What to Do When You Really Need a New Pair of Shoes + Outfit with the Imperial Tee

Today I was reminded that shoes are mainly meant for walking. I was coming back from the playground with my daughter (where she had a lot of fun with the sprinklers and splashing mommy with water - luckily she missed my new classic leather belt in glazed hazelnut that I received yesterday and couldn't wait to wear) when all of a sudden I felt propelled forward. At the beginning I thought that I had just missed my step, but then I realized that my Vineyard flip-flops (that I LOVED because of the leather insole and the rubber sole - best flip-flops ever) had just bitten the dust (the thong had just broken loose).

You don't how how difficult it is to walk on a sole without the upper of the shoe (the straps were still attached to the sole but without the thong my foot slipped forward at each step) until you try. After 15 minutes of me dragging my feet (where I had barely walked half a block) I realized that there was no way that I could make it home like that and because of the stroller (a bugaboo) I couldn't even take a cab. I stopped at the Citibank on Madison and I asked for tape but they only had the slim paper tape (that notoriously doesn't stick) so after a few tentatives I gave up on the idea of taping the strap back as an emergency procedure.

At that point only Jcrew, that happened to be on the same block, could save me. I was on the other side of Madison and I was a little bit scared of crossing the street with my walking-challenged shoes, but then I thought "hey, old ladies cross the streets every day and they aren't faster than you now", so I went (the reality is that car drivers - especially NYC taxi drivers - expect old ladies to be slow but expect younger ladies to cross the street almost running so even if they SEE that you are still in the middle of the street their brain doesn't register you).

Anyway I made to the Jcrew store and then I had two options:
1) Buy the cheapest pair of shoes that they had (hopefully they had still some capris sandals left in the back); or
2) Use the accident as a good excuse to buy the pair of shoes that I'm currently coveting, the suede Juliet midheels in black or graphite.
I explained that I "needed" a new pair of shoes and I added "literally" pointing to my feet and I asked if they had a pair of capri left in a 7. The SA brought me three pairs (none was a 7) telling me that the cheapest of the bunch was the gold pair, in a 6. These were only $12.99 and even if not my regular size they fitted (Jcrew capri run a little bit big) and at least they would bring me home, so it was a deal.

Incidentally, while I was waiting for the shoes I heard the two other SAs talking about something that was "gone" and "couldn't even be reordered because it came from this place in Paris", so I immediately thought of the lace cami that I saw on the table three days ago and I asked for confirmation. They told me that they SOLD THEM ALL (and the gentleman at the door added "in like, 5 minutes" - it must have been a subject of conversation among the employees). I guess that the Madison Avenue Collection store is THE place if any where a lace cami at $800 can sell out in matter of minutes, but I was shocked anyway. Now I'm kicking myself for not trying it on when I saw it and take pics for you ladies (but I have no other regret). Summerilla saw it at the Soho store so if it's still there when I go (I think that it's going to sell less fast there), I will make sure to try it on.

And now, a pic of my yesterday's outfit. I changed my mind re. the Imperial tee: I definitively LOVE it after trying it with my surplus matchstick in grey:



I really think that it's a summer tee, so I decided to wear it right away and actually I wanted to wear it again today!

Did you ever "needed" a new pair of shoes? What would have you done if you were me? Bought an "emergency pair" or your most coveted pair?

GAP In-Store 40% Off Coupon

Just a quick post to let you know that besides the Give&Get event starting tomorrow at the Gap, BN and ON (check Gigi's post for details), the Gap is also giving a 40% off coupon with any in-store purchase (no minimum). You can use the coupon on ANY full priced item starting Aug 3d through the 8th. This offer is valid at the Gap only (including Kids, Baby and Maternity). You can use the coupon on one item only but you are going to get a coupon each time that you pass at the register (so if you're purchasing two items it's worth it to wait twice in the line). I'm not sure until when they are giving them away, but I would go sooner than later if you're interested in this offer (I got mine yesterday with a purchase at GapKids).

In case you haven't yet, check-out my post on the Gap version of the schoolboy blazer. That would be a good way to use the coupon, as with the 40% off, the blazer is going to cost around $60 and you're buying it ahead of the season and not in February!

Happy shopping!

Jcrew New Arrivals (Part 2): New Tees

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I love a nice tee. First I have to say that I was disappointed with this rollout in terms of tees because I had high expectations (this time last year they came up with some great tees, like the "C'est la Vie" and "Buon Viaggio") and I thought that they would have some retail-only tees that I would fall in love with. Maybe they hadn't received everything yet, maybe the great tees are yet to come in the next rollouts, or maybe we are left with ebay, we will see.
I apologize but I feel lazy and I'm not going to add the links to the website pages, but if you're confused or unsure of which tee I'm talking about I'll be happy to answer in the comments.

