So cute, but so impractical.

I got Sheila from Sole Society this week. I've been eyeing them since they were released, but I had to wait for credits and stock to meet at the right intersection for me to get them.

They're gorgeous, well made, comfortable, and so damned cute. But. (There's always a 'but', isn't there?) What appears to be black on the site - the strap, heel, platform and leopard spots - is actually chocolate brown in real life. Which is still pretty, but means that I can't wear these with a LBD now and that ticks me off. I have no clue how I'm going to style them now. I don't own anything brown and don't have a want or need to buy anything brown. The shoes are the bomb though, so I'll figure something out.

I always thought leopards had black spots.

This is the 2nd time that I've ordered something from them and the colors ended up being different in real life. (The other is a pair of wedges that I'll be discussing later. ) I also know that the pair that appears to be red in this shoe is a rust color and the leopard is a different color than shown. They really need to hire either a new photographer or web designer, because their current ones are color blind.

Cotton Candy for my feet!!!!!

Y'all know I'm a sucker for pink, right? I can't say no to it, really. So, when JustFab released Rosalind last month, I about keeled over. They're sooooooooooo cute! But I had already blown my shoe budget on a furnace repair so I couldn't do anything about it. Until a dear friend offered up one of her credits to get them for me. :)

They're amazing in person. They fit like a dream, and came in perfect, though they were later pulled from inventory for quality issues. (I hope, for everyone who missed them's sake that they come back) The best part? They are the color of Cotton Candy and the faux suede is the perfect material to further that illusion. They're just so soft! I've had them less than a month and I've already worn them TWICE. That's unheard of for me.

So, thank you, Ashley, for the amazing gift!

The $200 Question

See this boot? It's by Charles Jourdan and it is $198.00. No biggie, right? You either love it or you hate it and you'll either pay that for a pair of boots or you won't. I've paid more than that for boots on more than one occasion, and I'm sure I will in the future, too. Again, no biggie. You may even be thinking that's a good price on them because that label tends to retail for over $300. It's not a fantastic deal, but it is still a deal. Once more...no biggie. Right?

Wrong. These boots are a big deal because that price isn't at Nordstrom or Nieman Marcus, or even Amazon. It's at ShoeDazzle. Yes, I'm talking about the formerly subscription based $40 per month shoe club. Several months ago they started offering many things at a higher price - $42.95 to $59.95. This was met with lots of complaining from their members, just as the same had happened when Sole Society started the same price changes last winter. Women began to buy the higher priced items, some begrudgingly, others only when they had discounts available, some even happily. I guess this made ShoeDazzle think that if customers would pay $50, then they'd pay $200. How you make that leap in logic is beyond me.

The thing is, this could have worked for them, and it may still. But there was a huge marketing fail here. The entire "Designer Brands" line was launched without any prior notice, no mention of what it really was, and not even so much as a simple email campaign. The assumption by existing customers was that these were ShoeDazzle shoes that would be packaged as such. However, after talking to my contact over there, I found out that these have nothing to do with the ShoeDazzle name, and are merely sold by them. They are not rebranded, they will come in their original designer-labeled box, and are genuine designer products at (slightly) reduced prices. There should have been a big marketing roll out detailing all of this, but they totally missed that boat. This will not be the new norm over there either. The "Low Stock" label is NOT a conspiracy to make it look as though they're selling like hot cakes. They only ordered a few in each size as a test run. Depending on how these sell, they may add more 'real' designer goods later.

I think the big story here is who, exactly, these higher priced items are geared towards. They sure as crap aren't meant for the ones that refuse to spend more than $40 on any shoes, and they really aren't meant to make the girls that shop in the Penny Saver or on the Groupon site happy. These are geared towards two types of clients: the existing customers who aren't so hung up on the $40 price point and also spend 'real' money on 'real' designers on 'real' websites and stores, and new customers who routinely spend more than $100 on shoes elsewhere, and will gladly buy these or the other offerings in the collection that range from $60-$200, as long as they're reasonably priced for what they are. Those particular ladies aren't going to be on the site for the $40 stuff, most likely. They're looking for real materials and names. While I'm sure ShoeDazzle would love to see them grab a pair or two of the 'cheap' stuff with their $140 Chinese Laundry pumps, they'll make their money even if they don't.

It remains to be seen how all this is going to play out. It could potentially bring in higher end customers that buy higher margin items while raising their profits. It could also weed out a lot of existing customers and cause them to ultimately lose money on the lower end stuff. But, the business of business is profit, and sometimes a company has to think outside the box to accomplish that. It may work or it may not, but I give them props for trying. As for me, I'm not the least bit enamored with the inaugural line, but if they end up with something I like at a better price than I can get anywhere else, I'll be all over it. I'm an addict, remember? It doesn't matter where I get my fix, as long as I get it. And I think ShoeDazzle is banking on there being more women like me.

I'm baaaaaaaaccccckkkkkk!!!!!

You missed me, didn't you?

Seriously, I've had 3 really busy weekends in a row so my usual weekend chores have been moved to weekday evenings, which is my normal blogging time, so I've been letting the blog slip. Unfortunately, having clean clothes and groceries trumps telling you about shoes. Sorry. I'm a terrible shoe whore, I know.

But, now, I'm back. And my next few weekends look clear as glass. Yay! Which is great, because I have a whole list of things to blog at you about. I've gotten tons of new stuff, sold tons of old stuff, and been right smack in the middle of some Grade A shoe drama. (Sole Society, anyone?)

But, for now, I'm off to do laundry so that I can get caught up here starting tomorrow.

I will leave you some shoe porn, though. Are these not the most fantastic riding boots you've ever seen? I WILL find a way to get my hands on these and I will NOT pay $250 for them, or anywhere even close to that.

Vince Camuto "Flavian"

Boot Season is Here!

Although I love the warmer months and prefer tropical temps to frigid temps, I worship at the altar of the tall boot. Of all styles of shoes, they are probably my favorite, hands-down. From soft, comfy Uggs, to sexy leather stilettos, I just love the style. I tend to wear them with pants tucked in, but made a few attempts at wearing them with skirts or dresses. 

From seasons past, I've built a decent collection of boots, but there are still holes where I have unfilled needs. One of those needs is for a basic, not too butch or biker, black riding boot. I wanted a boot with a little detail, but not much, and with enough shape that my feet don't end up looking like I'm wearing rain boots. I've tried several pairs for the last few years and kept being disappointed, either with fit, quality, or price.

Last month, I decided to take a chance on Lorca from JustFab. They're a pretty basic boot, with a zipper on the diagonal instead of straight up and down, and have a little bit of a point to the toe. Feminine but not overly so. I really didn't expect much, but the zipper intrigued me and I thought I'd like to see them in person. When they came in, I honestly wasn't swooned by them, then I tried them on for a style shot with a pair of my JustFab skinnies, and after wearing them for a few minutes I decided I really like how they fit and feel. The pleather isn't shiny, but it isn't too dull either. They're really soft on the inside, too, and are pretty comfortable. Although, they're not what I visualize when I think of the 'right' riding boot, they're pretty awesome.

I should add that I wore them to work and had two coworkers opine that they have a military vibe, but they're guys and they're dumb. If anything, they're un-military looking, which is what I want.

I'm going to keep looking for the perfect pair, but until then, these will more than suffice. And, well, for $40, they are a great deal.

These Boots Were (not) Made For Walkin'

Sheila in purple

Last year, I got a pair of purple, faux suede, stiletto, tall boots from JustFab by the name of Sheila. It was a whim and I regretted it right about the time that the 30 day return window closed. So, I tried to sell them on eBay. For months. And they didn't sell, even though I wasn't asking much for them and they were really popular boots when they were in stock at JustFab. Finally, after some prodding from some Sole Sisters, I decided to give them a shot and try to wear them. Much to my surprise, I managed to wear them with some style and even felt pretty good about how I looked in them.

Odon in Pink

Fast forward to about a month ago. Someone posted in one of the Facebook shoe groups that 6pm.com had the Michael Antonio 'Odon' boots on sale in some colors for $23. These are the same boots as Sheila from JustFab.* Included in that sale were pink and blue. Having no clue where or how I would ever wear them, I grabbed the pink immediately. I figured if I had come up with a way to wear the purple, I could surely find a way to wear the pink. Then, in another group, the next day, someone else mentioned the exact same sale and convinced me that I should get the blue also. 2 pairs of boots for less than $50 is a steal, so I, being weak, grabbed the blue, too.

Odon in Blue

I wore the pink ones with my gray skinnies from JustFab on the very first cool-enough-for-boots day we had this year. They were quickly dubbed "Barbie Boots" by my coworkers. They're not the most comfortable boots, and balancing on that pencil thin stiletto wears my ankles out after a full day, but they're cute and for the price I paid, even if I never wear them again, I think I got my money's worth.

I haven't worn the blue yet, but considering they're the most muted of the three colors, I expect I'll end up wearing them more than the others. But, even if not, sometimes, a deal comes along that makes it worth stepping out of your comfort zone for.

*If you aren't already aware that a lot of the shoe club shoes are rebadged items from other brands, then consider this as me letting the cat out of the bag.

A Fall Full of Iron Fist

Between JustFab, Heels.com, and Punk.com, I got some great deals on several pairs of Iron Fist over the last month or so.

Sweets For My Sweet

From JustFab, I won a credit in a Pinterest contest and used it to get Sweets For My Sweet. I had put off getting them since they're the same shoe in a different fabric/pattern as Key to My Sole. Which really isn't comfortable. But, they're adorable and even if I never wear them, I wanted demonic Pez dispensers on my heels.

From Heels.com, I used a LivingSocial deal and got the Havana Breeze Platform and the Love Me Love Me Not Flat for a grand total of $10. (I got enough referrals on my LS link to get that for free!). Havana Breeze is the same shoe as Koi Samui, and is pretty steep. The colors are so vibrant and the bling on the bow is just adorable. I the Love Me flat is really cute and, again, vibrantly colored. They are a little thin and flimsy, like all Iron Fist flats, but their comfort and cuteness makes up for it.

Race With the Devil

Love Lace Oxford

And, from Punk.com, I grabbed two pairs that I've been eyeing from previous seasons. I finally got my Race With The Devil pumps. These are BADASS. That is all. They're charcoal gray, with hotrod-esque striping and a chrome heel. But the real awesome thing with these? They've got little minature dice that dangle from the back. I'm not going to lie - those drove me nuts for the first hour or so that I had them on. They swing up and hit my ankle and it's irritating, but I did get used to them. It's a small price to pay for such an awesome shoe. My second pair from Punk was the Lovelace Oxford. I got these to wear with trouser shorts but then it turned off cold before I had the chance, so I think I'm just going to wear them as casual flats with jeans. They're even cuter in person and I'm glad I finally found them in my size for a price I was willing to pay.

Iron Fist is rolling out their Fall/Winter 2012 stuff now, and there are some previews out of the Spring 2013 stuff. With a few exceptions, I'm not madly in love with anything, and I may be over the Iron Fist kick for a while. Especially if they keep upping the heel and platform heights. Some of the proportions in their new stuff is just comical and not cute at all. I hope that's not the case with all of it, because their stuff just can't be beat for the "Wow!" factor.