LAMB vs. Dollhouse & Type Z

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell when a style is simply inspired by recent trends rather than a knockoff of a specific designer’s shoe.

Not so in this case.

Behold spring’s ‘Joelle’ from the LAMB shoe line.

LAMB ‘Joelle’ $383 $251.99 via Heels.com , $208.45 via Endless.com & $195 via Zappos.com

(more…)

Christian Louboutin: Armony Spats Ankle Boots

I loved the look of LAMB’s Spatted pump from several seasons ago:

(LAMB ‘Crowther’; originally retail at just under $400, currently unavailable)

Unfortunately for my shoe-collection, but not so much for my budget, I passed on the opportunity to purchase these. Which, honestly, is just as well. These spatted pumps were one of those styles that I adored looking at, but could never quite imagine how I might wear them in real life. Though, with the resurgence of leggings and skinny jeans, maybe they aren’t so impractical after all. But, this shows that even for a shoe-hound like me, practicality occasionally wins out against my instinctive  “Oh, look, a sparkly!” acquisitive tendencies.

In a bit of twisted luck, the newest incarnation of spatted footwear is so far out of my price range as to be no threat to my ongoing efforts to maintain a healthy budget. Making them appropriate, in my case, as a mere Sunday diversion… which is not to say they won’t work out for someone who not only looks good in the aforementioned skinny jeans and  leggings (which is not me – at least not in my current body) but who is also less budgetarily-constrained as I am/will continue to be for the next year or so.

Christian Louboutin “Armony” ankle boots with removeable cuff $1395 at Saks.com

Hope you enjoyed the Sunday eye candy.

Rachel Zoe’s Picks for Piperlime

I love Rachel Zoe! Her personal style, and that of her famous clients, is well documented. I especially love her sky high heels worn with wide-leg pants! As a loyal fan of her Bravo reality show, The Rachel Zoe Project, I dream of her firing her current assistant Brad and instead hiring me (Rachel Zoe, if you’re reading this, I’m totally serious and a very hard worker!).

As documented on the last season of her reality show, Rachel Zoe is now working as a guest editor for Piperlime. I totally want to buy every single pair of shoes she’s picked out on Piperlime! Here are a few of my favorites!

L.A.M.B. Vail platform for $299 at Piperlime (also available at Zappos for $303).

Cynthia Vincent Odeon sandal for $250 at Piperlime.

Elizabeth and James Mason pump in pink for $350 at Piperlime (also available in lime). Zappos also has the shoe for $354.

Missoni Squishy Flat for $390 at Piperlime.

Pantone’s Color of the Year: Turquoise

I’m not one for following every color trend that comes along.

As I push on closer and closer to (age) 40, I tend to stick with those colors that have proved to be complimentary to me over the years. Luckily, pretty much anything in the blue color family works for me.

Plus, with something close to an even zillion re-tweets last week of Pantone’s Color of 2010, this particular color trend seemed worth mentioning.

It will certainly be interesting to see if fashion and shoe trends fall in line with this prediction. It makes sense given the current resurgence of 80′s-inspired fashion that several of the staple colors from that decade, including turquoise and fuschia, would make an appearance. I also recall seeing a significant increase in both turqoise and fuschia sandals last spring and summer, so maybe this is less of a prediction than an acknowledgement of an emerging trend.

So, here it is:

15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the color of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

Luckily for me, I already have my turquoise for the year – care of a few great sales last spring:

Guess ‘Chiquita” & LAMB watch

Sandals by ‘Hot in Hollywood’

Report Signature’s ‘Dita’

Okay, I’ll admit, the last is more of a faboulous sky blue, but what’s the point if all of my shoes are the exact same shade?

Anyway, while I doubt any of these shoes from my collection are still available anywhere but the retail aftermarket, there are still a huge number of fantastic turquoise options for you to choose from right now.

Among them:

Christian Louboutin Double Platform Knotted Mule $895 at Nieman Marcus

Christian Louboutin Glitter Peep Toe Pumps $725 at Nieman Marcus

Stuart Weitzman Turquoise Embellished Strappy Sandals $395 at Saks.com

And, for the slightly more budget-conscious:

Jeffrey Campbell ‘Downtown’ Bootie $139.95

Poetic License ‘Kiss and Tell’ $94.95 at Nordstrom.com

Tory Burch Reva Jelly Flats $95 at Saks.com

Steve Madden ‘Saahara’ $49.95 at Nordstrom

And, for the extreme frugalista:

Montege Bay ‘Oscar Bow’ $16.99 $12.99 at Payless.com

Montego Bay ‘Marissa’ sandal $19.99 at Payless.com

So, will you be on the hunt for the perfect turquoise footwear this year?

6pm.com Sale: Up to 80% off LAMB, Zanotti, & more

I don’t usually like the phrase “Go, Shop, Save” since it normally involves a lot more spending to ‘get’ the supposed ‘saving’ of money. But, at 80% off of some items this is a great time to look and see if any of the items that were unreachable at $100, $300, $400 are now within reasonable prices for those of us on serious budgets.

My recurring crush, the Harajuku Lovers ‘Paley’ is 20 bucks – yes, $20. Can we say, ‘Insane and tempting clearance prices!’ Holy cow, Christmas may be affordable after all.

This LAMB ‘Hip’ oxford also caught my eye at $120 down from $400. I love sexy oxfords for fall and winter outfits. There are also about 2 dozen other LAMB styles (Primarily hot, strappy sandals) on clearance as well.

And, let’s not forget Giuseppi Zanotti. This Giuseppi Zanotti E90172 is a great strappy platform that needs an appreciative home. This baby is $175 – down from $875 original retail. Check out the 6pm.com sale for even more styles.

So, what are you waiting for? These 6pm clearance specials tend to sell out quickly!