought they were more festive... but I couldn't find them in my mess. In the end, I settled on these bright and happy Ferragamos (as chronicled here).

The dress was a find back in the day when I felt Anthropologie actually had awesome sales (once in awhile there's still a good deal, but I miss when they did those extra % off sales), and this gorgeous dress was $10. It seemed perfect for the occasion and I paired it with black tights to keep me warm and matching shoes.

Salvatore Ferragamo Cera Lacca in Red Patent

I hope you are having a warm winter and fabulous time! I will try to be more regular in the New Year!

A Night at the Opera

I have to say, for the size that Pittsburgh is, we are lucky to have some incredible talent about. Last night I got to witness said talent with a friend at the Pittsburgh Opera's performance of "La Traviata". It was amazing, of course, and I'm always excited to have an excuse to dress up.

I bought this vintage dress years ago and had intended on hemming the length. I obviously didn't get around to it yet, but thought it was perfect for my night out. The back is my favorite part of the dress, but I love it for it's ostentatious elegance.

The shoes were an eBay find that I was actually kind of disappointed in when they arrived. I couldn't decide if the toe was too pointy, and while they kind of are, they grew on me.

Finishing up the look is my favorite hold-ups, the "Lerici" style from Trasparenze.

Christian Louboutin Wherever Strass in Black Velvet

Fit on the shoes is actually large-to-size. These are a 37, and I need both heel grips and padding in them to keep them on my feet. Comfort is great for the height!

Think pink

I've been trying to be better about more regular haircuts, and having finally found a hairstylist I really find amazing for the first time in a good many years, I actually decided to stick with it (Shane at Ross Park Philip Pelusi). While I was there, I talked about how excited I am to be working at a job that doesn't care if I have pink or blue hair, and he mentioned that they were doing pink extensions for breast cancer awareness/fundraising. I decided to get one. I think it looks awesome.

While at the mall, I tried on a few pair of fall shoes and really liked these.

Joan and David Jora pump in Violet Suede

Fit was true-to-size to slightly large. These are the 6.5, but a 6 would have fit with some stretching. The length was okay, but I did have a bit of heel slippage. Comfort was "okay". The pitch is a bit more severe even though the height is only 4", but they would be okay for a couple hours on my feet. They are also available in black, orange and red at Nordstrom.

Also really into the brightly hued versions of these patent leather and suede pumps from Enzo Angiolini.

Enzo Angiolini Castalia in Dark Blue Suede

Fit on these is slightly large to size. I tried on the 6 and they crunched my toes slightly, but with some stretching would have been great.

P(f)urrrfect

Fur seems to be so on-point for fall, and then there's my love of all things Rene Caovilla (and ostentation), which leads me to this latest eBay find.

The taupe satin meshed with the pop of fur at the toe with little jewels embedded make them spectacular. I still like the Gianvito Rossi pair I posted before, but I think these are pretty wonderful, and more practical for my life.

I'm thinking of making them a bit more showy and either glittering the satin or putting crystals on it, but for now I think I'll leave them as they are and let them shine in their simplicity.

Vintage Rene Caovilla Gold Laminato Leather and fur shoes

Fit on these is small-to-size. These are a 37, and while the heel strap is a bit stretched from the previous owner, the length is just right. I'll add a pair of strappy strips to these shoes to make them fit better and then they'll be perfect!

Outfit of the Night

Dinner last night with my fella, for his birthday. We went to Eleven, but his commentary on dinner was "Red Lobster does it better" (he had the seafood tasting). If you're curious to check out the restaurant, you should sign up for Big Burrito's mailing list. They mail you a $30 off dinner coupon for your birthday when you sign up. I'll admit, I was kind of underwhelmed by my dinner as well (though I've been there a few times before and have always enjoyed it), but the ambiance is nice and getting dressed up is always fun.

This was my first time wearing this dress, and it was tricky to wear. I don't have a good backless bra (or not one that is this backless, anyhow), and I am kicking myself I never ordered that Maidenform one before they took it off the market. If you have any suggestions along those lines that would work for a D cup, let me know.

For last night, I used an "adhesive bra" I found at Target (it was actually glorified masking tape), and I can't help but think there is a better solution out there. It worked for the night but the "lift" was negligible.

Kimberly Ovitz Martin dress in Black

Christian Louboutin Clic Clac pumps in Black Suede with Lace Inset

Fit on the dress is true-to-size (this is a size 8 and fits me well), and the shoes are small-to-size. They are a 37 and are slowly stretching because they were more comfortable last night than previously.

In the name of love

Funny thing about the outfit I wore to a wedding this weekend: a guest at the table I was sitting at, asked if the tights had anything else on them that was "hidden" i.e., "were they more risqué than they seemed." I suppose seamed stockings might seem risqué, but I thought these were cute and appropriate for a wedding? Maybe my "appropriateness" barometer is off.

ASOS love-seamed stockings, vintage dress, Christian Louboutin Charlene in black suede

I got these from ASOS (out of stock), but Pamela Mann makes what appears to be the exact same tights, available at mytights.com.

Missoni X Target

I had the day off today, so I made a quick trek to Target to check out the Missoni stuff. Boy was it picked over! That's okay, though. I checked out the shoes and clothes, and ended up with the sweater pictured (size medium, though large would have been nice too), a bra/underwear set.

I'm already on the fence about my purchases, because I think I was buying into the hype, but they are cute and out-of-stock so I'm going to wait-it-out to see how I feel over the next few days.

MissoniXTarget sweater

MissoniXTarget Children's Rainboots

MissoniXTarget pumps

Fit on the rainboots is large. Those are the children's size 5, and they fit me perfectly. I did not try on the adult versions because the color selection seemed washed out. I'll admit, if I did not already own rainboots, I would have picked these up. They are super cute.

Fit on the pumps is slightly large as well -- but in line with mass-market sizing (which seems to run much larger for me), these are a 6.5. Personally, these didn't impress me at all.

This line was much-hyped, and well-worth the hype -- but the intense Black Friday feel of the merchandise/shopping experience leaves me loathe to go back and see if they restock/what else I'm interested in.