Sole Provisions Giveaway

Here's a quick interlude to break up my French travel reports: A GIVEAWAY!!! Haven't done one of these in a while (it's 'cause I'm stingy) (no it's not) (now I am conflicted) (qui suis-je?). Luckily, Sole Provisions sent me an email and was like "Yo let's do this" and I was like "Yah I'm down." Those are direct quotes from our email exchanges.*

Sole Provisions is an online shoe store that sells exclusively comfortable shoes. If they're not comfortable, you won't find them at Sole Provisions. You all already know my opinions on comfort--and if you don't, I'll tell you right now. I think clothing is a lost art if it makes you uncomfortable. (Yes, please be more redundant and say an iteration of the same word one more time.) That's why when Sole Provisions hit me up, I was all for their proposition.

Here's what the giveaway is: all you guys have to do is make sure you're following this blog and like my blog's Facebook page, and do a few other things to get in extra entries, and if you're the person that's chosen at random, you'll win a free pair of FitFlops or Orthaheels. Okay, I know what you're thinking. But I promise you, there are actually some pretty bangin' shoes that those companies make. Par exemple:

Come on, those look like Supergas. BUT--and here's the anti-catch--they've got magic powers.

You can't go wrong with classy leather boat shoes.

I did clogs so hard (early American Dutch chic, ya feel?), and the snakeskin gives it a funky feel. They've also got nice wool ones that look hella fun.

Remember when you looked out the window at some point this winter and were like, "Alright I guess I'm stayin' in today, that snow is ridiculous, and my snow boots make me look like a yeti disguised as a human"? Now your problem's solved cuz these are the sort of boots that are practical and p cute, aka the ~best of both worlds~

BIRKENSTOCK ALERT!!!!!!

*That statement is false. 

See? Totally not dorky at all.

ALSO, they were founded in 1997, and I was born on this day in 1997. As in today is my birthday (meaning I'm currently celebrating in Paris right now because I wrote this last night). Perhaps I will have stories about it later .

Let me lay it out plain for you, in a concise list of steps:
1) Follow this blog (I MADE A REALLY REALLY EASY TO FOLLOW TUTORIAL LIKE 2 YEARS AGO THAT NO ONE EVER USES BUT I PROMISE IT'S SO EASY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO MAKE PLEASE USE IT AND EVERYTHING WILL BE GREAT) 
2) Like this blog's Facebook page (that's the only affiliation I have with Facebook, in case you were about to be like "I thought she didn't have a Facebook she's a liar." If you don't have an account, let me know.) 
**2b) Follow me on Twitter for an extra entry
**2c) Follow me on Tumblr for an extra entry
**2d) Follow me on Bloglovin' for an extra entry
3) Leave a comment below with your name, email address, and a list of all the places you're following me (this all sounds like we're planning some weird cult)

THIS GIVEAWAY WILL END IN EXACTLY THREE WEEKS, ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21ST, 2013 AT MIDNIGHT. 

If you're the winner, I'll email you to let you know and you can pick out literally ANY ONE pair of shoes from Sole Provision's collection of FitFlops and Orthaheels.

[This giveaway is open to readers of any gender (not just women's shoes for once--here ya go, boiz), but you've gotta live in the U.S.]

As you can see, I'm excited. Like a snail.

-sweet sixteen-
-doux seize-

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Can I Have Your Closet: Ajani Russell

You wouldn't think that chemistry class would be a particularly sartorially inspiring environment. But you would be surprised by what sort of people waltzed in and out of that class on a daily basis, and especially by what they were wearing. One girl in particular caught my eye nearly every day. Yup, you guessed it, it was Ajani. I'd never really spoken to her in chemistry (I'm not the most enthusiastic science student and it was 9th period), but I always admired her fearlessness and originality when it came to her clothing. She would wear crop tops with tight pants and cape-like shawls one day--no matter the weather--and maybe some cool shorts and a t-shirt with her hair in little dumplings another day. And she always had the coolest effing shoes. I'm not too much of a shoe person just because I value comfort over appearance since I'm big on walking places (THE MTA SUCKS), but I can definitely appreciate a sample of ~fine~ footwear, which Ajani was wont to displaying on the daily. I asked her if she would do this interview with me a week before finals, seeing as I figured it was my last chance to feature her before she becomes some sort of fashion-mogul-model. Her and I met last week at a park and she showed up with a backpack containing four outfit changes and two pairs of shoes, equating a grand total of five outfits and three pairs of shoes. So the usual "Just wear whatever you feel like exemplifies your style" turned into a full-on photo shoot. Since Ajani is a natural smizer, we took dozens of wonderful photographs, but sadly I cannot put all of them on this blog so I'm posting the best of the extras on my Tumblr. Another thing I loved about doing this with her is that she gave fantastic answers to my questions. She pulled the "I use fashion to express myself" card a lot, which I totally love because people are usually scared to say that for fear of sounding too cliché, which it's not. It's just the straight up truth, and she was not afraid to deliver it. Get ready to take in the awesomeness that is Ajani. 

