Gold metallic leather espadrilles with leather rose at the toe, Charles by Charles David. These wedges have a 4-inch heel, but with the little platform at the toe they don’t feel nearly that high. I can wear these shoes all day, and even run in them, thanks to the ankle strap and my ridiculously honed running-in-heels skill. (wink)

This is the first pair of shoes I purchased that cost more than $100 dollars (I believe they were about $110 when I bought them years ago). You may think that is exorbitant, but keep in mind, I have worn these almost constantly for seven summers and they still look fabulous. I discovered that metallic is a neutral and that a fantastic pair of heels go with every possible outfit.

I finally got on the gingham shirt bandwagon, just as the summer is unwinding. I have a list of eight or nine different ways to wear this shirt, and I can’t wait to get started! The orange, silk skirt is 6 or 7 years old but I still absolutely adore the color, the cut, and the shape. Yay for buying clothes that last forever!

Apparently I was in the mood for all sorts of fun jewelry today. I love the white and gold leaf ring, I just think it’s so pretty. I bought the watch for an end-of-term present to myself last spring, and the crazy octopus ring just couldn’t be left for someone else to scoop up. Is it ridiculous? Yes. Do I love it? Of course!

The Details
Blue gingham button-up: J. Crew (final sale!)
Navy cardigan: H&M
Orange silk skirt: Banana Republic
Leather belt: thrifted
Gold espadrilles: Charles by Charles David via Nordstrom
Gold multi-chain necklace: Claire’s
White and gold-plated leaf ring: Eternal Sparkles via Amazon
Pony watch: ASOS
Octopus ring: Heirloom Charms via Amazon

This may be a little bit hard to believe, but up until last week I completely forgot about these fantastic shoes. I bought them at the end of last summer on the clearance sales, tucked them away for warmer weather. Warmer weather came and the shoes never made an appearance. It wasn’t until I was rearranging my shoe room (yes, I have a shoe room) that I found them, fell in-love all over again, and brought them downstairs to make an outfit.

This light blue linen dress was a Nordstrom Rack find and I think the coral-pink and orange compliment it quite nicely.

The Details

Light blue linen dress: Nordstrom Rack
Charles by Charles David wedges: via Piperlime
White layered tank: Down East Outfitters
Leather belt: thrifted
Orange leather tote: Down East Outfitters
Dangly coral earrings: Macy’s
Gold and cream cuff: via Piperlime
Coral cocktail ring: Ann Taylor Loft

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.

Colin Stuart for Victoria’s Secret sandal–did you know VS has some really fantastic shoes? I fell in-love with these retro-print strappy wedges as soon as I saw them, and while I don’t wear them a ton (how often do you pair orange, purple, and yellow?) I still absolutely adore them.

Looking at this, I wonder if I should have worn a yellow shirt instead of white, but it’s too late to change that now. I love the bright orange belt. And the shoes. I still can’t get over the shoes.

Close up of the colors, I love the deep violet and orange together, and admittedly, the scarf was kind of a last minute addition. But hey, my office is freezing most of the time, so why not wear a scarf in August?

The Details

White puff-sleeve T: Gap (you can’t see this all that well, but the sleeves have tulle netting over them, which I adore.)
Lavender Scarf: Chinatown, San Francisco
Navy blue cotton skirt: Banana Republic
Orange belt: H&M
Retro-print shoes: Colin Stuart for Victoria’s Secret
Silver bracelet: Tiffany

**This post is part of Kayla‘s 21 Day Challenge. Day 4: Color block. 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.

Navy blue patent leather Mary Jane’s with 4-inch heel and almond-shaped toe, by Nine West.  I found these beauties at Nordstrom Rack for half-off of half-off.  I ended only paying $15.00 for them.  And they’re blue!  And shiny!  And look at the fancy, strappy bit on the heel!  Swoon!

I love shopping at Nordstrom Rack, I love that my feet are not an average size so there is always something fabulous there for a great deal.  (Size 10 is far from average, yo.)  I had a hard time finding navy, patent leather Mary Jane’s that are available right now…but I think you’ll see that these are just as fantastic.

Madden Girl Sursey Pump ,Navy Patent ($39.95)
(Available in a bunch of other colors as well!)

Nine West Reptile-Print Rocha Pump, Navy Patent ($54.11)
Navy! Patent Leather! With a reptile print! Triple love!

United Nude Modern Mary Jane, Navy ($134.69)
I can’t get over the structure of these heels! I don’t know a better way to describe them, but they are fantastic!

ALSO!  Remember to enter to win a FREE pair of Lucha Shoes! Contest entry and details are here. Contest is open until March 18.

Black open-toe heels with ruffles, ankle wrap and 3.5-inch heel.  I used to wear these fairly often–usually with slacks to prevent raised eyebrows at work–and I had forgotten about them until I started digging around in my stacks.  Such a cute pair of heels!  Swoon!  I tried to find some similar ones, but unfortunately search results for “bedroom shoes” were more fuzzy slipper and less fantastic heels.

Touch Ups Ivanna Pump, Black ($55.16)

Dyeables Frilly Sandal, Black ($19.95)

Betsey Johnson Nelson Pump, Black Satin (40.95)

Gold metallic snakeskin peep-toe, platform sandals with ankle strap and 5-inch heel, by ShoeDazzle.  Are these particularly “winter weather” appropriate?  Mmm, no, not really.  Have I ever been one for “practical” or “appropriate?”  Mmm, no, not really.

Ok, so let’s chat a minute about ShoeDazzle, they are a subscription shoe dealer, which sounds a lot fancier than it really is.  Basically, you get a new pair of shoes every month for a pretty low price, I’m on month two and have already purchased extra pairs.  And not all of the shoes have 5-inch heels, I promise.  You actually take a little “shoe preference” quiz and they give you a selection based on that.  If you don’t like any of them you can request new ones.  It’s a pretty sweet gig.  And, of course, I get referral points if you use this link to join.  So head over there, check it out, report back to me, okay?  Okay.  Happy Tuesday.

Black suede, velvet and leather strappy Mary Jane’s with 4-inch heel, from Coach. That’s right, Coach. Several years ago I went to Chicago for the weekend to reward myself after a particularly grueling year. I went to see Wicked, visited some of my favorite museums, and wandered along The Magnificent Mile for two days straight. In my wanderings and window shopping, I found these lovelies. They are, to date, the most expensive pair of shoes I own. I got them on sale, a really big sale, but they were still $156.74. I know this, because the receipt is still inside the box. Do I regret this purchase? No. Do I wear these often? No. Do I think they are a waste of money? Absolutely not. They are like the “good china” your grandmother had, beautiful and delicate and not meant for every-day wear. Will I hand these beauties down to my daughter? Maybe, if she happens to be a size 10. (wink.)

Here are a few similar pairs, although nothing quite so outrageous in price. Happy Monday.

BCBGeneration Drift Mary-Jane Pump

T.U.K. Mary Jane Pump

MICHAEL Michael Kors Clare T-Strap Heel
(these ones are a little pricey, but so pretty!)

Bordello by Pleaser Spectator Pump
(I love these, absolutely love them!)