esquina

What.  I'm sorry, are you the boots I didn't even know I needed but now I can think of nothing else?  Yeah, I thought so.  A true hybrid, these little ankle booties are part western, part victorian lace-up, part moto, part dessert, part dainty and part bad-ass.  I think I'm in love.

The Esquina booties from Freebird by Steven.  Have I been under a rock that I'd never heard of this Freebird line before?  Some really good stuff here.  Oh, and these come in distressed bleach-splattered black too...

mars attacks!

You may have noticed yesterday that my beloved Jamisons are looking a little worse for wear.  They have been little soldiers, standing up to pretty constant wear for almost two years.  And especially when I think about how little I paid for them, I'm impressed.  But they're dying and it's time to let them go.

Of course, that leaves me with a major gap in my shoe closet.  (My figurative shoe closet.  Wouldn't it be great to have an entire real shoe closet?!)

see through

glasses - booth & bruce / lipstick - maybelline / shirt - zara (old) / tank - h&m (old)  / bralette - gap / pants - gap / boots - dv

Sort of been living in this simple uniform of a sheer tank and cropped pants with an army shirt over the top for the cooler mornings (yes, autumn is coming!).   I don't usually do sheer, but this feels somehow safe in spite of the translucency.  It's a question of balance I think.  As usual in my outfit posts, a lot of these items are from years gone by and no longer available, but here are the details for the ones that are and some alternatives for the ones that aren't...

one, two, buckle my shoe

Some might call me boot obsessed, but that's ok, I can deal with that.  Meet my newest addition to the family.  I had mixed feelings about being suckered into such blatent knock-off-land, but then I realized that these holey shoes and boots have simply become a new part of the global sartorial vocabulary.  Yes, Balenciaga, you did them first.  But you did such a good job that everyone wanted a piece of it, and now we all (kind of) can.  I'm beyond excited about the pair that I snagged. I think they're perfectly balanced: just the right amount of tough and streamlined with the perfect little lift at the heel.

More on my holey boots...

cut it out

mk and rumi in balenciaga

Remember these?  That was over two years ago, and those damn Balenciaga cutouts still look so good to me.  Time passes though, and since then everyone else has been getting in on the game too.  I, for one, am pretty happy about it.  I know it's a little early to be looking at anything other than flip flops in this heat, but I am already starting to yearn for days when I can wear actual shoes.  But maybe they need to be shoes with holes in them, for built-in ventilation.

minimarket oxfords

So many good options out there right now, so many styles to choose from...

greenwich vintage co.

Beautiful, modern, quirky, traditional, handcrafted, and totally customizable, all at the same time.  These are the shoes birthed by master cobbler Tamas “Zen” Pomazi under the label Greenwich Vintage Co, based in Waconia Minnesota.  You can order a pair built-to-order with their seemingly endless menu of options (mid-sole color, sole color, sole shape, fabric inserts...), or send them an old pair of quality shoes or boots of your own and have them revamped however you wish.

More awesome shoe re-design... 

harrow two ways

I spent the entire weekend in my new boots.  So good.  They are indeed as comfortable as I'd hoped, and I can in fact walk for hours in them.  Saturday night my boots and I even stayed out til 3 in the morning (a huge accomplishment for a homebody like me) and my feet barely complained at all.

black bootie

Yes my friends, this is for real.  I alluded to it before, and it's been a long time in the works, but The Great Black Boot Experiment of 2012 is finally finished, and the results are in.  I researched hundreds (pretty sure I'm not exaggerating here) of black ankle boots, narrowed it down to 8 candidates, and after careful scientific analysis, have made my decision.

I'm sure you're dying to know all the gory details...

dear santa

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11

Sometimes shopping for others leads to certain, ahem, distractions.  So in the process of putting together my gift guides and getting my christmas shopping done, I've come up with a little wishlist for myself.  These are the things, great and small, that would make me extremely happy to find under the proverbial tree this year.  Hope Santa reads my blog. 

The details...

everly

Jeffrey Campbell has gone and done it again.  I never did get those Balenciaga-esque Rocoe cutout boots and to be honest I'm glad; they're looking pretty clunky to me now.  This slick streamlined Everyly cutout boot, on the other hand, is looking just right. 

Available for pre-order now at Acrimony.

hasbeens frenzy

Here's my confession: Even though I'm a very good (read: compulsive) shopper and researcher, I crack under pressure.  I'm the kind of gal who finds something absolutely perfect,  searches online to see if I can find a better and/or cheaper version, and then goes back to visit it in the store three times to see if I still feel the love.  I do not like to be rushed.  So sites like Gilt and MyHabit really really stress me out.  Even more so when they have something I really really want.

Case in point: these Swedish Hasbeens lace-up boots I've been coveting for literally years now.  Crazy ridiculously surreally reduced at MyHabit.  But, do I want them in black or do I want them in nude?  And while we're at it, it seems like the higher heeled version is also deeply discounted, maybe I want those instead?

Cue panic.  Cue frenzied googling.  Cue paralysis.  Cue my shopping nightmare, where the clock is ticking down like an episode of 24 and everything you want is on the line but if you make the wrong decision the world will explode.  Or something like that.  (More likely all you out there who are not afflicted will go and snatch up the last pairs before I actually decide.)

