A shoe dilemma

Somehow, I don’t have a pair of good black pumps.  I shop and I shop and I shop and I somehow neglect the basics. I don’t have a versatile LBD, for example, but that’s a story for another day.

So, I have two options to fix the black shoe issue; one very cheap, one more expensive but not horrific.

The cheap pair:

Aldo Douvier pumps, synthetic patent leather, on sale for $39.98

The expensive pair:
 
Michael Kors, patent leather, $148 at Browns Shoes

As Ned Flanders might say, this is a dilly of a pickle.

I naturally gravitate towards the Michael Kors shoes because they’re better quality.  And yes, I often equate higher price with higher quality, when sometimes that isn’t the case at all. 

So let’s work this out.  I’ve tried on both pairs, and the Michael Kors shoes are much more comfortable.  Then again, I’ve never found Aldo shoes comfortable.  But the $40 price tag is hard to beat.  $150 is a lot to pay for such a “boring”, basic shoe.  The lower price reflects the synthetic material though. The Kors shoes are real leather.  And maybe they’re not the most exciting, but a black pump is a classic shoe that I could wear forever, so shouldn’t I buy the better quality so they last? 

Sigh.  My head hurts.

The perfect meal.

According to Anthony Bourdain, chefs like to play “the last supper” game when they get together and drink.  In other words, what would you choose for your last meal on earth?

This is mine:

I don’t care if July has been sweltering; I will never turn down a steaming bowl of pho.  I like mine with beef balls and tofu, with a good squeeze of lime, plenty of basil, and a healthy squirt of Sriracha sauce on the side to dip the meat and tofu in.  I go out for pho once a week or so; by the time I get to the last slurpy mouthful, I think I could die happy.  Just be careful with whatever you wear.

Feeling the Parisian love.

I really love all of the Anthropologie dresses designed in collaboration with Parisian artist Nathalie Lété.  Wearable art!  Fantastic.

 
Left: Stemmed Sweetbriar Dress
Right: Marine Mural Dress

Already tried both of these on, as posted here.

 
Left: Pigment & Canvas Dress
Right: First Dance Dress

I’ve yet to try the First Dance Dress, but I tried on the Pigment & Canvas Dress today, and alas, it did not fit.
 
Too tight on my hips.  Boo-urns. 

But the print is so pretty!
 
 
 

Maybe it’s because I’m going to Paris in October (for the first time! Yay!) that I’m feeling all this Parisian love.

Dressing up

Just when I say I don’t go out much, I have to get dressed up on a weekend.  I’d rather spend my Saturday in my pyjamas, but I guess getting gussied up isn’t so bad.

I’m wearing Floreat’s Subcontinent dress (from Anthropologie, of course) that I bought back in May with the express purpose of wearing to a friend’s wedding today.  At least I bought this dress with a purpose in mind.  I have a bad habit of buying dresses with nowhere to wear them, that sit in my closet until an event comes up, and by that time I’ve probably bought another dress specifically for that event.  I have problems.

I really do love this dress though, so I’m glad I have the opportunity to wear it.

Now + later? It’s hot now. I can’t think of later.

I know it’s nothing new, but I still find it weird/annoying that fall clothes come out in stores by the end of July.

I laughed a little (well, more than a little) when I saw Anthropologie’s latest set of outfits on their website.  Transition to fall!  When it’s still 35°C / 95°F out!

Summer’s gentle fade?  It’s still July.  Summer’s not fading any time soon.

As lovely as these outfits are, I really can’t think about wearing “warmer layers.”

I want that teal skirt though.  I’ll snap it up when I can and put it in my closet until September.

Work appropriate

I don’t go out very much.  I’m a homebody.  I go to work, I come home, I change into comfy clothes, and I spend most evenings cuddling on the couch with my honey watching TV.  It may sound boring, but we’re happy.

But since I’m a homebody, and my weekends are also spent in comfy clothes, what I buy must also be worn to work; otherwise they might never be worn.  Luckily I work in a rather relaxed business casual environment, where almost anything goes.  My boss regularly comes to work in strapless dresses (maxi and mini), halter tops, backless tops, leggings, and flip-flops.  I don’t want to be boring when it comes to work, but what I wear probably wouldn’t fly in more conservative offices.

Today my outfit was more business casual, despite the slightly lower neckline.

• C, Keer Torsade top, from Anthropologie
• Jacob pencil skirt
• Franco Sarto kitten heels
• Hilary Druxman necklace

It’s amazing what a pencil skirt can do.

Sunday morning

I love going out for a walk in my neighbourhood early in the morning before anyone is awake. 

I also love that the stores are still closed, because I can only window-shop, and that’s for the best. 

Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy what I see though.

Club Monaco:

Those dresses look really really cute.

Cute for the men too, but I’d never get Will to wear any of that.

There’s some weird, slightly child-pornographic art out there:

Why do people think that putting “European” in front of something makes it better?

That’s some ugly European fashion.

Cute workout wear at lululemon:

Most bizarre use of pantyhose at Mendocino:

Very artistic at Kaliyana Artwear, but I have no idea who would wear this:

And finally, Tzatz.  I don’t care how cheap and cheerful their tzale is, those are ugly patterns.

