Firecracker's Blog

Yes, I ended up buying shoes. They are a low-heeled pump with an ankle strap. I'm thinking of them as my version of the ever-popular Sam Edelman Okalas that Angie and so many YLFabbers have.

I rarely wear pumps, but I like to have them on hand for times when I want to dress up and really need a dressy shoe. I'm excited to have a pair that is light-colored (my other go-to pumps are black), and a low enough heel that I might actually wear them for non-dressy occasions. (We shall see about that; I always think that about pumps, and then I don't wear them.) I like that the heel is closed. The ankle strap hits me in a place that works for me (above my ankle bone), and it's actually long enough to go around my ankles. Ooh, and look! You can move the buckle to the side or the front (photos 3 and 1)! I love that feature!

I don't know how AGL does it, but they manage to make a rather dainty-looking shoe that flattters my high-volume feet. That's why I have collected a few pairs of their ballet flats--AGLs are the only version of that style that I really liked both the look and feel of on me.

The shopping outfit, with the new pumps, and with the shoes I wore shopping:
1-3: dark skinny jeans (Mother, the Looker, "coffee tea or me" wash); light green tee and long cardigan (Halogen); light blue prism-print scarf (Nordstrom); nude ankle strap pumps (AGL, Claire).
4-5: the outfit with taupe oxfords (Paul Green, Dale); navy trench (London Fog); gray backpack (Rebecca Minkoff).

Thanks for looking! I welcome your comments and suggestions.

I haven't posted outfits for a while, mostly because of a new schedule, but also I'm not that motivated. I feel I'm kind of on auto-pilot dressing, and my culled wardrobe makes it easy. Today, I decided to post because I'd like some feedback on this coat that hitched a ride home with me from Banana Republic.

Some background on the coat. I have been on the lookout for a warm winter coat. I've been wanting one that would cover my knees and be suitable for winter visits to the Midwest. I have considered down/puffer styles, and have tried on a few, but I really prefer good old-fashioned wool for my style.

After looking around online and in stores for a while, I haven't found anything that I'm crazy about within my budget, or perhaps even out of my budget, for that matter. The length is hard to find, and something not black or gray--well, that's just about impossible. I realize what I need to do is make the burgundy-toned coat I've been intending to make for 2 or 3 years now. It's a daunting project, and I keep putting it off. Yesterday I started the pattern work on it, and it's possible I could finish it in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, the coat I bought today isn't what I've been looking for--it isn't as long as I want, and it doesn't seem like it will be particularly warm. (Though there is room to layer a thick sweater underneath--a bonus.) So it doesn't preclude my long-put-off sewing project. I thought it was pretty cute, in the classic-with-a-twist way that always appeals to me. And it was ridiculously inexpensive (marked down further than what's shown on the website, plus an extra 40% off). So I could wear it a couple of seasons and not feel guilty about passing it on after that, right? What do you all think?

Yay: fun style to play with for a season or two
Nay: misguided impulse purchase

Photos 1-3: the coat (Banana Republic, Flocked-Hem Long Peacoat).

Photos 4-5: The outfit (worn for a day off and shopping): Straight-legged jeans (Kut from the Kloth, Stevie); mixed-media landscape print tee in brown and cream (made by me); taupe shredded-knit cashmere blend shrug (made by me); black and brown belt with studs (Suzi Roher); espresso moto boots (Miu Miu). This is the first outing for the tee, one of my recent creations.

Thanks for looking! I appreciate your feedback.

In response to Angie's post about "Organized Emotional Shopping," I wrote that I carry around a mental list of what I’d like to have, usually for items
that 1)are going to help me wear things I already have or 2) represent
trends that I want to pursue.
I added that I recently bought a pair of shoes that did not meet either of these criteria. I feel like they are a departure from my usual style. And they are not only a departure, but perhaps one that harks back to a former style rather than moving my style forward. And yet, I bought them and at the moment plan to keep them. Perhaps I could be persuaded to return them, but I'm more intent on discovering all the ways I might wear them.

The shoes are clunky, cutout booties (Kork-Ease, Stina), which in the photos below, I just put on with what I was wearing earlier in the day. They are also shown as a Find. They seem more in keeping with my style of a few years ago, when I loved my Ariat clogs and other clunky shoe styles. Part of my attraction to rounded toes, chunky heels, and clog soles was that I felt they balanced out my calves, which are relatively large for my overall body size. I have since gotten over that idea and have gradually moved toward more refined footwear. One of my style goals in the last couple of years has been to aim for a little more sophistication.

And yet, here I am with a pair of shoes that are hardly refined and sophisticated and could possibly be the antithesis of those things. So what gives?

I came up with the theory that these shoes may be a wildcard for me--which Angie defines as "an item that is atypical to your style persona, but that speaks to you in some way."
Which makes me wonder if wildcards help put the emotion in organized emotional shopping. These particular shoes seem to speak to the same part of me that the arty pair of green/brown oxfords I toyed with last summer did. I ended up returning those, but these I don't have the same hesitation about.

What do you think? Where do wildcards fit in this OE shopping scheme? And what do you think of these shoes for me?

The backstory
My oxford hunt continues, even though I am ostensibly participating in Aesthetic, Ascetic August. I ordered metallic oxfords from Banana Republic and, after helpful forum guidance, returned them. Ultimately I didn't like the synthetic lining or the shape of the shoe on my foot.

Then I bought the Stuart Weitzman brogues on the last day of NAS, figuring that since the sale started in July, my purchase could be considered a continuation of July's sale purchases. They didn't work out, though, so I returned them. (I swear they fit in the store! They felt clearly too small at home.)

My impulse for oxfords is to have a pair that goes with things that my  well-loved caramel Born Arlettas don't go with. And that I like better than my current second pair of oxfords--black Josef Seibels. I have worn the Seibels quite a lot, though I find them a little hard to style without having them feel too, I don't know, unflattering? I was thinking a different style in black could work as my not-brown oxford, but I was also wanting metallic--and then you all opened my eyes to the possibility of metallic instead of black. Then there is the question of vibe, or oxford genre. What I like about my Seibels, besides the #1 consideration of comfort, is that they are kind of funky while also being, well, a traditional, or classic shoe (an oxford, after all). What I don't like about them is that they are on that razor's edge between funk and frump, and admittedly some might not actually see the funky or arty possibility in them.

The latest attempt
Yesterday, I came home with a very different, quirky pair of oxfords. Not metallic and not black, but a blend of colors that works well with a lot of my wardrobe. They are a style called Fox, in the Cliff Dweller line from Cydwok, and they are a "painted" leather in shades of green, deep teal, brown, taupe, and a little tan.

The photos
Here they are:
1: a photo I found on the web. The colors in mine look deeper and less light-green.
2-4: The shoes on me, with the outfit I wore yesterday. I have not taken any other styling photos yet--sorry--but I will do so when I get a chance.

The last photos are of my outfit yesterday:
5-6: Dark brown shorts (Eddie Bauer); turquoise v-neck tee (Caslon); tan belt (Trafalgar); jean jacket (AG, Robyn); caramel oxfords (Born, Arletta); navy and tan satchel (Dooney & Bourke).

More thoughts--pro and con
A little more info on the oxfords: They are very comfortable. You've probably heard me go on about my Think! sling-back Mary Janes (the Aida style below) and how great the arch support is in them. They are a no-fail shoe when I need comfort all day. I imagine these oxfords to be similar, because they are made with a steel shank and molded arch support. Unlike the Think! shoes, these have a negative heel, like the old Earth shoes (not sure if Earth still does that). I never got on that bandwagon, but I do find these comfy. I really like the idea of an oxford that I could count on for great support, for my increasingly fussy feet (recent plantar fasciitis).

On the other hand, I have been aiming for more sophistication in my style: more tapered-toe shoes, more jackets or stylish pullovers. Pre-YLF, I lived in closed-back clogs by Ariat--they were stylish, but still clogs--with my jeans, tees, and cardigans. I have an arty streak and a little bit of boho, but artsy-craftsy is not my style.

I did try on these shoes with a few things but didn't get photos. I liked them with chino pants, especially rolled up, and I can see them with skinny or narrow jeans (what footwear does not go with those? Okay, maybe clogs. . . ). I thought I might wear them with narrow skirts that hit at or just below the knee. I might even wear them with my Eileen Fisher harem pants.

What say you? Am I fooling myself with these shoes, looking at them through comfort goggles? Or are they an arty style that could work for me?

If you've stayed with me this far, thank you. And thanks in advance for your thoughts!

eta: new photos of the shoes. . .

7: on my feet

8: with what I'm wearing today 

9: with harem pants and tops I'm wearing today

10: with harem pants, denim shirt and wine hi-lo sweater

11: with wine corduroy skinnies and sweater

The shoes are an easy match for my browns and greens, but I wanted to see how they would go with black and wine, and of course, the harem pants, which I mentioned. Not sure about oxfords and harem pants, but that kind of potential pairing is one thing that makes me hesitate about another brogue style like my Borns.