Shoe of the Week

I've kept my eyes peeled for a new pair of great boots.  I always look for something with a low heel so I can comfortably walk all over the city.  I recently spotted these Chain-Linked Knee Boots.  I think they'd look darling with jeans tucked in to really show off the detail, and they look like the perfect heel height.

Shoe of the Week

With all that has happened recently in New York... earthquake, hurricane, flooding, terror threats... I'm not sure how much more we can all take.  I thought it was time for something light-hearted like the Prada Bi-Color Suede Mary Jane Boots.

I think these are hilarious.  The $1,400.00 price tag not so much.  But what is even crazier is the line on Saks.com stating "DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, A CUSTOMER MAY ORDER NO MORE THAN 3 UNITS OF THIS ITEM EVERY THIRTY DAYS."

Shoe of the Week

In preparation for the hurricane, I thought a pair of Wellington's would be a must this weekend!  Some fun finds from the web...

Shoes of the Week

With the start of school and football season just around the corner, it's time to prep your fall wardrobe.  I hope you have a pair of wedges somewhere in your closet because they are everywhere!

Tall Boots:

Kate Spade New York Darya $498.00

Booties:

Anthropologie Belted Booties $198.00

Sandals:

DV by Dolce Vita Pali $87.00

Pumps have even morphed:

Christian Louboutin Sculpted Wedge Pumps $695.00

Comfort:

Naturalizer Ashby $79.00

Low:

Cole Haan Air Talia Suede Wedge Pumps $178.00

High:

Giuseppe Zanotti I17017 $750.00

Expensive:

Alexander McQueen Platform Suede Peep Toe Booties $1,050.00

Budget:

2 Lips Too Too Capture Wedge Bootie $49.95

Ornate:

Yves Saint Laurent Suede and Leather Wedge Pumps $995.00

Career:

Nine West Gingy Wedges $79.00

Even Rain Boots:

Hunter Wedge Rain Boots $175.00

And All-Weather Boots:

Sperry Top-Sider Brentwood $178.20

Shoe of the Week

Last year I was in love with the Valentino structural bow jelly thongs.  I never splurged and got them, but I definitely considered it on multiple occasions.  I thought they would have been perfect for our Barbados honeymoon.

I'm still not sick of the signature Valentino bow that we've seen so much of lately.

So I found a couple affordable updates and I'm still lovin' it.

Dolce Vita "Briar" Platform Pumps

$89.95

Enzo Angiolini 'Mistle' Pump

$89.95

Eataly

As I mentioned in my last post, last weekend I went to my favorite specialty food market Eataly.  Twice in fact.  I have a big love/hate relationship with the place.  On the love side, the place is fantastic and has every Italian food you could possibly want - pasta, bread, pizza, cheese, meats, produce, desserts, gelatto, coffee, wine, beer, limoncello, the list goes on.  But on the hate side, it is SO crowded ALL the time!  It's hard to enjoy the experience when you keep causing collisions by stopping to gaze at the breadcrumbs.

Friday night, my girl friends and I tried out the beer garden, Birreria.  I've been wanting to try it for awhile, but it has been very popular and I'm not the type of person that likes to wait to get in.  I finally summoned enough patience to give it a try.  Thank goodness because we waited an hour and a half to get upstairs.  In the meantime, we strolled around the market, I grabbed a foccacia sandwich, and then we found a seat at the bar area.

The foccacia was great, the waitress was not.  She announced that I could not sit in Eataly and eat my Eataly sandwich that I had purchased just five feet away from an Eataly vendor.  Huh?!?  That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  So I threw the sandwich at the waitress and kicked her in the shin.  No I didn't.  Instead, I had a glass of Barbera wine.  How could I pass up such a thing?  Can you read the name on the barrel?  :)

Finally, I got a text from the beer garden (it beats those giant buzzer-beeper things that those corny chain restaurants give you) and our spot was ready upstairs.  It could have great views (the Empire State Building and Flatiron building are in eyesight), but the way they designed the place doesn't really show them off.  We had a great time and drank some good new beers.  And the way we all felt the next morning makes me think they are a lot stronger than a regular draft beer.

The next day, my husband and I went grocery shopping and picked up Lidia's cookbook.  We bought the ingredients to make caprese, pasta from scratch, meatballs, sugu, and white sauce - all secret family recipes.  :)  More on that to come...

Staycation

We plan on staying in the city this weekend.  I'm looking forward to it - it's been awhile since we've done that.  I'm looking forward to sleeping in and finally getting back to the gym.  A patio crawl, brunch, UFC, and possibly putt putt golf are also in store.  And after this showed up at our door last night, I think a stop by Eataly is needed.  I cannot contain my excitement for this pretty jewel and our newest appliance:

And the fun doesn't stop there.  We got three pasta attachments too!

A HUGE THANK YOU is in order for the generous people behind this great restaurant.  If you are ever near Rockford, Illinois, please stop by Lino's.  I got the chance to try it last year around Christmas and fun was had by all.  The bread is stellar!  ;)  I just might have a connection to the bakery that makes it.  And everyone in our big group loved their meal.  Between all of us, we were able to sample a lot of their menu - salad, pizza, pasta - everything was delicious and service was fantastic.  They also have a recipe of the week section on their website.  I'm going to have to give some a try!

I hope the first attempt at homemade pasta isn't a total failure.  My in-laws might divorce me.

Shoe of the Week

Anyone that knows me knows that I love shoes.  What's not to love about them?  They always fit.  They may not always be comfortable, but they always fit.  Your dress size may fluctuate when you eat three Rolo McFlurries (is it McFlurries or McFlurrys?), but my shoe size stays a constant 8.5 and I like that I can count on that.

I work in men's shoes, so I am surrounded by hundreds of shoes in huge piles every day.  But men's shoes lack some of the fun trends you can find in women's footwear.  I see a lot of black, dark brown, and tan leather shoes.  Constantly.  So my Shoe of the Week feature will be my chance to drool over the whimsical, outrageous, pretty, sporty, etc.  I can't promise they will all be affordable or wearable, but they will be interesting.

When people ask who my favorite designer is, I can't answer with just one.  I feel like that's asking parents to pick their favorite child. Not fair.  Unless one of your children is Casey Anthony.  I will feature some of my faves here.

[By the way, if you don't have it already, you should download Bergdorf Goodman's shoe of the day app!]

To keep with this week's shoe-themed post, New York City was recently named the most walkable city in the US according to Walk Score.  After living here, I agree.  It's a great city for walking - easy to navigate, sidewalks on every street wide enough for a few pedestrians,  and it's great for short or long distances.  I never drive in the city, and I never miss it.

I feel like I should also use this time as a Public Service Announcement for all pedestrians in big cities:

1.  Sidewalks are like traffic lanes.  Don't unexpectedly stop in the middle of one.  You will cause a traffic jam or get run over.

2.  Leave your beach, patio, and golf umbrellas at home, unless you want to arrive dry but without an eye.  There is no room for oversized umbrellas on the streets.

3.  When walking with friends, walk single file not shoulder to shoulder.  In case you didn't notice, people walk fast here.  Faster than you.  And they want to be able to get around you.

4.  On escalators, stand on the right, walk on the left.  Same reasoning as #3.

5.  If you smoke, please blow it away from my face.  And don't leave your cigarette hanging out where I will get singed when I walk by you because I don't want to breathe your second hand smoke.

With all of that walking, you definitely wear through shoes quickly.  These are comfy and keep up with the return of the 80's that I'm sure you've noticed this summer.  They are $140.00 and part of the NikeiD line, so you can style them any way you like in case you aren't diggin' the rad neon.

I think they're a little more wearable than these Asics which Ralph was recently seen wearing and retail for $120.00.  

Kayak

I've been interested in getting a kayak to tool around on the lake, but I didn't want to invest in something I haven't even tried.  Well, this past weekend I got the chance to try out our neighbor's kayak!

It was really fun and a workout all in one.  Now, I need to begin researching kayaks.  Does anyone have any recommendations for a good basic kayak?  Or tips on how/where to shop for one?

I spotted this on the web, and it was love at first sight.

Bargain Shades

I can usually count on downtown Manhattan for great fashion finds.  In the summer, the streets are filled with tables of trendy and very affordable sunglasses.  Every once in a while I may treat myself to a pair of luxury shades, but lately I've been on a kick for the cheap.  You never have to worry about scratching or losing them and can stockpile them in every color of the rainbow for every occasion.  Plus, I saw a news report once that said that the uv protection of cheap sunglasses equals the protection of some of the most expensive pairs on the market.

Here is my latest pair of faves:

I didn't think the $3 price tag could be beat... until I found these recent $4.99 beauties from the Roscoe Little Store.  They are a 2-in-1 steal of a deal, plus they've provided hours of entertainment.