Claimed: FREEEE SHOES

There are a few phrases that time and again will strike unadulterated joy into our hearts:

"I love you."
"Who wants cake?"
"FREE SHOES"

The latter in particular is heard rather infrequently, and is enough to send shivers of delight down my spine. I mean, FREE SHOES? What's the catch? Did you just make a shoe heist, and are running from the cops? Did you discover a tiny shoe elf, that will happily exchange a pair of shoes for the promise of your firstborn?

Well, I am delighted to report that there is indeed a shoe elf, and her name is Danielle. She did not want my future offspring, but she did have shoes. Danielle contacted me on behalf of Solestruck.com, to inform me they wanted to give me a free pair of shoes. I asked, "What's the catch?," and they said, "No catch." Then I asked, "Which pair?," and they said, "You pick." And then I sort of giggled and fell over.

Picking out a free pair of shoes is actually kind of tricky. I mean, it's one thing to go to a site with an immediate purchase in mind, but when you go to a page with the knowledge that anything you see can essentially be yours, it makes you a little punch drunk. I felt a bit like Carrie, in that episode when the magazine lets her go into the sample room and pick out anything she wanted.

Finally, after much clicking and scrutinizing, these guys stole my heart...



They are made by Seychelles, whose shoes I have admired from afar for quite sometime. I had been daydreaming of adding a tall lace-up to my collection of bootery, and these fit the bill nicely. I love the fat, oversized grommets, and the raw edge that runs up the sides adds this wonderful homespun feel to them. The insides are my little secret delight: a millinery floral lines the inside of each boot.



As lovely as they are, I was a wee bit worried that these would be a little too high for me to manage, but I am happy to report they are not only manageable, but incredibly comfy. I tromped around all day in these beauts, and didn't feel any discomfort at all, not even that occasional relief you feel when you take off a pair of high heels at the end of the day. Anything tall enough to make me less dwarfish, without hurting my feet immediately gains sainthood in my book.

Suffice to say, these are a highly treasured and welcome addition to the absurd amount of shoes now occupying my home. Thanks a bunch, Solestruck!!!

The Next Best Thing

There's nothing more troublesome than not being able to get your hands on something you desperately covet. But rather than hanging my head and dwelling in self-pity, I try to make the best out of the situation: mainly, by finding a good alternative to the things I desire.

The most recent case of this has been 2 particular pair of shoes. The Dries Van Noten patent wedges from 2007, and Gucci's AW08 babouska shoes.


Photo snatched from Nubby Twiglet

The Dries Van Noten wedges are beings of absolutely weird, gorgeous construction. I love how they make the foot look similar to a hoof, how all parts of the shoe just meld into each other to make this strong, solid shape. Integrating the oxofrd lace-up style I have come to love, they also look like a foot support dream. However, as much as I love this shoe, it is a star crossed infatuation, as these shoes have proven completely impossible to find. I have searched around enough to say with authority that there are no more of these shoes left in existence (unless you are Nubby, who I have learned on good authority has been selling her soul in shares to score 2 pairs of these).



The other shoe, the Gucci, is much easier to find, but just totally out of my price range. I absolutely adored Gucci's AW08 collection, with the bohemian-military-pirate look, but the babouska shoe was the particular piece that just completely stole my heart. I love how they resemble ornamental old-world bells or trinkets, but also have that tough, punk edge to them as well.

Suffice to say, I have been keeping my eyes peeled for suitable alternatives to both shoes, and I am pleased to report that I have struck pay dirt. Behold, my next-best-things:





The top shoe is made by Poetic License. I spied these in a shop in the city, and nearly flipped. Ok, they don't completely resemble the Dries, but the molded heel construction is similar enough that I am satisfied, as that is the part of the shoe I truly love. And there are so many things about this shoe that I adore in its own right. The color is a sumptuous, glossy, burgundy-red, with a popping red suede stripe running along the side. They close up with a velcro strap across the top, and are by far the cutest, weirdest mary janes I have ever seen. They are also impossibly comfy to wear.



The Jeffrey Campbell shoes I have taken to calling the "I Can't Believe It's not Gucci." I have been a huge fan of Campbell's shoes for some time, and own several pairs - as a brand, I have come to rely on them as well built, affordable shoes, with fantastic variety of styles. These shoes not only look fantastic, but they are the most comfortable heels I have ever worn. I attribute this to the fact that the shoe itself is constructed much like a sling, and the leather is supple enough that it gives just enough that the entire thing molds to your foot. I cannot generally wear very tall shoes, and I love how these look tall, but due to their platform are actually quite reasonable to walk around in.



I am utterly in love with these shoes, and will be wearing them alot this season. Here are two of the first outfits I whipped together to wear them with...


Thursday, 9/18:Sweater: Thrifted, Shorts: Charlotte Russe, Socks: $1 Store, Shoes: Poetic License, Watch: Bulova


Wednesday, 9/24:Dress: Vintage Shop in Harajuku, Cardigan: Etsy, Belt: Thrifted, Tights: Sockdreams, Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell, Necklace: Gift

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be subsisting on Saltines, as I have blown my budget through the roof...but it was worth it!

Claimed: Micheal Kors Austin Large Work Tote

So, it having recently been my birthday, i decided to treat myself to something fancy. I have dreamed about having a nice handbag for almost a year now, particularly since moving up to the New York area, and commuting constantly. It's really remarkable how much wear and tear can occur to a bag when you are moving around a lot - and I have worn out several cheaper bags since I started to commute. I finally decided to do something about it.

I came across this bag on the internets, and it was love at first site. I am a sucker for grey things - it is by far my favorite color, so holistic in spirit and the perfect color to match anything. It's quiet tricky to find a grey bag, though. So I was immediately delighted when I not only found a bag this color, but one whose structure I absolutely adore. Add to that the fact the bag had gold hardware, and I was sold.



Even though I deeply coveted it, I still had some reservations, so I hopped over to Macy's to meet lil miss bag in person. And man o man, this bag lived up to all of my dreams! Not only is the color and hardware great, but it is the perfect size, big but not too big (I personally feel this fad for ridiculously big bags only has another 3 days to it - do not waste your money kids). The leather is the most supple I have ever encountered, and the texture has this lovely pebbling that is just so nice.

The Micheal Kors rep. actually happened to be in the store that day, and noticing they did not have it displayed, I casually asked if they had the bag available in grey. She made a quick phone call, and then gave me the news - there were no grey totes anywhere in New York City! I immediately booked back to my computer, and snatched it up for fear of missing my chance.

Many of you will remember my recent gripe about handbags not having enough compartments. I think a peek inside will prove that some wonderful bag fairy somewhere heard my cries, and granted my wish:



And of course, no handbag of mine would be complete without a personal touch. The Gloomy Bear was given to me by my rad coworker, Letwin. The Domokun doll has a bit of a story to it. I have a major crush on all things Domokun, and when my sister went to Japan 2 years ago, I set her the task of capturing the big brown monster and bringing him back to the states for me. She had no idea what Domokun even was, but quickly became familar with the TV mascot with a propensity of farting when he is excited (who doesn't?). True to her word, at our birthday party/homecoming party last week, Linda presented me with my Domokun, brought straight from Japan for me to enjoy. Thanks Lin!

Claimed: Boyfriend Kaboom!

So the beach was amazing. We headed down to the Delaware shore on Thursday night to meet up with our excellent friends, Max and Caroline (later our friend Larry came down). Proceeding to get our beach on like nobody's business, we spent hours resplendent on the beach, in absolutely perfect weather. We went kayaking, boogie-boarding, ate about 12 pounds of crabs and 40 pounds of chocolate.

Then, on Sunday, Boyfriend Kaboom! asked me to marry him.

And I said yes!



About the ring:

BK! and I are very much against the diamond industry, so we had the ring custom created by the amazing folks at Greenwich Jewelers - as you can see, they did an amazing job. The stone is a precious topaz, and it's color varies between a lemon yellow and a smoky brown, depending on the light. I can't even put into words how sparkly it is, or how much I love it.

If anybody needs me, I'll be on Cloud 9 and three-quarters, and probably smooching.

Winning the Motherload: Jami Rodriguez Jewelry

Recently, the fashion community Stylehive.com held a contest to write about your favorite "Style Hiver" - who they were, what you liked about them, and why. The prize they were offering was too good to pass up - $500 worth of jewelry from the amazing designer Jami Rodriguez. So, I grabbed my keyboard and set to work. I decided to write about a member named BusyBee, who has remarkably great taste and a superb collection of items she showcases on the site.

Lo and behold, I just found out I won! In a few short days time, this amazing hoard of gorgeous jewelry will be making its way to yours truly. Talk about an amazing birthday gift!!


Jami Rodriguez Jewelry Collection

I can't tell you how delighted I am. I am very particular when it comes to jewelry, but Rodriquez's line feels like it was made for me - the pieces are so unique, dramatic, with a sophisticated sense of whimsy. I can barely wait to start wearing these bad boys!

StyleHive has a great interview with Jami Rodriguez, which you can read here.
To view Rodriguez's complete jewelry line, click here.

Full review of the pieces and pics coming soon!

Claimed!: Jodhpur Pant by Orphan

I have found the pants of my dreams. I want to marry these pants, move to the country, and have a family of shorts with them.

They are Orphan Jodhpur Pants and I CANNOT get enough of them.



I will be honest, I was rather nervous about these pants. Sure, they looked amazing on the model, but a garbage bag full of banana peels can look good on a model with the right stuff. Could I really pull these off? I decided to give it a shot, and I am sooooo happy I did.

The pants are the most tailored piece of clothing I have ever owned. The amount of craft and detail put into them is simply breathtaking, and makes me feel like I really own a piece that has a lot of love poured into it.



There are large sectional pieces placed through the seat of the pant, so the result isn't just a saggy bag, but a carefully dropped seat that drapes just right.



To counter the looseness of the seat, the legs are tapered to within an inch of their lives, in an incredibly clever way. The buttons along the side allow the wearer to make these pants as form-fitting as possible, without going through hours of trying to wriggle yourself into a leg with the aid of Crisco.



But the piece de resistance is certainly the buttons in the crotch. Running the entire drop of the crotch to the top of the waist, and peeking just so from the cover cloth for an effect that is divinely sweet and fun. The effect is simply glorious.

I have a feeling these guys are gonna be my uniform this autumn. Thank you, Pixie Market!

Claimed! Miss Sixty Adrian Boots

I love buying things out of season. Nothing makes me happier for the upcoming weather than picking up something warm in the cold months and cold in the warm ones. Well ok, there is one other thing that is as wonderful: the fact that the particular item is usually over 50% off its original price!

So, you can only imagine my sheer, unadulterated joy when I picked up these babies at a sample sale a few weeks ago:



I have long been in need of a pair of big, black boots. These Miss Sixty Adrian boots are simply amazing, and everything I was coveting. The leather is the softest stuff I have ever encountered, and they are super tall and super comfy. My wallet would have been hurting something awful picking them up at their retail price, but I managed to snatch these up for a song.



My particular favorite part about these boots is the detailing around the ankle. I love the straps, buckles, but especially the charm that hangs from one of the shoes. It is such a cute and sweet little detail, and even makes a chiming click when I walk about. I actually have become rather inspired with the idea charms on boots: perhaps I will decorate the entire pair with little gold and silver charms along the straps. You will then hear me coming from a mile away.



I can barely wait until the weather cools down so I can start stomping around in these beauts. I am a summer child, but there's nothing like a good pair of boots to help heal that hurt round end of the season.

Weekend Buys

Had a really nice weekend - went and saw Sex in the City with Gala, Gilda and friends, followed up by a rather awesome roof party hosted by my pal Brian. Saturday and Sunday I stayed mainly in the house, apart from a brief excursion with Boyfriend Kaboom to Barnes and Noble where I picked up some awesome goodies.



I snatched up the Martin Millar's new book "Lonely Werewolf Girl" (which I am super excited to read even though I hate the cover), a new leather-bound edition of the complete works of the Brothers Grimm, a pack of Moleskine cahier books, and a set of lovely glittery notecards.

I am most excited by the collection of Grimm's tales. I already had a copy of these, but I took one look at this book and knew I needed to replace it immediately.



The book is wrapped in forest green leather, and embossed in silver and gold. The pages are gold leafed and it has a ribbon bookmark.





The end pages are covered with gorgeous forest scenes (even Haiku liked them). I am so in love with this book - I can't imagine a more perfect way to house such wonderful stories.



Haiku is such a ham.

I'm Smelly...

...in a good way. My signature scent is Prada perfume - I find it simply irresistible, have worn it for well over 3 years and still love it as much as the first time I caught a whiff in a magazine. It is a heady, layered scent of sandalwood and patchouli that encapsulates everything I desire in a perfume - it's spicy, sweet and warm. However, as absolutely perfect as I find this scent, it has one major drawback - it is very dense, and not at all appropriate for the warmer months. I simply can't bring myself to wear it anytime after May, as it feels the olfactory equivalent of wearing a fur stole to the beach.

Thus began my search for the ideal summer fragrance. This hunt has been going on for well over a year now. Some girls are perfectly happy flirting around with a different perfume each day, but not me. I am all about commitment, baby. It took me YEARS to discover the perfect perfume in Prada, and I certainly didn't intend to throw on just any old fragrance for the other half of the year.

In the process of searching, I have had my brief flings: first with a
Voluspa I picked up on the Jersey Boardwalk on a whim. While Mimosa Martini's intoxicatingly sweet and buttery scent made me feel like I was perpetually fresh off the sand, it was a bit too wild for my tastes: she was the one dancing on the bar by the end of the night, while I was longing to curl up with a book and a cup of tea.


Voluspa Mimosa Martini

Next came a stint with the more subdued Sugar Lemon. Fresh's scent was a nice change of pace from Mimosa's tango-stylings, and it's fresh lemon scent made me think of porch-swings and grassy yards. However, in the end there was no...magic. Lemon Sugar was just that - sweet lemons. No subtle notes, no implied hints, and in the end it's lack of layers just bored me. We parted on the best of terms, though.



Sugar Lemon by Fresh

Fortunately, by the end of these two romances, the leaves had started to change, and I could once again return to my old love. But here we are, almost June again, and driven by an empty bottle of Prada I took up my search afresh (my sample bottle of Chloe was only going to last so long). So yesterday found me at Sephora with my friend Sundari, spraying and whiffing away once more for the perfect perfume. And suddenly, between a handful of paper sticks and a ticklish nose, BAM. Found it.

Michael Kors by Michael Kors

I have to be honest, I generally find Michael Kors fashion a bit of a snooze-fest. But damn, can he make some perfume. Michael Kors by Micheal Kors is a lovely, rich fragrance that perfectly blends floral and spice. The moment I smelled it, I practically swooned. It has freesia in it, which is one of my favorite scents, and just a hint of musk to give it weight. I was surprised to discover tuberose was the main ingredient, as I am not generally drawn to scents with floral bases, but I think that just shows how well the scents in the fragrance compliment each other. To me, it's just perfect: sweet and blamy, like a warm summer night.


Lolita Lempicka's L Perfume

Honorable mention goes to Lolita Lempicka's new fragrance, L. I have been enamored by this fragrance for months now, and came very close to purchasing it on several occasions. This scent has a base in bitter orange, much like my beloved Prada, and the fragrance reminds me of warm sugar and evergreen and awesome. However, like Prada, it is a very strong scent, and I think much more appropriate for the cooler months. Maybe I can have 2 winter scents after all...

My Daily Covet (Claimed!): LG enV Mobile Phone

Ever since my pal Sue got the LG enV, I have been obsessively desiring it. She wouldn't even let me hold it anymore because I was drooling over it so much. But I was having an internal conundrum about purchasing it, since it was a wee bit out of my phone budget. I had since resigned myself to trying to figure out how I would continue to exist without possessing this sweet little piece of technology.

This weekend some plans got canceled, and I found myself stuck on 6th Avenue with not a darn thing to do. So I walked into the nearest Verizon store to browse my other upgrade possibilities. Lo and behold, my dear little phone was on sale! Suddenly the phone I coveted so was quite suddenly in my price range. Score!

Here's the enV in all its grandeur:



Why this phone rules:

The Color: it is by far the most colorful phone in Verizon's offerings, available in a popping orange, and lush olive, and a cool silver (I got the olive one).

Keypad Goodness: The phone flips open to reveal a full alpha-numeric keypad, with calendar capabilities. I have since started texting like an insane person.



The Camera: The phone contains a 2.0 megapixel camera, complete with autfocus and flash. Flip the phone, and suddenly you have a very competent camera



The Size: My last phone was a Rzr, and taught me that there is such a thing as a phone that's too small. The thing was so light and flimsy, I was constantly dropping it, where it would immediately shatter into 18 pieces all over the floor. The enV has quite a bit of bulk to it, and I honestly couldn't be happier. It's nice to have a phone that seems like it can take a beating.

Now, if you need me, I'll be texting everyone in my contacts list my grocery list. Just 'cause.

My Daily Covet (Claimed!): Delia's Solid Skirted One-Piece

Apparently, one-piece bathing suits are made from unicorn hair, which is the only rational explanation I’ve come up with as to why every one I look at costs about a thousand dollars. However, I have finally triumphed! I recently picked up this little number from Delias.com, which rang in at a lovely 40 chicken bones:




Here are the things that are awesome about this suit:

BLACK. Never goes out of style

If black isn’t your thang, they also have this in an edible candy apple red heart pattern:

the neck strap is removable, so one can get a sweet tan but not lose the suit when you decide to take a dip.

The SCRUNCHING. This suit is double lined with an outer scrunching layer of suit-stuff, which means the bottom frill is actually length-adjustable. The above image has the fringe worn rather high, but when I tried it on I was delighted to discover I could pull it all the way over my butt for a totally retro-looking little skirt-suit. (Like this, but without the torpedo-boobies):

That’s totally what's it's like when I am at the beach.

Though they don’t have it for this suit, Delia’s also offers many of their other one-piece’s in different trunk lengths, which is a dream-come-true for a petite little dwarf like myself.

Now I am counting the days until I can get some sand in my butt…

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