Definitely Not a Shoe Snob….but

I’m definitely not a shoe snob but I don’t want a closet full of PVC shoes either. A co-worker of mine asked me yesterday how many shoes I owned. I told her around 75 pairs (excluding boots and flats) and that I rotate them out so it’s never more then 70 to 75 pairs at one time. She told me that she owned 200 pairs of shoes. Now I’ve seen the type of shoes she wears and the majority of them are PVC brands like Anne Michelle, Delicious, Wild Diva, etc.

Though, there is nothing wrong with these brands because they are very affordable (most under $25), they do keep up with the latest trends and some are decent dupes of designer offerings. My personal issue with these brands most of the time is fabrication. That makes me personally, not want to have a lot of these kind of shoes in my closet.

A few pair here and there is fine, no biggie as a have like five pairs from F21 and they buy from shoe manufacturers like Qupid, Wild Diva, Anne Michelle, Michael Antonio and just stick their logo on it.

However, at some point I need to be able to resell my shoes. I have better luck if it’s a mid-price brand (Nine West, Guess) that most women are familiar with in terms of quality, sizing, etc. Plus, I have been able to find mid-priced shoes on sale or clearance at the same or a few dollars over the price of the PVC ones at stores like Ross for Less, the clearance rack at T.J. Maxx, Amazon, and some department stores as well. I’m all about saving money but if I can pick up a pair of Guess shoes for $28 dollars vs. a PVC shoe at $24, I mean that’s a no-brainer, go for the better made shoes for the extra $4 bucks. If you’re a good bargain shopper you can find these deals and you won’t have to resort to stocking your entire shoe rack with non-leather shoes.

Fergie Ravish Pumps

I’ve tried these shoes on two weeks ago at Belk and loved the color, but decided to wait on a sale. I called Belk after I got a $10 coupon via email to see if they had reduced the shoes for their Veteran’s Day sale. They did mark these down to $49.99 from $89 and with the $10 coupon final price was $44.

NYX Eyeshadow Base

I went on cherry-culture.com the other day since they send me a 20% promo code and found this new product from NYX. They are now making an eyeshadow base. The price is $6. I went ahead and ordered it because I’ve been using Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (purchase at Sephora for $17) and I’ve been trying to find a more affordable alternative. I just think $17 is too much money to pay for a freaking eye shadow primer.   In looking for a more affordable primer I tried L’oreal De-Crease Eyeshadow Base (which sells for about $7 to $8) and it was absolutely horrible – FAIL! It’s just very drying on my lids and made my powdered eyeshadow very hard to blend. So am going to try NYX eyeshadow base and I seriously hope that I have good results with it, because even though the UDPP works well, am just not happy with the price for the amount of product you get. I plan to wear the UDPP on one lid and the NYX Base on the other and see how long it keeps my eyeshadow from ceasing and fading vs the UDPP. I will let you guys know the good, bad and the ugly.

Channeling Joan Clayton from Girlfriends

- Purple Bat Sleeve Top – CATOs - Pencil Skirt – NY&Co - Metallic Belt – Nobo - Snakeskin Peep-toes – Michael Shannon

One of my favorite TV shows before stupid ass CW cancelled the show was Girlfriends. It’s now in syndication on WETV. I absolutely love this show, it ran for 8 years and it was in my opinion, a great sitcom that a lot of African American women enjoyed. A lot of people were pissed when CW just gave it the axe without a proper finale to the show.One of the things I loved about the show was Joan Clayton’s wardrobe. She worn a lot nice pieces that I would’ve loved to have in my wardrobe and she had a clutch collection to die for. I’m channeling some of her vibe in this outfit.

To The Max Knit Dress

I had a little time to kill waiting to get some new tires and decided to pick up a few things at Walmart next to tire shop. I came across this grey knit To The Max dress marked down to $15. Ran into the dressing room real quick just to see if this was a “go”. Absolutely love it! I thought this would go perfectly with these Carlos Santana knee length boots I just brought from Burlington, but I wanted to try it with my favorite ankle boots first. Really feeling this look. Not sure if I need to add a necklace or what since the neckline is unusual enough as it is.   ——————————————————————————– Grey Knit Dress – To The Max Tan Leather Belt – Thrifted Black Suede Booties – F21 Various Bracelets – Jr. Stores

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH

Today was suppose to be my day off, but since we are planning another fundraiser (yet again) I had to come in. I was only suppose to be in until 12pm. Didn’t leave work until 3:00 pm my whole day is like shot and I got a monster headache. Arrrrggg! I need a green tea latte right about now. Everybody have a great weekend!! - Army Green Blazer – Sears - Abstract Pencil Skirt – NY&Co - Flower Pins – H&M - Fuschia Pumps – Michael Shannon - Brown Leather Belt – Thrifted

NY & Company Holiday 2009

Draped Style Dress – Part II

Okay here is the mustard colored one. Man, I know if I gain 5 pounds I will have to put this dress in the back of my closet for sure. I love it but I got to be as lean as possible to be able to pull this off. I still could stand to lose 10 pounds…..don’t know what my strategy is yet, too hungry to think about it (lol). Just kidding maybe another 5 and that’s it! My clothes would look better but the add’l lost would take a toll on my face. I think this dress would be good with super high (5 inch) booties from someplace like Bebe or something. Do you like the mustard color better? I kept the tag on in case I change my mind and want to return it. Let me add that this dress would look and work much better on someone who is 5′5 or taller. So if you are blessed with height this dress might me a nice option for you. - Mustard Dress – Allen B./ JC Penney - Brown Croc Finish Belt – NY&Co - Multi-Color Platforms – F21 - Necklace – 1928

Trying Something New – Draping

Coming out of my comfort zone this week. I really want to try and work some of these great tops and dresses with a lot of draping into my wardrobe. I know I have to be so careful because of my screwed up body type, which I can not stand! Why couldn’t I be born with an evenly proportioned body dammit (like my girl SJP), then my clothing selection wouldn’t be so limited. Okay let me come down a thousands. (Talking to myself: Just work with what ya got girl, can’t do nothing about it.) I’ve been seeing a lot of draping and ruching on the runway this season so I’m trying to channel that. I stumbled on this incredible dress at JC Penney with the look and feel I was searching for. Yes, ladies JCPenney from their Allen B. line and it was 50% off so it was $24.99 and I had a 15% off coupon. Total was $22.75. How freaking cool is that! This dress is shut-down status. They also had it in mustard as well (which I plan on going back to get). Love it!! What do you think? Can a short-waist person wear this kind of style? - Grey Dress – Allen B./JC Penney - Ornamented Belt – Wet Seal - Colbalt Blue Suede Pumps – Steve Madden