You Need These Shoes

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that every once in a while I cheat on JCrew with the Gap (if Mickey knew!)

Two days ago I was in to make a return (a swimsuit that I had bought for my husband and he didn't like, as 99% of the stuff that I buy for him). It was a Wednesday and I had one of those Wednesday 40% off coupons valid on one full price item that I generally spend on stuff for my daughter. But this time I spent it on a pair of shoes for myself.

If you have been reading my blog for a while you also know that I like Tory Burch shoes and I have luxury tastes when it comes to shoes. I have been tempted to buy the Eddie flats in Royal tan but then decided to save my money for the Sallies (that as you know I have bought in the classic navy). Well, the Gap came up with the perfect Eddie knockoff, the City flats that come in an array of colors including an in-store only tan that looks exactly like the Tory tan:





Not only these are much more affordable of course ($39.50 but I paid $24 with the coupon), but they have a padded sole that is actually better than the unpadded one of the Eddies. The leather (yes, they are real leather) is buttery-soft and they come in a very chic pouch (in the same color) for easy transportation:



I tell you, they are the perfect foldable flats: anybody needs a pair of these, especially if you commute or travel frequently (I generally travel in my Revas but I am going to switch to these for my next trip to Europe in a few weeks).

Size-wise I bought my regular size, even if Gap shoes tend to fit big (I was sized out of the equally fantastic ballet flats this spring). However, since these come in half sizes (bonus), you can order one half size up if you want to be sure that the elastic is not too snug in the back (mine is not even in my regular size but I know that people often complain about this).

I think that the tan color is terrific (there were a very few left in my local store), even if going towards fall you may want to choose the purple, black or the in-store only navy or grey (I am probably going back and get another pair in navy the next time that I have a coupon available).

If I haven't convinced you, maybe the enthusiastic reviews on the Gap product page will. And if you live near a Gap (who doesn't?), check them out as soon as possible before they sell out (especially if you like the tan color or the pink).
If you want to stick to the original Eddies (which are actually already a knockoff of the impossibly expensive Lanvin flats), they now come in a new patent leather for fall.

Do you own a pair of City flats? Do you have the TB Eddies?

OOTD: Leopard, Cheeta and Toothpick

This is a mix of pics of my real OOTD and an outfit that I had tried on last week when it was warmer and I could have got away with a short-sleeve tissue turtleneck and a jacket (but I wore my Halloween outfit for three days in a row instead and now it's too cold).
The first item that I bought in this outfit are the shoes. Back in the summer I had a brief love affair with the leopard print Tory Burch Revas in calf-hair and I bidded a couple of times on them on Ebay but for some reasons it didn't work out. Then I saw these Target pointy-toe flats that aren't a cheap print but real calf-hair (another of Gigi's finds, I never go to Target as the closest is in Brooklyn, no less, and I'm like Miranda of SATC, pre-baby) selling for almost a tenth of the price of the Revas and I was sold (plus I love pointy-toe shoes, I think that we don't see them around enough). Then I bought the toothpick (not "to wear with the leopard flats", but it can't be denied that this style goes greatly with pointy flats) and then the Jcrew Cheeta calf-hair belt. I'm sure that this one will go on sale because it's a quite expensive belt but I LOOOOOVED it and took advantage of a $25 off $125 card to buy it (actually I bought it along with the jeans).
So the bottom part of my outfit was easy because I bought these pieces with the intention of wearing them together.
But strangely enough I had a hard time finding a top to wear with the black jeans and the animal print accessories. Initially, I didn't want to go "total black with animal print accents" and I tried different sweaters in the beige color palette but in the end I think that a black top works better than a lighter top.
Anyway, this is the version that I wore today, minus the hat (I was just taking my daughter to a playdate):


And the final touch is this Plexiglas leopard bracelet that I bought for $5 on the street, the same day that I bought the Deco pashmina (can you tell that I'm momentarily tired of expensive jewelry)?



Have a great week (DH is coming home tomorrow so you know where I am if I don't reply. Oh no, this came across like a bad sex joke, did it?)

PS
Not that I want to sell you anything on this blog, but if you like the shoes (and I can vouch on their cuteness and quality), I have a second pair in a size 6H (my size was sold-out and I ordered one size up and one size down and I'm keeping the 7H) that I can still return to Target but can offer you for $25 shipped (the price was $29.99 and they are completely sold-out). Please don't make me go to Brooklyn to return these (just kidding).
If interested, please email me at crazyaboutjcrew@gmail.com.

Abby, oh Abby!

I hope that you all had a great Halloween. Yesterday has been an almost perfect day for me. I say almost because my husband was away and I would have preferred him to be with us but we had a lot of fun nevertheless.
We had the perfect Halloween weather, a little bit stormy and always on the edge of raining but as a matter of fact dry until the evening and really WARM, so the kids could go around in their costumes without a coat and it was very pleasant to be outside.
The streets were packed with people in costume and it was actually the first time that we went trick-or-treating outside. In particular there was a block (78th street between Lexington and Park) were ALL the houses were decked out and it was a giant bloc party with thousands of people in the street. Really it didn't look like New York City but like a little village, I loved it.

