Update: They finally arrived the other week. I stepped into them and felt instantly elevated. Everything looks different from up there! I walked around my apartment in them all night and refused to take them off until I went to bed. The balance is a bit precarious, but definitely not painful. I’ll just have to carefully choose my occasion to wear them (it has still not made it’s debut yet). One downside though is that because it’s such a light color, the leather changes color when you drop water on it. I tried spraying it with some apple guard, I think it made the lleather color half a shade darker even after it dried. I then flicked water on it. Sadly it did not slide off as I’d hope it would. Hopefully though the apple guard will still provide it with some protection like it does Vuitton bag handles.

Did I mention that 2 days after I bought it, Shopbop went on a 20% off on sale shoe special sale? I was very upset!

*****

Oh stress, look what you made me buy this weekend:

At 4.5″, this pair of Frye Grace woven t strap platform sandal completely goes against my sensible and practical nature. I might fall on my face or twist my ankle trying to walk in them. Either way, given my clumsy nature, I will most probably hurt myself.

On the other hand, my shoe radar has been picking up a lot crazy high sandals this season. And so, pushed by stress and weekend blues (yes it is possible to get the blues even on weekends!), I rationed that with the 2.25″ platform they are effectively only 3.25″ high- not too impossible to walk in. If models can walk in 6″ heels, I should at least learn to walk in 3.25″ ones. Besides, while these sandals are crazy high (to my standards), they’re not crazy crazy. The style itself is very simple, elegant and girly, striking a good balance between crazy and pretty.

I debated between the dark brown and the natural. The dark brown is classic, and reminds me of this pair of Miu Miu’s HG bought a few years back (which are still very pretty and wearable!). The natural is more girly and pretty, and will fit in better with the whole nude theme going on lately. In the end my friend G convinced me that the natural color would look better on me because it would create the illusion that they are an extension of my legs- you can’t beat that logic!

P.S. In honor of these gorgeous platform sandals, I’ve decided to name my BA II Plus Professional calculator “Grace.”

Image Source: ShopBop

Update: The other day I walked 1 mile in these and felt like my feet were being crushed on both sides. I think the tip is too narrow. I can only imagine how painful it is back then when women binded their feet!

On the bright side, these shoes came up at the Gilt.com sample sale and they exactly the same price as I’d gotten them!

*****

When I went to “scout” out the latest offerings on sale last Friday at Bloomies, I came across the Cole Haan Fiona mid air pumps which I’d been stalking for the longest time (I had even put in a proxy order through my friend to get it for me if she see’s it at the sample sale last month- but alas I hear that the line was long and the offerings were thin). Casually, I picked it up to check out the price (to see if they’re on sale) and did a double take. I couldn’t believe my eyes! The pumps, originally sold at $275 (and currently on sale on the Cole Haan website for $189), was priced at $120! And no, they were NOT on sale. What are wrong with them? How is this possible? Seriously confused, I immediately called my friend for consult. She wisely advised me to stop thinking about it and just get them. And so I did.

 Of course once I got home I still couldn’t stop thinking about them- especially when I realized that they’re not as comfortable as I imagined them to be and that I already owned something very similar. Except mine are regular black leather, half an inch shorter (I measured them with a ruler), not as narrow in the front as this one and looks a bit more elegant (you got to admit, these look a bit stumpy). As I saw other more summery and gorgeous looking sandals online, the lesson about opportunity costs came rushing back into my mind, I decided to return them.

But then just when I was about to execute the return in favor of greener, cuter pastures, I realized that the pumps were no longer on display. The lady at the counter told me that the price was so good that it sold out in 2 days! That was when the little voice in my head told me that if I returned them now I will never find this deal again (I’m convinced that Bloomies mispriced them!) and that I can wear these all the time and not be too heart broken about trashing them (I would be upset if I trashed my other ones though). One can never have too many sensible, black, (relatively) comfortable, pointy pumps, right?

Some of my intitial distaste for the maxi were also due to concerns about looking short (When one is 5’3″, one must employ all possible illusions to look tall) or like a hobo (please, I thought we left that in the 90s).