They didn't have my favorite from the catalog, the Tissue beaded crest tee (major disappointment), so let's start with the slub-cotton Imperial tee (item 18095).
The graphism is really great, but as it's a summer-thin, sheer, white tee. Not sure why they decided to offer it in the first "Fall" roll-out (maybe the production of this was delayed?) I know it's not even August yet, but Jcrew must know that as soon as we start to see purple everywhere instead of summer shades, we don't want to buy turquoise any longer. Or see-through white. Honestly if wasn't headed to the beach in one week I wouldn't have bought it (and actually I'm still undecided about it).
Anyway, here it is, decide by yourself if you want to invest $32.50 in a tee that you are probably going to wear for one or two months maximum:





Don't get me wrong, it's very cute and well made, in the tradition of their great graphic tees, but it's a bummer that it came out so late in the (summer) season. Anyway, I tried an XS and as you can see it fits perfectly (it fits like the graphic tissue tees, not like the BF tee).

They had another "graphic" tee (retail-only I think) that I initially liked until I started to see a series or "creature" heads in the print:



Do you see them or it's just me? I think this one was $29.50.

It was the first time that I got to see the "Tissue Sparkling rose tee" in real life and I tried the light pewter (I can't remember if I tried a S or XS, but I think it'a S):




If the Imperial tee came out too late, this came out too early (it has been on the website for a while and many of you have already seen it in the blogosphere): the colors are very in line with their fall palette and it would look great with the cords in weathered wisteria that I'm wearing in the second pic with the Imperial tee. I think that this might be a good transitional tee for fall, so I'm going to check it out again when it goes on sale.

From the textured tees, I tried the Textured jersey boatneck painter tee. It looked like a nice idea but there was something really wrong with the fit (here is in the plum color):



They also had the Slub cotton swirling flowers tee but I'm so tired of swirling things in pastels that I didn't even bother to try it on. Sorry! They also had the Slub cotton stamped paisley tee in a new color (dark green on green), but again I was uninspired.

Bud don't worry, I left the best for the end. I did see a tee that I really liked, although it wasn't what I was looking for.
It's very similar to the Long-sleeve stripe captain tee (item 17262) but I'm not positive that it's the same one as the stripes appear to be bigger on the tee that I have tried and I'm pretty sure that it was priced at $34 and not 32.50. On the other side it has the same "epaulets on the shoulder with gold button detail". This might be the first mystery of the season...
Anyway, it came in three colors: navy, gray and a apricot-beige. This is the navy:



And this is the beige (I'm posting it only to show you the epaulete detail and because I blocked the anons'comments I'm sure that I won't get any comment on my nipples):


I think that the fabric is the same as the perfect-fit tees, so the ideal weight for the first days of fall when the weather freshens up. I didn't buy it for the time being because I have a similar one but I'm considering it.

This is pretty much it. What do you think? What's your favorite one? Did you see any other new tee? I would love to hear from you!

Jcrew New Arrivals (Part 1): First Impressions and IRL Pics

Today I had some time to waste after lunch so I thought that I would quickly check out the Jcrew new arrivals (I had to take my daughter to a bday party at 4 but since it was pretty far from where we live and she didn't want to nap I figured that we could go earlier in the neighborhood where the party would take place and just stroll around until she would fall asleep. Of course I had a plan in mind because there are two Jcrew stores in the area). Well, actually we ended up getting stuck in the Rockerfeller Center store for more than two hours because by the time I was ready to go to the register it was raining like hell outside so I just got back into the fitting room for another round of try-ons ((my daughter fell asleep between the first and second round of try-ons, she probably decided that it was better to sleep than watch mommy taking pictures in fitting room. In fact she even said "Basta foto" (Enough pictures) before passing out). Not the worst day to be stuck in a Jcrew as the new arrivals were all on the floor, the store was half empty and I virtually tried EVERYTHING that yielded some interest to me.
Please pardon my shoes in the following pics, I realize that thongs are not the best shoes to showcase fall merchandise but that's what I was wearing and it's better than barefoot (I did ask for a pair of flats at some point but I took few pics with the flats and they don't look good, so thongs they are).