It was also my lucky day for another reason. In the morning I went to Jcrew with the excuse of returning something, but basically to show off my daughter (as all the SAs know her) in her bumble bee costume.
When I was at the register to return the Pippa ballet flats that I had purchased during the special event at the Columbus Circle store with the 20% off, the SA asked me if I had seen the "new" flats with the toe cap. Of course I immediately knew that she was talking about the Abby, but I didn't want to mortify her with my clearly superior knowledge of the Jcrew catalog and nomenclature. So I just showed interest without actually screaming "You got the Abby!?". Let me tell you that I regretted not ordering them over the red phone with the 20% off the minute I left the Columbus Circle store. The Pippa are adorable but a little bit too young-looking for me (it's not the bow, it's the shape) and besides they are currently on promo for $98, which is less than what I paid with the 20% off.
Anyway, as soon as I saw the Abby in my feet I fell in love. They are an instant classic and all I look for in a flat: versatility, wearability and chic-ness.
However I had the same issue that I had when I ordered the Marjorie: the 6H was a little bit snug and the 7 was too big. In the end I went with the 6H, because the SA told me that all their flats tend to stretch out and it was really impossible for me to walk in the 7 without an insole.
At the register I tried my chance and explained that I got 20% off on the shoes that I was returning and asked if she could apply it on the new pair because I was basically exchanging them (even if it wasn't what is called an even exchange). And she said yes "Just because I like you" (which I think it's true and also because I'm there every other day or maybe because it was Halloween and my daughter was adorable).
So MAJOR SCORE, because not only I saved on the price but I also saved on the sales tax (that apply only on items above $110 in NY, I know I have already told you plenty of time but please forgive me I'm obsessed with screwing the sales tax), so I saved almost $40. Yay! Well, obviously my husband would tell you that I would have saved even more I had just returned the first pair, but you know that I could not do that, right?

And now some pictures of my new Abby. From above:



Frontal:


Side view:


And detail of the racing stripe on the back:


The SA advised to "try them around the house to see how they fit", but I have hardwood floor everywhere (no carpets) so it's impossible for me to do that without marking the sole. But I found a solution. You know the little plastic bags the shoes generally come in? Well, I have found a new use for them:



Have a Happy Sunday and for those who can, I hope you take advantage of the additional hour of sleep!

My Last JCrew Online Order (featuring the Tweed Mica Mini)

And I mean last as in "Last of the Mohicans". No Other Will Follow. When I woke up yesterday only to find that the final sale was back on the website I was really mad at Jcrew. I placed 3 orders in the last 2 weeks that I would never had placed had the final sale been there. OK, I returned most of the items (in fact I'm only keeping the sateen soiree blazer), but the point is that I wouldn't have ordered at all if I knew that I couldn't return anything.

But enough with the ranting! So, last week when they where running the "secret sale" promo I have ordered a few stuff. The major trigger was to get the Marjorie flats in navy that I'm sure are going to sell out at the first markdown when I'm not paying attention. It happened with the Jane flats this winter and I regretted not ordering them with one of the TURKEY or HURRAY codes because the price when they went on sale was higher than the price that I would have paid with one of the codes and they sold out immediately in the size and color that I was coveting.
Along with the Marjorie flats I ordered the Whisper cardigan in light grey, one of the new pearls and crystal necklaces and the tweed Mica mini that I had tried in store when it was FP.

The package arrived Monday (I got another UPS scare because my husband was attending his company annual picnic that day and he came home around 3.30, ie BEFORE the UPS man. I didn't find any other solution than to call the doorman and ask him to hold any delivery for us until the day after with the excuse that my daughter was having trouble sleeping and I didn't want to wake her up. I felt bad but it worked. And my daughter IS having sleeping troubles, only not at that exact time).

Well, I have to say that this time I'm going to have a hard time to decide what to return because I love everything, and especially the Tweed Mica Mini.
I ordered it when it was on promo (25% off) and with the 20% off of the secret sale the price came down to $41. The day after the secret sale it went on sale for $39.99, I think I can live without asking for a price adjustement.

I love the weight of this mini (it is lined) and the little metallic threads that give it a little bit of sparkle (sorry, it doesn't show in the pictures). It runs a little bit big but I prefer it like that so it's not too short.
I tried it with my navy jacket and the new Marjorie flats:


Then with the spice olive sateen soiree blazer and light chartreuse Greer sandals (new as well, I was eyeing them and I bought them last Saturday for $89.99. I reccomend them if you have the soiree blazer in this color and in case you're wondering, they are the most comfortable sandals ever):


I tried it with the ruffle tank for a more summery look but as you can see it's a little bit bulky in the weist. I think that it would look lovely with the soft tee ruffle top though which has only one big ruffle on the chest:


Actually the real reeason why I put the ruffle tank on is that I wanted to try the necklace:

I think that it's a real nice necklace especially for the price ($38 but I got it for $30).

I also absolutely love the Marjorie flats and I don't have any navy flats (as you know by now, I'm a big fan of navy). However, I ordered a size 6H while I usually wear 7 because I had tried the 7 in store (in another color) and they were pretty big (I didn't try the 6H). The 6H that I have ordered is not too small, just a little bit snug and I have the feeling that they are going to stretch out. If you own the Marjorie, please let me know if they do.

The only item that I'm not thrilled about is the Whisper merino cardigan. Maybe it's because it's pretty heavy merino and I don't know if I want to stock up now for the winter. Also, I think that I would have maybe preferred the slate to the light grey (it was available as well) because I have more stuff that go with it. So that's the only item so far that I'm going to return. If my husband makes me a scene I will return in the order 1) the necklace (because I can re-buy it later) and 2) the Marjorie flats. I won't return the Mica mini unless I find it in super-sale in store in my size (but it's selling out fast).

Do you own the Mica mini? Would you consider buying it now that it's on sale?