Ruia Shoes

While I was window-shopping in Soho, I came across the cutest shoe store, Ruia (65 Mercer Street) -- full of brands I'd never heard of!

From my view on the street, I spied a pair of gorgeous lace booties. I stopped in my tracks and headed straight inside to get a closer look. Upon closer inspection, I could tell I was in for a treat.

The sales associate I spoke with mentioned that these brands are all quite popular in Europe, and the owner wanted to bring a bit of the European class to the US. I was astounded by the quality and detailing on shoe offerings.

My favorite pair in the store was the very pair that caught my eye from the street. From designer Lislie Yeung, these are certainly one of the more unique pairs I've had the chance to see.

I am a sucker for anything lace, and I loved the overlay that zippered in the back.

Lislie Young Solstiss Chantilly bootie and Black Calf bootie

I only got the chance to try on the Chantilly bootie, but the sizing was true-to-size (I took a 37). The pitch was a little steep for me, but it was difficult to gauge comfort since I had been walking around all day.

All of the shoes in-store were interesting and unique. Some of the brands carried include Dora, Twice, Missoni, Loriblu, and Baldan.

Loriblu shoes

Baldan shoes

Some of the boot offerings at Ruia

Ruia offers free messenger service in the city and will ship shoes across the globe! Check out their website for some amazing and unusual shoes you probably won't find on Zappos.

Back from the Big city

So my trip was fabulous, as expected. I got to see some lovely people I've met before, and some great new faces to add to my circle of friends. There is too much to document in one posting, so for the first one I will just feature my purpose of the trip - hang out with my fellow shoe lovers.

I arrived a day earlier than the meetup, and had a great shopping buddy in my friend Jan. We weren't sure what stores we would get to see with the meetup crew, so we decided to hit up the Louboutin Boutique in the West Village (58 Horatio Street).

I fell in love with the Luxura style online, and was happy for the chance to try it on in-store. Not gonna lie, it was hard prying these from my feet. They looked so sumptuous and the maryjane style made the height really secure. In the end, 140mms are just not practical for my everyday life, so here's hoping they pop up on sale or eBay for a decent price.

Christian Louboutin Luxura 140mm in Ultraviolet Suede

These were fairly true-to-size for me. I tried on the 37, and while they felt a bit big, I'm not sure if that was because I had been walking around since 6:30 that morning. I would want to try them on again when my feet aren't swollen, but I would feel confident ordering either a 36.5 or 37. The comfort was decent for the height, but again, being 140s the comfort wasn't amazing.

Since none of the styles were really wowing me, I decided to instead try on the 'wilder' pairs. This was my favorite by far, the Pigalili. I cannot walk in 120s without a platform, and I definitely cannot walk in these death-traps, but lawdy they pretty.

The Pigalili combines sassy spikes with refined crystals. The flashy gold specchio heel ties them all together. Personally, the gold is a bit much for me. I think some celebrity could wear them with a panache I don't have. The black was much more subdued, but they didn't have my size.

Christian Louboutin Pigalili 120 in Gold

The sizing on the 120 pigalle is huge. These were the 36.5s and as you can see they are big on me. I would need a 36, however the sides cut SO low that my foot was spilling out. This really isn't a style that works well on me (in 120, I love the 100s), but there's no denying their sex appeal.

On Saturday, my lovely shoe pals and I headed to several stores, and nearing the end of our tour at the Madison Louboutin boutique (965 Madison Avenue). There was quite a large group of us, but some of us posed in a "shoe circle" of sorts. I'm in the blue leopard pair.


I scaled down my travel bag to contain 3 pairs of shoes (plus one I wore there and back), and 6 outfits. I didn't end up wearing everything, but I was pretty happy with my choices. This is what I wore on Friday. I will document the other outfits with the other New York installments.

Helmut Lang jacket, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Atlantic Sunday dress, Christian Louboutin Adona flats, Botkier Trigger, Vintage necklace

Adieu, lovelies

Last night I had a wonderful time seeing a hilarious one-woman show called "Phone Whore". I don't go to the theater nearly enough, and I was glad to get out for this. Cameryn Moore was quite the charmer both on the stage, and afterwords when she invited the audience to join her at a local diner.