Indeed, Nicole Richie and Jessica Alba has proven that one can indeed look short or like a hobo in a maxi dresss. But one can always learn from other’s mistakes:

1. As a reader point it out, if you’re curvy and not pregnant, you might want to avoid figure hugging maxi dresses and go for something more empire waisted- unless you want to show off your baby. Although I really don’t think I wanted to see the shape of Nicole’s underwear.
2. Keep it clean. The many drapings, the long sleeves, the bold floral prints AND the floor length dress all weigh Nicole down, making her look short. Stick to just one or two of these details.
3.  Stay away from boho looking prints i.e. paisley and tiers on the skirt- especially the tiers that ruch in like Jessica’s dress at the bottom. I never understood why they keep making those tiered ruched up dresses. It chops the body up into pieces and does nothing for the wearer.

To look good in a maxi dress when you’re short, take some tips from Eva Longoria and Rachel Bilson:

1. Boost yourself up a few inches with wedges and pick a maxi dress that falls just  to your feet. It gives the illusion that you have very long legs.
2. If you want to keep it casual with flats, pick a maxi dress that falls to the middle of your calves.
3. If you DO go floor length with flats, keep the style and the print simple. Rachel achieves the balance beautifully with the floral skirt and the white tank (center).

Have fun with them this summer!

Last year when I first started seeing maxi dresses, I was really hoping that it would be one of those trends that would come and go away. Maxi dresses were firmly categorized in my mind as beach/resort/boho wear and therefore had no place on the streets. But it seems that maxi dresses are here stay in the city for at least another year (they even have their own dress category on Shopbop!, I think I’m finally coming around to them!  The key is to find the right maxi dress that has the right balance between the beach and the city. Here are a few suggestions:

Choose bold colorful prints and stay away from tie dye and ethnic paisley prints. Those make you look like they picked it up from the markets in Bali. Nothing against picking things up on the streets of Bali, but if you’re going to spend more than $150 on a maxi dress, it should at least look the price. These ones here will take you from from the beach and into the city. For the city, you might also consider whipping on a cute crop denim jacket or leather jacket (depending on the weather) to make it look edgier.

Then there are the romantic floral prints. They are girly, flirty and summery. I am in LOVE with the Jill Stuart dress here (left). The bold colors and floral pattern strikes just the right balance between looking old fashion and looking chic. I also love the Elizabeth and James dress in the middle. Check out the tulip hem!

I also came acrosss some pretty prints/colors/styles that were pretty refreshing. I love Alice and Olivia dress (center). It looks like a water color! And the halter neckline of the Only Hearts dress (right) is interesting. It reminds me of a dress S wore in GG last season!

When all else fails, stick to the basics. Kiera Knightley and Lauren Conrad here are the epitome of keeping it simple. All you need to do is switch in your large tote bag and flip flops, for a clutch and some killer heels for the night!

Image Source: Saks and Shopbop

Ralph Lauren is on their not-so-private private sale right now until Thursday. You even get a extra 15% off if you type in MAY1418 at check out!

I don’t know about you, but I do believe that one can never have enough cable cashmere sweaters. They never go out of style. They are flattering. They are super warm. AND they come in so many different gorgeous colors!

As I mentioned before, I dropped by the Mara Hoffman sample sale when I was in NYC last month. Frankly I’ve never really been a fan, since my taste runs along the classic and the clean, but since it was the only decent sounding sample sale in NYC that weekend and I figured that it couldn’t hurt if I got one really colorful and printed item to spice up my current wardrobe, I went- and was pleasantly surprised!

We went at the very end of the sale, so there weren’t many people (maybe 2 or 3 others?), so the atmosphere as pleasantly chill. Initially I was skeptical with all the odd draping, bright colors and the prints, but eventually after trying on a few, I started coming around to them. When the print and the style is right, it’s is hard not to love it. Mara Hoffman offers a lot of choices from the classic to the creative for each print, so there is something for everything. I was going to get this dress that was more out there with a t shaped back and bat like wings, but at the end of the day I couldn’t sway too far from my norm. I fell in love with this multi color striped spaghetti strap dress (above) and just HAD to get it. I tried it on and I just knew it was me! It comes with a simple tie at the waist too, which makes the dress much shaplier than the picture above. I also picked up a simple orange silk top. Orange is not usually my color.. but it looked so pristine and fresh hanging there on the rack I thought I’d make an exception. I imagined it would make a great work shirt to wear under jackets in spring/summer. Except now that I’m home I’m trying to figure out what to wear it with… I don’t like the orange/blue contrast, but I don’t want to look like Halloween either with black, which only leaves white….

