miista, miista

Having a serious 'I have no shoes' panic right now. (Also dresses. And blouses. And knitwear. And everything.)

Of course, I do have shoes, just the majority of them are in a heap in the corner of my room at home. Which happens to be many hundreds of miles away.

I can window shop here, but anything I buy has to make its way across the continent with me. So, as you can imagine, the new miista S/S12 lookbook is making me drool - both the shoes themselves (chunky heels! bright colours! cutouts! woven panels! 'aztec' prints and embossing!) and the bright, colourful and wonderfully styled 'Day of the Dead' themed shots. Enjoy.

All imgs from Miista site (linked above)

double leopard-y.

BAD PUN KLAXON.

primark cardi//2nd hand top+shoes//topshop trousers//H&M socks

Look, it's a picture of me!

I've moved home and stupidly spent my last money ebay-ing these leopard heels a la Mulberry, but they are lovely.

The trousers are new to the blog too, because I haven't done an outfit post since I bought them in March (April?).

Ho hum.

shoes, hats, etc

fashion156's couture gardening issue is out - a bizarre title, but accurate with all the trees in the shoot and florals on the clothes. I'm mainly blogging this for the styling - some great pieces, some great show/sock combos and some fantastic hats/headwear.

Must take a closer look at the hats in Rokit next time I'm London-bound; as all the hats featured here are from there (apart from the Silken Flowers turban in img 7), while stand out shoes from Claire Davis (the comfy looking - probably deceptively so - shoes in img 1) and Tessa Edwards (img 2) are not helping my shoelust ONE LITTLE BIT.

Great pieces featured are from old fave Hermione de Paula (imgs 1&5) as well as Eugene Lin (img 2) and Ostwald Helgson (the gorgeous skirt and shirt in img 6).

Y'know what's hard? Looking at nice clothes and shoes and hats when you have no money and (currently) no job prospects.

a brogue idea

RE: yesterday's post, I'm into flat shoes too. Maybe I'm migrating from feet to head? Not that interested in heels right now. All flats considers, but nothing too flimsy. And, actually, preferably something with a heel, but a tiny heel. A brogue heel, yknow? You'll see.

I bought these (Topshop sale, £10) the other day - they really need to be worn in but they're rather lovely and go with everything. I need my flats to be interesting, a shoe needs something if it hasn't got a heel.

Anyway, to fuel my need for flats, I set off round the internet. Maybe these 'monk brogues' from New Look [a mere £15 in the sale, and no, I've no idea what's 'monk' about them]?

Or these two-tone numbers from River Island? [£29.99]

Not exactly brogues, but ASOS have these less-than-ankle boot things for £28

BUT THESE - again, not brogues - from ebay (where else), which i missed out on by 50p and few minutes some days ago. Dream shoes.

They're orig from Office, so, yknow, if anyones got a pair of 5s (even 6s, whatever) kicking about, err, gimme gimme gimme.

Waaaaaahhhhhhhh. Suggest me some more?

l'wren.

colours, shoes, etc

in all honesty, the above two looks from l'wren scott are the only ones that really got my attention, and they were the first two looks. flared dusky pink coat and matching shoes; beige and turquoise print dress (gorgeous combo). lovely. but the shoes, THE SHOES:

multi-strap court shoes in blacks or dusky pinks/browns and golds. i don't actually care if they're kitten heels (no side views; it is a possibility), i think i might need them in my life.

THE boots.

you might have noticed me mentioning, just a little, my search for 2 pairs of perfect boots for the winter - THE tan chelsea boot and THE goth boot. it's not like i don't have an abundance of boots, not to mention shoes, but both these things were necessary right?

as if to prove my love for ebay, both perfect pairs popped up and i won them within 2 days of each other. WHO'DA THUNK IT?

comfiest. shoe. ever. i think they're kinda cushioned and they literally go with everything (see below), which is awesome. also they're half a size too big, so i can don a thick sock with them. AND they have grips, making them the most practical shoe i own. WINTER BOOT WIN!

throw them on with jeans and a fur collared coat! throw them on with sequins and a jumper and a parka! why the hell not!?

as for the goth boots, well...

i think my eyes popped out of my head when i saw these on eebs; even more so when i won them for under 20 quid. they, also, are remarkably comfy (i think it's the platform; they're aren't really that high in the foot angle sense) and they are awesome.

i reckon there are three ways you can do the goth boot - embrace the goth (BLACK, BLACK, MORE BLACK. maybe some grey.), go for the contrast/lolita look with the frilliest, girliest dress you can find, or do none of the above and just whack some stripes and a parka on it. also, note new rings and peach/blue nails.