Theater always calls for a bit of primping, so I wore a favorite Rami Kashou dress. And not to be all "I liked him before Project Runway," but this dress was from when LetrainBleu carried his line. I wish I had gotten more of his pieces because his older stuff was really gorgeous and so rarely pops up on eBay.

The shoes were of course an eBay find, as mentioned here. They were quite a hit last night paired with the dress.

Rami Kashou dress

Miu Miu Harlequin Halter pumps

I probably shouldn't have stayed up quite so late last night because.... I'm headed off to the Big Apple tonight for a weekend filled with good food, great shopping, and fabulous ladies.

I'm beyond excited -- even if the use of Megabus is daunting ($2.50 round-trip tickets? I couldn't pass it up), and there is always the worry about hotels (3.5 star for $80ish per night, Pricelined).

With my trip in mind, I said goodbye to two pairs of shoes, making room for whatever may come home with me both in my bank account and my closet.

It pained me greatly to list the first pair. I've been trying to add more cool flats to my wardrobe, since I seem to have far too many heels. They were a one-off eBay find, and I had hoped the sizing would be okay. When they arrived, I was really sad to see they fit me weirdly. The length was okay, in theory, and the toe-box was wide enough... but the shoes kind of upturned at the end? They were definitely too small and squished my poor little tootsies. On the bright side, I have the heel version of these, so I can't be too upset.

Christian Louboutin Love Strass Flats

The second pair should have been a no-brainer for me. Even though they fit perfectly (true-to-US-size), I have three pair of nude shoes. Why do I need three pair of nude shoes? It's fairly obvious I don't, but I still I hemmed and hawed, thinking I could do a DIY with these. In the end I decided to part with them and bling another pair of shoes I own.

Christian Louboutin Nude Kid New Simple

I'm not sure what I'll bring home from New York. I may not bring home anything, but it's kind of liberating and refreshing thinking about the buffer I made in case I want to take more than a peek at the shoe selection there.

Mix and match, or I have great friends part deux

I'm not really an oxford kind of girl, but once awhile there's nothing like a good saddle shoe. A saddle shoe with lace? Well, color me sold.

The Bass loves Rachel Antonoff collection is a girly, fun take on the staple shoe. Perfect for Spring and Summer, and I think will be fabulous as I break out the vintage dresses.

These shoes were made possible with the help of my wonderful friend Sarah, of Motion and Heart. Not only did she help me get these, but as many things in fashion, she turned my eye to this collection in the first place.

So the shoes! It's not obvious from pictures online that I've seen, but the whites are actually more of a cream patent leather. The alternating parts are white leather covered with intricate black lace. I can't wait to wear them!

As a bonus, I am showcasing the lovely shoes with a pair of tights I couldn't pass up as well. I love the cheeky House of Holland designs, and these are no slouch. Please note, their "one size" is ridiculously small.

View the whole collection of Rachel Antonoff shoes on the Bass website.

Bass <3 Rachel Antonoff Beatrix Lace-up Oxfords, shown with Henry Holland Superstar tights

Fit on these seems true-to-size. I sized up a half size to 7.5 to allow for socks, but I think a 7 would have been perfect since I generally don't wear thicker socks in the warmer months. Comfort is really great! I'm a little worried about getting these dirty, so I don't foresee wearing them on mile-long walks, but I can tell they will be comfortable for all-day wear.

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!

On the fence: opinions needed

I've been "visiting" these shoes at Nordstrom for the past two months. They went on sale and I finally bit. I think they are beautiful, and I'm pretty into the mesh/netting trend lately, but as much as I love them... trying to decide how much I need another pair of black dressy shoes.

Pros: D'orsay style (big fan), beautiful tulle detailing, very flattering on, comfort is okay for the height, perfect for weddings.
Cons: more than I'd normally spend for shoes made in China, do I really need these?

Discuss.

Note: The heel grips are temporarily place, the sticky backing has not been removed. It's just for fit.

Badgley Mischka "Dusk" in Black Tulle/Satin S/S 2011

Fit on these is slightly large. These are the 36.5, though the 36 fit as well (but was snug in the toe box). For the 36.5 I need heel grips. All of the Badgley Mischka shoes I tried on seem to fit slightly large as well.