Let's The Deals Begin...

My VPS wrote me the other day to let me know that the stores were having a lot of new markdowns but instead I went to H&M. At this point there is only one thing that I am interested in eventually getting on sale at JCrew and it isn't on sale yet. So I went to H&M because I was still looking for a pair of inexpensive "travel" shorts and I wanted something more light than the JCrew chinos (not sure why they didn't make poplin cotton shorts or at least linen shorts in solid colors this summer).
Anyway H&M had started their 4th of July deals and the lines were CRAZY but the deals were even crazier. I had to take a picture of this because I don't think I have ever seen something marked down to $1, except for kids socks:

This was an exception though and justified by the fact that they were "spare" bottoms or tops, most of the 4th of July deals were $4 which is still a great deal if you ask me. I try to use some rules when shopping at H&M and the first rule concerns the materials. You have to be careful, a lot of it is poly and they even have a poly that they use for tee shirts and looks like cotton. Even if I try not to buy poly as principle sometimes there are exceptions, but I am pretty sure I don't want a poly tee shirt, especially one to wear on the beach (they even have something called "recycled poly" that even if could fall under the category of "green" I am not buying). On the other side, they also have cotton and organic cotton for slightly more money and when you find a design that you like in a natural material the quality and look of the product is often comparable to much more expensive stores.
I found the shorts and a few other things that I want to share. All in all I paid $30 out of pocket (I had a store credit) so I am pretty happy, even if the only real "deal" were the shorts, that were on sale for $7.

I have Europe in mind now when I purchase something because I am leaving earlier than usual and spending more than a month there this year, with a lot of travelling around and flight hopping. I have to update you and I will have a dedicated post on this but basically Jordan is out and Greece is in (I joke but it has been a painful decision to cancel our trip to Jordan due to the political situation in the area. However, I am pretty much excited to go to Athens instead, where I haven't been in more than twenty years). So I was specifically looking for suitcase-friendly and breathable clothes when I was at H&M (there is no way I am packing poly).
The first thing I laid my eyes on is a grey denim mini. This one reminded me a lot of something that I would see at Maje or Zadig and Voltaire for of course a lot more. It fit pretty well too, in fact it looked awesome with the espadrilles that I was wearing. I tried it with an embellished tank that I also brought home (the skirt was $24.50 and the tank $17.50). For reference I am a 6 in bottoms at H&M and a 4 or XS in tops (skirt is a 6 and top is a XS):

Now, I know that the two can read a bit trashy or sports bar together so I am not sure I would wear them like this. The other top that I bought, in a WONDERFULLY lightweight cotton, is probably a better match for the skirt because it "classy-fies" the outfit, so to speak. I was a bit undecided on the top because I wasn't sure it was really "me" and I knew one of the reasons I was attracted to it is that I had just seen a similar top in a high-end store for a completely crazy price, but since there was only one in my size (went down to a 2 in this one) and I had the store credit I decided to get it while I could and think about it (I could have put it on hold but the idea of coming back and staying in a line like that again dissuaded me). As soon as I got home I tried it with the skirt and I was totally smitten:

But what really sealed the deal is that I had the idea of trying it with the mini in neon embroidered floral and they are PERFECT together because the applique on the top is made of almost identical flowers. In fact if you have this mini I encourage you to go to the closest H&M and brave the lines to get this top, they are exquisite together (the top is part of the L.O.G.G. collection (the grungy one, with a lot of plaid tops and flower power skirts and tee) that is usually located on the second floor in the H&M stores. As I said I sized down to a 2. Here you can see that it is very sheer but personally I don't mind, again, it is wonderful to wear on a hot day:

I love this top so much that I am wearing it again today with the $7 shorts (size 6). This is a very cheap outfit but it doesn't look it at all IMO, especially with a sparkly necklace:

I am probably going back for another pair of shorts (they come in a few colors including black).
What do you think of my cheapies? Have you stopped at H&M recently? Any crazy deal to report?

