Gently Loved: Shopping Yoogi’s Closet

I was recently introduced to Yoogi’s Closet by one of my sisters who happens to share my interest in shoes.  She and I have widely different tastes in shoes and fashion, but we both appreciate a good value. And Yoogi’s Closet is all about getting value for your shopping dollar.

Their vision, in their own words:

All photos via Yoogi’s Closet website except where otherwise noted.

Yoogi’s Closet is a service for buying and selling authentic pre-owned luxury items.

• Widen the customer base for exclusive luxury brands by providing a trusted source for gently used luxury goods.
• Only offer items that were guaranteed to be authentic and could serve as an affordable alternative to replicas (yuck!).
• Offer a return policy that matched or exceeded that for new goods purchased from authorized retailers.
• Provide a way for owners to sell or trade-in their luxury items to a trusted source.

Yoogi’s closet is a favorite for Sis when she is feeling window-shoppy and doesn’t want the guilt & sticker shock encountered at full-retail websites (you all know the ones I’m talking about).  Of course, like anything else, if you are prone to BUI (buying under the influence), you might want to avoid Yoogi’s if you have already had a glass or two of wine and haven’t locked up your credit cards.

On the other hand, if you are currently in the market for new pair of shoes or designer bag, it’s worth your time to take a peek.

Here are just a few bargains to be had at the moment:

Jimmy Choo Beige Crystal Calf Boots size 11.5 $325

Louis Vuitton Damier Pony Hair Bowtie Heels size 9 $365

Yves St. Laurent Fuschia Vitello Platform Sandals size 9 $365

Christian Louboutin Red Patent Rolando Decolette Vernice Chic Platform size 5 $485

Yoogi’s Closet is easy to navigate and allows you to shop by size, color, price point, or designer. The stock changes periodically, so you never know what you will find.

My sister loves the site and recently took the shopping plunge.  Her shoes arrived within days and look fabulous.

Her purchase? A pair of amazing, green, Manolo Blahnik sandals:

Photo taken by L. W.

Unfortunately, I will have to wait awhile while I continue to reduce my debt load before I can do more than window shop here. But, that doesn’t have to stop any of you folks who are less contrained budget-wise than I.

Designer style that doesn’t leave you in the poorhouse is welcome at any time.

Neutral shoes don’t have to be boring.

We all love neutral shoes. Black, brown, tan, white…after all, these basics pretty much match everything in your closet.

But, do the true neutrals (notice I am not including red here), really need to fade into the background?  Chanel, with their contrasting cap toes and color-blocked shoes obviously doesn’t believe this is the case. They understand that understated colors are made fabulous by their details. And it looks like other shoe designers are getting in on the action with some show-stopping neutral-toned shoes of their own.

So far, these are my favorites so far for 2010; Neutral in color , perhaps, but not in style or attitude:

Maison Martin Margiela two-tone leather sandals $695 at Net-a-porter.com

Tabitha Simmons Bunty suede wedge pumps $1210 at Net-a-porter.com

Max Kibardian Dragonfly T-strap sandals $650 at Saks.com

Jimmy Choo Embellished ankle wrap sandals $1395 at Saks.com

Alexander McQueen cutout leather ankle boots $995 at Saks.com & Net-a-porter.com

Prada Multi-strap pumps $850 at Saks.com

I love each and every pair of these. They all have such individual personality and character – or is that too much meaning to invest into a simple shoe?

Nonetheless, swoon-worthy they remain, so there.

So, how do you feel about neutrals stepping into the role of statement shoe? Because these are so-called neutral shoes that will not allow you to stand in the background acting as a wallflower.

Ad Campaigns for Spring 2010

A ton of money goes into ad campaigns as the fashion industry tries to convince us to purchase their product.  The US fashion industry alone spent $144 billion on advertising last year.   Several lines have released some of their ads for Spring and Summer 2010.   Some are great, some are not. Let’s have a look.

Balenciaga

Cesare Paciotti

Jimmy Choo

I am weary of the pouting, leggy girl, wearing nothing more than lingerie, heels and a come hither look, sitting or laying on a sofa/chair, with soft focus.  Virtually every shoe, handbag, fragrance, lingerie, and cosmetic advertisement features at least three of these components.  Snore.

Alexander McQueen’s ad is visually striking.  It took me a while to find the shoes, then the girl.  It’s a great ad, but the only thing I see is snakes.

Humor in ads almost always attracts me, which is why this Giuseppi Zanotti is one of my favorites.  I can’t decide which is cuter, the boy or the shoe.

If the product is not attractive, such as the Alexander McQueen or Balenciaga shoes, then a striking advertisement will make no difference.  I’m not buying it.  With the Paciotti and Choo shoes, the ad is tiresome, but it does let me get a look at the shoes.  The Zanotti ad is able to feature a shoe and not annoy me.  That boy is SO cute.  It does it’s job.  Which ads work for you, which ones don’t?

Update:  Here’s Chanel’s Spring 2010 which was shot by Karl Lagerfield.

This Week in Shoes

Okay, we kind of took a break after the New Years holiday, so some of this is more ‘This Month’ than ‘This Week’, but here goes:

From today’s twitterstream:

A history of platforms, found by shoebizness.com:

Check out Claudia Lynch’s  ‘Shoe Stories’ Glicee prints …. I am in love and now want several of these.

(Prints & notecards available at www.claudialynch.com)

And, from everywhere else:

Jimmy Choo has launched their Choo 24:7 line of shoes; HiFashion also blogs a peek-a-boo on these.

(I’m a sucker for this Leila Mary Jane $525)

Stylebubble shows us ‘scoots’ (convertible scarf boots) by Russy Valenki:

(Photo c/o russyvalenki.com)

Via wallpaper, a peek at the unique storefront of the recently-opened  Christian Louboutin boutique in Miami.

Via formspring.me, one gal’s solution to the (all too common) shoe-fund dilemma.

And, not particularly shoe-related, but worth a read, the ‘Why I hate Fashion’ rant by Tanya Gold along with some alternate perspectives on this whole fashion-thing.

Choo and Uggs Co-branding

Last week Jimmy Choo and Uggs announced they are going to work together to produce a limited edition co-branded collection available in October 2010.  I am not sure how to react.  Nordstroms played a major part in the two lines talking to each other.  Jimmy Choo and Ugg were the Nordstrom Partners in Excellence recipients last year.   Apparently Jimmy Choo CEO, Josh Schulman met Ugg President, Connie Rishwain at the Nordstrom awards ceremony in Seattle last May.  They began talking and found out how much they admired each other’s shoes. 

What could a ChUggs look like?  (I made this name up.)

A shearling patent leather pump perhaps?

Or perhaps a stiletto sock:

I think I have seen something like this before.  *Shudder*  My photoshopping skills leave a bit to be desired. 

With all kidding aside, this collaboration has many in the shoe industry quite excited.  It will be interesting to see what they offer.