But anyway, I think I need to re-categorize Mara Hoffman in my mind. Shopbop has a poor representation of her collection, only showing her more beachy looking stuff. But in fact, she has much more to offer (witness looks above)!

My friend and I had a fabulous time. This isn’t my first sample sale, but it is the first one with a friend, and there is a remarkable difference in experience when there is someone with you playing the devil and egging you on a spending spree (and vice versa). It was an incredibly bonding experience. If every sample sale is like this, I do believe I need to move to NYC!

Image Source: Mara Hoffman

Update: I wore this dress the other week to my friend’s birthday. It was cold that day and I paired it with purple tights and black pumps. I love how versatile it is to be dressed up or down for different types of weather!

*****

I did a lot of damage today…. what turned out to be a “scouting” trip became a shopping trip. I went to Saks tonight thinking that everyone else would have a social life and I can scout out the sale in peace (and indeed customers were scarce), but really the sale is not that great. The pieces were few and the mark down not that great. There were lots of racks at 30% off and very few 60% off. I went in there thinking to scout out pieces to update my spring/summer wardrobe with. Some bright colors, basics (maybe a shirt dress?) or summer sandals..and I came out with the Theory Boasa dress.

It is neither really colorful nor summery and it does not look anything like a dress shirt either. I only just grabbed it  because it was on the 60% off rack and it looked kind of cute. But oh, when I put it on, it looked really cute!!! I love how the skirt flares. I love how simple and casual it looks (and yet definitely works for dinner ). And I love how I can wear it with black tights when the weather gets cool again. Besides, it is the only one left on the rack and it is 60% off- it can’t go down much further. And so, without my usual consultation with HG I bought it…. but now that I’m home I’m having second thoughts. It is only the beginning of the season…. I can probably wait it out and get something better value for the money and much more summery. Granted I did try on a very colorful, summery DVF sheer shirt dress that actually made me feel a bit dowdy and not half as cute …… ahh opportunity costs! Thoughts? Should I keep it, or save up for greener and richer pastures in a few weeks time?

On a side note, these pair of Cole Haan sling backs also caught my eye. They are amazingly comfortable. Those Nike air technology really works! The color is quite nice, the height is just right to be walkable and it’s really quite classic. Except I then realized that I already own two black and one nude pair of sling back peep toe heels (they’re always the ones that go on sale!), and do I really need another pair of a similar style in red?

Image Source: Saks

As expected, Saks is going on “Private” sale this weekend up to 40% off (except it’s not really that private since it is all over their website)- which means it is finally time to start looking for this season’s updates!

Ever since the season started, I’ve had my eye on the DVF Rosina dress. I’ve always wanted a shirt dress, but never found the right one. This one could be it though! The design is simple but sophisticated. The shape is clean and feminine with the flared skirts and the tie at the waist. It buttons all the way up, so it fits all chest size (you know how there are ones that have a lower v that only fits those with the assets to carry it off?). The vibrant colors offered allows you to “pop” in the color that best suits you. This dress is the epitome of a shirt dress!

I tried it on the other day (trying to decide which color suits me most.. I’m thinking the red/yellow, but am not sure if it looks too bright, but the blue looks..kind of dull on me) and it fits and moves just like how I imagined it to be. There is one thing though… it might look a bit too sophisticated for me. Indeed, I’ve already caught two celebs in their mid to late thirties wearing the same dress I’ve been coveting. It makes me think that maybe I should go for something more youthful like the Sosie dress Michelle Trachtenberg is wearing (though this one is not on sale yet- give it two more weeks). The Sosie dress has the added benefit of being perfect for summer, whereas the Rosina dress is more of a go-between dress that is too cold for winter and too hot for summer. Thoughts?

In the mean time, I think I’m ready to close the deal on these Tory Burch Thora thongs in white. I have been wanting them since last July (I have proof!) and it looks like it will run out of color/size before it goes on sale. Though it does chafe a bit to know that these flip flops are $115, when I could’ve gotten some amazing Manolos for almost the same price if only I was in NYC this week.

Image Source: Saks and Tory Burch