Miu Miu Studded Bow Ballet Flat

Sunday, January 24, 2010

I've been eyeing this pair of Miu Miu Studded Bow Ballet Flat in gesso + bianco, size 36 (similar) from Barneys since last fall. Retailing for $450, this patent leather ballet flat with elastic throat and gold-toned stud and bow detail at cracked patent leather cap toe and heel is just a gorgeous combination of femininity and practicalness -- in other words, perfect for me! :)

When Miu Miu boutiques had their holiday sale this past year, I could not find this color combination anywhere! Sales associates all told me that they only had these ballet flats in black/cream or the blue/cream only came in the heels version. So began my waiting game for Barneys' sale. After checking their site every day for weeks, I actually did a double take when I saw them selling for 60% off! Luckily they still had my size left or I would've beaten myself up for not snatching them up sooner :P

The patent cream portion is actually a bit darker in real life than advertised on Barneys site. But hey, that just means dirt won't show as easily, right? :) I was actually a bit concerned when I first tried them on. They felt just a tad too big (bought my US size) -- but not big enough where my foot was slipping out. See how my toes sort of peek out (below)? I guess if they stretch over time, I will stick toe inserts in, so that's not too big of a deal. The most important part is comfort, and having worn these flats for a day, I can report back and say I have no blisters!

*Stock image courtesy of Barneys New York

Look for less: Manolo Blahnik Sedaraby -> rsvp Taran

Sunday, January 17, 2010

The famous (or is it infamous?) Carrie's missing Manolo Sedaraby from Sex and the City might be one of the most recognized Manolo styles today. So of course when I saw it at department stores, I instantly fell in love. But the price tag of $715 (ouch!) is just a bit too steep for me because of the number of times I get to wear them. Not to mention, the fuchsia color and my size were nowhere to be found!

I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across these rsvp Taran in fuschia satin, size 6 (currently sold here) one day. Aren't they pretty much an exact match --- and for only $89 to boot! As usual, Zappos customer service is superb and I received my shoes in 2 days. Along with the shoes, I was pleasantly surprised to see the inclusion of a pink dust bag.
The lighting is kind of dark in this image, but the pink definitely pops in real life! I ordered these in my US size (half size up was sold out) and found them to be a wee bit tight. I figured I'd wear them around the house for a bit to break them in and hopefully stretch out the toe box. After wearing them for half an hour (most of which I was sitting down :P), my feet were killing me! So I gave up stretching them myself and stuffed a pair of woolen socks into each shoe. I took it out after 2 days and voila! the shoes now fit perfectly.
I had no problems wearing these shoes and standing all day. Very comfortable, left no blisters, and doesn't even require a breaking-in period. Love, love, love these shoes!
dress: Express
bracelets: Forever 21
sash/belt: J.Crew

*Stock image courtesy of Neiman Marcus

First post!

Friday, January 15, 2010

To brighten my day... with ramblings and materialistic things that make me happy :) Lately, it's been clothes and accessories that are doing the trick, so that will mostly be what I blog about.

I'm definitely no fashionista, just your average girl living in the suburbs, going about her daily life. I tend to gravitate towards simple, laid-back, and preppy styles, with the occasional ruffles and flowers thrown in. I suppose that's the inner romantic me :) I could live happily ever after in sweats, but I do enjoy being "put together" every once in awhile. Accessories are your friend! I love bags and shoes and wouldn't hesitate to buy at full price if I fall in love at first sight ;) Clothes on the other hand, I try to only buy on sale. I'm also a fan of buying cute lookalikes of high-end items.

Being skinny and petite oftentimes make shopping frustrating, so for the most part my clothes come from the juniors department (Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle) :P I also love J.Crew, but sizing is often a hit or a miss for me. I find so much inspiration browsing through their catalogs though! I also like Express, Gap, Old Navy, and Forever 21.

30 for 30 abercrombie abercrombie & fitch accessories adidas adrienne vittadini agnes b alejandro ingelmo alexandre birman ali ro alternative apparel american eagle amrita singh ann taylor anthropologie apple aqua armani exchange articles of society asos award bag balenciaga banana republic barbour bath and body works bcbg bcbgirls beauty bebe bensoni biltmore for madewell blank nyc blog every day bloggers do it better bois du boulogne bp. brian nagourney burberry by malene birger c. wonder c/meo collective canada goose cara accessories carlos by carlos santana carolina bucci cartonnier caslon casual cb2 celebrities celine chanel chantecaille chelsea28 chicwish china glaze chloe christian louboutin citrus clothing clu too club monaco coach coffee shop cole haan collection collection 18 color brigade columbia crate & barrel crewcuts cuyana cynthia rowley david yurman dc deborah lippmann decor delman disney couture diy dogeared dressy dsquared2 ebay elizabeth and james elleme equipment esprit etsy everlane express featured fendi forever 21 frank & eileen free people gap gara danielle gibson giles & brother giveaway gorjana goyard grace gift gucci h&m halogen halogen x atlantic-pacific halston heritage haul hearth & hand heirloom finds hollister how to hue hunter ikea ilnp in real life inspired by iris & ink isabel marant ivanka trump j.crew jennifer chamandi jenny yuen jewelry jimmy choo john hardy jones new york joules julie vos kate spade kristin coffin l'oreal lanvin lanvin x h&m lesportsac levi's loeffler randall loft longchamp look for less looks like summer lord & taylor lou & grey love 21 lucy m.gemi mac macy's madewell maje make make up for ever manolo blahnik marc jacobs mary katrantzou massimo dutti maybelline mercedes-benz merona michael michael kors misc miu miu mlb modcloth mossimo moulinette soeurs msgm mvmt nadri new balance new balance for j.crew nike nina ricci nine west nordstrom north face nyc nyc new york color nyx old navy olivia burton opi oscar de la renta pfc pierrepont hicks piperlime plastic island pleione polene polo prabal gurung at j.crew proenza schouler ralph lauren ramblings raphaella booz reader mail rebecca minkoff red valentino reed wilson design review revlon river island robert rodriguez ross-simons rsvp saint james saint laurent sales sally hansen sam edelman schutz shashi shinhwa shoes shopbop shopping shopstyle simply vera vera wang sinful colors professional soia & kyo sole society sony sorel sorel for j.crew sperry sponsor spotted moth stella mccartney stephanie b strathberry stuart weitzman style file superdry t3 tadashi shoji tagged talbots target the container store the horse the limited theory tips & tricks too faced topshop tory burch tous colors toys travels ugg uniqlo uniqueen unknown valentino veque for j.crew vera bradley via spiga victoria's secret vince vince camuto vineyard vines walmart ways to wear west elm white house black market wishlist work xhilaration xoxo yearly summary ysl zac posen for target zara zella