Odelia: How would you describe your style?

Ajani: That's a tough one. Mostly I just like to be comfortable. I wear a lot of baggy t-shirts and baggy jeans. I try to wear bright colors but I usually end up wearing a lot of black and gray and white. I don't like to use too many patterns, like I don't like to mix patterns. I collect sneakers, so I usually base my outfits around my sneakers. That's usually where the color will be.

Odelia: Who are your fashion icons and who do you admire aesthetically?

Ajani: CaraDelevingne, definitely. Well, there's this model named Cassie who's also a singer, but she doesn't sing that well so I just like to say that she's a model. To me, she's the most gorgeous person I've ever seen. Her and this Victoria's Secret model named Lace. I met her the other day.

Odelia: Really? Where did you meet her?

Ajani: She was walking down Broadway and I was like—I almost had a heart attack. I couldn't move for a second! I was like, “Oh my gosh, she's gorgeous!” and then I was like, “Oh my gosh, it's Lace!” I freaked out.

Odelia: You said hi to her?

Ajani: Yeah, I was like, “Hi, I love your work...” She was like, “Thank you!” Oh, she was so nice. Stunning in person. In pictures she's gorgeous, but in person... I think Theophilus London has really cool style. Although sometimes his pants are too tight. The way I dress I feel is pretty basic, and going to our school it's a lot to compete with, so I don't try to compete. I like parts of all different types of styles. I might not like the whole thing, but I can find something that I like about it.

Odelia: Where are your favorite places to shop?

Ajani: I like to go to thrift stores because I'm usually broke. There's some around here [Washington Square Park], there's Search and Destroy, which I like, and Metropolis, Urban [Outfitters], American Apparel, they have really basic things that I can wear every day. I wear a lot of t-shirts, so Karmaloop is a good place to find those, and Nasty Gal. They have a lot of stuff that I like.

Odelia: If you could own one or more items that you don't have, what would it or they be?

Ajani: Well first, there's this pair of Rick Owens sneakers that I'm in love with. They're black suede and they're really tall, they're just regular sneakers, but they're just black, and I love them. And there's these Alexander Wang sandals, and they're white, and they have snake print-style straps on the toes, and a gold—ugh, they're so nice.

Odelia: Are you a shoe person?

Ajani: Yes, I'm a shoe person. I'm definitely a shoe person. Like, I would want the redYeezys of course, that's something I need. Jordans, I love Jordans. There are these Bulgarian camo Vans I wanted but I can't find them anywhere in my size. But clothes-wise, there's a brand of bags called Furla and they have these jelly bags, and they're clear and plastic and shiny and I want one. There's this gradient one, it starts dark green and goes to light green, I love that one.

Odelia: Would you say that fashion is a big focus in your life?

Ajani: It is, because I don't do much else. Fashion is a way for me to express myself, and I do that through art, but it's not always enough. I can't always get something right how I want it on paper that I can do in real life, on myself.

Odelia: How would you describe personal style as a concept? Like, what does it mean to you?

Ajani: It just gives you an outlet. I think for everyone it gives them an outlet. For some people it might not mean much, but for others it could be their whole life. Like, they have no other way of expressing themselves, no outlet, 'cause they don't have the resources like I do at school to express myself through art, they might not have that so they have to find other ways, and I think fashion is a big way that they would express themselves.

Odelia: How do you feel that high school has influenced your clothing choices?

