Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 21

Oh, the joy ShoeDazzle brings to my life. While it HAS made me abandon my other shoe searches, therefore probably missing out on some shoes I would like to have, the whole letting-store-credit-increase-until-I-find-something-I-really-want aspect is just fabulous for a girl on a budget.

New shoes, without the guilt.

This pair is actually way out of the box for my normal purchases. I very rarely buy anything white/nude because most of my wardrobe is black/red/pink. Also, I hate gold. Many times I have fallen head over heels for a pair of shoes, until I see the accents are gold and not silver. Instant mind change. But for whatever reason on this pair, the way the straps came diagonally across the foot really grabbed me, and I decided to look past all of that. Tossed them in my shopping cart along with one other pair (which you'll see whenever I get around to typing up the next blog), and a super cute ring. All of that for $30. Thank you, VIP credit!

Even after I ordered these, I wasn't sure what I would wear with them. So they just sat in my closet, biding their time until the right moment came along. Lo and behold one morning I grabbed one of my favorite dresses from the closet. Usually I wear various slip-on sandals with this dress, simply because I've never found a pair of heels I like that go with it. 

LIGHT BULB MOMENT!

I happen to have a brand new pair of neutral shoes in the closet... slipped them on, and... PERFECT. I now have the perfect shoes to wear with a fabulous dress. I'm sure they'll make their way into other outfits after this, but for now, at least I know they have a purpose with this dress, and thereby solidified themselves as a worth-it purchase.

Brand: ShoeDazzle Name: Leyla

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 6" heel. Fits true to size.* As usual, with a ShoeDazzle pump, they're a bit "small" on me because of my long toes. Basically fits true to size, I just have to slide them on just right so my toes aren't crunched in weird I'm-not-supposed-to-bend-that-way positions.

*Buggy revision: After a second time wearing these to work, I have determined they fit a little TOO tight in the front, even with my crazy long toes. I recommend going up a half size, unless you have short toes.

This dress is SO comfy. And now I can wear it more often because: SHOES!

Also, as I am looking at this picture, I am thinking "MAN, I miss my tan."

COME BACK, SUMMERTIME!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 20

I know, it's been far too long. Life got the better of me there for a while. But rest assured, I haven't abandoned my heels completely. Just have a lot of blogging to catch up on.

I debated on even blogging about these because they're SO uncomfortable. But they're cute, and who am I to deny a pair of cute booties their chance to shine? So, away we go!

The first time I wore these, I thought maybe they felt uncomfortable because they were brand new, and I made the mistake of wearing them downtown. A lot of walking on uneven pavement, bricks, etc. By the time we left, I was sure the boots had to be filled with my blood. Back into the closet they went. Untouched for about 4 months.

Every year, for one of my co-worker's birthday, we do a big theme party. Fiesta, Luau, etc. This year, we decided to do a Cowgirl theme. I usually try and match my outfit to whatever that year's party is, while still staying within our work dress code. Well, I am about as far from cowgirl as a person can get. So I struggled trying to come up with something for this event. After giving up and coming to terms with the fact I have nothing cowgirl-ish enough - I decided to just go with the Western-y theme instead. So I grabbed my spiked booties and a snakeskin shirt with some khakis, and away I went.

By the end of the day, I realized that these boots are just not meant to be worn for any kind of walking/standing. Wear them only if you will be sitting all day long, or if you are used to walking in Dutch clogs all the time. Otherwise, I recommend passing them up.

Brand: ShoeDazzle Name: Kourtney

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 5" heel, fits true to size. My story above pretty much explains how they feel when you're wearing them, but as far as the actual fit, they don't feel too big/small when wearing. You can't see in the pictures, but they are a bootie, not a boot. Go just barely above the ankle.

This was my cowgirl outfit. Of course you can't really see the shoes in this pic, but you get the idea. 

"Yee-haw!"

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 18 & 19

I decided to do these two together because they have the same story, and are too new to have developed additional stories of their own.

All in good time, my pretty. All in good time.

So I have been a member of ShoeDazzle's VIP program for several months now, and have to say, I really like it. $9.95 a month goes into your account, and you can either spend it, or let it roll over and accumulate - and standard shipping is always free. Given that Spring's big trend are wedges, and I think wedges are hideous, my VIP total began to build quite nicely. Then I had a store credit for a pair of shoes that I received damaged - they were the last pair in my size, and I am STILL devastated - and also had a coupon for $10 off. Seemed the perfect time to lunge on both of these without having to spend a lot of money. 