shakuhachi dress//uniqlo cardi//H&M+vintage necklaces//topshop tights//parka+rings; primark

also new/perfect red lipstick; models own OF COURSE, new favourite brand in the world, IN THE WORLD.

craving: river island.

oh elle.

elle; elle; elle.

firstly: you've brought on old age. this isn't really your fault, but i spent last night reading October's Elle whilst listening to jazz and eating a chocolate bar*. wearing fresh pyjamas. in bed. with clean sheets on. after having washed my hair and re-painted my nails - basically, generally being content with being clean and in bed by 10 on a sunday evening. i think it's the jazz part that's lulling me into old age. i'd quite welcome going straight from education to retirement at this point. reading fashion magazines and listening to Nina Simone all day every day sounds perfect.

secondly: your 'style for less' supplement is all well and good, but it is really 2 weeks early. meaning, there's loads of stuff i want but can't afford yet. THANKS. NO, REALLY.

one shop whose stuff they featured loads of was river island (the below bag and first lace up, high heeled boots definitely feature, though i've seen/coveted the buckle+shearling boots elsewhere). i never go into the newcastle store, because none of the actually awesome things from the website are in there - clearly the newcastle river island clientele are not in the awesome-boot-sequin-bag business. but they should be. here are some things i want and hope are still in store when i get money.

shoes: brown buckle ankle boots; £64.99//brown platform heeled ankle boots; £89.99//

grey leather cage wedges; £49.99//snake and suede wedges; £84.99//

beige leather clog heels; £74.99//brown leather buckle heel ankle boots; £74.99//

brown suede clog heels; £74.99//black leather cuff detail boots; £69.99//

socks; £3.99 each: lace//polkadot//leopard//

sequin backpack; £59.99//stripe skirt; £19.99//lace body; £19.99//

ok, i don't want ALL of these things - the sequin backpack is amazing but 60 quid is a bit steep - but i definitely have the collared body (!!!!), the leopard socks (my H&M ones are threatening me with threadbare) and the shearling boots bookmarked. i don't own any dark brown boots. SELL OUT AT YOUR PERIL, BOOTS.

oh, and the cream chelsea-clog-boot-things, which might be THE boots. i haven't decided yet. they're considerably more clog-gy and high heeled than the ones i have pictured, but they are severely awesome.

but the high heeled hiking boots, and the peep toe clog affairs, and the snakeskin heels......

dammit.

i hope a bunch of these go to sale so i can afford them. YOU HEAR ME, SHOES?

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*got a Twix Fino. they are good; just fyi.

if the boot fits.

second post about shoes in a row. third if you count the ones in this weeks ebay post. third post in a row involving ebay.

good work!

so autumn is creeping up on us - the a/w lookbooks have been circulating for some time, and stores are starting to get their stock in. it's time, in my eyes, to start thinking about winter footwear, which is, of course, focused around the art of the ankle boot.

this year, i'm mostly looking for something with a platform, or perhaps a wedge, but mostly for the perfect tan chelsea boot. definitely not docs again, as my ill-advised foray into docs around this time last year will show you. stubby legs + 10 holes = not good. also the blisters were unbearable....

ideally i want pair of boots number 1 from this ebay post, but they were too big. i'm hoping a trip to absolute vintage, aka where i got my favoured flat black vintage boots last year, when i'm in london, will bear fruits, but otherwise....

if money were no object:

all from net-a-porter//clockwise from top:

chloe; £580

alexander wang; £555

alaïa; £1000

burberry; £475

gucci; £720

i find myself drawn to the wangs more than i ever was when they were on the catwalk, but the chloes would be perfect if they were a few shades lighter. (good job they're not then. £580!?).

if i save up a bit:

1-5 from nastygal; 6 from the outnet//top row:

sam edelman; $185

jeffrey campbell; $162

jeffrey campbell; $192

bottom row:

jeffrey campbell; $188

jeffrey campbell; $225

vanessa bruno; £115.50 on sale

seriously considering the vanessa brunos, if they're still in my size when i have money. they're also in black, and white (i think), on the outnet site...

the big mustard jeffrey campbell platforms AND the tall black ones are making me drool. =/.

the high street

top row:

asos; £45

asos; £40

asos; £45

bottom row:

asos; £75

new look; £60

topshop; £65

new look are ABSOLUTELY winning the chelsea boot race here. almost perfect. if only the elastic part was black! in fact, in a strange turn of events, i find topshop not to be ahead of everyone here - this is the best boot they have right now, and it's not all that. i assume they have some stunners up their sleeves, though, which will no doubt be in store soon. probably too soon, in the sense that they will be SO AWESOME that they will sell out before loan times. sigh.

the realistic

the questionably photoshopped ebay and etsy haul!

i'm not linking all of these - partly cos i can't be bothered, partly cos i'm watching a couple and maybe i don't feel like sharing, huh? though, the bottom left pair, which are here on etsy for $40 are too big anyways, so have at them!

pairs 2 and 6 in particular have caught my eye (and are both at seriously good prices right now) but maybe a pair of black chelseas would be good too?

in which direction are you taking your boots this winter, mes amis?

copycats.

there.

part of the much talked about, and much lauded (especially on the blogs) Miu Miu shoe collection for SS10. yes, it's nearly autumn now, especially in shopping terms, but that's really not the point.

whereas those who've been going crazy for the shoes all seemed to love the print and the colours, it's merely the heel shape that drew me in. chunky and square; high but with a surface area that suggests they might be comfy for longer than your average high shoe, and in a range of styles and colours. of course, while i adore the print versions - the first pink bejewelled number and the kitty-print of the second style, in particular - if i was actually going to spend real money on expensive shoes, i'd probably err on the side of caution and go for these:

img from 5inchandup

WOAHWOAHWOAHSTOP.

this WAS intended to be a 'where can i find a similar heeled shoe for significantly less money?' post, but since the answer to that was, as it is for everything, 'trawl ebay', i stumbled across these.

these ones aren't Miu Miu, of course.

they are, in fact, a rip off. and while that is a subject that has been written about time and time again, i offer you not 'real vs fake', but 'fake vs fake'.

img also from 5inchandup

now, River Island 'borrowed' from the above pink bejewelled number and these cherry print ones sold for about £65, but the first, plain option comes from Korea and will cost you about £25.

and that's not all!

a glance at their shop (which is completely overstocked to the point where i really couldn't face the 60 pages of shoes before me...) reveals all manner of copies - some of which are really rather detailed/similar to the original.

mcqueen, chanel, balenciaga (or sam edleman if you're that way inclined), even a rodarte/nicholas kirkwood-esque number - and this is just a smattering. and all of wxyon shoes shoes are between £20 and £40, ish.

by this point, it should be obvious that i'm not against the rip-off industry. this is because a) i like shoes, b) i can't afford the originals and c) i'm pretty fickle, and spending £500 on a shoe probably isn't a good idea if it's possible you'll get bored of it in 2 months.

if i like a designer shoe A LOT and a similar version of said shoe happens to pop up in River Island or Topshop for a fraction of the price, i'm gonna want that option. especially if it's in Topshop, because that's what store cards were made for.

if some shop on ebay sells better copies for a third of that price, well, which one would you buy? of course, the quality won't be all that (i assume) but given the nature of point c) above, i might not care if they fell apart within a couple of months. and as i've seen from other peoples experience, price doesn't always equal quality anyway.

that said, if the black Miu Mius were to be on sale somewhere, i'd be all over them in an instant.

but what would you do?

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...and to get back to the original point of the post - since the selling point for me is the heel, perhaps these numbers would make me happy anyway:

£65 from office, also in black

and, let's face it, if i'm looking for something specific i'll almost always try the vintage section of ebay before i try anywhere else, and of course eebs hasn't failed me this time:

i stopped and gasped at that last pair. i mean, they have the heel, and they're printed, which is a bonus, but ALSO THE PRINT IS LEOPARD BASED I MEAN ITS LIKE ITS MEANT TO BE YOUKNOWHOWMUCHILOVELEOPARDPRINT*HYPERVENTILATE*.

brb, trying to decide if i can fit into a size 4.5

amazing world of ebay; 25/7

the 70s edition, i guess. check out these platforms!

(1), (2), (3) and (4) would be the platform shoe section, of course, where you can find Marilyn boots, brocade wedges, and other delights. or you could take the more sensible (?) duck egg blue desert boots option (6).

a bright yellow kaftan (5) and multicoloured AND fringe detailed jacket (8) bring the hippie brights, and while
(9) might be a lot more 80s - with its graphic print and batwing sleeves - it was also too awesome/odd to leave it out.