Ajani: A lot. Just being at our school, people are always trying to be better than each other in the way they dress, so I stopped trying to be better and bigger and I just started to try to be myself. 'Cause I found that sometimes I would think, “Oh, it's nice how they're wearing that, but it's not something I would wear.” And they do big things, they're really bold, and at one point I found myself trying to try this stuff and I was like, “I don't like that! Why am I doing this?” I think it's [high school] helped me find my own style.  

[Photos by me.]

Look at that hair. Mm.

She's got this awesome athletic-inspired deal going on that I really dig and have actually sort of begun to emulate myself. 

Rings are best when they're simple. 

(This goes on a case by case basis so in essence I am disagreeing with myself)

Peep the third shoe switch.

This might have been my favorite outfit, perhaps merely because of how she modeled it. LOOK AT HER JUST OWNING THE CAMERA.

So much summertime sass. 

Ajani is a really awesome gal with bangin' style and freaking amazing hair. You should join me when we raid her house to try and take her closet, yeah? 

Up next will be my friend Ditiya. She rocks. Case closed.

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Birkenstocking

I made a bag in seventh grade that says "I LOVE SHOES" on it. I don't think I actually loved shoes at the time (that was still in my shlumpy elastic-waistband-jeans-and-the-same-sweatshirt-everyday phase), but now I can wear that bag un-ironically. I really do love me some good shoes. I'm not a footwear-hoarder (ie Leandra Medine), but I definitely have my fair share of foot coverings. I'm the sort of person that gets a good pair of shoes and wears them every day for weeks, months, or years. I like to spread the love around, but honestly, not all shoes are created equal. Some are infinitely better than others. That's how we end up with holes in the heels of our boots, thus resulting in wet socks and that weird squishy feeling that ants have set up camp between your toes and have started blasting TNT except their TNT is just made of mushy water. Because they're ants. 

In other non-insect-related news, Birkenstocks. Yes, that's all I was gonna say. Have a good night. 

No, come back, I was kidding! The truth of the matter is, Birkenstocks are becoming--wait for it--HIGH FASHION. Yes, yes, yes, it's really truly happening. The infamous middle aged man's footwear of choice has officially graced the runways of the world. If your mind has not been blown by now, you should read that sentence again and hope for a better reaction. 

Here's my theory (but what does my theory really matter? Like, I'm just some chick sitting on her couch, taking a break from studying for an AP history exam (which I'm studying for by watching episode after episode of Crash Course, you should try it, John Green is fantastic) by blogging, a task which she has neglected for far too long and is quickly realizing how much she loves and misses the simplicity and enjoyment of casually-formally ranting about absolutely anything and having random people read it. Does my opinion actually mean anything? Does anything actually mean anything? Is anything real? Do I exist? What is happening? My mom thinks I should stop reading Kerouac for a while because doing so causes things like this to happen.). I think that we've spent so much time--us, the collective ~human race~ over the course of history--forcing ourselves to do things we simply don't want to do, and have only done them because everyone else was doing it (vicious cycle ensues), ie wearing really uncomfortable shoes, that we've finally realized that life is too short to walk around in stilettos all the time just so your legs supposedly look longer. The best people in the world don't really care about the length of your legs, but rather the substance of your mind. So you should be able to wear frickin' Birkenstocks if you like. I would like to take this moment to reiterate what is perhaps the thesis of this blog, if there is such a thing: fashion is not about clothing, or trends, or materialism, or capitalism, or anything like that. It's about self-expression and what you think is rad, and how you like to tell people what you think is rad. End scene. 

Some of the examples of Birkenstock-like sandals on the runways were in menswear collections, so  a few names might be unfamiliar. I had to go deep, deep down into the underwater trenches of the abyss-like Internetz to find some of these references, so don't complain about their obscurity. That's what the Internet was made for, to expose the vast obscurity of everything. (Okay, maybe my mom is right.)

Photos via the vast and obscure Interwebz. 

Dries van Noten Menswear S/S 2013

You really can't get any tackier than camouflage pants and mandals with python and camo accents, as well as traction soles. 

Givenchy Menswear S/S 2013

Sometimes your feet just need to be free and fancy at the same time.

Agi & Sam Menswear S/S 2013

He is, in fact, a runway model. He looks like an eccentric Middle Eastern prison-inmate-cum-beachside-smoothie-vendor, but I really really like it. 