At some point, I need to quit being lazy and get my closets organized so all of these can be displayed beautifully, as they deserve to be. Right now they are just in a jumbled mess on the shelves/floor of my closet. But that's a project/story for another day. Back to the shoes.

Brand: ShoeDazzle Style Name: Martha

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 6" heel. Fits... well oddly. I'd say big is the easiest way to describe it, though there are areas that feel small, too. Maybe it's the open sides. I don't know. I don't see this being a pair I wear very often, though I DO love the look of them!

It's hard to see the heel in the pic I took above, but I bought these SPECIFICALLY because they match this skirt perfectly I mean, it is the EXACT same pattern. They'll look super cute with plenty else in my closet, but for the first wear, had to go with matchy-matchy. 

Brand: ShoeDazzle Style Name: Lottie

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 6" heel. Fits true to size, but again - I have established that the ShoeDazzle pumps do not really allow for long toes like mine. I wasn't uncomfortable in them, but they DID rub a blister on the top of one of my toe by the end of the day. I didn't know it until I took them off. Which I guess isn't a bad way to get a blister. Haha But I ADORE the look of them. You can never go wrong with black lace.

Just stuck with the colors of the shoes for the outfit, and kept it simple. 

I'm going to brainstorm a way to make these pictures better where you can see the shoes and it's not so dark on the bottom. 

'Til next time...

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 17

Another ShoeDazzle purchase! Came into a little chunk of change, and decided it was a prime time to grab up several outfits, shoes, etc that I had been eyeballing for a while, but didn't have the funds to purchase. This pair was in that group.

Now I'm sure these shoes would have a sweet little blog to go with them if I had typed it when I first got them and took these pictures. However, I soon learned they are incredibly dangerous. I now have multiple permanent bruises to prove it. Ok... in fairness, it's probably the escalator's fault, but...

Let me backtrack.

I had only had the shoes for maybe a week. Wore them once to work in the below outfit. Decided to wear them on a Friday the next week, because if anything can put the exclamation point on a Friday, it's wearing a new pair of shoes. We had a meeting downtown that afternoon. Were headed downstairs at the convention center to the seminar room... stepped on the escalator... and somehow, someway... my heel got caught in the grooves. My ankle twisted, I tried to catch my balance with my other foot, but it landed two steps apart, and as the steps separated, I quickly learned the skirt I had on did not allow for the splits. Down I went. Thankfully, my co-workers were in front of me. Far enough they couldn't catch me, but close enough to keep me from tumbling all the way down. We got to the bottom of the escalator, I got my bearings, and looked down at my legs... already black & blue where they were scraped up. 

To the seminar we went. I happened to glance down at my shoes when we sat down, and saw the one that got caught was scraped to hell on one side. Not kidding you, I almost burst into tears. I was more upset about my shoes than I was my mangled legs. This was only the second time I'd worn them! And now they looked like they had been mauled by a bear. When our seminar was over and we were all walking back out to the car, everyone was all concerned for my legs. "Are you ok to walk?" "Does it hurt?" I said "I'm fine, but my shoes... :-("

The only comfort I have is that I have the below picture of when they were still in pristine condition. And I WILL say the scratches have faded a tad since then (they're made of sort of a faux suede material). But still there, and I still have the bruises over three months later - though they've faded, too.

Brand: ShoeDazzle Name: Sami

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 5" heel. Fits true to size. HOWEVER: now that I've worn these a few times since the escalator incident, I find that every time I am kind of losing my balance, or not real sturdy on them. I finally figured out that it's because the toe area is so small - as I've said before, I have very long toes - and I think I'm losing a bit of feeling in them, therefore throwing me off my walking game. Because we all know I'm used to the heel height, so that can't be it. So if anything, I'd say they fit a tad small for long-toed freaks like me.

Do you want a girl with a short skirt and a lonnnnnnnnnnnng jacket?

Not too shocking - I was representing with my Bama-themed accessories.

I have now discovered the perfect phone holder to set the timer on my camera and take pics, so this is the last blog you will see the selfies in. Though, I guess even if you're not holding the camera... if no one else is either it's still a selfie. Right? Someone get back to me on that.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 16

Well... I said I was going to get caught up in January. Then all hell broke loose, and now here we are 3 months later, and I am not caught up.

So forgive me for my tardiness, and I will try my best to catch us up so I can start shoe shopping again.

I have been a bit "obsessed" with these for a few years now. I use the term obsessed loosely, as obviously taking 2-3 years to pull the trigger and purchase them doesn't really qualify. Seems like every time I would think about them, I didn't have the money to buy. Then when I did, I would be lusting over another pair, and these would get forgotten.