My fave from the new catalog (the one item that I immediately felt in love with) was the Ribbon-front top. Believe it or not, at 12:45 pm it was already sold-out in my size (0) at the Madison Avenue Collection store, so I was relieved to see that they had it at Rockerfeller Center. They only had the champagne color and anyway it was the one that I was interested in:



First, there is no side zip and I hadn't realized that it's a V-neck (sort of). Well, that must be because it doesn't look that way on the website. The fit is a little bit odd, I think because the hem it's supposed to hit at the hips (at least if I have to believe the website pics), while it's clearly longer on me (the result is that if your torso is not that long and your hips are slightly wider than they should be the hem is going to get stuck in the hip area and not flow all the way down and it almost does it on me). However it's so Chanel-esque that I decided to forgive its sins (at least for now) and I bought it.

I tried it with the Stretch Twill Minnie Pants in black. These are tough to pull off IMO since they are not a bit forgiving (in fact the opposite of flattering), as you can see in the following pic (I have one that it's even worse), but if you can they could be a nice addition to your wardrobe:



I have to say that I was trying a 0 and I realized only after that the store was also carrying a 00. I tried them quicky in the gray (coal) because they were available on the floor and they looked better but I hadn't the time to try also the black. I might go back and try the 00 in black even if I had the feeling of wearing ski pants.

Next, the Francis cami. I have to say that the Francis delivers its promise. It's very feminine, perfectly executed and the fit was great (ie, you don't need to order a petite if you usually wear a 0). I don't remember seeing all the colors but I was only interested in the deep rose and dark charcoal. Here is the deep rose (that I like more IRL than in the catalog):





They also had a printed version that I believe is retail-only. Very cute and work-appropriate but a little bit springy IMO. Here is a zoom of the print:



I liked the Francis more IRL than on the catalog but I have a deja-vu feeling about it, I don't know if it's because of the Victoria (that, incidentally, I only own in the long-sleeve cotton version) or because of all the ruffles that we have seen everywhere this past season. I have seen those ruffles before!
Anyway, the dark charcoal is my favorite:



I'm wearing it with the new Toothpick ankle cords in dark charcoal. What a great pants! Seriously genious to make a pair of cords that look good with flats, I only wished that they had made it in more colors because the only one that I seem to miss in my "cords collection" is the dark aubergine (which I'm not a big fan of). In store they only had the navy, black, warm maple and dark charcoal. I'm curious to see if the soft ochre resembles more to last year's acorn (that I have) or gold (that I don't have, regretfully). Anyway the dark charcoal is the most likely candidate at this point.

While I was at cords I wanted to try on the vintage matchstick in the new wisteria color and here I had a big suprise: I had to size down to a 25 in the matchstick while I usually wear a 26 (and I'm not at my skinniest at the moment, in fact I gained a couple of pounds in the last two-three weeks). Moreover they are not stretch, while last year's version was, so I should have sized up if any. Initially I kind of refused to try the 25 but when I did, it was clear that it was my size.
Anyway because of the weird sizing, I prefer to wait and see if I'm still a 25 when it's actually time to wear them (one of the problems of buying too early in the season is the risk that what you bought won't fit any longer when in season).

Are you feeling tired? Once more and I'm off.
Here comes the Velvet Eden jacket, a favorite of many (at least a "virtual" favorite). I already knew that it won't fit me right (their jackets never do, there are too high-waisted) and I don't get to wear velvet jackets much (I have a black one from an Italian brand and that's enough) but I wanted to try it anyway out of curiosity. I tried the dark blossom and the harbor gray. First of all let me tell you that the dark blossom is a darker not to say completely different shade than the pink that is showed on the website:




I felt a little bit like one of the Three Musketeers (where did I put my sword?) Anyway, this was the one I look good in, which I hadn't realized when I was trying it. The harbor grey is just horrible on me (here with the vitage matchstick in weathered wisteria in the "wrong" size):



This is definitively a pass for me even on super-sale...

I think it's enough for today, I have other pics (mainly tees) but I'm going to write another post, hopefully tomorrow.
What do you think? Is there any of these new arrivals that you can't wait to try on? Any that you liked in the catalog but like less after seeing these pics?
If you have any question I will be happy to answer if I can!

Spice Olive and Orange (featuring the Jcrew Gateau Skirt)

I think I have mentioned in my "Sateen Soiree Blazer" post that the first time that I tried the blazer in store (in the spice olive color) I happened to have also an orange gateau skirt in the fitting room with me and I immediately LOVED the two together. At that time they were both quite expensive (the blazer was still $99 and the skirt $59) and I was looking for something completely different so I let them go, but I kept having flashbacks of that outfit and now I can finally reproduce it as I found the gateau skirt two weeks ago on super-sale.

So here it is:



It's super pretty IRL but I think that it works because they are both made in sateen and my shoes are the same color than the jacket (or almost). The two colors are enough, without adding a third one!

While I was taking the pictures, I realized that I can also wear a "pants" version of this combo (the cerise cafe capri are almost the same color of the skirt):




While we are in the subject of the spice olive color, I have a little funny anecdote.
When I bought my b-day party dress at Intermix, they also had a top in the same style (one-shouldered and with the big ruffle around the neckline). I tried it in white but didn't feel it and while I was in the fitting room I asked the SA if she could bring me the spice olive one. The SA must not have been a JCA because she looked at me with a puzzled air and then she muttered "Do you mean the green one?". Apparently, yes, I meant the green one. We are so used to the Jcrew color palette and their challanging names than sometimes we forget that spice olive for the rest of the planet is a "green".
I actually bought the spice olive, ehm green, top because I tought it could be nice under the soiree jacket and also because the price was very attractive (OK, also because a lady who was trying the black one looked at me as if she was going to jump on me and take it off me right away), but I regretted and I have since returned it through the Amex return protection program (it was FS).
I have taken some "souvenir" snapshots though that I want to share with you:



And here it's with the jacket (I didn't like it that much under the blazer and that's the reason why I returned it):


Do you like the spice olive/orange color combination? Would you wear it or do you think it's too much? Do you prefer the skirt or the pants version of my outfit? Do you have the Gateau skirt? How do you wear it?

A Week of Dresses

I realized that last week I wore almost exclusively dresses (with the exception of Saturday afternoon when we checked out the HighLine - I wanted to be comfortable in the subway and I wore a pair of very casual ON cropped pants and a tank). Maybe I was inspired by the post on day dresses by HeidiG, or maybe it's because it just felt nice to be outside in the heat wearing a dress. I don't go anywhere near an office, so my dresses are less "dressy", just easy summer dresses. Some of the pics were taken the same day when I actually wore the dress, some were taken today. So enjoy a week of dresses!

Tuesday 14th, concert-picnic in Central Park:

Maxi-dress by Romeo and Juliet, bought at Lohemann's for $29.99

Wednesday 15th, playdate in the park:

Petit Bateau dress (I know, you have already seen this one but what can I say, it's a pleasure to wear)

Thursday 16th, shopping at Jcrew:

Jcrew cotton pique Pavillion dress (as you can see I never had the alteration done, so I'm wearing it with a Theory tubular). I got compliments wherever I went (not only from Jcrew SAs!)

Friday 16th, lunch date at the Seaport with DH and baby:

Theory brown dress from 3 years ago (worn without bra)

Sunday 19th, stroll in the park and a movie:

I bought this sundress in Paris many years ago in a boutique in the Marais (neighborhood where I used to live). It's one of my favorite summer dresses, I just love the print and the cotton-lace details around the necklace and the bodice.

Monday July 20th, playground

F21 dress from a couple of years ago (I always get compliments on it and it is always mistaken for a DVF)

Look-Alike of the Week: the JCrew Wool Schoolboy Blazer and the Gap Shrunken Schoolboy Blazer

The weather today (more October than July) inspired me to write this post, that I meant to write since I saw the Gap Shrunken Schoolboy Blazer (picture on the left) in store two weeks ago.
It immediately reminded me of the JCrew Wool Flannel Blazer (right) which, as I just read on the JCA blog, is also featured as a Jenna's pick in the August catalog, due in store July 25th.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the schoolboy blazer, it's not something that I would usually wear (as a rule I stay away from any piece of clothing that has the word "school" in its name), so I never considered spending the $188 of the Jcrew version.
However, I have to say that when I saw the Gap version I had to try it on for the blog because it looked like a very well-made alternative to the Jcrew one.
Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me so I can't show you IRL pics, but I tried a size 2 (I couldn't try a 0 as it was already sold-out in that store) and it looked really nice (just the sleeves were a little bit long). I haven't seen or tried the Jcrew one, but for half the price (it retails for $98), the Gap is a much cheaper option if you're looking for something similar or you like the Jcrew one but don't feel like shelling out $200 for it.

As you can see in the side to side pics above, the Gap blazer looks almost 100% like the Jcrew one, from the cut (the Gap description uses the term "shrunken" while the Jcrew one reads "fitted", but the fit is the same), to the pockets, down to the metal buttons. The only difference is in the fabric: the Gap fabric composition is 50% Wool, 48% Polyester, 2% Spandex while the Jcrew one is 100% (flannel) wool.

It looks like the only color available now on the Jcrew website is the pearl gray pictured above but I'm pretty sure that they also had a navy or charchoal (while the Gap only comes in the color pictured above, called "dark indigo") which appears to be already sold-out.

Do you like or own the Jcrew schoolboy blazer? What do you think of the Gap alternative? Do you like the "schoolboy blazer" look in general? Have you been to the Gap recently and did you like the current offerings?

A Perfect Weekend

I hope that you all had a nice and relaxing weekend. My weekend was almost perfect from start to end and I want to share with you some of the things that I've done and made it special to me. So this isn't a fashion post, for a change but please bear with me (some pictures come at the end of the post as a reward).

Let's start from the end. Yesterday afternoon I went to a movie. I know, nothing extraordinary but I hadn't been to a movie in ages and I was someone who used to go three times a week (OK, this is when I was a student and I had plenty of time but even after I always managed to see a movie every week. This until I became a mother and of all the things that I used to do in my previous life that I can't do any longer, the freedom of going to the movies whenever I want to is maybe the thing that I miss the most). There is almost nothing than I love more than going to a movie on a hot Sunday afternoon. I love the contrast of the shining light outside and the darkness of a movie theater, it makes me feel like I'm entering a magic world, which is how the first movie-goers must have felt. On the top of that the movie was GREAT and put me in a very good mood for the rest of the day (and I can still feel the effect today). I went to see 500 days of Summer (Summer with a big S because it's the name of the character), the indipendent "romantic" comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. First, let me tell you that I always feel weird when I see a movie with JGL (by the way, check out the excellent "Manic" and of course his groundbreaking performance in "Mysterious Skin") because he reminds me a little bit of my husband when he was very young, before we met (we met when he was 25): it's like seeing an old picture of him coming to life (weird, I told you). Second, the movie itself is like a breath of fresh air and ranks now second in my personal list of best indie movies about love (the first being "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and the third the underrated "Flannel Pijamas"). I won't tell you more, but I reccomend to go and see it if you have a chance, it will make you miss those days when you fell in love for the first time.

And now back to Friday and Saturday, we did a little bit of tourism in the city. On Friday my daughter and I met my husband for lunch (after a hour-long bus ride). He works downtown, close to Battery Park, but we chose the Seaport (a ten minutes walk for him) for our "lunch date". I haven't been to the Seaport in ages (can you believe that I had never been to the Jcrew store there? I had to check it out but it was very disappointing) and it was fun to be like tourists in the city where we live (for those who are not familiar with it, the Seaport is maybe the most touristy spot in all the city because it's all the way downtown and unless you work in the area - Wall Street is a short walk - the New Yorkers simply don't go there. It's like a small-town by the sea, with a mall and plenty of tourist attractions. But I have to say that I saw some nice, more upscale, restaurants there than there used to be and that made me think that maybe it could be worth it to go another time for dinner, when the tourists are gone). Anyway, we had lunch in a touristy restaurant (when you have a joung children you look for that) and after lunch (my husband had taken the afternoon off) we walked up to Soho where I could finally checkout the new Madewell store (that I found very expensive); then once home we watched "Superbad" on DVD (for the second or third time) and we went to bed early after consuming a frugal dinner (because we were still full up from the fried calamari that we had for lunch) . A great day already ...

Saturday was our ... ehm 11th wedding anniversary and we both forgot (partly due to the fact that we had a "double" wedding - we got married at the Paris City Hall on the 4th of July and then at the church in Milan the 18th of July - and as far as anniversaries go we never know which one to celebrate). My parents saved the day by sending a "Happy Anniversary" email and to do something special we took another trip downtown in the afternoon and we visited the HighLine, which is the new attraction of the West Side, not to say of the city (for more info, click here). The elevated promenade runs from Gansevoort st. to West 20th and has injected new oxygen into the Meatpacking district. I have to say that I was impressed with the HighLine, it is something in pure NY spirit that integrates perfectly with the urban landscape and that everybody can enjoy.
Also, I hadn't been in the Meatpacking District (at least during the day) in at least one year and it was quite amazing to see all the changes around, with the new scene created by the newly come Standard Hotel (pictured below):

Because it was almost 6.30 by the time that we walked back to the starting point, we started to look for a restaurant where we could have an early dinner, something not easy to find on a Saturday night in a trendy neighborhood if you are in the company of a two-year-old. But without looking too far we found this Mexican place just below the HighLine with a great vibe and yes, child-friendly, so we had our 11th anniversary dinner there. This is the sign of the restaurant (called "Los Dados"), in pure Meatpacking style:



The light at sunset there is just amazing. This is taken from the restaurant's terrace (you can see the people standing at the end of the HighLine):


And this is 14th St:



Sorry for the long post but I still feel energized from a weekend well spent and I just wanted to share. I will post the outfits tomorrow.

