theasceticlibertine

Camper's Disco Ball Shoe

Ever since I went to Spain and saw a Camper store on nearly every street corner, I have been a tad obsessed with their shoes and boots.  They are funky and strange and adorable, and most importantly, super comfortable.  While I think their shoes are great, I never would have considered them glam in any way.  They're functional shoes; utilitarian.  But they've introduced a new series called Fiesta that has quite a few styles that would easily qualify as party-ready, hence the name.  Of the many styles on hand, these are my faves and I want them yesterday:

Camper1

Camper2

Remember that my inner Vegas showgirl loves nearly all things shiny and glittery, and remember too that I tend to favor heels that I can actually walk in.  These are such a comfortable and cute alternative to sky-high party heels that I am totally in love.  Check them and many other deliciously cool styles out at Camper.  

Jeffrey Campbell has raided my brain...

On occasion, I will discover a brand of shoes that has a variety of styles that I've already designed in my own head and fervently wished someone would make.  This month it's Jeffrey Campbell.  No sooner did I think that gee, it'd be nice to have some shoes that looked just like my cute black flats, but with a wedge for a bit of height, than there they were:

JC September

A few months ago I was on the lookout for a platform oxford type shoe, and lamenting that no one made such a thing anymore, and wham, Jeffrey Campbell has almost exactly what I imagined:

JC Platform

And on that same oxford tip, these two caught my fancy as well:

JC Oxford

JC Riser

I am forever looking for Victorian type boots, and these are almost perfect.  I'd prefer buttons instead of buckles, but I still think they're adorable:

JC Two-T

And these are a pair of mod lace-up boots that look like I pilfered them from my groovy mom:

JC Laceup

These T-straps are also working that 70's cool shoe vibe but with a modern twist:

JC Tstrap

The cap toe rocks and is very Chanel and the bright blue edge is a lovely detail. 

I totally want a Jeffrey Campbell shoe wardrobe right now.  Styles above available at Lori's Shoes and Urban Outfitters.

Everything That I Love: Boot Lust 121407

I ran across this lovely creation today in my internet travels...

 

Love them!  Green cap toe, black and white (sucker for that spat look, right here)... sigh.  So gorgeous.  By Sam Edelman. 

Today's Obsession: Belted Cape Coats

Ah, the cape.  Never has so much wrong been done to a garment that used to be so precious, beautiful and ubiquitous.  Now when I search for capes, all that comes up are Halloween stores wanting to sell long, cheap, crinkled and thin velvet monstrosities.  Scary indeed.

A more fashionable girl like myself needs something that isn't going to make her look like a Druid or a billowing lump of wool.  I thought briefly that the cape just couldn't be done, or done well, in real life and had resigned myself to that fact.  Then I saw a TV show where a petite and beautiful actress sported a fabulous crisp brown wool number cinched in the middle by a belt.  And I once again had hope, people.

Mind you, I do think that opera cloaks and evening capes can be quite lovely.  This from JCrew, though a little girl's cape, is still something that'd look good on an adult, provided the lining was ivory satin:

Velvetcape

Something short and tailored can be quite nice.   You'd have to be the flamboyant type, but when was the last time you met someone interesting who wasn't?

Since I am wee, and all too fond of costumes, I think I'll stick to the more practical variety.  Of course I do have the tendency to love one thing in a hundred and it almost always ends up being the most expensive thing in the lot, because I do have champagne tastes, darlings...

But this is pretty much exactly what I picture when I think of the short cape coat that lives in my head:

Capecoat

If the sleeves were more defined and the belt less casual, I'd be in absolute cape coat heaven.  Thanks, Saks!  Also, thanks for making it $540 and therefore unownable by the likes of me. 

As usual, the Brits have this trend well in hand (they're just that much wackier about their fashion and I love them for it).  So much so that Kate Moss for Topshop (which I thought was just a one-off deal, guess not) has a Russian-inspired version:

Kmtopshop

Don't know about you, but that cape just reminds me of Cossacks jumping up and down with their fantastic hats and boots.

Capes come and go, but most are single breasted and flowy, and what I like about both of these is that they're neither.  They each have an unusual aspect to them that sets them apart.  And even though I'm anti-flowy and billowy capes, I do kind of have a weakness for this one because of its very cute puffed sleeves:

I still wish it had a belt, though.  Girlfriend needs a *waist*.  I don't care if she's a size 2.

QotD: My Holiday Wishlist

What's on your holiday wishlist?

Hardcover versions of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.

The Sky Cries Mary Janes!!!

Mary Janes are probably my favorite shoe of all time.  Could be because I've never really grown up and the innocence that they represent resonates for me somewhere deep in my psyche.  Or it could just be cuz they're puuuurrrrtttyyyy.  I have low heeled and high heeled and black and assorted colors and my favorites, which I bought for my birthday, are a deep bottle green that's so dark it looks black at a glance.

I'm especially loving what's happening right now with the tap shoe version of everyday, wearable Mary Janes.  Ribbon ties and shoelaces are another favorite of mine, so these lovely shoes by Poetic Licence have been making me drool for months and because they're on sale I broke my no-shoes-til-January pledge.  But oh well.  You can never have too many is all I have to say.

If I were a crazy shoe lady I'd own it in all the colors, but since I'm only a mildly crazy shoe lady, I restrained myself and only bought the ones with the red ribbon:

La Redoute has a fake leather version, but I'm not too big a fan of vinyl/plastic shoes.  Someone told me once that vinyl is for records, and I have to agree.  But if you're anti-leather, then they're a cute alternative: