Study of Shoes and Stilettos

Black patent leather t-strap sandals with 4-inch platform heel, by Steve Madden. These are ridiculously comfortable and I wear them often when I am on my feet all day. In fact, I have converted several of my sisters and sisters-in-law to these shoes. (And if they were still available I’d totally link you up so you could convert as well. I’m a giver like that.)

Thrifted graphic-print wrap-dress. I love the 3/4 sleeves and the surplice top. I think I need to figure out another way to style it besides black and white, yes? I see scarves and cardigans and bright tights in this dress’s future!

The Details

Black and white wrap dress: thrifted
Black tank: Express
Black patent leather strappy sandals: Steve Madden
Black octopus necklace: Hot Topic (love!!)
Black rose ring: International Rose Test Garden, Portland, OR

Ruby & Bloom black patent leather espadrille wedges with strappy-straps at the toe and ankle. (Yes, strappy-straps is a technical term. Look it up.) My roommate found a pair of fantastic black patent leather summery wedges months ago that look  classy with every possible outfit. I have been on the search ever since and as soon as I saw these at Nordstrom Rack on super clearance and almost walked out wearing them. Admittedly, I’ve worn them as often as I can squeeze them in the last few weeks.

I found this wool skirt at the thrift store about a month ago and I love the pleating/seaming in the front. It’s probably more of a fall piece, but I couldn’t wait for cooler temperatures. Besides, I need a cardigan in my extra-air conditioned office anyway.

The Details

Pink tweed A-line skirt: thrifted
Beige ruffle T: Gap
Black cardigan: Banana Republic
Wide black belt: Down East Outfitters
Shoes: Judy & Bloom via Nordstrom Rack
Silver “Love” necklace: Forever 21
Silver bracelet: Tiffany
Black leather purse: J.M.R.

Nine West orange snakeskin pumps with mini platform and stacked heel. I know it’s not technically fall yet, and we still have temperatures over 90 degrees. But I have been slowly devouring the new style magazines for fall and decided to see what I could pull from my closet.

Leopard print is a neutral, right? Whatever, I don’t care, it’s fabulous and I love it.

The Details

Chocolate brown pencil skirt: Ross/TJ Maxx (this is a closet staple, I’ve found)
Creamy tank: B.P., Nordstrom
Forest green v-neck T with shirred sleeves: Gap
Leopard print belt: Gap
Shoes: Orange snakeskin pumps by Nine West
Asymmetrical gold bauble necklace: Hive and Honey via Piperlime
Gold bracelets: Hive and Honey via Piperlime
Leaf ring: Claire’s

Gabrielle Rocha gray suede stiletto pumps, pointy toe, skinny heel, perfectly shaped. Yes, I love them. (Does this shock anyone? No? Good.

I found this cobalt blue dress at a thrift store for $5 dollars a few weeks ago. I can’t get enough of it. The color, the cut, the sleeves–seriously, take a look at the sleeves. They are fourteen different kinds of fabulous. Although, several times a day I find myself raising my arms over my head so the sleeves get away from my elbows, think Mickey Mouse in Fantasia.

In addition to thrifting the dress, I also thrifted the belt and the necklace. I’m a thrifting machine today!

The Details

Cobalt blue dress: thrifted
Gray belt: thrifted
Gray suede heels: Gabrielle Rocha
Turquoise pendant necklace: thrifted, Ray’s Ragtime, Portland
Turquoise ring: Trading Post, West Glacier NP
Turquoise bracelet: Chinatown, San Francisco
Silver bracelet: Tiffany
Sunglasses: Chinatown, Toronto

Nine West navy blue patent leather Mary Janes. I found these lovelies at Nordstrom Rack and fell in-love immediately. I love patent leather, I love Mary Janes, and the fact that these were BLUE instead of the expected black…sold!

I have wanted to hem this skirt since I bought it, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Today was the first time I tried belting it and on my 40 minute lunch break I received three separate compliments. Perhaps belting is the way to go instead of hemming? Thoughts?

I do not own anything this minty green color, but when I saw the snakeskin belt for $1.00 at a thrift store I couldn’t not take it home (this is a recurring problem with me, I’ve found). When I saw the minty-green J. Crew bracelets on sale I had to have them (see it again? The shopping problem?).

The Details

Navy v-neck T: Ann Taylor
Magenta cardigan: B.P. by Nordstrom
Gray full skirt: Ross/TJ Maxx find
Navy blue patent leather Mary Janes: Nine West
Minty green snakeskin belt: thrifted
Pink necklaces (2 worn, one looped twice, one knotted): no idea…
Minty green & silver bangles: J. Crew, Bohme, Tiffany
Light blue glass ring: Ann Taylor Loft
Dangly disc earrings: Street vendor, Mazatlan, Mexico

**This post is part of Kayla‘s 21 Day Challenge, Layer Accessories. Check out the rest of the participants in the Flickr group here.

Red satin strappy sandals with 4-inch wedge heel by Steve Madden, via Nordstrom Rack. These are one of my favorite pairs of summer heels, I love the wedges, I love the straps. I feel like these shoes are lingerie for your feet, but, you know, the kind that is appropriate to wear to work.