Miu Miu S/S 2013

Miuccia Prada made flat shoes??? What is happening to everything???

Marni S/S 2013

Very simple, yet so elegant. It's like not wearing shoes, except without looking like you're wearing futuristic toe-socks. 

Céline S/S 2013

The famous fluffy (I keep typing "fluffly," can that just become the official spelling?) Céline sandals. What more can I say that they have not already said themselves?

Robert Piqueras S/S 2013

Those are actually glitterfied Reebok sandals. I kid you not. 

Rochambeau S/S 2013

Desert wanderer enters Los Angeles by accident, stumbles into a mall first thing, and emerges looking like an amalgamation of a cowboy, a high strung intern at a fashion magazine, and MC Hammer.

Araks S/S 2013

Another simple version of the sandal, this time taking a bit of an Addams family tone. 

What is the verdict, dear readers? Are you ready to embrace your inner tackiness and show the world the true meaning of comfort, or are you unable to wrap your head around the concept that your dad was doing it right all along? Or something in between? Tellme. One word.

That's all, my eyes are half asleep (yes, just the eyes, the rest of me is quite awake), I am leaving, good night.

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The Baby Turns Two

I simply cannot believe that it's been two years since I began this blog. I remember that fateful Sunday night as though it were yesterday (although, to be honest, I don't remember yesterday too well. Tuesdays are just sort of like that): I was lying on the floor in my bedroom, looking at street style photos online and probably reading Man Repeller when I realized, "Hey, I could do that, also I'm bored and I'm thirteen and I like fashion and middle school is kinda weird so why not?" And at the time, I just knew it was something I would stick with. I could feel it.

I was self-conscious about having a blog at first, so I didn't tell anyone for a few days. The first person I told was Lola because I knew she wouldn't judge me. Why I thought anyone would judge me I'm not sure, but that was what I was concerned about. She immediately told me that it fit, that it was something she could see me doing. Lola's got some sort of funky intuition, it would seem, because here I am, two years from that April evening as a completely different person. I never imagined myself to be a writer. I won't even get into all the things that have changed since the end of eighth grade, because obviously there are about a million.

I know last year I had a giveaway, and I was going to do that again this year, but right now I'm so trammeled by school that I haven't been as devoted to my lil' baby as I wish I were. When good ol' summer rolls around, I'll be back to writing and sewing and crafting and all that deliciousness on a much more regular basis. For now, let us celebrate the funtime happiness of today, 'cause today is a birthday, and birthdays call for several things:

1. Birthday cake 

2. Party hats

3. Party shoes

So the moral of the story is: Feliz Cumpleaños, Abuelita. 

[And I will be back before you know it.]

Also, support your local writers and read the article I wrote about the robot apocalypse for the Brooklyn-based online magazine, Hypocrite Reader!

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First Grade

As the shrewd Patrick Star, PhD once said: "It's first grade, Spongebob!" 

He was of course, referring to wumbo. 

Sadly, wumbo is not the topic that I am here to speak to you about today. 

This past weekend, I went on a super Savers spree at--you guessed it--Savers with my mom and sister. It was an impromptu idea sprouted in the brain of my mother as we drove past it while in Connecticut. Due to our fantastic experiences in the past at Savers, we decided that only good could come from making a brief stop, just to check it out. If you've ever been in any store ever, you know that it is impossible to go inside for "just a minute." Physically impossible. We quickly left our self-imposed thirty-minute time limit in the dust as we moved around the cavernous outlet in a whirlwind. Half an hour effortlessly became an hour and a half. After I had gotten over the initial shock of the overwhelming mass of clothing in front of me, I was able to dig my way through every rack possible, not even stopping at the little markers that let me know that my size would not be found in the next section. 

My sister and I operate the same way: grab as much as you can, and whittle down your selection later. I entered the dressing room with approximately twenty pieces of clothing, and exited triumphantly with two short sleeve button-up shirts, one tweed skirt, a plaid shift dress, and a pair of crimson silk pants (that are secretly polyester) slung over my right arm. I then entered the shoe aisle(s), and emerged with a pair of white leather Keds, some flat black woven pointy-toed sandals, and a pair of brocade Victorian chunky heels. I was this close to buying a humongous old leather suitcase for ten dollars, but my mom told me that there was absolutely no reason to do that. My rebuttal was that I will someday be a world travel and I need a really nice leather suitcase right now. My reasoning didn't go any further than that. 

