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?]

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

a trend i wish would die forever.

Okay, maybe people see these as a joke. But I have seen quite a few people wearing them legitimately out in public when they are not intending [or so I believe...] to go dance on a pole and remove their clothes.

Clear heels. Why. I just do not understand. At all.

Unfortunately, the trend has shown up again on runways for Spring 2010, which I neglected to notice until seeing a post on the Cut. Apparently, Milan designers that I have come to respect, such as Prada or DSquared2, think this is a good idea.

Well, Miuccia, Dean, and Dan, you are sorely mistaken. Please do not ever create shoes that incorporate plastic. It's unbecoming and ugly.

I literally cannot help but scrunch up my face disapprovingly if I see anyone wearing these or see them in a store somewhere. I'm sorry for my strong opinions, but I support the furthering of fashion, not disgusting footwear.

And it isn't really the actual heel part of the shoe that bothers me. I mean I don't like it, but it doesn't make my skin crawl. It's the top of the shoe where real straps are supposed to be, but instead clear panels lie. Not okay.

And that concludes my rant for this evening.

a present to myself/quote of the day.

I received an email a few days ago from one of my favorite online discount boutiques, Yoox, informing me of their semi-annual (so this will happen to me twice perhaps...) sample sale. This sale involves the words 90% off. That's right. 90%.

I was a bit late, unfortunately, but was able to snag a gorgeous, but wacko pair of Stella McCartney wedges for $80. That's right. $80. Now to some of you, that sounds like a steep price. But these shoes retail for hundreds.

And I got them for 90% off...

They are almost a slate grey/blueish color, and totally inappropriate for this upcoming season of crap, but worth staring at in my closet as a promise of spring's very distant arrival. Ugh.

Take a looksie.

Also, the quote of the day from Stella herself:

“It’s really belittling of the customer to think that anyone from a different price bracket deserves anything less.”
-Stella McCartney in the New York Times on her design for Gap Kids

quote of the day

“If people talk to me about Sex And The City, I get sick. The taxi drivers recognize me now. It becomes too much and I don’t feel comfortable. I have never wanted to be a celebrity designer.”

-Manolo Blahnik

[via Britain's Sunday Telegraph]