I found this skirt a few weeks ago and have absolutely loved wearing it, it is perfect for road trips or other long bouts of sitting where you don’t want to look (or feel) like a slouch but are desperate for some slouchy-feeling clothes. Coincidentally, the chevron pattern means I can also wear it to work without worrying I’m too casual. Double win!

The Details

Chevron skirt: Old Navy
Cream T: Downeast Outfitters
Tan cardigan: Old Navy
Red scarf: Urban Outfitters I absolutely love the sheep print on this!
Coral-like silver ring: From a teeny little general store in Wisdom, MT
Red strappy wedges: Nordstrom Rack
Silver bracelet: Tiffany

**This post is part of Kayla‘s 21 Day Challenge. Day 3: Mix patterns. Check out the rest of the participants in the Flickr group here.

Bebe strappy leather sandals with chunky wooden platform and a staggering 6-inch heel. Surprisingly, these aren’t all that tricky to walk in, and are remarkably comfortable. Seriously. The platform makes the heel not quite so severe, and I can’t tell you how tall and important I feel when rocking a six-inch heel. Goodness, I love these shoes!

I love how this is a fairly classic outfit until you get to my ankles, and then it’s sass and spunk all the way. I kind of wish I’d worn this with a hot pink belt instead of the brown one, but I suppose that just means I’ll have to wear it again.

The Details

Blue and white polka-dot blouse: Banana Republic
White tank: Old Navy
Brown pencil skirt: TJ Maxx
Brown belt: Forever 21 (I think)
Shoes: Bebe
Pink bangles and ring: Claire’s
Silver bracelet: Tiffany

**This post is part of Kayla‘s 21 Day Challenge. Day 2: Tuck it in. Check out the rest of the participants in the Flickr group here.

Chocolate brown snakeskin t-strap espadrilles from Banana Republic…the exact same ones I wore last week.  Whatever, I love them and it’s not freezing or rainy or miserable, so espadrilles must be worn.  Truth be told, when I left the house this morning I was wearing boots, but one look at the slice of blue sky that was so lovely, I marched myself back upstairs and grabbed the first pair of shoes with peep-toes.

This dress started it’s life as a mid-calf, homemade pioneer dress from the thrift store.  I chopped off the hem (although I think I need to take it up another inch or two), took the sides in several inches, and made the sleeves a little less puffy.  I loved the summery plaid and the pockets–pockets!!–so any and all adjustments were totally worth it.

The Details
Dress: thrifted and refashioned by me
Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Forever 21
Necklaces: Horseshoe Necklace (no clue where this one came from), Mayan calendar necklace (Mazatlan, Mexico)
Earrings: Claire’s
Turquoise Ring: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Espadrille Wedges: Banana Republic

Black snakeskin boots with 3.5″ heel, almond-shaped toe and enough sass to make it through even the roughest day. I love the slouchy feel, and I love the thicker stacked heel–these boots were definitely made for walking!  The tights are a dark purple-plum color, which is tricky to see from this photo, but it’s been overcast and rainy for weeks and I tried.

It is cold.  It is (still!) raining.  And I would like to point out that I am wearing boots, tights, a wool skirt, jacket AND a scarf.  At the end of May.  Gaaaaah. [/weather rant]

The Details
Black and white striped button-up (that you can hardly see): Old Navy, clearance
Denim military-style jacket: Ross ($12! Win!)
Lime green scarf: SF Chinatown ($5)
Wide black belt: Downeast Outfitters
Charcoal paneled skirt: Macy’s (8+ years ago)
Black ruffled headband: Anthropologie
Purple Tights: no ideaFaux-diamond earrings: Express (a million years ago, I wear them almost every day…or, I did before I started documenting my outfits and accessories for the Internet.)
Black Snakeskin Knee High Boots: Nine West

Magenta, grey and black suede peep-toe D’orsay pump with metallic trim and platform heel, thrifted (seriously!)

Two things:(1)  it has been raining here for almost 3 weeks.  I live in the middle of the desert.  This is not normal!! (2) The upside is that everything is ridiculously green, so I’m trying not to complain too much about it.

I found this skirt on clearance at a department store (Z.C.M.I., which was purchased by Meier and Frank, which was bought-out by Macy’s) 8 years ago and have worn it almost every week ever since.  It still looks great!  I love the paneled seaming and the charcoaly gray color.  Here’s to buying great basics!  *clinks glass

A friend of mine gave me a Piperlime giftcard for my birthday a few months ago.  Usually, I am the type to immediately spend that kind of gift on shoes, but I decided to branch out a little and see what else I could add to my wardrobe.  This silver bauble collar-style neckalce caught my eye, and seemed to be something Kendi would love (when in doubt, repeat this mantra: What Would Kendi Wear?).  I have tried it a couple of different ways and am loving how it brings a bit of sparkle and interest to an ensemble.  Yay for trying new trends!

The Details
Striped T-shirt: H&M
Magenta Cardigan: B.P., by Nordstrom
Charcoal paneled skirt: Macy’s (at least 8 years old)
Wide patent leather belt: Downeast Outfitters
Silver bauble necklace: Piperlime
Bracelets: handmade gifts, Tiffany
Silver bauble earrings: Claire’s
Rose ring: Macy’s
Suede color-block heels: thrifted ($10!)