.. of Shopping

Getting my first pair of brogues in the mail today.

These ugly little shoes have been on trend for longer now then I originally would have thought. They first popped up this time last year and I figured they would disappear very quickly but they have yet to do so. Last year I became obsessed with a pair from J.Crew, the Elsbeth...

Which also came in a delicious taupe color

But they were just entirely too expensive at $298. It's not that $298 is a lot for a pair of shoes because I don't believe it is, especially shoes of the quality you find at J.Crew. It's that when spending that much money you have to think about the CPW Cost Per Wear. Now a black handbag for $298 is a steal. If you even wear it once a week for a year the CPW is $5 and I don't know anyone with a vag... who wouldn't spend $5 on a handbag.

But seeing as these are oxfords/brogues/technically ugly especially on a woman from a man's perspective I estimated my CPW to be around... $298. So my love affair had to end.

The problem is wearing oxfords/brogues makes me feel like a lesbian. So does wearing earrings by the way and I have no idea why. And I don't mean this kind of lesbian...

I mean this kind of lesbian...

Yikes.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they are actually men's shoes. For the record I have no problem with lesbians it's just that women approaching me in a bar saying "nice shoes" would take on a whole new meaning and women are difficult enough to decipher as it is.

So anyway I then started focusing my efforts on a less expensive pair from Steve Madden...

or Aldo...

But they just didn't stack up especially to the Alexander Wang oxford...

So I finally bit the bullet... pulled the trigger... swallowed the horse...?

and bought these...

Jil Sander Nylon Mesh Oxfords at the Shopbop Summer Sale. They are from the F/W 2010 line sooo I waited awhile for them to go to 70% off.

Not only are they my first oxfords but they are also my first 'designer' shoes. So we'll see how this goes.

If you don't believe me about their popularity I would like to present a little something I'm calling the "Brogue Brigade" as evidence.

1. on the streets

 2. on the bloggers

3. in the magazines and on the runway

For the record and since I didn't know myself...

brogueNoun/brōg/

1. A strong outdoor shoe with ornamental perforated patterns in the leather.

ox·fordNoun/ˈäksfərd/

1. A type of lace-up shoe with a low heel.

 

For the record I still don't know.

via lefashion, nobodyknowsmarc, stylesightings, mrnewton, lookbooks, facehunter

.. of Style Inspiration

Best of Stockholm Fashion Week Streetstyle...

.. of Shopping

Succumbed to the Shopbop sale yesterday. Hrmph.

succumbedpast participle, past tense of suc·cumb (Verb)

1. Fail to resist (pressure, temptation, or some other negative force).

Robert Downey Jr. says anything in your life you attempt to control is probably an addiction. And last night I was discussing my cousin's college plans with my mother and it reminded me I was going to go to college for either law or psychology. Alas fashion won out. So at least now I understand how my addiction works!

Best of Sale...