So?  What's a girl to do?  What would you do?  Any of you out there own these lace-up boots?  Which heel height did you go with?  Are they comfortable?  Advice please!  And quick!

ps - these cute clog loafers are also on sale, in case this wasn't already difficult enough.

dear zara

I know you have a crazy fast turnover and that's part of why you're so successful, but please keep this coat in stock for another month so I can buy it when I get back to Spain.  Ok?  I'm kind of in love with it.  Thanks.

pistol whipped

If I had a pistol, or rather, a pair of pistols, I think the eternal hunt for the perfect black boot just might end.  And if I was sure of it, I think I might actually plop down the money.  Only question would be: black sole or exposed wood sole?

Do you have the perfect black boot?  Are you still hunting?

madewell faves

Madewell's done it again, hooked me in with some wonderful pieces, perfectly styled, as usual.  I've got to unsubscribe from their newsletter, it's just so tempting!  Course, now that I'm in the states for a while, I could actually order some of my favorites, like this sweater, or one of these perfect chambray shirts.

Check out some of the other things I fell in love with after the jump...

free people's shoes

Though my post title reads like an impossible-to-parse (imparsible?) news headline, I think you know what I mean.  I mean the shoes over at Free People.  Like the Jeffrey Campbell "Past Due" above, a higher shafted super tough version of their Roscoe (remember the Balenciaga look-alike?).  A bit much, perhaps, but I think they're really stunning.  And check out the Freebird by Steven "Outlaw" boot; I could totally see slipping these on every single day with jeans.

See more of my favorite boot picks from Free People after the jump...

my momas

Moma stands for Midnight Over My Action.  Kind of crazy, right?  In such a good way.  An italian company run by Gigio and Daniele Gironacci, Moma makes the kind of shoes you want to live in.  They all look slightly distressed and pre-loved, but not in an overly self-aware or pretentious kind of way (I'm talking to you, Golden Goose).  I'm most often attracted to their boots and their oxfords, and they do amazing men's shoes too.  But I've never actually taken the plunge until now.  And just look at them!  Aren't they lovely?  Yes, ok, fine, they look like many a boot I've owned and loved, but the shortness of the shaft is new to me in this tough sort of boot.  I can actually pair these with cropped or tapered pants, something my higher shafted boots do not allow for.  And the colors and heel height were just so perfect, I couldn't resist.  You can get them from their online shop (I had no idea!  Danger!) or over at Gravity Pope.  Oh, and I bought them two days ago and have not stopped wearing them, and in case you're wondering, yes, they are incredibly comfortable.  Well worth the splurge, I say.

mars

I've been coveting these for years now.  Who hasn't?  I know I extolled the virtues of the (much more affordable) DV Jamisons, and I still stand by that, but if you want options other than taupe or black suede, you're going to have to look elsewhere.  By which I mean, back to where you started, at the Rachel Comey Mars boot.

Often hard to get a hold of, ('cause they keep selling out), ('cause they're perfect), the elusive Mars is back in stock over at Solestruck.  Not only that, but they have every color imaginable.

What color would you buy? While I covet them all, I have to admit that the ones I'm really dying for are the plain ol' boring black leather ones with the contrasting heel.  But of course in a fantasy world I'd just get them all.  And yes, I'd even wear the pink ones...

the big event

Just methodically going through all the major sales; got to be efficient in my mindless fantasy shopping, you know.  Shopbop is having what they call The Big Event right now, where you get bigger discounts the more you spend.  Of course there's too much good stuff for me to post, but I edited my favorite pieces down into two outfits.  If you get everything on my list you'd get a whopping $1250 off.  Let's not talk about how much you'd have to spend to get there though.  Here's my first imaginary cozy fall outfit:

Helmut Lang blazer, Funktional sweater, J Brand jeans, Jeffrey Campbell booties

see another after the jump...

mohawk general store

Spent my sunday morning browsing at the Mohawk General Store.  That's the beauty of the modern age, you don't have to actually leave your house to waste away your hours, you can do it from the comfort of your home, still in your pjs and fuzzy robe.

This over-sized wool blend motorcycle jacket by funktional was the first thing that got me.  It's all the toughness we want in a moto jacket, plus a ton of soft and cozy and a dash of extra large masculine.  Perfect for winter.  And such a good price too!  Seriously contemplating this one.

And while we're talking cozy, how about this snuggly Raquel Allegra dress?  Seems like it'd be the perfect winter layering piece.

See tons more covetable pieces, including bags and shoes, (excluding a few standouts that merit their very own post tomorrow) after the jump...

jamison

Anyone out there looking for ankle booties like the Isabel Marant Dicker, Rachel Comey Mars, or even the Madewell Zipcode but at a much lower price, need look no further.  I have the answer for you in these DV Jamisons.  They're only $119 and ridiculously comfortable.  Available in both black and taupe, I have been wearing mine almost every day for months now and still think they are the bee's knees.  Even contemplating getting a backup pair, which you know means it's true love.