early christmas present.

So my fabulous Chicago favorites and I decided to hit up some shopping and do some damage to our already fleeting bank accounts this afternoon.

Thank god for my Nordstrom employee discount. We got a pair of black Jimmy Choo's for Jen and a pair of gold Loubies for me for a freakin' steal. We didn't literally steal them, but we may as well have.

The best part is not even having to pay for them but receiving them as birthday/early Christmas presents. God love Aunt Diane. I swear a pair of gorgeous shoes can brighten up even the coldest of Chicago days.

[Ps. You may not believe me. But these Loubs are VERY comfortable. As in I'm going to wear them to work for an 8 hour shift. Who knew that was ever going to be possible?]

quote of the day.

"I would hate for someone to look at my shoe and say, 'Oh my God! That looks so comfortable!' That's not what I want to project. But I'm not a sadist. I don't believe suffering makes you beautiful. But comfort is not part of my creative process."

-Christian Louboutin on his killer heels

[Literally, they are killer. I can barely take a step in mine. He's still a genius.]

the print media may be dying, but...

...that means we get to enjoy wonderful online publications and magazines. Personally, I don't find it as satisfying as having the physical library of magazines that have accumulated wherever my stuff is, but it is still a great way to appreciate online developments. And fashion too, of course.

I found this one from a link on one of my favorite blogs, Fashionista, and it is called Glossy Magazine.

This is their newest issue, and it has some great spreads and stylist work. The cover features two online people I worship, The Sartorialist and Jane Aldridge, the author of the blog Sea of Shoes. I want to be her.

It is the next best thing to going out and physically buying a magazine at the store. Although, I really wish you would go out and buy a magazine, because Lord knows they need the revenue and sales.

Ps. Happy Halloween!

okay, this may be a little controversial.

I really, really enjoy that we have a gorgeous first lady that wears more than just an Oscar de la Renta suit from the 90s or has no real fashion sense. Really, I do. I think Michelle Obama is wonderful, and definitely has a great sense of style.

But why are her daily fashion choices big fashion news?

Literally, every single day, I see a post that goes something like... "Omg, Michelle Obama wore J. Crew yesterday!" or "Michelle seen popping her collar at blah blah blah event."

I just don't understand why this is such a big deal. When she picked that gorgeous white Jason Wu dress for the Inaugural Ball, that was news. Mostly because all of the fashion elite was competing for her choice of design and the chance for her to wear it at one of the biggest events in our country when celebrating a newly elected President. But before that I swear I read hundreds of posts about every stinking detail leading up to the big reveal.

Dare I ask again, why?

She graced the cover of Vogue last March, and now the upcoming Glamour issue. She looks to die for, but I hope we can stick to that as the coverage of her fashion sense rather than a daily tidbit that really does not matter in the slightest. I know she's great, but I don't care what she wore to the Bronx yesterday or to the World Series Game. Thanks.

louboutin soars to new heights, and not in heels.

I was reading my new issue of W Magazine the other day, and found this on the short news page.

Apparently, Christian Louboutin [the man that made the red sole famous and lust worthy] has collaborated with champagne maker extraordinaire Piper-Heidsieck to create a glass champage flute that resembles a five inch Louboutin pump.

The flutes are only available at the Piper-Heidsieck online store and Neiman Marcus as part of the Le Rituel gift set for $500. But, it comes with champagne. Wowza.

“There is something a little bit corny of drinking out of a shoe,” Louboutin says. “I thought of Cinderella, so the shoe became a symbol of the lost person.”

The tradition of drinking out of a lady's heel began in the 1880s after Russian ballerinas gave up their slippers for counts to drink out of in celebration.

Sounds a little strange to me. But I suppose if you'd like to try it, and you have a spare $500 laying around somewhere, run over to Neimans and pick up a Loub flute.

the coolest thing ever, but maybe a little crazy.

I am still delaying on my Alexander McQueen post. I think I'm going to break it up.

For now, I will discuss what everyone else is discussing: the twelve inch deathtrap heels that the models miraculously managed to wiggle down the runway in for his Spring 2010 Ready to Wear show.

Functionality completely aside, they are one of the weirdest/coolest, most innovative designs anyone has ever created...in my opinion of course.

Apparently, as evidence by the video footage and simply by looking at them, they are completely impossible to walk in. They arrived at the Vogue UK offices and no one could really make it more than a few steps.

I think my ankle my break the second I attempted to jam one onto my foot. And even if I got that far, I'm sure I couldn't walk a step. But I sure as hell would try. I swear if I ever see one of these shoes live in a store, I'd faint [or at least scream] on the spot.

I'm not sure why they are so inspiring. Probably because the truly break the barriers of fashion and bring it a step beyond what everyone else did. McQueen is known for his wacko design, but I feel these accessories were more than just a weird fad he created. They are art.

I literally sat, nearly asphyxiated, from sheer admiration of both the design and the girls somehow keeping one foot in front of the other without face planting.

These shoes are another example of why I love fashion so much. It is not only entertaining, but when something like these happen, it makes you question what limits clothes and accessories can have...or if one even exists in the first place.

I'd have to say my favorite ones are the shoes in the first picture of this post. They literally are dead on the same print as the dress he paired them with, and I think they are genuinely gorgeous. I feel like I should be admiring them from behind a glass case in some museum somewhere.

What also really impressed me was how each show clearly had the same design, but each made such a different statement. Some were made of python, others to resemble fish scales, and other to resemble delicate butterfly wings. I just don't understand how anyone could make so many different ideas flow to create distinctly different shoes. I really can't say enough about these, again, functionality completely out the window.

So thanks, Alexander. You get more and more brilliant everyday.

Images via style.com, nymag.com, and vogueuk.com

my main man: Stefano Pilati

I'm not sure what draws me to this man so hard...perhaps his rugged good looks. Or his chain smoking. Or his absolutely fantastic clothes.

I even named my computer after him.

Stefano Pilati is the creative director for Yves Saint Laurent, and has captured the title of my main man for this week, or for life.

The simplicity of both his character and his design make him stand out, proving that something does not necessarily need to be intricate or extravagant to be glamorous.

He has been with YSL, one of the most legendary labels in the entire fashion industry, since 2004 carrying on Yves' legacy. Tom Ford, one of my other leading men, attempted to take on the job but ended up quitting just before Pilati stepped in.

He has ruled the label ever since. Early in his career, he got flack from the critics about being too romantic or too ahead of the times, only to turn around and have his looks be everywhere and be worn by everyone. He always has a fresh look that sticks to the simplicity of the YSL label. Even with some designers that I worship, their shows can be off for me sometimes or I don't see the fluidity of their collections. I can honestly say I have never felt that about Pilati's work. Not even his uni-sex collection. In fact, I'd pretty much wear anything this man sketched out and brought to life. As long as he doesn't mind a couple extra dress sizes from what he is used to. Ugh.

Anyways. Some random facts. The man has been working in fashion since the age of 17. He knows his stuff. He has worked for Prada and consequently, Miu Miu. He has been to rehab twice for heroin addiction. He is a straight man turned gay. He speaks Italian, French, and English. He is full of surprises and a complete and utter genius.

I just want to know more about his life. I mean clearly, because of his involvement in fashion and my addiction to his clothes and bags [I am totally begging for the Muse bag for Christmas this year, as I've been obsessed with it pretty much my entire life], but also because I feel like he would have very fantastic stories to tell me over drinks some evening. Maybe one day, I can make that happen.

Until then, read this fabulous piece the New York Times did on him last year, entitled "The Tastemaker" if you'd like to know more about my main man.