vince

It was about a year ago that I posted those surreal sweaterscapes I'm so partial to and extolled the virtues of Vince knitwear.  Season after season they manage to just keep churning out high quality knits in totally covetable designs.  (And they last!  All of my Vince sweaters look impeccable even after years of constant use.)  But as much as I loved them, I was kind of convinced that was all they did and never paid much attention to the rest of their goods.  Until now.  So many good things on hand, like pony hair sneakers and oversized military coats:

And also t-shirts, leather jackets, silk shirts, and yes, of course, knits...

still summer

I'm on sort of a spending diet lately, saving up for some big expenses on the horizon, but of course that doesn't stop me from fantasy shopping.  Problem is, all my fantasy shopping leans towards fall: layered sweaters and button-down shirts, long pants, lace-up shoes...  You'd think that since this is just hypothetical shopping we're talking about, it wouldn't matter, but it conditions me to crave certain things, and then to be disappointed when I can't actually wear them.  So today I felt the need to remind myself of something pretty important: It's still summer.  You'd think I'd have no trouble remembering, since it hasn't dipped below the 90s here in over a month, but I still find myself looking wistfully at my favorite long sleeve garments thinking that maybe a light breeze will necessitate an extra layer sometime soon.  Not gonna happen.  And really, that's not a bad thing, you just have to embrace it for all that it is.

So just as a reminder, some fabulous summery things to covet...

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...

unsneaky sneaks

Yeah, those are my feet, in the funnest, most outrageous sneakers I've ever seen.

What was I thinking...?

olympiaa

I swore up and down that I wasn't going to do it; I was not going to wear platform sneakers.  But ever since I fell in love with the totally unaffordable but absolutely wonderful sukita, the idea has been eating away at the back of my mind, like a little alien parasite.  I would have to find a pair that were neutral enough but also slightly bad-ass and empowering.  They would have to be elongating and not at all elephant-ankle-inducing.  Oh and they would have to be extremely well-priced in order for me to even consider it. 

Is that asking too much...?

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...

sukita

I swear I am not here to bore you with yet another post on the wedge sneaker.  Isabel Marant started what I'm sure we all thought was going to be a fleeting trend, and it has stuck.  In the weirdest way.  I contemplated it for a minute, but quickly discovered (after trying a pair of the originals as well as a pair by Marc Jacobs) that these are best left to lanky teenage model types.  And despite the fact that they are now everywhere, and available in all price ranges, I have resisted.   Have not even felt the least bit tempted.  Until now.  Yohji Yamamoto has created a version in the Y-3 Sukita that I am almost sure I need.

Check it out:

woven

I've talked about black sneakers here before, and it seems such a simple thing you'd thing I'd have taken care of that basic need by now.  Alas, I have not.  And while I still have my eye on those classic New Balance 501s, I'm obviously still a little ambivalent.  What can I say, I have a wandering eye.  And it has wandered to these soon-to-be-released Nike Free Inneva Woven kicks.  Very very cool.

all images from slamxhype

Do you do sneakers?  Other than Converse, I mean.  Which ones are your favorites to wear outside the gym?

sneakers

I have two pairs of sneakers right now.  My munich and my chuckies.  I love them both so very much.

But recently I've been thinking maybe it's time for a new pair.  A different shape maybe, a different air.

Some options after the jump...

ssense ssale

Yes, I'm still shopping online.  Hey, it's cyber monday, isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?  (By the way, when did they invent that one?  This is the first year I hear of it; am I just totally behind the times?)  Today we hit the sale rack at ssense, one of my all time favorite online stores.

Is this thing perfect or what?  And that zipper detail in the back, just killing me.  Those Smythe ladies sure know what they're doing.

Or how about this reversible leather & fur jacket from Preen?  You can be a hot tough biker chick one day and a rock n' roll yeti the next, whatever your heart desires.  I don't think I'd ever wear it the apeman way, but the other way?  That is a gorgeous item.

See more ssense finds after the jump...