Category: Shopping

The One Where I Go Shoe Shopping

Let me start by doing what every parent does, more often than they’d like to admit, and that is blame something (I’d have a hard time justifying) on my kid. See, I just had to go to the mall. I did. My kid made me, because he is my kid and he considers going to the mall a social activity. He visits the mannequins. (I am serious.) And when we go to the mall, we have to go to Zara, because that’s where his favourite mannequins reside. And it all started at Zara.

I swear I was not looking. Well, I technically had my eyes open so I could steer one over-excited toddler and a stroller along, but I wasn’t looking looking, if you catch my drift. But, somehow, these caught my eye.

Zara sparkle ballet flats
Zara ballet flats

In my defence, they were very, very twinkly. I also blame the lighting at Zara, for making things extra twinkly.

I was in love in about a nano-second. Now, I already had a pair of rhinestone flats in my closet, but these … were special. For real. I’m not generally a big Zara fan, but honestly, these didn’t look like Zara flats to me. They looked Chanel-esque, if Chanel took to designing for Tinkerbell. They looked expensive. Scratch that. They were expensive. $80 for rhinestone encrusted mesh? No.

No, right? Right?!

The rational part of my brain eventually kicked in, and I steered the troops out of Zara, Tinkerbell shoes-free. (It helped that the biggest size they had was a touch too small. Comfort above all.) I did the sensible thing, and went to SoftMoc to look for the pair of Chucks that was actually on my to-buy list. And was rewarded by finding them on sale. Of course, this story doesn’t end here, because my name is Adina and I like to make things difficult for myself. Initially, the plan was to look for a grey pair. Eminently sensible and practical, yes? But then I saw the red pair. And it looked awfully cute. I like red shoes. My husband thinks red Chucks are awesome. My youngest has a hand-me-down pair of red Chucks from her older brother, and we could do a mother-daughter thing. Cute. So … What to do?

Converse Chucks red or grey
The red … or the grey???

Like any normal person would, I turned to social media. The consensus among my Facebook peeps was “grey”. Naturally, I bought the red. Went home, and promptly reconsidered. And then I made my poor husband drive back to the mall the next day so I could exchange them for the grey. What can I say – he has the fortitude, not to mention the patience, of a saint. But I love my grey Chucks, and they are ever so practical.

The end.

P.S. You didn’t really think that was the end, did you? Of course not. So, one late night not long thereafter, I somehow zombie-clicked my way on to the Zara website, and before I knew it, bam. A pair of Tinkerbell shoes were on their way to me. Sigh.

The end. Fer realz.

Weekend Shortlist

Happy Friday! Today, I want to talk about things I need would like to add to my closet. How is this different from every other Weekend Shortlist? It … well … um … let’s just get started, shall we?

Yellow Sandals

Miz Mooz yellow sandals
Miz Mooz

Little known fact: while I have a lot of shoes (42 pairs at last count), I don’t actually own many sandals – just 2 pairs, both bought within the last 6 months. Now, I’m still working on paring down my wardrobe, so I’m not looking to go sandal-crazy or anything, but one more pair would be nice. A yellow pair, to be precise. Don’t ask me why the sudden obsession with yellow footwear. (Though reading Caitlin Moran’s How To Be a Woman might have something to do with it – she writes that everyone should have a pair of yellow shoes.) I will tell you this: finding yellow shoes, and specifically sandals, is very, very difficult. I mean, nothing is impossible if you have an eBay account, but it ain’t easy either. I like the look of the Miz Mooz pair above, which I’ve found in my size but a little out of my budget. I also like the look of the J. Crew pair below.

J. Crew lena sandals
J. Crew Lena sandals

Basically, I don’t really know what I want, but as long as it’s yellow and doesn’t come with crazy high heels, I’m sold. If you guys have suggestions, shoot them my way.

Floral Skirt

Anthropologie floral skirt, Phosphorescence skirt
Anthropologie Phosphorescence skirt

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m bidding adieu to my thrifted floral skirt. Because I cannot allow the floral levels in my closet to dip even slightly, I am (of course) looking for a replacement. My first pick: the Phosphorescence skirt above. Some Google digging informed me that it went down to $20 on clearance way back in the day, which makes me a little bit reluctant to pay the eBay prices people are asking these days. Contributing to my reticence, I haven’t had the best luck with Anthro skirts bought off eBay. (Sizing issues, sigh.) So, tell me: do you think it’s worth, say, $60 or so?

I also have my eye on this skirt (also from Anthro) thanks to the stylish Lisa at Respect The Shoes. Who knew I liked orange so much?

Anthroplogie floral skirt; hamatreya skirt
Anthropologie Hamatreya skirt

And then, there is also this:

Oasis floral wrap skirt
Oasis floral wrap skirt

Thanks to my enabler (aka the lovely lady behind Spend Save Splurge) who brought it to my attention because she knows my Kryptonite. Flowers and birds? Done.

Pendant Necklace

Lulu Frost pendant
Lulu Frost pendant

So, I love my House of Harlow pendant, but I want more. Pendants, that is. I really, really want a Lulu Frost one, but it’s definitely not in the cards budget. Heck, Lulu Frost for J. Crew is not in the budget. I know I should be looking at Etsy, but I just can’t face 659 pages of necklaces to sort through, and I seem incapable of describing more specifically what I want. Art Deco-ish? Not overly bling-y? But, like, a little bit bling-y? Sigh.

I want Lulu Frost, dammit!

I could settle for this:

House of Harlow pendant locket
House of Harlow locket

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Shortlist

Hey guys! This has been a Very Bad, No Good Week for me, so let’s talk accessories. Accessories cure all, yes?

Frye Melissa Boots

Frye Melissa Boots
Frye Melissa Boots

Yep, I am the only person pining after boots in spring. I have been after a pair of these boots (in cognac or black, but preferably the former) for what feels like eternity plus a decade. So, at a minimum, about 4 months. The second I can find a pair, in my size, for under $250, you better believe that I will pounce on them. No joke. Even if it happens in June.

Rebecca Minkoff Leo Clutch

Rebecca Minkoff Leo Clutch
Rebecca Minkoff Leo Clutch

I am still waiting to find my perfect MAB, but in the meantime, I spotted this little guy. Cute, no? It’s only $105 or something similarly reasonable … ish. I mean, it is just a clutch, after all. I’m thinking that this might be a perfect purchase on which to burn some of my Holt Renfrew gift card. If I ever make it to Holt Renfrew, and if they have it in stock. Both of which are somewhat doubtful in the foreseeable future.

House of Harlow Starburst Pendant

House of Harlow Starburst Pendant
House of Harlow Starburst Pendant

Speaking of my HR gift card, I think a part of it will definitely have to go towards this pendant. The Look Good From the Back ladies are to blame for this one, both because they make pendants look uber cool, and because they introduced me to this particular pendant, which … is totally uber cool.

Talbots Anchor Belt

Talbots Anchor Belt
Talbots Anchor Belt

I need this belt, in cognac. That is all.

J. Crew Factory Striped Linen Mini Skirt

J. Crew Factory Linen Mini Skirt
J. Crew Factory Linen Mini Skirt

Okay, this is a skirt, not an accessory, but bear with me. I can’t find a picture of the striped mini, but it exists. I’ve seen it. I want it. I have the wool version of skirt (in black and plaid), and love it; the linen looks very wrinkle-prone in the other colours, but I think it would be less so with the stripes. Also, stripes – never a bad thing. But I don’t want to pay more than $20 for it, so I’m in for the long haul till this hits the clearance rack, probably in July.

Have a fab weekend!