The other day I decided that it was pointless to gradually incorporate my new items into my wardrobe when I could wear the additions all at once. The result was a funky 80s nurse, according to Olive. I said that I felt like I should be bowling. Physician's assistant by day, integral part of the underground bowling scene by night. That's me. Now you know it all. 

But, in order to tie everything together, I must explain the significance of this post's title. The use of primary colors in colorblocked form reminded me of young children creating tempera finger-painted artwork in first grade. 

My thought process: Savers → colors → first graders → wumbo. 

[Photos by me.]

Blouse: Northern Isles

Pants: Norton McNaughton

Shoes: Keds

Looking discontented. That seems to be my default facial expression.

This shot was an accident, but it reminded me vaguely of an 80s teen horror film. If that's even a genre. 

Look at that white leathery eight-dollar goodness. 

I'm getting pretty excited about a new project I'm working on but I refuse to tell you about it until I'm done. So the joke's really on you. 

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Hufflepuff x Grotto NYFW Launch Party

With only two days left until New York Fashion Week officially begins (as well as Fashion Month as a whole), the entire city is alight with fashion talk, kick-off parties, and lots of models. ...If you can 'alight' something with skinny people. The first of many events I'm going to be attending in the next week or so--that wasn't intended to sound so pretentious, I swear--was last night, the Grotto NYFW Launch Party. I'm still not quite sure why I was invited, but I was über pumped when I was, of course. Firstly because it was a fashion week party, and secondly because Anya from Project Runway was debuting her Spring 2013 collection there. Hell yeah. 

I got myself all dolled up for the occasion...only to stand in line in the rain for about forty-five minutes. I got inside eventually--after seeing and briefly conversing with several Project Runway veterans, one of whom invited me to their runway show next week--and stayed for about twenty minutes speaking to a lovely couple from New Zealand. By the time I got inside, Anya's show was over. Mondo bummer. (That was a Project Runway pun right there!) It was at the Norwood Club in Chelsea, which is really just a freaking fancy townhouse with bars on every floor. It was very much intended for adults. And then there was me. 

I took some pictures of what I wore once I got home, painfully slipping back into my heels for the photos. Only for you guys. Literally. I would never have done that otherwise. Two syllables: blisters. 

[Photos by yours truly.]

Dress: vintage Jones New York via my mom's closet (classiq mama)

Heels: thrifted 

Bracelet: a store in Old Town

Watch: gift shop in Giverny 

Ring: Venice Beach 

I'm wearing the Hufflepuff house colors, black and gold, on purpose. I'm showing my house pride. Don't let anyone tell you Hufflepuffs are lame, because if they do I will come and slap them with my mental bitch-slapping hand. I have a hand that is especially for bitch-slapping because there are too many HuffPuff haters in the world. 

Cross-body bag: my great-grandma's with my gold belt attached with safety pins as a strap--classy, I know

Earrings: birthday present from my mom 

Those earrings are possibly the most painful things to get in. You have to drag a chain through the piercing in order to wear them properly. Mmmm.

It has a secret slit! I felt like Angelina Jolie all night, really. It goes higher, trust me. I just wanted to keep things PG. 

I had a few technical difficulties with my self-timer. 

It took several hours, a shiz ton of black nail polish, and a borderline poisonous amount of Absorbine Jr. (or Horse Juice, as I like to call it) to get my nails to look like that. Lola and I tried most of the ones from this post before realizing that splattering your nails with paint can in fact possibly go wrong.

I have one final day before school officially starts. DearGodsaveme. I had an awesome summer though, and hopefully you did, too. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons (because we have so many to choose from), so I'm getting quite excited about it. I am so done with walking around with a perpetual coat of perspiration on my body.

Merry Fashion Week! Let the games begin.

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Don't Try This At Home

Months and months and months ago, I found myself staring at Alix Bancourt's feet. Several times. It's not because I have a foot fetish. It's because she was wearing her Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats and wanted the whole world to know about it (with good reason). The first time I saw them, I thought they were the cutest darn things I'd ever seen. "How very Alix," I thought. Then I saw my homegurl Alexa Chung wearing the same cat slip-ons with a Valentino dress in the Jardins des Tuileries during Paris Fashion Week sometime last year. And then again. And then another time. And once more. The same way you'll sometimes hear a word and think, "Huh, that's interesting," and then it shows up everywhere, I was suddenly seeing these kitten shoes in a million places. They piqued my interest. I began to do some research. 

Left: Alexa Chung...Right: Alix Bancourt's feet. Three times. In various settings. 

I found out who had designed them and started searching them up on the trusty interwebz. For some idiotic reason, I assumed they would be no more than one hundred dollars--maybe fifty if I was lucky. Try four hundred sixty five British pounds. Gr8. Even though I kind of hate cats, these flats were too adorable to ignore. "I'm a crafty gal," I mumbled deviously. "I can figure something out." So I did. 

I located the one pair of flats in my possession, which happened to be some flimsy little shoes I'd picked up at Payless in sixth grade for a school play but had grown to love. This is where the doing-it-yourself comes in, and what you should not in fact do yourself unless you have a solid three-consecutive-day block of time to spend embroidering a pair of shoes. So really, you're not doing anything at all. Just looking. 

The before. 

The after.

Here, kitty kitty! 

Since these shoes were black-and-white and the Charlotte Olympias were not, I had to whip out my black fabric paint from the trenches of my art supplies. Note: this was not as difficult as I made it sound. Paint paint paint, dry dry dry... Hop forward a few months and see me embroidering these little guys while watching television on my computer (this was a rare occasion), whimpering in pain as my clammy hands attempted to shove a hand sewing needle through tough fabric. I made minimal progress in the grand scheme of things. Due to the intense pain I was feeling in my finger tips, work on these puppies kitties halted for quite some time. At the beginning of this month, I brought them along with me on my various northeastern travels and plopped down with them one night while watching the Olympics. In a matter of hours, they were basically done. I just added some finishing touches to them yesterday, at which point I deemed them acceptable to post on this here website.

They look much scarier from this angle. 

Try to ignore the multitude of glaring imperfections. 

I kind of wish cats had eyebrows because then these would look less bald. 

This photograph instantly calls to mind that episode of Spongebob where he and Patrick create Doodlebob, who creeps into their houses in the middle of the night to erase their bodies. 

Remind me to never make anything with eyes ever again. 

Attempt to make a pair of kitten flats by all means. Don't try this at home, kiddies, if: 

1. Your black flats are not made of something sew-able (those patent leather Steve Madden ones that everyone had a few years ago simply will not work) 

2. You have never embroidered or hand sewn before 

3. You are impatient 

4. You don't have a lot of time to dedicate to this project and/or care if it takes you several months to complete in the event that you will spread everything out over time 

5. You don't have a darning needle 

Now I'm ready for Fashion Week. #pleasehelpmeI'mnotready 

Since today is my first day on the job, I can finally reveal my secret. For these next two weeks, I will be interning with the fashion designer Lyn Devon. I have nothing to report thus far since I actually wrote this the night before my first day, but I can just feel that this is going to be the best ten days of my life.

Have a peachy week, friends!

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Wishy Washy

More wish than wash, if you please. 

Like any normal human being, I have the desire to own things that I have no money for. Here is a small (actually, it's quite large) collage of thirteen of my most-coveted items from my brain list. Made at around 12:30 in the morning, do not judge my Photoshopping skills...to my face. 

1. Baseball shirt 

2. Maison Scotch baggy jeans

3. Urban Renewal Boyfriend Jean Short

4. 7 For All Mankind floral jeans (worn by Aimee Song)

5. Black kitten heels 

6. Septum chain (seen better here)

7. Del Toro x Man Repeller Fancy Flamingo loafers

8. Afghani necklace (worn by Madeline Pendleton)

9. Vintage gloves 

10. White Converse (worn by Sadie Heisler)

11. Maryjanes

12. Black flats 

13. Mustard yellow loafers (these ones just showed up on the internet, so I was like, "Okay, you can join") 

I'm out shopping at the moment, so I figured this was an appropriate thing to post. There will be more to come on my buying adventures at a later date. For now, drool on your computer over the beautiful specimens pictured above.