JCrew July Catalog: Fitting Room Pics and Reviews

Thanks to JCrew extending the 25%-30% off promo for a couple more days this post, that I had promised you last week but didn't get around to put out, has still a reason to be.
I have to say that besides the overall juvenile feel, I liked quite a few pieces in the July catalog so I was excited to try them on when they debuted in the stores last week. For some reasons I liked them less IRL this time around so I didn't get much from this rollout in the end, despite the promo, and I am not even "sale wishlisting" any of them.

The items I was mostly interested in from the new Catalog were the tank and shorts in the desert flower print. I knew that the top wasn't for me (I rarely wear silk day cami like this one) but I wanted to try it on anyway. I find it to fit a tad small in the armholes, I don't know if you can see in the pics but it was cutting through my flesh with an unflattering effect. The rest of it was pretty flattering but again, I wouldn't know where to go in this, especially given the poly lining that made me sweat only by looking at it (but the good news for some of you who live in milder climates is, it is lined). This is the 0:

The shorts were cute but I think $98 is a crazy price for a pair of shorts that don't get that much wear. They also felt very short probably because the 2 was a little tight:

I did like them with the banana tank though. I did buy the tank but not the one pictured above, which is a XS and a bit big. My store was out of XXS but I found one in another store (it fits almost the same but has more shape).

The other item I was excited to see in the catalog was the skinny utility chinos. I absolutely do not need another pair of cargos but I am drawn to them. These fit one size small IMO. I tried the 0 in the black and they were super-tight as you can see below:

On a trip to a different store I tried the Tuscan olive color in a 2 and they fit much better even if they still felt tight (but I think they are going to stretch out so that's the size I would buy). I preferred the Tuscan olive color to the black but as I said I cannot have another pair unless I find them in the Fall for $19.99. By the way, I think that these are too heavy for the summer, I would never wear them on a typical hot New York day. I couldn't take a picture because my camera died just before but I was trying on the banana tank in a XXS and they looked great together.

I tried the eyelet peasant top for ina and Wendy. I wasn't interested for myself because I own a very similar top from a few years ago. This is the top that CFS infamously described as an oversized tent. Well, I really liked it and it didn't fit tent-like at all on me (I would have CFS fired on this one for loss of potential business if I were Jenna, but maybe they are friends). While I was waiting for a 0, I tried a size 2 and you can see that it isn't oversized and fits pretty well already:

The size 0 fit even better (it is slightly closer to the body) but unfortunately my phone's battery died before I could take a pic. I would say that if you are a bit busty you can probably go up one size, but if you are small chested go with your size. I wouldn't size down on this one. It was a bit sheer but it is a very easy-breezy summer top and you can always wear a cami. The only thing is the black color doesn't read very black but more a dark navy or shadow IRL. I tried it with a black pair of shorts and the two colors were different. So don't buy the black if you plan to wear it with black. We joked with the SA that after all the navy that looks black they made one thing in black this season and it looks navy.

Speaking of shorts I really liked those roller-girl shorts. They are a size 2, my usual short size and they fit TTS. They seem to be very popular because they are sold-out on the website. I am looking for a pair of easy to wear shorts for city-hopping this summer and while I was looking for a pair of solid black ones, I thought that these would be more fun so I brought them home with me and I am still trying to decide if they fit the bill. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough tops to pair with them (even if white and navy are easy color) but I tried them at home with a couple of tops and they are growing on me:

Thoughts? I think they are flattering, despite the 3" and I like that they are chinos and not some sateen-y blend.

Anyway ,what on the other side would have been appropriately described as tent-like is the contrast-trim tunic. I tried a 0 and would have needed a 00, it felt really oversized. If I really had to chose I would chose the navy:

Let's move on to the pineapple skirt. The catalog features heavily this print and this skirt. I am not a fan of the print to start with (even if it is an old JCrew print that they have recycled) but I think it would have been put to better use on a full midi or at least knee-length skirt. On a mini it looks a bit ridiculous IMO and like a little girl's clothing. Moreover the mini is poufy and not flattering. I tried both the size 0 and 2 (last pic) but not even my chambray shirt could save it:

Another top that is not for me and I tried on only for the blog is the short-sleeve indian cotton popover in patchwork plaid. It is a very literal patchwork shirt and fits TTS (this is the 0):

Last thing that I tried from this rollout is the stripe sleeveless top. This is a basic top in a lightweight cotton gauze and I have to say, I really liked it. It feels a bit overpriced but with the promo it comes down to an acceptable price. If you have some need for it, I recommend it. This is probably something that I would buy if it came in solid colors, I am a bit over stripes. Size 0 fits perfectly:

The last item that I wanted to show you is the space-died sparkle sweater that, in case you haven't noticed, went on sale during the sale. I always stopped to look at it when I was in store because I find it very pretty but knowing that I wouldn't pay $98 I had never tried it on. I decided to order it along with a swimming suit, since the suit was giving me free shipping.
The space-died effect is very subtle and almost camo-like even if you can hardly see it IRL. I really like it. I ordered a XS and at first I thought of trying a XXS too but I like the slightly slouchy fit and where the V-neck hits so I am keeping this one. I goes with all the neutral and gives a little sparkle to your ordinary or military pants, like in this case:

That's it, I have a few other loose end pics but I still have to download them. I didn't buy anything in store during the crazy stacking sale except for the pants above (that came down to $12) to replace an old pair. What about you? Did you buy a lot during this sale or are you counting your pennies for Fall?

End-of-School Outfit Roundup

Good morning! I am sorry I have been away from my blog for this long but last week (I mean the one that ended last Sunday) has been the never-ending end of school week, with a end-of-school something every day. I am also taking full advantage of the babysitting services provided by MIL and going out every other evening, which leaves less time for reading blogs and leaving comments and getting the pictures organized to post. I apologize, I will try to respond to the comments to my last post.

So here are the highlights of the week (I couldn't keep up with taking pictures of all my outfits but I have a few to show you). I have to say that we had an unusual cold and rainy June and it started to warm up only in the few last days.

Tuesday June 11: Italian Movie at Lincoln Center.
The Italian Film Festival (called "Open Roads") is one of my favorite cultural rendez-vous in the city and every year in June I look forward to catching up with the Italian movie production (even if the movies that come to the festival are usually from the year before). Usually there is always a Q&A after each movie with the director and/or one of the actors so it is even more fun and they usually they speak little English so it's like being in Italy.
Anyway I went alone to the opening night the week before and then with husband on Tuesday night (he lived in Italy when we met and he speaks Italian, even if my French is way better than his Italian). It rained on and off all day and I was wearing my new Jeweled collar sweater. You have probably heard that this sweater has been marked down in store to a crazy $39.99 before any additional discount and I actually had it in my cart for a long time, so when I saw it for that price I was very excited. I wanted it to be a bit slouchy, so I bought a S instead of my usual XS. I love this sweater and the detachable collar makes it more versatile. The content has some poly in it though and it is a bit itchy, especially if you wear it directly on the skin. I had planned to wear it with white chinos and the Allie sandals (see outfit below) but because it was on the verge of raining I thought better and wore jeans and short rain boots:

I actually regretted changing into jeans because in the end it didn't rain and we ended up having dinner after the movie at a very upscale restaurant, the Lincoln, which has a beautiful terrace on the Paul Milstein pool which is part of the newly renovated Lincoln Center complex (I LOVE the new Lincoln Center, one of my favorite places in the city).

Wednesday 6/12: Achievement ceremony.
Wednesday was an important day as not only it marked the official end of the school year but the teachers had told us that our daughter was going to receive an award during the ceremony! We didn't know which kind of award and we were very surprised and proud parents when we found out during the ceremony that she was the only one in the entire kindergarten grade (3 classes) to receive an award (the award was named "Good citizenship" and she received, from the hands of the head of school and in front of the entire school, a plaque with her name and the title engraved on it). My pictures are all shaky because of course I cried when she got up (she didn't know anything about it) and walked down the aisle to get her award. She seemed so little in the big church.
I had a hard time with my outfit because the ceremony was to be followed by a end-of-year pic-nic so I didn't want to be too dressed up. I ended up wearing a Lilly Pulitzer t-shirt dress from last year that I think I never showed on the blog but wore a lot because it is so easy, comfortable to wear and fetching. The pics are from last year but I wore it the same way (not that there are many other ways to wear it). I love the colors in this dress and while I usually find sailboats a bit too preppy, the way they are printed on this fabric reminds me of an impressionist painting:

Friday June 14: Commencement.
This was something I have been looking forward since last summer when I happened to see last year's kindergarten girls in my daughter's school walking down on Madison Avenue with their teachers in a white dress, headed to the nearby Church for the graduation of the Senior girls. They were so unbelievably cute!
This year it was my daughter's turn to be one of the "flower girls" in the ceremony and I was so excited for her. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and the teachers asked the parents to take each girl directly to the Church in case of rain, so they didn't get to walk all together on Madison but we have great group pictures inside the church. Of course the real "stars" of the ceremony were the Senior girls (the kindergartener's role was only to walk down the aisle with each Senior and then sing a song at the end) but it was somehow engrossing to see the graduating girls and imagining that one day our girls (who seemed so little in comparison) would be the ones to receive the diploma.
This time I dressed-up and wore a dress that I also bought during the Tory F&F. It is called the "Emma" tweed dress and as the name says it is a summer tweed sheath dress. It was deeply discounted and it fit so well that I bought it as an "in case" dress to have in the closet, even if at that time I couldn't think of any occasion. Not that you need an occasion to wear a tweed sheath dress but as you know my lifestyle these days is much more casual and I technically don't need any dressy stuff. Well, I was wrong because I wore it twice already, the first time at my daughter's piano recital a couple of weeks ago and at the Commencement ceremony. I paired it with my navy structured jacket:

And here is with my beautiful kindergartener (in Crewcuts):

OK, I will be back with a few JCrew fitting room pics/reviews and more outfits.

The Fabulous Event That Did Not Happen And The Fabulous Dress That Stayed With Me

After my Balenciaga shoes post I had a bit of writer's block because I knew any post would be anti-climatic, especially a JCrew OTTD post.
In reality I could have had something VERY glamorous to post about today, if the event that I mentioned a while ago and that was supposed to happen this past weekend had happened. Well, it did happen but without me as I didn't have the chance to go. But I thought that you might be still interested in knowing what it was and live vicariously, like me in this case.

The event was a special performance by the Opera House of Pittsburgh of "Shining Brow", an opera by Daron Hagen based on the life of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and in particular his love affair with Mamah Cheney (facts that are also at the center of the novel "Loving Frank" by Nancy Nolan). While I am not sure if this opera is the greatest piece of art or not, the special thing about it is that it was to be performed this past Friday and Saturday at Fallingwater, the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright in the Pittsburgh countryside. The organizers were to use Fallingwater and its terraces as a Opera house with the audience scattered through the garden, which had never been done before (you can read all about it here. The performance was to be preceded by a cocktail party/light supper IN THE HOUSE! How fabulous is that? It was my life dream already to go and visit Fallingwater one day, but having special access and partying in the house? I die. I couldn't think about anything else for weeks.

So why I didn't go? Going there from NYC is not that easy to start with. The house is 70 miles from Pittsbugh which means that once in Pittsburgh you have to drive there. So the best is to drive from NYC but it is a 6-7 hours drive. Of course we would have drove for such a special occasion but my husband had a business trip last week and he was to land in NYC at 7 am Saturday morning (day of the last performance) after an overnight flight from Buenos Aires so he didn't feel like driving another 6 hours (which I understand, and as you know I can't drive here in the US, I never learned how to use an automatic transmission car, I can only drive the stick shift). We tried to plan a scenario where I would pick him up at the airport, change airport and take a flight to Pittsburgh but here is the thing: they had a rain date on Sunday night and we couldn't extend our trip to stay one more night just in case. Imagine buying the non refundable tickets (not cheap, as you can imagine, but it would have been my bday present), buying the plane tickets, going there and then having to leave before the real thing! Also, I have to say that I was more excited about it when we had first talked about going with our best friends (who are always ready for this kind of things). My husband was doing it for me and he is not such an opera fan and architecture lover as I am (I have told you probably that modern architecture is one of my biggest interests in life) so it would have been more special if we could enjoy the company of our friends (who, by the way, could have drove us there) on this special night (as opposed to being with strangers). But my friend had another big trip coming up this week so in the end they withdraw from the project and in the end I lost momentum and we didn't go. I don't know, maybe I gave up too easily but I would certainly have been one stressed woman this past Friday when tropical storm (what was its name? I forgot it already) was dumping heavy rain on us. But the next time, if I am given a second chance, I will move mountains and go!
I wanted to show you pictures from the event but strangely enough I didn't find any report when I googled it this morning. You would think that something like this would have had a large press coverage but it seems to have gone unseen. Maybe Pittsburgh is out of the major cultural circuits? When I called the Opera of Pittsburgh back in April the man on the phone was very surprised that I knew about it (he was all "How did you hear about it"? Granted it was not through any kind of ad but through a friend who was going to Pittsburgh for work and heard about it from another friend who lives in Pittsburgh). On the other end of the phone line I was very surprised that the tickets, that had been on sale for a few days already, weren't all soldout, as they would have soldout in a minute in NYC. He said "I don't expect it to sell out for the next three weeks or so" and he was right about it. In any case I am sure that the lucky few who could assist the event had a ball.

You will agree with me that an event like this calls for a new dress. I had mentioned that, fault of finding a way to go there, I had found the perfect dress at Tory Burch, during their F&F event. The plan was to return the dress in case the event would not happen for me, but I couldn't push myself to return such a beauty. I tell myself that it is a timeless dress, it is appropriate for every age and for once, I bought one size up so should I put some weight on, it should still fit because it isn't skin-tight already.
It is called the Whitney dress, it is sold out on the Tory website but this is the stock pic:



And as styled in the Lookbook:


And on yours truly (fitting room pics, in a size 4):





This is one exquisite dress made of three layers of fabric (poly chiffon and silk). I hesitated between the size 4 (that fit me perfectly but is not my usual size) and to wait for a size 2, that was "in consignment" at another client, meaning that she had it at home to try on (I had never heard about "consignment" before). I knew that I didn't want to lose on the 25% off because this is an expensive dress (even if not more expensive than that JCrew hummingbird dress that fit me so bad) so I bought the 4 and it was the right size, the 2 would have been too tight. Katharine MacPhee wore the dress to the Today Show and while I think she is beautiful I also think it is a bit too tight on her:



Now I need another occasion soon! Speaking of Tory, I bumped into her the other day and she was wearing Tory head to toe. I love that she wears her clothes all the time, it says a lot about the brand. In case you are curious, she was wearing the jasmyn dress, which is not a favorite of mine but looked great on her (she was wearing the same high-heeled sandals since she is teeny).
And in case you are ready for some Fall colors, I just received an email that advertises the Pre-fall Collection that you can see here.

Now that I have overcome my writer's block I will go back to my less glamorous OTTDs. Stay tuned!

Had you heard about Shining Brow at Fallingwater? Anyone was there? Did you read "Loving Frank"?

