Suede Shoes for Fall

There is something about suede that I find absolutely irresistable.  I love touching it.  I love the way it holds color.  I love the way it looks.  I have also heard many of you complain about water damage, so you have completely given up on wearing suede.  That’s understandable.  But, since I live in an area that gets 6 inches of rain a year, that isn’t an issue.  (I know it’s annoying to hear me chirp about our mild winters, but we also hit 113 degrees today, so I get what I deserve.)

Yesterday I was able to go to the local Nordstroms and nearly died.  They had about 30 pairs of suede shoes that I wanted to take home with me.  I did buy a couple of pairs, but  will have to wait to wear them because we won’t see autumn until mid- November.

Let’s see some suede shoes.   All these shoes are from Nordstroms.  Maybe you can guess which shoes I purchased. 

Kors Parker Wedge Pump. $150. (more…)

Libby Edelman Shoes: Too Cheap To Be Good?

During junior high and high school I was a big fan of Sam & Libby shoes. The price was right, the styles were cute, and the shoes were comfortable. At some point I had wondered what happened to Sam & Libby and the shoes I had once loved. Here’s a 1989 article from the New York Times about the designers, Sam and Libby Edelman.

After selling Sam & Libby, the Edelmans began designing shoes under the names Sam Edelman and Libby Edelman. I have a few pairs of Sam Edelman shoes and really like them! But it wasn’t until I saw a pair of Libby Edelman shoes in a magazine that I went to HSN‘s website to see the selection (HSN seems to have the largest selection).

Here’s the shoes I saw in a magazine:

Libby Edelman Patent Cutout pumps in pink (also available in gray, black, and yellow) for $59 at HSN.

The shoes look cute, but also uncomfortable and not particularly well made. While looking around HSN, I wasn’t that impressed with the overall style of the Libby Edelman shoes available. The shoes looked cheap and/or had too many embellishments.

This pair of gladiator’s did catch my eye:

Libby Edelman Gladiator sandals in black (also available in tan) for $59 at HSN.

Has anyone bought a pair of Libby Edelman shoes? And if so, how did you like the shoes?

CUSP Sale: Department Store Boutiques

Generally speaking, I do not care for department stores. They are too big, and, quite frankly, just too much in every respect. Yes, you can peruse an incredible selection and find some great deals, but it always takes me hours. It’s like I walk into a department store and remerge hours later completely overwhelmed. This is why I love boutiques! I can cover the entire store in a much more timely manner. But the downside is that the selection and markdowns are not always comparable to a department store.

CUSP, Neiman Marcus’s equivalent of Barney’s Co-Op, is my new favorite boutique department store! I bought a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag online a few months ago and was impressed with the website’s selection and prices. Yesterday I was walking down the street in Georgetown during my visit to Washington D.C. and spotted a brick and mortar CUSP (3030 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007)! I was so excited!

The store’s selection was amazing! I loved everything! I was there for about 45 minutes and felt like I covered the place. The staff, especially in the shoe department, was very helpful! The salesman informed me that if you request a sale item as “final sale” you save an additional 15%! This deal does not appear to be available online.

I bought these adorable Sam Edelman ballet flats in wine (they are also available in gray) on sale for $44. 

Sam Edelman Bow-Front Ballerina at CUSP for $44 (regularly $99)

Loeffler Randall colorblock pumps at CUSP for $191 (regularly $425)

Bloomingdale’s Summer Beach Window

Bloomingdale’s in New York is touting Sam Edelman Gogo flats. They’re available at Shoes.com for $115. I actually really like these despite the huge jewels, I think because the straps are a little different from traditional gladiators. With a pair of Rayban Wayfarers shown above the shoes (available at Shopbop.com for $139), all the rage these days when I was traveling in Europe and now in New York, why not? A good match for the beach, which I intend on heartily visiting this summer.

Sam Edelman from Coast to Coast

Sam Edelman is on sale in New York and San Francisco, and I’m sure in other places. I’ve always liked the flats, but I’ve never bought a pair.

These Edelman flats were on sale at David Z on Broadway in New York. I would wear all of them — they’re all chic and would blend from work to night.

These quieter puppies were in a shop in the Marina in San Francisco, the name of which immediately escapes me, unfortunately:

Have you worn Edelman flats? Are they a staple in your wardrobe? And are they comfy, or do they so utterly lack arch support like so many flats that you need to put inserts in them? I have a French/London Sole addiction, but they almost always require an arch support insert because they’re so very flat.

I also loved these Campbell flats, on sale at David Z as well.

Hello, I am pretty! The Jeffrey Campbell Bring Old Bronze for $94.00: