Is there such a thing...?

A little something I saw this morning that made me laugh...

It's the very look I used to get when I told people I had a shoe room, haha!

Happy Tuesday to all! If you happen to be in a place with a lot of winter weather I hope you are safe, happy and warm. It's a little crazy out there!

Should you or shouldn't you?

I ask, should you or shouldn't you wear white after labour day?

It is an old rule for sure, but it has been a fairly respected rule to this day. Nowadays though, winter whites are a pretty big thing so that provides a certain amount of... well, uncertainty. After labour day certain things in white feel less appropriate to me (like white jeans), but others I'm totally fine with (dresses and suits). I also feel like going on vacation somewhere might cause the white rules to be more flexible, or living down south, but even then is that just making excuses?!

There is definitely a reason I am thinking about this... I'm not sure I'm done wearing my white heels that I got this summer... but I'm also not sure I can gather the courage to wear put them on and leave the house! Recently two of my fave style icons wore white heels - in fact, both of these looks were favourites of mine from last week!

I'm definitely admiring the heels and not thinking they're inappropriate! I think my stance is do what you want because now more than ever, there is so much freedom in fashion. I'm just not sure I'm ready for this one... yay or nay?

Boot Love

Is it just me, or do you kind of wish you look down right now and be wearing these...

Just one more reason (or a pair of reasons if you will) that Fall is okay with me!

Shoe Love

How amazing are these J.Crew metallic heels? At $320 they will not be making their way into my closet anytime soon so gazing dreamily at this picture will have to do. I've also seen many a blogger sporting them so I also gladly live vicariously through them!

Once upon a time I had metallic pointy toed heels but they got pretty rough in the toe area and because of the silver metallic finish it stood out a lot - too much - so I had to get rid of them. They were Aldo and my hopes is that something similar (or similar to these - the ankle straps are adorable!) will come out because not only are they perfect for a formal occasion but I've seen them paired with distressed denim and man, that's chic! This is the "splurge", now where is the "save"... :)

Shoes vs. Handbags

I was browsing around Pinterest a little while back and stumbled upon this image:

I'm not gonna lie, at first I kind of scoffed at it thinking "shoes OBVIOUSLY", but then I checked out to see if there were any comments on it. Much to my (initial) amazement, there were a lot of people commenting "handbags OBVIOUSLY". I definitely like a good 'ol handbag but I have never prioritized them or worshiped them the way I do shoes. In fact, when a moved about a month ago, I made sure that I had a space ready to go for my shoe rack but actually have all my purses in packed away in a box still...

What's your poison? Shoes or handbags?

Fitness Friday: Gear

Is it just me or can half of the fun of a workout be the gear? Clothes, shoes, accessories - you can have fun with fashion while working out! There are times I definitely enjoy having fun with my workout gear but I also like to find the balance between fun and practical.

My Gear

First off, don't think you have to drop a lot of cash to get great workout stuff. I've gotten some work-out clothes lately at Joe Fresh and Gap that are not wildly expensive and that allow you to get more bang for your buck. Although I don't think you need to spend a lot of money on the clothes, I do recommend making sure you have actual workout clothes. Workout specific clothes are designed for physical activities - from yoga, to running, to kickboxing, and everything in between! The materials of the fabric are designed for your body chemistry - like the general heat your body creates or your sweat. If you don't have the right clothes on, an unpleasant reaction may happen. I've always worn workout clothes so it's never happened to me, but I've heard about it and read about it and it does not sound good (rashes and such)! Also, workout clothes help support your movements in your exercise! No matter what your workout of choice is, there is an outfit designed just for you - but in the interest of saving money (should that be something you want to be mindful of) just look for basic versatile pieces that will take you though any kind of exercise. For example, a good black crop works for every workout under the sun! 

If you want to splurge on something then I tend to believe that one thing worth doing that with is something important like your shoes. Having a good pair of shoes for your workout (whatever it may be) is super important because they are built to enhance your performance as well as protecting you. When I say protecting you, I mean protecting the soles of your feet, your ankles, your knees - pretty much every part of you! You need a shoe that reduces the impact on your body if you are working hard. When I mention a shoe can enhance your performance well, that's why shoes are designed for different activities. There's no need to wonder why there is a running shoe, tennis shoe, basketball shoe, etc. Each activity has it's own movements and requirements so a shoe was made to accommodate that. And if you're not a runner or don't play a lot of specific sports, there's a trainer! I had often wondered how often one should replace their running shoe. After some research I found an article a while back that recommended replacing every 1,000km. If you're not a runner working with that value might not mean as much to you so it would more depend on your work out style, intensity, and frequency. For me, I try to replace them ABOUT every year to year and a half. Nowadays too there are so many colours and styles you can totally have fun with the shoes too. Like I said before though, make sure they're the right shoes for your activities! :)

Do you have any workout staples or a particular style? Colours or basic black?

My Next Gigi

I got a pair, my first and only pair, of Sam Edelman Gigi sandals about a year ago. Prior to that I had never really liked the whole T-strap sandal on myself. I'm not sure what it was then that made me get this pair (it may have been that I was in love with one strap of snake skin, one strap of leopard and the pink details - basically neutral with a bit of colour) but I am sure glad I did! Not only do I love this particular T-strap on me, I can't get enough of it. It doesn't hurt that they are also the most comfortable sandal I own. My only dilemma now, is with summer (almost) upon us, which one to get next... because there WILL be a next!

White Hot Heels

I don't know about you but up until maybe 5 years ago, when I thought about white pumps, I would think of something straight out of the early 80's. Were they even a thing in the 80's or am I imagining it? Maybe with some stirrup leggings? OMG, remember stirrup leggings?! Haha! With all the colours and shapes and designs of shoes nowadays I am definitely way open to more and thinking out side the "era" box. I remember at the end of the summer last year, white heels started really taking off. I remember wanting to buy a pair but it was my brief hesitation that did me in as when I was ready to pull the trigger, the pair I wanted were gonzo. Good news for fans of white heels (and good news for whomever bought those shoes I wanted), white heels are back this year and in full force! In the last few weeks, now that spring has sprung, almost every fashionable starlet has been seen wearing them. I cannot get enough...

They are so fresh and clean looking. They go with pretty much everything. They OOOOZE summer. What's not to love? I expect I will be picking up a pair to be my very own VERY SOON.

What do you think of the trend? Do you have a pair of white heels in your shoe closet (hopefully not because you saved them from the 80's...)?

Shoe Housing: Past, Present, Future?

I love shoes, you love shoes, we all love shoes! But as you build up a collection of shoes it can get harder and harder to find room to house them. Traditionally shoes go on the floor of a closet but there is only so much useable floor space in a home before you start carpeting your house with shoes. I'm very lucky with where I'm living right now - I live with a girlfriend who also has a good amount of shoes so we have a room dedicated to our shoes! It's supposed to be an eating area off of our kitchen but since we have a substantial dining room and it's just the two of us, this seemed like a better use of space. It also leads to our balcony so there is some stellar lighting in there. 

Our shoe room consists of a giant full length mirror at the end of the room, two 50 pair racks on either side of it (one for each of us naturally) and at the other end of the room we have two red bucket chairs with a table in the middle facing the mirror (which we've used to showcase our shoes at our shoe parties). It's a good little area.

But recently, I ran into a bit of a problem. My shoe rack started to buckle. Not just because I have too many shoes (just kidding, there's no such thing as too many shoes) but because I put my boots on the top rack which weighs it down quite a bit as you can imagine. I should also mention that less than 24 hours after I took the buckling picture below, it full out collapsed. So, I had to go out and find myself a new rack. Which I did. I picked up the stainless steel beauty also seen below.

Now I will say I am quite happy with this new rack and how it turned out. It holds just as many shoes as the other one but is more visually pleasing and also, for whatever reason, feels more compact to me. BUT I am still worlds away from the shoe housing of my dreams - hopefully, the shoe housing of my future...

The dream.

My dream is to still have a house with a shoe room/closet but to have white shelving  house all of my shoes. A step further would be to have that white shelving inset into the wall but that I realize, is quite ambitious. I previously posted about Coach's shoe closet which would be a dream. I've also expressed not just that I would like to have Jennifer Hudson's closet, but that I would be happy live in it - it would be more than enough space for little 'ol me and my clothes and shoes, haha! Her closet is a little off the charts but SO amazing.

How do you store your shoes? Do you have any shoe closet dreams of your own? :)

Black & White

It is no secret that black and white is HUGE for spring! This is one of my favourite colour trends because it can often be made up of existing items in your closet! We all have black things, we all have white things, and I'm going to bet that we also all have black&white things. Ingredients, check. The other thing I like about the trend is how neutral it really is. It has a classic and chic look to it. You can also play around with it by adding a pop of colour with an accessory, shoe, or make up. Make it your own, there's no wrong way!

Jamie Chung in Alice + Olivia | Shay Mitchell in Sachin + Babi

BUT, if you were to go shopping, I found some beautiful finds that are just right for spring and summer...

 Parker | DVF

Or, instead of making the black and white pop with colourful accessories, you can do just the opposite and rock the trend WITH the accessories...

Cambridge Satchel | Marc by Marc Jacobs Cross-body

L.A.M.B. Cia Pump | SoftWalk Napa Flat

Shiny Ponies

Happy April (Fools)!

I couldn't think of a better way to start off this week then with this short video featuring Jenna Lyons, J.Crew's creative director. I really appreciate her sharing some behind the scenes on how J.Crew designs and constructs their shoes. I also like the part where she mentions that she has about 289 pairs of shoes!!! Makes me feel like such a rookie, haha!

Just a beautiful, beautiful movie, full of (shoe) eye candy... :)

Coach's Shoe Closet

I have never purchased shoes from Coach. Nor have I ever associated shoes with Coach. That is until late last week when Coach changed their cover photo on Facebook. Initially I was drawn to the look of the "Shoe Closet", then after a closer look I realized it was their shoe closet with their shoes! And what lovely shoes they appear to be... 

After clicking through to see close ups of their selection, I picked out a couple of favourites! I really liked their Lizzie Heel in Bright Coral (that kind of remind me of the Kate Spades shoes I previously shared) and the Coco Flat Sandal in (neon) Yellow/Ginger. I can picture wearing those all the time in the summer along with my favourite Sam Edelman Gigi sandals! 

I think it might be time for me to rethink Coach and pay more attention to their shoes!

Love It or Leave It: Lucite

So it seems a new fashion trend is popping up. That fashion trend is Lucite being used in footwear. I feel like this started when Christian Louboutin used Lucite for the upper part of his shoes a few years ago. Remember the ones where the whole shoe was Lucite except for the cap of the toe? Well now, the trend has moved to another region - the heel. Yes, Lucite heels - or as I can't help but refer to them after a famous stand-up bit from Chris Rock: clear heels. So I ask, love it or leave it? I have picked here some super high-end styles to illustrate the trend in question. My opinion: leave. I mean, we can't possibly love them, can we? I have yet to see someone actually wear a pair, but I can't wrap my head around it at all. I also am not a big fan of block heels - they remind me too much of the 90's.

Diane Von Furstenburg | Stuart Weitzman | L.A.M.B. | Loeffler Randall

I am very interested to know if anyone is on board with this style, owns this style, or has even seen this style. And much like the platform sneaker trend (which I'm still not quite on board with), I wonder if this will stick around.

And if you don't know the Chris Rock reference to clear heels, Google it! I think that is another reason I can't wrap my head around this trend...

Snakeskin Capped Off With Neon

You can tell the seasons are starting to change with the amount of new things I finding, wanting and sharing! My latest find are beautiful snakeskin flats from Banana Republic with a coloured cap toe. First off, I have never really been especially fond of Banana Republic shoes (maybe they're fine but I just don't look at the right times) but these caught my eye and it was longing at first sight! Just as I am picky with prints like leopard prints, I am equally as picky when it comes to snakeskin print! In clothes I find it can wash someone out (if you're on the pale side), and in general, if it's not the right print it WILL look cheap. Online the print for both looks just fine to me, and the coloured toe gives these shoes the extra "ooomph" they need to spice up the print! I just love these.

This is yet another scenario where I'm having trouble picking a favourite!

Attraction Alert: Coral Shoes

As of late I have found myself VERY attracted to coral shoes. Coral shoes of any shade also - whether they be on the neon side or on the pastel side. Below I've featured Jessica Alba and Hayden Panettiere wearing a couple of beauty pairs in bright versions of the shade. They are both wearing fairly modest and classic outfits, but paired with these shoes, their overall looks are given some life and some fun!

I could not find any shoes that were quite as bright neon as Hayden's, but I think I found Jessica's. My best guess is that they are the Kate Spade "licorice too" pump in the colour "Fuxia Flouro Patent" (below). They run for a not so modest $300. In my search I was looking around for some other colour/style/price variations and this is what I found:

Rachel Roy | Kate Spade | Alice +Olivia

 Town Shoes | Aldo

What do you think of coral shoes?

Julianne Hough for Sole Society

A couple of months ago I saw Julianne Hough announce over Twitter that she would be collaborating with Sole Society to develop a line of shoes. Well, over the weekend I noticed that they have finally been unveiled. I've only recently been browsing Sole Society footwear and so far I think they have a lot of really great styles. This collaboration I feel is no different. I tend to really like Julianne's style so I'm not surprised that I like the shoes. I'm not crazy about her flats, but I wanted to share some of the heels that I liked! 

"Makenna" sandal | "Gianna" sandal | "Angela" bootie

First, there's the "Makenna" sandal. Very fashionable and fun. I like the zipper detailing and how bright they are. Next there's the "Gianna" sandal. I feel like this one is inspired by her dancing roots as it very much reminds me of the type of shoes they wear sometimes on Dancing with the Stars! I do however think that the style and the colour are pretty darn cute. Finally we've got the "Angela" bootie. I really liked this colour with spring around the corner, and we all know a peep-toe bootie is super trendy right now. 

What do you think of her collaboration?

Cute slogan too... 

To Embrace or Not to Embrace

The wedge sneaker.

The first time I saw this style of shoe I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, look how silly they look! A wedge sneaker? Isn't that kind of like the high-heeled sneaker that we all laughed at and then quickly disappeared? Well, the wedge sneaker has stuck around months longer than I thought and I've got to admit, I don't laugh when I see them anymore (unless they're SUPER silly looking, but if ANYTHING is super silly looking I laugh). Like any shoe or style, I know what I like, and when it comes to the wedge sneaker I don't mind the ones pictured for example. I like them because they're colourful so they're definitely playing towards the fun, sneaker side as opposed to trying disguise itself as a real shoe or a hybrid shoe. They also to me, look well made and high quality, which they are - these are Ash sneakers that go for a not-so-modest $240. Like any trend, the question is how long will it last. That always helps me personally decide whether or not to invest in it. 

Shall I embrace it or not? I think I have my personal answer to that question: I will embrace others rocking the trend, but will not rock it myself. I am NOT and NEVER have been a running shoe kind of gal. I wear running shoes at the gym. Aside from that I have one pair of Chuck Taylor's that I wear maybe two or three times a year. My ideal casual shoe is a wedge sandal/shoe/boot or an interesting flat, so investing in a pair of wedge sneakers wouldn't make sense for me - I'd likely never wear them! 

So now I ask, what do you think of the wedge sneaker trend?  

It's a Shoe! It's a Chair! It's a Shoe Chair!

I am not normally one to show off presents that I receive, but this one is WAY TO COOL not to share quite frankly! After Christmas dinner my family all gathers together and the presents get passed out to the appropriate people, then we all open together. Pretty standard stuff. Until this GIANT present lands at my feet - so big in fact, it's wrapped very carefully (and creatively) with a red table cloth! It's from my Gramma. First, it's huge. Second, it's kind of triangular in shape so I don't even bother with guessing! 

When I start opening it, it's wrapped in cellophane so it's still hard to see but I can make out what I think is leopard print... yup, it's leopard... it's a chair... that is shaped... like a... shoe? It's a shoe chair! How cool is this?! Apparently she found it in the summer and immediately thought of me. It's pretty perfect! And it fits in really well with the overall decor I've got going on at my house! (My house is not what's pictured - that's still at my parents.) Shortly after Christmas a few girlfriends and I got together for a snacks and games night, and as a joke and a way to show off my new present, I pulled the shoes chair up to the table while we played. No joke, that thing is incredibly comfortable! I couldn't believe it! Anyway, like I said, I couldn't help but share my latest and greatest addition to my home. 

Thanks to my Gramma, my passion for shoes has now been translated into the most unique and fun piece of furniture ever! :) 

November loves of my life...

As this month comes to an end, in reflecting on it, I realized that I fell in love this month - twice. With inanimate objects, but let me tell you about them...

First, while in New Orleans I passed a store window and spotted a pair of leopard booties. I was looking at them, they were looking at me, and that was it. Love. I have loved the look of leopard booties for a while, but as with most animal print, I find it very hard to find the right look. You don't want a discoloured, or inexpensive looking print/fabric (which is why I barely buy animal prints - I'm VERY picky). Then comes the shoe itself. Must be comfortable, versatile and beautiful! These booties fit all the criteria for me. They also looked looked an awful lot like a pair of House of Harlow boots I had been admiring from a distance for months, but with out the super extravagant price tag. Since bringing them home, I've worn them and handful of times and am also going to put them up in the ranks of one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. What a bonus!

My second love was more of a splurge. It's a Rebecca Minkoff purse. Enough said? Probably, but I will go on. These bags are one of my favourite lines of high-end designer bags. I fell in love with the Mac line and finally got one to call my very own! They're all great but I got drawn to this particular one because it was the most beautiful colour of vibrant purple, and is patent leather, which is not for her designs. When I got it I was more in love with it than I thought. It's just got the nicest detailing and it the perfect colour. Just love. Totally worth it!


Have a great weekend and enjoy this last day of November! Can you believe tomorrow is December already?!?!

Must Have: Black Flats

I think if you could only have one pair of shoes, it should be a black shoe. Now since you can only have one pair of shoes and they happen to be black, it's probably a good idea to make that shoe a flat, for practical reasons of course.

I think a black flat is the favourite-basic-white-t-shirt of the shoe world, wouldn't you agree? They go with just about anything, can be dressed up or down, and are comfortable. Well my roommate and I were chatting about shoes awhile back, and specifically about black flats. I was saying how I had this most favourite pair that I wore everywhere, and since I got rid of them (years and years ago), I've never replaced them. I should say that as I write this I acknowledge that we might have a shoe problem for having this discussion, but it's talks like these that help guide and motivate us prior to our shoe parties! That being said, in the last two months we have both found our black flat staple shoe! I opted for a plain black suede pair (that are as close to the smoking slipper style as I'm willing to go), and she opted for a black suede tasseled loafer style. We each got a more fun pair of statement shoes too - she got some rock 'n roll studded peep toes in classic black leather, and I got a pair of cobalt blue suede wedges. 

Until October...

 As always, roommates shoes on the left, mine on the right. 

Far left studded peep-toe, Sam Edelman; all others Aldo.