Happy Thursday, meaning it's almost Friday, meaning it's almost the weekend. So happy almost weekend.

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Ankle Candy

Like arm candy, but for ankles.

As I mentioned the other day, I've decided to wear bracelets on my feet more often. Despite the fact that the temperature dropped back to its norm (as opposed to the near 70 degrees we had on Thursday), I wore flats and nice, chunky jewelry on my left ankle yesterday. The only downside to doing so: if you decide to jump-walk up stairs, it feels like the bracelet will fall off, but chances are you won't be doing that. I'm just an impatient stair-climber at times.

Cute story about these flats: I never wear flats (I wear flat shoes but not actual flats flats), but I bought these in May of 6th grade as a part of my costume in a school musical. I had to be a showgirl and we needed black shoes we could dance in, but we couldn't find any comfortable straight up black shoes. I figured black and white stripes weren't that different, so I got them. Turns out they are. I was the odd one out, what's new.

Every so often, when I'm feeling the vibe (I've been inspired lately by this girl I see on the subway every morning on my way to school; I may have to ask her if I can take her picture one day.), I'll whip these babies out and build a look around them. Since I was in the mood for an ankle bracelet, the combo made me think, "I need to wear cuffed jeans." My friend Sadie (you saw her feet in last night's post) has been wearing reminiscent-of-childhood t-shirts these past few days, so I threw on my Minnie Mouse shirt, and I never wear graphic tees. And in honor of the fact that it was Friday I threw on my flannel shirt, now known as my Friday Shirt. Fridays are that day where you're like, "Wow, can I please just go home, this is a useless day," and you just want to be comfy while moping. Flannels=comfort, and by the transitive property, flannels=Friday. Done.

Photos by me. 

Flats: American Eagle

Regular bracelet turned ankle bracelet: Squan Dry Goods given as a present from Edith

Jeans: Candie's

I kind of love this bracelet a lot. 

Deformed toe on the right, frayed hem on the left. Classy photo here.

Take special notice of my wood floor. Just do it.

It's Saturday, which means the weekend has begun, which means it's almost Monday and the cycle begins again. I really do have a somewhat pessimistic outlook on weekends.

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These Are Shoe-Ins

A pun functioning as a post title, how classic. 

I've had the word "shoes" on my "To Blog About" Sticky Note on my laptop for the longest time and tonight I decided to go for it. Luckily for me, I have an unending archive of photos of everything forever, so getting all these photos didn't take too long. It's a good thing too, because the Portlandia season finale is on right now. Gotta get my weekly Fred-and-Carrie fix. 

Below are some shoes that I either think are fantastic beyond human comprehension or that I want on my feet: note that the two are not interchangeable. I would could never wear those insane Prada shoes, but I do love 'em with all most of my heart.

Isabel Marant Willow Sneakers. I just had to throw these in. 

From the Doc Martens First and Forever A/W '11 campaign. Remember that? 

...As are these. I like me some Docs, okay? Haters gonna hate.

Those are some hot shoes. I am just pounding out these shoe puns tonight. Image via Tommy Ton for style.com.

Not quite sure where these came from, but I want golden harnesses on my feet. 

DIY googly eye shoes from Zoe of Girl With The Flower. Freaking genius right here. 

An unknown source again (lame, I know; I'm a click-and-dragger, labeling is such an effort), but the whole Navajo-gypsy-sophisticat (the last word is one of my own creation, denoting a sophisticated kool kat and a play on words of "aristocrat.") vibe is one I totally dig. 

This is a photo I constantly come back to for inspiration. When I get socks like these I will no doubt be one of the happiest munchkins on earth. Photo via harpersbazaar.com.

Alexa Chung's feet clad in Charlotte Olympia's kitty flats. I will be DIY-ing these puppies (ha, these are cat slippers, I just confused you) in the near future.

These just might be Chanel F/W '11, but I ain't sure. 

Kork-Ease Grace Perforated Wedge from Urban Outfitters.

This is actually a sneak peak photo--it will be posted in early April as a part of my "Can I Have Your Closet" segment, Sadie Heisler edition. Beat up white Converse are literally perfect. 

I hope my feet-spiration has helped you enjoy your Friday night even more.

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