So while Christmas shopping online this past year, I happened to be hitting Amazon hard for as many presents as possible, to cut down on other sites/stores I had to go to. Something clicked in my brain about these shoes, and I thought, "Well... I'm already shopping and spending a ridiculous amount. Why not just add these to the tally?"

So in my shopping cart they went.

To backtrack just a bit, I initially ran across these when doing a random search for houndstooth shoes. Fell in love with these because of the houndstooth factor (ROLL TIDE), and the cute little ruffle at the ankle opening. Any time I can represent AND be girly, I'm all for it. 

Cut back to the day I wore these - apparently no one else understood the girly representation, and all they saw was "witch shoes". I don't remember ever seeing a witch wearing houndstooth ruffle ankle boots, but I'll let you be the judge.

Brand: Pleaser Name: DECTECTIVE-66

Store: Amazon.com

Review: 4" heel. Fits true to size, and as with most ankle boots, is super comfortable.

As always, super simple outfit for cute ankle boots. It WAS cold that week, so I added the tights for warmth. Interested to see what my outfit selection will be if I wear them on their own.

On to the next!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 15

And the ShoeDazzle love affair begins...

I signed up for ShoeDazzle about a year ago, maybe a little less than that. Bought the purse that I carried to the Aerosmith concert in July, but then honestly didn't pay much attention to the next few months' links.

Now, if you don't know how ShoeDazzle works, you basically fill out a quick survey when you first sign up for the site. It asks you about your tastes, gives you examples of shoes and asks you to pick your faves, etc. From that, their team of stylists picks out a monthly showroom that matches your taste. As your membership continues, you're occasionally sent chances to tweak what choices you're getting each month, in case you're not satisfied. Almost everything on the site is $39; so really affordable, especially for the shoes. It's probably a little much for some of the purses/jewelry. But then again, my love is stronger for shoes, so maybe if I were obsessed with purses/jewelry I would be inclined to spend more on them.

I got this pair during one of the promotions they were running. That's usually when they reel me in. I look at my monthly showroom, sometimes see a couple of things I like but usually talk myself out of it. Until I get the "Today Only!" e-mails. Then... it's all over.

Brand: Shoe Dazzle Name: Pansy

Store: ShoeDazzle.com

Review: 6" heel. Fits true to size. I really don't know if you can go wrong on the comfort factor with boots. Maybe if you had the wrong size... regardless, these are very comfortable. I will say, my ankles are pretty skinny - you can see how much extra space there is at the top of the shoe - so the zipper did start to rub a bit by the end of the day. 

There's not much I love more with an ankle boot than either a bulky sweater or a sweater dress. While they work with pants/long skirts, too - I think it's more fun to let them stand out on their own and get the attention they deserve!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes! 14

We're diving into the cold weather shoes, people!

I am a bit obsessed with these boots. It all started when I saw a co-worker wearing over-the-knee boots one day. The boots and her outfit were so cute, I decided I needed to copy the look. While searching for a pair of grey boots, I ran across these lovelies at a REALLY good price. Considering almost all of my wardrobe is either black or red, I knew they'd still get plenty of use, so I changed my mind on grey and purchased these instead.

Now, you wanna talk about attention-getters. THESE. GET. ATTENTION. Every time I wear them, I either get the "Those are so cuuuuuuute!" comments, or my personal fave, the up-down judgemental eyes. Those eyes are usually followed by the person realizing I am watching them, and they quickly slap on a smile and say "Girl, those boots are SEXY!" what they're really thinking is "I can't believe she wore those hooker boots to work!"

That reaction is hilarious, and I'll tell you why. If their brain instantly goes to hooker when they see over-the-knee boots... well... I'm just wondering what they're doing with their spare time is all I'm gonna say. While I agree these boots are very sexy (especially if you flip up the fold-over flap... err... I mean...), I am never one of the opinion that a shoe can't be worn in multiple ways, places, environments. If you're feeling it, I say rock 'em proudly!

Name: Diba

Store: Amazon.com

Review: 4" heel. Fits true to size. These boots are comfortable. I wouldn't go so far as to say they're extremely comfortable, the leather is really thick, and lined heavily on the inside. So it makes for a VERY warm wear. Either be prepared to be hot, or only wear them on cold days. Being that they're over the knee and thick leather, they actually move pretty well. I've worn them to work a couple times and by the end of the day am ready to get them off, but not in pain.

I was loving my outfit that day. Super simple - again, when you have an attention-grabbing shoe, play down the outfit - but foxy-posh at the same time. I may have just invented a new fashion term, there. Foxy-posh. Mark it down. ©Katybug, 2013.