Ciao a tutti!
The shoe advice this morning, my fellow Shoe-A-Holics, is coming from something I observed from my fashion insider, Mike (check out what Mike said to me and the inspiration for my blog,
here in Welcome to my Shoe Arsenal). I met Mike in 2010 while planning a fashion show for the non-profit for which we both volunteered. Mike came to the production with a vast amount of fashion experience, greatly contributing to the success of the show.
The atmosphere in the office during the weeks and days prior to the fashion spectacle (although chaotic) was relaxed as far as clothing and dress. As one-half of the Community Liaison team, I liked to step up the style and heels, because my interactions were mainly with the Local Nationals: from Italian Mayors and Provincial Vice Presidents to Military Leaders and vendors, while Mike, the other Community Liaison, mainly worked with the respective American counterparts, and equally expressed his love of shoes from his formidable collection of footwear (an avid runner, Mike's shoes were often limited editions of styles, and hard to find colors). But when the time came for a formal interaction, Mike donned, what I teased him for being
'smart shoes' -a pair of leather oxfords. And he couldn't have looked
smarter and put together in his designer suit than with those shoes.
These booties when I bought them (abut 20 years ago), I bought for function. The mild southern winters would only prescribe something warm enough for a chill, not the functionality of a true cold weather boot. But this timeless style, although it changes periodically, has remained basically the same, and is a very smart choice in anchoring any outfit.
Baci a tutti!
Stella Notte
Day 291: Tuesday December 18th 2012
Designer: Thom McAn
Color: Black
Style: Oxford Bootie
Heel: 2 inches (5.08 cm)
Material: Luxe suede upper
Some styles are truly timeless...check out the
oxford booties they have at the GAP!
How I Styled It?
Styling these booties was actually a lot of fun! I read some time ago that the best way to tone down bright colors (in this case these electric blue
DKNY Soho skinny jeans I bought at
T J Maxx), is to pair the color up with black and white; so I did with this
Urban Vibe tweed moto jacket I got from
Wet Seal (several seasons ago). For what color to pair with the jeans, I headed back to the clothing color wheel from
Academichic.com, and followed their advice on
Analogous Colors: Unlike complementary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel), analogous colors are neighbors and play subtly off each other, such as the primary color blue and the secondary color green (remember green is a combination of two primary colors: blue and yellow). When you combine a primary color like blue, with it's analogous color green, you get a tertiary color: blue-green (teal), which pairs very well with either blue or the green! The teal long sleeve t-shirt I got while overseas, and the snood (pictured here, I'm wearing it like an infinity scarf), I bought at the market along with the cuff. The bag was an easy choice this time: this color blocked blue and teal clutch from the
GAP! SN
Until the 1990's,
Thom McAn was a US retail shoe store chain which focused exclusively of well made leather goods at affordable prices. With the popularity of athletic shoes in the 1980's combined with subsequent decline in sales, Thom McAn retail stores closed, but the name brand can still be purchased at Kmart.
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