Westies by Nine West -Have

Ciao a tutti!

My fellow Shoe-A-Holics, one of my favorite types of shoes to shop for is a timeless style; age is definitely an advantage when looking for these enduring styles because the moment a style has come full circle (it comes into style, stays for a couple of years, then re-emerges some years later), you realize that those white single-soled pumps you were oh, so happy to toss, are the very same style which is trending, and you can't seem to find a pair at your price point, and you wish you had never donated them in the first place. (Check out the shoes I've donated here...I'm currently missing 23 and 59)

But using my age to my advantage, I am a much more savvy shopper.  Price is always important, when I buy a shoe, as is style (I love a funky shoe just as much as the next shoe-a-holic), but quality is important if you want a shoe to last through any trends it might hit or miss.

A style that is going to last, or is timeless is going to pay for itself (depending on the cost), not the first, but the second season you wear it, that is of course depending  on how often you wear it. When a style is trending, or there is something new I want to add to my Shoe Arsenal, basic black is usually the first color I pick because of it's versatility (brown is usually second).  If I can, I try to buy a leather or suede shoe; because it is natural fiber, it is is more likely to conform to the shape of your foot for a better fit, and when manufacturers use leather or suede (yes, they cost more but), they tend to be more careful with the making of shoe (better stitching, higher quality glues, etc...).  The last thing I do to keep my timeless shoe, timeless, is to take care of it.  These Westies (pictured above and below) are nearly 10 years old, but when I store them, I inspect them, clean them and store them in a dry cool place, so that when it's time for them to come back in style (I'm predicting 2014), they'll be ready, and so will I!

Baci a tutti!

Stella Notte

Day 329: Sunday April 28th 2013
Designer: Westies by Nine West
Name: Have (?)
Style: Square-toe single soled slingback pump
Heel: 3 inches (7.62 cm)
Material: Leather Upper with square toe and decorative lace-up on vamp 

To see how I styled these beautiful slingbacks, follow the link below to:

La Stella Notte's Style (chic that's easy as 1, 2, 3)

Steve Madden -Showie

Ciao a tutti!

Confession time, my fellow Shoe-A-Holics...I'm glad it's cool.  Now let me explain, it's been an unseasonably cold winter with the occasional bursts of spring (remember that week of mid-70's in January...then again in February?); which left me wishing for a quick summer warm up, but it came too fast, and 60 degree days were replaced by mid-80's, and I found myself vastly unprepared...I haven't quite made it in for my spring kick-off pedicure, so the feet are looking...well...rough, after a pretty active boot season!

But with the weather cooling just as quickly as it warmed up, I have the chance to break out the last few remnants of an almost gone winter season, and another favorite transition pair of footwear, booties!

In one word, booties are Chic!  A shorter version of their taller counterpart, booties are sexy and playful, daring and dressy.  They are the ideal winter staple if, like me, you have trouble with the shaft of traditional boots; whether too tight or too loose or if they just can't seem to keep their shape, a bootie eliminates the headache, giving you a sleek, pulled together look. 

My Advice:  Find a statement pair like these.  A daring heel, an internal platform, zipper detail, or a bold color; if you can't perfect your look with a boot, then find the perfect bootie!

Baci a tutti!

Stella Notte

Day 328:  Wednesday April 24th 2013
Designer: Steve Madden
Name: Showie
Style: Platform Ankle Bootie
Heel: 5 inches (12.7 cm)
Platform: 1 inch (2.54 cm)
Material: Luxe suede upper with zipper detailing

Rebels -Tango

Ciao a tutti!

One of my favorite ways to dress pair of shoes is to incorporate them into a look I am trying to achieve.  Today, I wanted to re-invent what is generally perceived as the Bohemian look or Boho Chic.

Relaxed, simple and casual, infused with earthy is where I started, but with the addition of these jeweled and beaded beauties in a conventional wedge style, yet unconventional combination heel-ankle-strap wrap, this Boho chic style gets a glam twist with the right amount of sex appeal!

Baci a tutti

Stella Notte

Day 327: Sunday April 21st 2013
Designer:  Rebels
Name: Tango
Color: Wine
Heel: 4 inches (10.16 cm)
Platform: 1 inch (2.54 cm)
Material: Luxe velour upper, leather lining, with beaded, jewel and contrast stitching along vamp

 

 

To see how I styled these beautiful sandals into a Boho look, follow the link below to:

La Stella Notte's Style (chic that's easy as 1, 2, 3)

 

Flair -Grey Mule

Ciao a tutti!

While in Italy, one of my favorite pastimes was il mercato -the market.  It always fascinated me that you could buy clothes at the same place you buy your groceries (sort of like Target or Wal-Mart), only bigger, fresher and much...much nosier; eager to make a sale, vendor would yell across many stalls to a relative or a friend who may have what you need, and usually the other vendor would have that something, be it piece of silver jewelry, a hot pink cashmere sweater or carrots picked from the field that morning.  But one of the things that I didn't like was unless you were going to the market in a large city, it was advisable you didn't wear heels because of the gravel, pavement in disrepair or farmland you might encounter.

Although the markets in the states are nothing like those in Italy, I can still manage to get fresh produce from local growers at the farmer's market; and where I live, the market is located in one of the city's largest parks, so heels are always a go!

These kitten-heeled-single-soled shoes are another of my favorite transition footwear from winter to spring.  On trend with heel height, metallic color and pointy toe, they keep my toes from getting cold, yet provide ample room to breathe as the day warms up.

Day 326: Sunday April 14th 2013
Designer: Flirt
Style: Embellished single-soled mule
Heel: 2 inches (5.08 cm)
Material: Fabric upper with beads and sequins decorating vamp

 

 

To see how I styled these beautiful mules, follow the link below to:

La Stella Notte's Style (chic that's easy as 1, 2, 3)

Mojo Moxy -Voodoo, Black

Ciao a tutti!

In less than a week's time, I've experienced near 80 degree temperatures followed by dips in the mercury so low that warranted freeze warnings; rainy days which barely made it into the 50's haven given way to near 70's today, and week's end, it is forecasted to be in the 80's!  Mother Nature has gone mad, but that doesn't mean you need to follow suit...at least not with your footwear!

A favorite transition item for me is a pair of open-toe booties.  With such a daring silhouette, they are functional, fun and flirty.  Choose a pair that make a statement, either with color, design or details, like these gold-metal grommets!

Baci a tutti!

Stella Notte

Day 325: Sunday April 7th 2013
Designer: Mojo Moxy
Name: Voodoo
Color:  Black Chico Suede
Style: Open-Toe Bootie
Heel: 4 inches (10.16 cm)
Shaft: 6 inches (15.24 cm)
Material:  Suede Upper with metal-ringed grommet detail

To see how I styled these beautiful mules, follow the link below to:

La Stella Notte's Style (chic that's easy as 1, 2, 3)

 

 

Beautiful in any color; click here to see these beauties in Camel,

 

here to see them in Blue or

 

here to see them in Grey!

 

LAUREN by Ralph Lauren -Kiana, Brown

Ciao a tutti!

All right, my fellow Shoe-A-Holics, I am beginning to feel the warmth of spring...cascading down upon me...as though Mother Nature herself has knitted me a blanket...and swaddled me in its plush folds...so that I may cast off the shackles of winter's relentless hold...in order to forge ahead in this renaissance...born of the vernal equinox...yet slow to awake from it's slumberous state...ever mindful that it's still the beginning of spring, and while I am tempted to jump right into sandal season, anywhere else on a 40 degree morning (that's 4 degrees Celsius for all my metric readers), people would be wearing boots, not flip-flops!

Another of my favorite transitional pieces is a shootie; part shoe and part bootie, a shootie is an ingenious hybrid which has the functionality of a shoe (in my case a pump), with practicality of a an ankle boot (or bootie), and transitions beautifully from morning to night, cold-to-heat-and-back again.  These perforated loafers with side panel goring offer easy on and off which keep the outfit looking relaxed and laid back.

Baci a tutti!

Stella Notte

Day 324: Tuesday April 2nd 2013
Designer: LAUREN by Ralph Lauren
Name: Kiana
Color: Dark Brown
Style: Shootie/Pump Loafer
Heel: 3.5 inches (8.89 cm)
Material: Leather Upper with wing-tip style accents, goring and lug sole

To see how I styled these beautiful shooties, click on the link below:

La Stella Notte's Style (chic that's easy as 1, 2, 3)

Beautiful in any color; click here to see these beauties in Black!