The Story of My First Balenciaga

I have along story for you today, I hope you have time :-). It's the story of my first pair of Balenciaga shoes and I want to tell this story with all the details that it takes and that they deserve. Please bear with me ;-).

When we were in LA, we visited the new annex of the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) at the Pacific Design Center. This building is fairly new (I am pretty sure it wasn't there the last time that I was in LA) and, as we learned, only hosts temporary exhibitions. To see the permanent collection you have to go downtown where the main MOCA is located.
The building, basically a cube with no windows, reminded me of the buildings in a painting by De Chirico, probably because we visited in the middle of a sunny Saturday afternoon and the building gives on a Plaza that was quite empty and the particular light and shadow of the building on the plaza at that time of the day gave the whole scenery a dream-like feeling, like the time had stopped (I won't lecture you on De Chirico but his paintings really strike a cord with me, as well as his poet counterpart, Emilio Montale, my favorite Italian poet).
Anyway, they were hosting a exhibit of graphic artist Stefan Sagmeister called "The Happy Show" that is a personal reflection about happiness and how to achieve it and I found to be quite interesting. At some point the artist tackles the eternal subject of passionate love as opposed to other forms of love and comes to the conclusion that (I quote by memory) "A lasting passionate love is biologically impossible". Something to keep in mind when you feel like you need more passion in your love life. If you look for passion you are biologically doomed to change partner every 6 months or so. Just saying. You can read more about the show here (if you are in the area, tomorrow June 7 is the last day).

You might ask what this has to do with Balenciaga shoes. I am getting there and it is related, but I also wanted to take a moment to mention the show because I really liked it ;-). After the show, we wandered a bit in the blue building of the Pacific Design Center which is basically a big design show room. Everything was closed and one of the guards told us that we had no rights to be there (when the other guard at the other entrance let us in. Bah). Anyway we were taking the door out when my fashion antennae spotted on the other side of the street across from the center a sign that read "Balenciaga". Could it be the Balenciaga store? It seemed very incongruous, a two-story building surrounded (and almost swallowed by) a jungle-like vegetation and nothing else around (no street to speak of). The main difference between LA and NY is that you never see anybody in the streets (unless you go to Santa Monica) so the place seemed completely abandoned with no people strolling in front of it. I had vaguely thought about looking for the Balenciaga store while in LA because I had been obsessed with a pair of shoes that were sold out in NYC, but then thought better of it (I couldn't imagine dragging my husband on a quest for a store in LA). Well, I think that if I had noted the address I would still be looking for it, it wouldn't have hit me that THAT was the store. The place is unreal for a New Yorker:

I am going to write another version of Guantanemera and ask to be buried under those cactus trees

This was a case of the mountain that comes to Mohammed so since we had parked the car just in front of it without noticing, my husband couldn't say no when I asked him if I could go in to have a look (but he stayed outside and called my daughter). It was open and I was the only client (maybe the other ones were all lost on their way there). The object of my desire was their glove espadrilles wedge in black:

My plan was to try them on for ebay/online sale sizing purposes. A high-end shoe store very close to my place used to have them at the beginning of the season and because they always send me a "private sale" flyer before Memorial Day that also gives a 10% off any purchase (sale or not) I waited and waited until they soldout at full price ($695). The LA store had them but in a very funky fuchsia color that I couldn't possibly pair with anything, so I had no temptations when I tried them on. I could at least try them and see that they fit TTS to a bit small and that the leather was buttery soft. However, even if an espadrille style, the heel was VERY high, so I began to question if I would actually be able to walk in them and wear them. The last thing that I need is a pair of $700 shoes that I don't wear. They had another style, a slingback sandal with a more walkable heel but again, the color offered wasn't something that I would wear often and the SA told me that my chances of finding them in black in either style were close to 0 because they had requested more pairs from other stores and they were soldout everywhere. "We did very well with this style this season" she said with a bit of a pitiful tone. I walked out of the store a bit relieved that I didn't have to make any decision on the spot on a $700 pair of shoes (imagine if they had the last black pair in my size). Well, actually my husband would have made the decision for me because I didn't even have my credit card with me and you know what that decision would have been!

Back to NY, I vaguely looked for them on the Internet (I had seen them on several websites, besides the Balenciaga store) and I couldn't find any size left in any wearable color in either style so I kind of resigned myself to wait until a pair would show up on ebay.
But last week I happened to be at Barney's on the first day of the designer sale, that I didn't know about until walking into Barney's. Now, I haven't stepped into Barney's in at least two years. I used to go all the time when I was working and especially during the shoe sale but the prices of designer shoes these days have skyrocketed and I stopped looking at them altogether. I mean, we are talking $500-$800 ON SALE for heels. When did that happen?
Anyway since I was there for another reason (I went to look for a present for my husband) I couldn't help visiting the shoe floor. I wasn't expecting to find the Balenciaga on sale (even if I knew that Barneys used to carry them) and in fact when I landed on the 5th floor I saw a small table of Balenciaga shoes none of which on sale. While I was there I started to look at the sale racks but, as I said before, everything was $500 and more, and that included the 40% off. I tried a very sexy pair of evening suede sandal by a designer I had never heard about (and I know a lot of designers) that retailed for $600 (again, on sale, and I don't even count the tax). The Lanvins with their "L'ete Lanvin 2013" printed on the insole would have tempted me in the old days but I kept thinking about the Balenciaga. Then when I was almost ready to leave I saw one lonely pair of the fuchsia glove espadrille (in my size) on the rack and that sight gave me some hope that there were maybe more hiding. I was sitting on a couch with three young girls barely in their 20s who kept adding $600 shoes to their "Yes" pile and at some point one of them came back showing a black glove sandal to one of her friends, who apparently wasn't interested (I want the wedges, she said to me like she could read on my face that I thought she was crazy. I wanted them too, I said like it was a thing that happened to me a long time ago and that didn't affect me anymore). With the queue of my eye I saw it was a size 6 and without much hope I asked the SA if they had a 7 or 7 1/2. She said "I don't think so" but then looked into a handheld device that all the clerks were sporting and said "Uhm, it says we have one even if I doubt it". She disappeared for a long time and I thought she had forgot about me but when she came back with a Balenciaga box saying (not the box, the SA, even if at that point I was probably hearing voices) "You are a very lucky lady" my heart almost stopped. There was still an interrogation mark though because as a matter of fact I had never tried this style on and I didn't know if they would fit or I would find them more wearable than the espadrilles (they were also slightly more expensive but the 40% off made up for it). The "glove" part of the sandal was the same buttery soft leather than the espadrille and the heel seemed very easy to walk in. They "just" fit but I chose to believe the SA that they were going to stretch out a bit. So I walked out of Barneys with my first Balenciaga (and no present for my husband). The absurd thing is that at $430 they were the cheapest of all the shoes of known and unknown designers that I tried that day.

You are probably tired of me talking now and you probably want to see the shoes. I happened to wear them yesterday night to a restaurant downtown. It was a girl's night out and I wanted to show them to my friend who can appreciate a pair of Balenciaga shoe probably more than my husband. I sort of dressed down but I would lie if I said that it was effortless: it took a lot of effort to look this cool (the skirt is by Phillip Lim, more about it in another post):







These shoes fit like a glove (pun intended) in my evening wardrobe and they look great with both pants and skirts, giving every outfit a touch of glam-rock, which seems to be my go-to going out look. These are a few pics from the other day, pre-pedi and with my LA "going out" outfit:







Another skirt outfit that I plan to wear soon (the skirt is Zara winter bought on sale, top is the Carrie cami):





Are you lusting over any designer shoe these days?

I hope you enjoyed the story!