Here’s the thing -

I am really interested in adding a cute, criss-cross, strappy pump to my closet. There are dozens and dozens of shoes that fit this description, yet I keep coming back to these shoes:

Shoes for Lovely People Bombshell $90 $126 at Zappos.com

I have been grooving on these shoes since spring. And, while I really like the black pair, it is the somewhat impractical, metallic red,  faux-snakeskin pair that keeps drawing me back in to see if these have gone on sale yet anywhere online (wow, they are now on sale at Zappos)….the gold ones just give me flashbacks to 80’s Solid Gold episodes - high heels and spandex, *shudders*.

Also, for some reason when I look at these, the phrase “Surrender Dorothy” runs through my mind….but in a fun way. But there’s no way you’re gonna get me to wear a blue-gingham checked dress with these.  More like a black cocktail dress or dark wash denim paired with a tailored button-down blouse.

I was expecting the siren call of these to fade as the months passed, but something about them won’t let go of me.  Perhaps I am subconsciously seeking a pair of my own iconic ruby slippers with all of their magical and transformative powers?

Or, maybe it’s more simple and  I’m just doomed to remain hopelessly, happily shoe-obsessed.

I can handle that.

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These are not your Grandma’s boots. And, to a boot-lover like me, that is a good thing.

Gucci Riddle Lace-up Boot $1690 at Saks.com

I love the equestrian-reference of the lower lacing.  Add to that the slightly military-feel of the buckled calf details and you wind up with a boot that is not quite granny, not quite riding boot, and 100% fabulous.

I love how these boots feel like an updated classic. They are just fresh enough not to blend in as just another cookie-cutter granny boot, but are still classy and sexy enough that you can easily get years of wear-ability from them - whether they are matched with casual jeans or a hot pencil skirt.

How would you wear a pair of boots like these?

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Okay, it’s official.

I am becoming more and more smitten by offerings coming out of Dsquared2.

My crush may even be deep enough that when Hubby & I finally reach debt-free status, (sometime toward next fall if things continue to proceed apace) I might even consider paying full retail once or twice a year for a lust-shoe or two from this design house.

Today’s example:

Dsquared2 Open Toe Pump Frou Frou Camoscio $911 at Zappos.com

Holy cow! And this is while staying with a monochromatic black color scheme - with the exception of the lining. These are anything but boring; filled with eye-catching textural details and contrasts from the ruffles to ribbon to croc-embossed heel…..

These shoe are both fierce and unapologetically feminine at the same time.

I am in deep smit, indeed.

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Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Landsbury were at the Etcetera Etcetra Restaurant as part of “A Little Night Music” celebrations.  When I grow up I want to be like Angela.  I can’t tell what kind of shoe she is wearing, however I will assume they are low heeled pumps because Ms. Landsbury is 84 and I can’t imagine her tottering about in platforms.  She is beautiful.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is wearing a black Alexander McQueen dress, also seen on Anna Paquin and Cameron Diaz, with red accessories.  I used to think this was a wonderful way to put an outfit together but I have seen it too many times, so has become a “safe” way to put an outfit together.  That being said, since this dress has red piping on the zipper this works better than most.

CZJ’s shoes are Yves Saint Laurent Eelskin pumps, $875 at Bergdorf Goodman.  Gorgeous.  YSL hit a home run with their Trib and Trib 2, but it is refreshing to see a celebrity wearing something different. 

LOVE the color; love the shape; love the material. 

These are my Holiday Lust Shoes.

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I recently went to see Julie and Julia which I enjoyed, in large part, because of the marvelous period costumes worn by Meryl Streep though I have to say her Julia Child accent was also highly entertaining. As we all know, Julia Child was a towering pillar of a women standing at six feet 2 inches with size 12 feet and, for her role, Meryl Steep needed to grow 6 to 8 inches if she wanted to create a fairly accurate portrayal. Needless to say the crew did a lot with camera angles to achieve an illusion of the vast height difference between Streep’s Julia and Stanley Tucci, who plays Paul Child, as well as the other actors in the film. Also, very important, of course, was what Streep wore on her feet. In the film, I noticed that the camera often cut off Streep’s feet or hid them behind picturesque French fruit vendors or similar props. On the internet, it was also quite difficult to come by photos of Streep’s feet in the film.

Of course Streep wore lifts and platform heels to make herself taller, and some of them were pretty intense. These green striped wedges must have been used for a scene when she needed to be standing right next to someone she should have towered over.

When Streep was sitting, she was able to come down a notch or two. These green pumps are a bit more normal.

When she was a lone in a scene she still had to look huge. The props department custom built sets that were a bit shrunken in order to continue the illusion. These hidden platform spectator heels also helped.

It was well-known that Julia Child tended to wear very sensible shoes with low-heels most of the time. And though the need to make Streep taller made the costumes very slightly historically inaccurate, it was definitely necessary in this case. I think the costume and set designers really had their work cut out for them and they did an excellent job. The movie was sweet and enjoyable, particularly the parts set in 1950s Paris. It does bring up a question of what moviegoers think of historical innacuracies in film, especially those that actually endeavor to stick to actual reality.

Here are a few more costumes from the film (no shoes visible unfortunately).

This photo also shows Jane Lynch (famous from Glee, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Role Models) She was hilarious as Julia’s sister Dorothy.

In learning about this film, I also read that there was a significant food budget for the making of it. While, in the past, food in films was often cut from soap or shellacked into submission, for Julie and Julie the food was not only edible, most of it was exactly what it claimed to be. A rare and expensive brie was in fact a rare and expensive brie. Amy Adams took cooking lessons so she could emulate someone with pretty extensive cooking skills. Pretty fun set!

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