7&10 were just for fun, and for your sheer fill - whether a waistband in a boyfriend jacket (courtesy of last week's spotlight shop, funkin junkie') (10), or a sportswear suit affair (in two separate auctions - the jacket (7a) and the shorts (7b)).

next week, ebay takes a back seat as the worldwide blog sale takes over, as mentioned here!

amazing world of ebay; 18/7

i am properly tired for unknown reasons today, but here i am, soldiering on, scouring ebay for awesome pieces and randomness. today's pickings?

firstly, this week i'm celebrating the store funkin' junkie, which ALWAYS has some great pieces in - this week you can find items (3), (4), (5) and (6), aka slouchy denim/camel perfection, a sheer hooded cover up, a SUEDE LEOPARD TOP (aka my *leopard item of the week*) and a vintage take on the "camel" "trend" that "people" keep banging on about.

also on the topic of "trends", i guess chanel brought that whole crochet thing back, and you can find a plethora of lace and crochet this week, including a "suit" which may or may not have finished already (9), but you can always look at for a little bit. oops. took too long working on this post. there are slips (12), shorts (11, also ending soon), babydoll efforts (17) and slinky jumpsuits (8) on offer too, as well as this chain mail affair (1) at $245/£160 if you have that kind of spare change about your person.

while we're on the sheer front, you can find maxis which are perfect for layering (2), as well as super wide pleated flares (7) for a ridiculously laid back 70s...thing.

in shoe corner this week you can find AMAZING CLOGWEDGE THINGS (15) which someone needs to buy and blog about posthaste, leather&lace boots (13), cute brogues (14) and interesting wedges (16).

and to top it off, you can find genuine vintage biba (10) in the form of a blue jumpsuit, starting at £25.

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so 'the amazing world of ebay' is a lot less "what is this fuckery??" and a lot more "OMG HOW AMAZING IS THIS?!?" these days, huh? i say these days like this isn't only the 3rd week.

ho-hum.

bikes. and shoes. and velvet.

these Carin Wester wedges have been everywhere.

if you read a number of blogs, anyways.

imgs from pixiemarket

but of course, they cost MANY MONIES.

(also; they are mostly sold out.)

i'll give them this, they look pretty comfy. but the price tag is enough to stop me even considering them. and i'm not a fan of the toe shape.

so then, i went into town yesterday to buy humous from M&S (because it is the best humous ever) and pay a tenner off my topshop bill.

i came back home an hour later with said humous but without having any less to pay off my topshop bill, and with £22.50 less in my bank account. but i did have these shoes.

something a little familiar, non? but a) considerably cheaper and b) with a nicer toe shape. also they had hundreds of pairs in the sale for 25 british pounds-a-piece. (oh, they're from oasis. which happens to be right opposite one of the entrances to eldon square, and has massive sale signs in the window. godammit, i had resisted the sales so far.)

anyway, they are the comfiest shoes i've ever owned (as far as i am, so far, aware) and i stomped around the house in them all afternoon.

for said humous-and-shoe-shopping, i donned some velvet and cycling shorts.

i know what you're thinking. AWang, AW10. but lemme tell you a story, about this dress.

err, i bought in in 2008, at a charity shop. it was long-ish. i shortened it, and wore it for my 20th birthday night out (oh dear god that seems like so long ago), and some times since, and it's one of my favourite dresses despite my disdain for velvet and the lack of purple on my wardrobe. the zip broke late last year and i forgot about until last week, and i fixed the zip and had to wear it posthaste.

it now creates the biggest cleavage ever, yet has a tendency to slip down. i don't care.

as for the cycling shorts, they are PRACTICAL. such things are necessary for cycling in when you were such dresses.

...also they are from H! by House of Holland. and were in the sale.

....oh.

maybe i did get drawn in by the sales.

did i mention they were practical?

it comes to my attention that i've never shared the wonder of Freshy P/The Fresh Prince/my bike with the internet. here he is.

this is turning into a long post about nothing, but ALSO here is a coat that i bought in some charity shop or other recently.

i umm-ed and ahh-ed over it but in the end it's green and a nice shape and has pockets and stuff and i have a weakness for coats and jackets (apparently) so at £7 i had to get it. but i also had to shorten the sleeves - every coat i get gets shuffled up to my elbows. even my fur coat. which swiftly falls back down, but at least i try. a bracelet-length sleeve is much more flattering and the cuffs don't get as dirty/in the way (which they were on the orig length so there's another reason for shortening.)

anyways, here's the new coat.

and finally...

thrifted coat+denim shirt+dress//H&M ring+necklace//claire's accessories leaf ring//vintage short necklaces (??)//

H! by House of Holland cycling shorts//very old shoes whose origin i always forget//primark belt