Comfy Summer Sandals

There's a part of me that would love to be able to walk around in 4-inch heels all day, and the overwhelming part of me that knows that it is much too painful to do so on a regular basis. Especially as the weather gets nice, I need to be a little more practical in my shoe choices because I will be spending a lot of time walking all over town. I know a lot of people swear by wedges, but for serious pavement pounding, I think flats are the only way to go. I've got some of my favorites pictured here, all dressier than a pair of flip flops and with a little bit more sole than a piece of plywood for shock absorption.

Not sure if this is a burgeoning trend or not, but I've seen a few dresses lately featuring strategically placed cutouts in the chestal area. It seems to be a nicer way to show a little skin without being so obvious as with a plunging neckline. It's always more intriguing to leave a little to the imagination, and I think this type of detailing makes things much more interesting without being overly trampy.

It's wedding season...

One of my BFF's since the beginning of time is getting married in a few weeks and will be using the colors of a peacock as the theme for her reception. So she's requested that the bridesmaids dress accordingly if possible, which immediately brought to mind rich royal blues, purples and greens - along with a great excuse to get a new dress or shoes. I think her theme is great and will make for some gorgeous reception decor, and I'm having a great time browsing for items so that I will be properly dressed! I've found a few dresses and shoes that fit the bill perfectly:

Why?!?!?

I just don't know what to say. I'm completely speechless and not in a good way.

What I would wear if I was taller

I've probably mentioned every other post or so that I'm really short. And as we all know, that's not exactly the demographic that high fashion focuses on. It's not just length that's a problem, but anything with a gigantic print, oversize accessories, and pieces with not enough structure are also no-nos for a petite frame. Sigh. Well, it's still fun to look because I can still enjoy the design of a piece of clothing even if it would make me look like a troll. Here are a few things I would love to wear if I suddenly grew a foot overnight.

This Silence & Noise vest is great in that it doesn't look remotely like a traditional vest. I also like how it is styled here with a simple black tube dress underneath.

If I grew a foot and won the lottery overnight, this Vivienne Westwood dress would be mine. Despite the abstract folds, the dress still has a lean quality to it. However, as it stands, there is no way in hell I could pull off this artsy number.

This dress would not be as cute if it was shorter. The decorative straps make the dress, but the darker panel down the middle adds extra drama.

Two more things that are not for me - giant bags and necklaces. But here are two that I really like.

There's been so much rain the past few months where I live that I'm surprised fresh seafood hasn't washed up on our lawn everyday. I think the last time I wore a raincoat was in second grade, when my mom picked out an ensemble consisting of a red slicker with yellow galoshes. Back then, it was quite cute. But as I got older, I never really saw a raincoat that I thought was very stylish - they all seemed so utilitarian to me. Lately though, this weather has gotten me thinking, I better go get a rain coat, boring or not. I did manage to find some great ones, though most of them are bank account busters.

This Jillian Lewis coat is a great cross between a dress and trench. Ultra-feminine and water repellent! Brilliant.

A bold take on the traditional slicker, the white trim on the Moncler rain jacket keeps it tailored so you don't look like you are wearing a garbage bag.

Shimmery satin gives this Burberry trench an understated elegance, a silver lining on a cloudy day.

The splotchy iridescent pattern on Nina Ricci's jacket looks a bit like the colors you see in oil film floating on puddles, perfect for something to get wet in, as long as you forget that it's generally gross to see oil in puddles.

Rompers for Grown-Ups

For the most part, I think rompers (and jumpsuits) for that matter are hideous, not to mention difficult to go to the bathroom in. Though, as so often happens in fashion, some brilliant designers take a heinous concept and turn it to something beautiful. Below are two examples I think are especially pretty. It probably helps that these rompers resemble short dresses more so than mini-jumpsuits.

Custom clothing

Thanks to custom clothiers, you may never have to worry about finding something that fits or walking into a room wearing the same outfit as someone else. Two companies I particularly like are April Marin and Studio 28 Couture.

The Capri Dress and Dylan Ruffle Jacket, shown below, are two April Marin offerings. Her site also features a well edited selection of jackets, suits and dresses. The pieces are all classics with a twist, as opposed to playing it safe with standard, plain lapel jackets and sheath dresses. It's nice to know that us non-standard sizes aren't doomed to a wardrobe of boring basics! The prices are extremely reasonable, with nothing over $200. You can choose from 8 colors and it takes about 2 weeks for them to create your garment.





Studio 28 Couture, creators of the two following fabulous frocks, focuses more on the customization of style rather than fit. Their site features 'Dress Builder 2.0', where you can select from a variety of top and bottom styles to create a unique dress (or just a skirt), with a myriad of solids, prints and trims to choose from. Did any of you have a Fashion Plates toy from the 80's? For those of you who are too young to remember, the toy consisted of a variety of plastic plates with impressions of models cut in half, so that you could mix and match to make your own outfit, of which you put a piece of paper on top and made a rubbing of to make a 'sketch'. Dress Builder 2.0 is a delightfully grown-up version Fashion Plates that can result in something you can actually wear.

Get to give

As much as I love fashion, it does bother me that the business dismisses anything a few months old as passe and often uses branding to promote an aura of elitism and exclusivity - things which definitely do not make for a better world. Thankfully, more and more apparel companies are starting to bring an element of social consciousness into their business models.


TOMS was started by Blake Mycoskie in response to a trip to Argentina where he saw that many of the children had no shoes, putting them at risk for infections due to cuts. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates a pair to a barefoot child and hopes to donate 300,000 pairs this year. The shoes in his line are all made of canvas and modeled after traditional Argentine farmer shoes (called alpargata), with the exception of the wrap boot pictured up top. All are definitely casual cool and come in women's, men's and kid's styles. Personally, I think the wrap boots are genius as far as design goes. Not only do they look cool and comfy, they can be custom fit to any calf size. And knowing that my purchase is going to benefit a child in need makes it all the better.

Samsara is a Canadian handbag company and an offshoot of the vegan-friendly Matt&Nat. One dollar of every purchase from Samsara goes toward a non-profit of the purchaser's choice. As you may be able to tell from many leather bags in previous posts, I'm not exactly a vegan. Though if someone can create a quality-looking, leather-like bag from a non-animal source, I'm all for it. Samsara's bags are all classic in style with just enough detailing, like small studs here and there, to make them interesting. It's nice to see that a company selling goods often seen as status symbols choosing to use some of its success for some good causes.