Have you been to the movies recently? Have you seen "500 days of Summer" this weekend? Have you been to, or heard of, the HighLine?

Current steals at a JCrew store near you

Yesterday I went to the Jcrew store at the Time Warner center (the closest after the Madison Av. Collection store by stroller distance) to return the lightweight denim trousers (thanks again for all the good advice). First of all, I was amazed to see how many sale items they have sold in one week. I was there exactly one week before and there was nothing or almost left. Second, there are some very good deals right now in the stores if you can find your size. The 20% off on top of the already reduced prices make them a real steal. For example, almost all the non-embellished tees (the boyfriend in all colors for sure) are $9.99 (before the 20% off); the shorts, even the more expensive ones like the colorblock, are $19.99. I even found a tiered-ruffle skirt for $29.99!

There wasn't much left in my size and I'm all shopped out but I couldn't pass this beauty:



OK, I have another straw bag and it's true that I don't use it much but it's smaller, which makes it unsuited for the beach. And for $15.99 (yes, $15.99 down from $68) it would have been a crime not to buy it (I figured that only the flower would cost as much or more).

I also picked up the Featherweight cotton V-neck cardigan (also known as the crystal-buttons cotton cardi) in white for $31.99 (it's still FP online). I have been waiting for it to go on sale since the moment I have returned the shell one, that I had bought with the Mickey card (I realized that I would have worn it with the rosette tee only). This is not a steal but something that I kind of "needed" in my closet (I don't have a white cardi for the summer). By the way, if you are considering the sea green color and you haven't seen it IRL, let me tell you that it's to die for: the color is exactly THE Tiffany blue and if I hadn't already the ATL cardi in a similar (but darker) green I would have bought it in a second (I had found one my size with a button missing).

Do you plan to visit Jcrew this weekend? Any steal that you want to share?

Have a nice weekend!

Unfashionable Item of the Week: the FitFlops

I heard about the FitFlops for the first time last summer, when my mother in law was visiting us (she lives in Paris). She told me that she had read an article about the "fit-flops" (she speaks a very good English for a 70-year-old French lady) but I thought that she had misread and that she meant "flip-flops" (I was like "are you sure? Because we normally call them flip-flops"). Because she isn't very up-to-date on the latest technologies and fashion styles, she was pretty confused and she dropped the conversation.
But one day I saw a big Fitflops ad and I had to apologize to her (on the phone, she had already left).

If you're familiar with the Fitflops you probably know that their slogan is "get a workout while you walk" and that they promise to tighten your leg muscles and your butt while you do whatever it is that you normally do in your life that implies walking.
I normally don't believe in the "miracle" solutions, but I must admit that I have been thinking of buying a pair lately as I walk A LOT in the summer, pushing around my daughter in the stroller all day long and I figured that it wouldn't harm if my shoes were more suited for the task (most of the times I'm wearing Havaianas, which aren't exactly "walking" shoes, let alone "workout" shoes, and I just can't constrict my feet in sneakers). I was a die-hard gym enthousiast when I was younger but I completely stopped before moving to the USA and even if I can't complain about my body, I wouldn't mind my legs and my butt being a little more tonic these days, especially if all I need is a new pair of shoes (or as the website puts it "just by wearing a pair of FitFlop sandals you’ll get more exercise while doing just exactly what you’re normally doing").

There are two problems though. First, they are ugly. I have settled for the "Walkstar III" in the silver color (pictured) as the least ugly and more "fashionable" of all (ie, that I could probably wear with most of my casual clothes), but still. Second, they are kind of expensive. When I walked in the closest shoes store that carry them to check them out, I was ready to spend $30. I wasn't expecting them to cost $59! That cooled me down a little bit and I decided to wait. But I can't wait too long as the summer is in full swing and you can't go around in flip (oups) fit-flops in the winter in NY.
The thing that bugs me is that even on the official website, they don't mention how long do you have to wear them/walk in them to see some results, which makes me think that it's all bull(...). I read some articles by journalists and experts who "tested" them and they say that the only sure thing is that they improve the posture. And they are very comfortable for the feet, which is not too bad (but again, for $59?)

So I would like to hear from you before making my choice. Do you have a pair of FitFlops and would you reccomend them? Are they really comfortable? And did your husband/boyfriend notice some effects on your butt? If you don't own them, is it a question of style or you just never gave them a thought?