My neighbourhood contains a lot of temptation, despite the fugly.  I’m thinking I should move.

Hump day

This week is dragging.  It’s only Wednesday and already I’ve had to deal with annoying family drama (again!), feeling kinda crappy again, and some interesting developments at work.  I hope that the family drama  goes away (yeah, when pigs fly), and that the new work developments continue favourably.

Again, despite not feeling well, I always try to look better than I feel.

 

• Deletta Craft & Creation top, at Anthropologie
• Jacob pencil skirt (2008)
• Feet First wedges

It didn’t take me very long to snap this up.  I go from want to own very quickly.  I’d fail the marshmallow test every time.

 
Walk like an Egyptian…

¡España!

Ok, so I’m not Spanish, but I’m Filipina with a Spanish last name, so there has to be some Spanish in me somewhere.

My boyfriend is a huge footie fan, but my interest lies in how hot the players are. My friend and I were cheering for Spain based on hotness alone (Carlos Puyol and Sergio Ramos aside), but the important thing (at least to Will) is that I’m watching football.

As evidence of how smoking hot the Spaniards are, I give you:

Cesc Fabregas

Xabi Alonso

David Villa

Fernando Torres

Jesus Navas

Eye candy prevails!

When I’m feeling off…

…I go to Anthropologie and try on pretty dresses.  Unfortunately, it also makes me want to buy them.

Stemmed Sweetbriar Dress by Nathalie Lété.  I love this dress.  I just need someone to get married so I can have somewhere to wear it.  Too boobalicious for everyday!  The other strike against it is that it’s a halter top, and I hate halters, I always feel like I’m being choked.

 
Marine Mural dress by Nathalie Lété.  Also love, and much more day-appropriate.  It has an octopus on it!  I’m quite taken with Paul the Psychic Octopus, so I would definitely wear a dress with a cephalopod on it.  I also feel like I should turn to psychic seafood for all my major life decisions, but that’s another story altogether.

Keeping cool.

It may be a tiny bit cooler today, but not enough to stop me from complaining.  I wouldn’t be Canadian if I weren’t complaining about the weather, but I figure that’s our reward for being able to deal with -30°C (-22°F)windchill in the winter and +40°C (104°F) humidex in the summer.  I need to move somewhere more temperate.  California, anyone?

I covered up a little more today, but I’m still staying cool in jersey in a fun summery print.

• Lush jersey dress, from Mendocino
• purple bandeau top from social butterfly boutique
• Havaiana flip-flops

Things have been going better this week, but I’m still coughing like I’m a pack-a-day smoker and I’m fighting one hell of an urge to shop.  I’m hoping that this (both things, actually) will soon pass.

This heat wave is turning me into a skank ho.

I wore a dress without a bra to work today.  I got home and took the dress off in the living room of my apartment. And when I realized I had to leave my apartment again to get groceries, I put on a tank top and a miniskirt that’s far too short for my age and my body type.

• James Perse tank top
• Talula knit miniskirt, from Aritzia
• Havaiana flip-flops (not in photo…)

Ok, it’s not that bad (I’ve seen way worse over the past three days), but I don’t dress like this.  If this weather doesn’t let up soon, I’m going to melt.  Or get arrested for indecent exposure.

Hot times, summer in the city.

It’s the hottest day of the year so far.  When I left work, it was 33 degrees (Celsius) with a humidex of 42.  It’s pretty bad for my asthma.  I have a window a/c unit in my bedroom, so guess where I’m hanging out all evening?

I beat the heat in a light white summer skirt and sleeveless top, with a cardigan to beat the arctic air conditioning in the office.

• Jacob top (circa 2006)
• Club Monaco skirt
• Rockport heels
• Soulflower necklace

And yet, despite the heat, I’m craving heavy comfort food like spaghetti and meatballs, raspberry trifle, and flourless chocolate cake covered in whipped cream.  It’s because an old episode of Nigella Bites was on TV when I came home.  Foul temptress.

Crisitunity.

It’s been a brutal two weeks for me.  But as I always like to say, just because I feel like crap doesn’t mean I have to look like crap.

• Jacob top (circa 2006)
• Edme & Esyllte Circle the Globe skirt, at anthropologie
• Rockport wedges (2007)
• Anthropologie Oolite necklace

Teal and chocolate brown, one of my favourite colour combinations.  Normally just the thing to cheer me up, but maybe not this time. 

Over the past two weeks I’ve had to deal with family drama (which didn’t directly involve me, but my mother and my sister insisted on pulling me into it), a huge fight with the boyfriend on my birthday, a crappy birthday (the fight was just part of it), overwhelming job stress (is it too much to want a job that I don’t dread to go to every day?), and then a severe asthma attack that had me in the hospital emergency room twice over the weekend.  Now I have bruises all over my arms from the IV needles, I’m on heavy medication that’s making me feel weird, and I’m still not feeling 100% yet.

I have a couple of choices here, I could go crazy or insanely bitter at the world, or I could see this as crisitunity.  You know, as a time to evaluate my life and see how I can make it better.  The universe is trying to tell me something!

But for now, I’ll just be feeling a little sorry for myself.