The New Boots: A Guide

It's boots season, people. 

Once more, with feeling:  It's BOOTS SEASON, people.  Woot.

There a several new boot styles permeating the collective fashion consciousness (and by "new", I mean SOMEone has seen it all before).  Here are my thoughts.

1. Clog boots

In a word: hideous.  I hate clogs.  I'm also not typically a fan of mixing several trends together in one outfit, let alone one piece.  This boot combines the lace-up trend, faux fur trend, and the clog trend to make a very busy shoe with no seasonal longevity.  These will be "in" for exactly 2 months.  And it's fugly as sin.

2.  Belted boots

I think this style can be worked into a lot of wardrobes.  I'm not likely to buy a pair myself, because I can't get over the sneaking suspicion that it looks like the boot's belt is slipping off, creating a messing, unfinished vibe.  I recommend staying away from any pair that mixes this trend with another, though.  Run, do not walk, from any pair that uses faux fur or laces along with the belt.

3. Cuffed boots

These are cuffed at the bottom of boot, and in some cases the cuff almost hits the floor.  I'm not a huge fan, though I think some pairs are better executed than others.  I prefer the ones whose cuffs fall above the heel, a la:

The boots whose cuffs fall lower, much like a pair of too-long pants, can actually cut off the leg line and make you look shorter- and sloppy.

4. Buckled boots

Um, are you kidding me? Ladies, if you want to look like a cheap hooker, surely there are easier, less ankle-breaking options available.  (Don't worry, this pair also comes in street walker blue blue.)

This is an extreme example, but there are so many right now that over 3 or more buckles and they all look cheap to me, no matter what the actual price.  This is the same rule for cookies that my mom taught me: just have one or two. 

5. Moto boots

Yep, they are supposed to be- or just look like- biker boots.  And they are awesome.  The pair above are classics, and look tough and chic right now.  Depending on the outfit, they can look as bad-ass or as funky as you want.  They are actually really versatile for a lot of wardrobes.

These are the ones I'm eyeing:

I would wear them with pretty much everything, including skirts and dresses.

Got a boots question? Throw it in the comments.  Maybe I'll even have an answer.

What's the Diff? Price Edition

This is the Free People Navajo Cardigan.  It's $168 on Piperlime.

This is We The Free Shawl Collar Navajo Knitted Cardigan.  It's $195.46 at ASOS (down from $244.33).

Um. This is the EXACT SAME SWEATER.  So I don't care what ASOS is calling it.  It's total BS.

Oh, yeah. There was a wedding.

I suppose you want to see pictures?  I will break my usual rule of not posting pics of me without  sunglasses once I get the professional pics in or I get some SUPER cute ones from friends.  Attention friends: Hint, freaking hint.

In the meantime, here's what I wore:


THE DRESS:

Her name is Hayden (yes, at Priscilla of Boston, all the dresses have names and are referred to as "her"). Better pics here.

The shoes:

They are the Kate Spade Abbie.  The shoes were the hardest part for me.  In the end, I ordered 6 pairs, tried on the dress with 4 of them, and these were the clear winners.  I wasn't always sold on the idea of flats, but after being in them for 6 hours straight, I was relived I didn't go with the runners up:

The Kate Spade Elate:

And the Cole Haan Ceci:

The jewelry:

Kate Spade was good to me...this is the Crystal Constellation Bracelet:

And this is NOT the necklace, but is so astonishingly close, I'm posting it anyway.  The real deal will show up in the wedding pics, I promise:

Hair, makeup, and nails were done, coiffed, touched up, and suitably me.  I swear I'll post the real deal soon.

Shop This Place: NYLightMetals

NYLightMetals is an Etsy shop I discovered while browsing the interwebs during a bout of insomnia. The premise of the shop is basically awesome pieces at affordable prices. Nothing is over $100 and a ton of pieces are under $50. Best of all, it's all fun, interesting, and pretty stuff - I had a REALLY hard time not buying out the store.

Here are some faves:

The Geometric Bohemian Ring (which I may or may not have already snatched up):

The Clover Leaf necklaces:

The sweet vintage geometric earrings:

And the liquid mesh bracelets: (which I may or may not have HAD to have at 5:00 am)

I could go on and on.  So, I hope the ladies who receive gifts from me like this stuff, because this place is on the shopping list from now on.

A teeny tiny break

Getting married in less than a week, taking a honeymoon, and then heading back to work, band practices, and life generally.  So I am taking a teeny tiny break from blogging. 

Two weeks, three max. 

And then, I SWEAR, I have some (very ranty) rants stored up, some (possibly snarky) shoe reviews, and at least couple of (somewhat rude) suggestions about what people can do with their chunky blanket sweaters.

Shop This Place: BB Dakota

Trust me, you will want to check out BB Dakota. The jackets alone are enough to keep me on the site for an hour.

Here are a few of the things I love right now:

The Carterville jacket in gorgeous leather:

The Hinsdale jacket (it's only $90!):

The Creston dress ($80):