Returnable Item of the Week: the Lightweight Denim Trousers

First, the commenting function is back to normal. Yesterday I had unwillingly blocked everyone from commenting by restricting the comments to "members of this blog" only. I'm sorry for that. I mistakenly thought that a follower was a member of the blog but when at the end of the day I saw that there were no comments to my last two posts I had a suspicion and I found out (by reading the Blogger Help) that the Blogger definition of team member was not the same than mine.
So now it's fine, you can comment again and also go back and comment on my yesterday's post if you have tried and still want to (still no anons allowed though, I need a break from them).

Now back to the subject of this post, I have been stalking these pants for a long time on the website and they are the item that I ordered along with the Chrystal Symphony necklace (BTW, I have returned it yesterday and the SA didn't even take it out from the box to see if it was the good necklace that I was returning!) when they popped back in my size two weeks ago (it was before the 20% off promo, so I paid $79 for them, with free shipping).
I had tried them in store when they first came out (you maybe remember it as I posted a pic), but decided not to buy them at that time because I was sure that they would go on sale later. However, my size (a 0 for those who are not familiar with my measurements) sold out pretty much immediately in the stores here and in many trips to different stores I didn't see any size smaller than a 6, so I decided that I would buy them as soon as they would make a popback on the website (they ALWAYS do, right? You just have to be there at the right moment. Like at 4 in the morning).

I have been looking for a lightweight denim pair for the summer for a long time and I really like the color (so summery) and the fabric (so soft). However, I'm on the fence about them.
Really, I can't tell if they look incredibly cool or just the opposite (like, workers pants).
The thing is that they have a flower power thing to them and they can look a little bit shabby. Also, as you know I'm pretty petite and wide-leg pants are tricky for us petites. So I have tried them dressed up and down and I like them more dressed up. But do I need a pair of jeans that I have to dress up to look good in? Jeans are supposed to be THE item in one's closet that you look good in when you DON'T WANT TO DRESS UP. Right? But maybe it's just an impression.
So here are the two versions, dressed up and down and I would like you to tell me what you think. If I decide to keep them, I will need to have the hem done (in the pics I wear platforms and I have rolled them inside a little bit but without pinning them).

First, dressed down with a white tee (this is the Slub cotton twisted V-neck tee, style 16090, that just went on sale. It fits TTS and I highly reccomend it):



See what I mean? The look a little bit shabby in this pic to me.
BTW I have bought my first boyfriend V-neck tee and I just have to show it to you. HeidiG, I know that I'm late to jump on the wagon but late is better than never, right? Actually this is my second one. I bought the first in the weathered stone color when they started to popup in the sale section of the stores (they had tons of them but I just found two XS) and I just HAD to have the warm shell one (that costed me another hour or two of stalking on the website, but I finally got it with the 20% off). So here it is (it's all wrinkled from the box but once steamed it will look just great):



I thought that it would be too big on me, but now I totally get while there are people crazy about this tee.
Back to the pants, I have tried them with the tuxedo-front cami and the dangling pearls necklace (you will see a lot of this one I think, I just LOVE it):



I threw on the Georgia cardigan in bistro orange that I just received with the boyfriend tee (got this one in FS with the 20% off, what a steal) and I'm surprised that the colors work well together (I was also playing around with the cardigan because I've never owned anything in this color. Not that it's a very common color):



And then, to push the dress-up look to the extreme, I tried them with my Chanel jacket (but I will have to change my platforms for heels):



I got you, right? Well, the jacket is not a real Chanel, it's an old Zara and it's just amazing. There is no other brand like Zara if you are looking for a well made knockoff. When I got this jacket (we were still living in Paris) I told my husband that it was from Chanel and he kind of had a hart attack. Then when I told him that it was "just a $100 Zara" he was super happy (I use this trick sometimes, and it ALWAYS work).

So, what do you think of the pants? Worth it $79? Do you own these pants? How do you style them?

Pics from the Bday Party!

The bday party went really well; every body had a great time and I had a blast. I will remember this evening all my life.
I ended up wearing only a crystal bracelet that gave the outfit a little bit of sparkle and no necklace at all. I tried the pink pearl one but it gave the outfit a little bit of a "retro" look that I wasn't looking for, so I went for semplicity, and it worked really well, thanks to your precious advice.

Here is a pic that I took before the guests arrived. I was dancing (or pretending that I was dancing for the picture), so I'm blurred (which is good because I didn't even had to retouch the picture for the blog) but I wanted to show you the table arrangement:



I have to say that I was really impressed with how the room and the table looked (it was the first time that we organized something like this at home and we didn't know what to expect). We rented everything (chairs and tables and silver lining) and the guys from the restaurant that we had hired came early to prepare everything. I had nothing to do!
BTW, the catering that we had initially hired cancelled on us three days before the party (supposedly they had received an order from some high-society personality and they couldn't do both, sorry for you guys). It must have been the week, after the babysitter the evening of my real bday. So we had to find a backup plan and we called one of our favourite restaurants to see if they could do the catering. And we weren't disappointed. The food was delicious and the two servers very professional.

And this is me just before opening the dance floor (you can see the bracelet in this one):


The bday cake was my favorite (French) dessert, a "fresier" (a strawberry cake) and it was DELICIOUS (I had ordered a bigger size compared to the size of the party but my guests didn't leave a single crumble for our breakfast the day after). I didn't think of taking a pic of the cake itself, but I cropped one of the moment when they brought the cake to the table, just before blowing the candles. By the way, I have no idea of how many candles they had put on. I had asked my husband for four, as the cake couldn't take 40 (that's how old I am) but none of us had the time to supervise them. Luckely, there were 4 big strawberries on the cake, each representing ten years of life (in case one day someone comes across the picture and tries to figure out what birthday was that):



At the beginning I was a little bit worried about having the party at home instead of renting a venue (is much more work), but in the end I think that it was really special being at home with all my friends (they are my substiture family here, as all my family is in Europe) in such a beautiful setting. And my daughter was with us for the cocktail at the beginning, so that was an added bonus of being at home.
Now I'm looking forward to my 50th Bday!

Have a nice week!

Some Changes to This Blog

After reading yet another nasty/inappropriate comment on my previous post, I made the decision to allow comments only to the followers of this blog, at least temporarly. I do this as a distracion from my routine of stay-at-home mom, and I'm not interested in hosting debates that keep me up at night, otherwise I would have a different kind of blog. So this is a measure that I have decided to take instead of shutting down the blog completely. I accept criticism but I want to know where it comes from, otherwise I think it's not fair and I don't want to be in the situation of the last days. The thing that upset me most is seeing readers attacking each others, especially anons attacking my regular followers for coming in my defense.

I apologize to all the anons and other non-followers who regularly read this blog and make constructive comments. Please keep reading and if you want to be able to make comments, create a Blogger account and become a regular follower. I'm sorry but I don't see any other solution at the moment. If you decide not to, I will miss you but I will understand.

Thank you

The Crystal Symphony Necklace (Help me do decide)

OK, so after the uproar caused by my previous post, I think I deserve a chance to reedem myself. Let's make a deal: I'm going to show you the pics of the Crystal Symphony necklace with the dress that I have planned to wear tomorrow night for my bday dinner and you will help me to decide if it's worth it to wear it tomorrow and keep it or not. If you think that it really improves the outfit and makes a big difference, I will wear it and keep it (I swear, I got you, OK?). Otherwise, I will return it and wear something else, go in peace.
I hope that all the anons who criticized me in the previous post will read this one and comment, but I will outright delete any comment that I find offensive.

I would like to stress the fact that I don't have anyone to impress, it's just me, my husband and my closest friends (who are more into books and arts than into clothes), so it's all about my personal pleasure to make the occasion and the outfit special to remember.

Having said that, this is the dress that I'm going to wear:



I bought it at Intermix on Madison a few weeks ago and it's by a brand that I've never heard of (Marley, like the dog) but being sold at Intermix it must certainly be a very hype brand worn by I don't know who in Hollywood. The original price was $325 but I got it for around $100. This color and a few other ones were on sale, while the black and the electric blue (my first choice) were not. I tried the blue one but I didn't like it for $325 (and anyway I wasn't going to pay that much), so I got this color instead. I think it's very delicate and chic but it needs something to spice it up for the evening and that's where the necklace can help.

First, I tried it with the dangling pearls one, so you can see the difference:



Granted, it's not the ideal necklace to wear to spice the dress up but I don't have that many necklaces options (I have a "statement" necklace very similar to the Libretto one but it's too of a heavy one for this dress).

And now the Crystal Symphony. First, I didn't remember that the ribbon was this long:



But because of the ribbon, the lenght can be customized, so I would wear it this way:



And this is the effect of the whole outfit (sorry, I just noticed that I cut the shoes in the pic but as you can see in the first pic, taken at a different moment when I first tried it on, they have faux rhinestones that match the color of the crystals. They are very cheap shoes that I bought at Loehmann's for $25 but they look like $1000 Giuseppe Zanotti IMO):


So, what do you think? As I said in the previous post I don't have any other occasion to wear it any time soon but it's a beautiful necklace in itself that I would love to own (but I'm still bothered by the price).