shoe love: rain boots

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This pair makes me hope that my long search for a functional yet stylish rain boot(ie) has come to an end. $150 for what are essentially rubber foot coverings seems like a lot of money, and let's face it, it is. But I have searched high and low, near and far, and I haven't found a single pair in which my athletic calves will fit. If I had, I would be the proud owner of either the polka dotted pair I saw at Target a month ago. 

So I have had to resort to finding ankle rain boots...only to find that that is easier said than done. The less than a handful of pairs of ankle rain boots that I have found were so darn ugly that I couldn't make myself click "buy". I am not too proud to admit that looks are just as important to me as function when it comes to shoes, even shoes whose sole essential purpose is to keep my feet from getting wet. I'll rationalize the imminent future purchase by this mathematical calculation: $150 divided by [the number of bad weather days in Chicago in a year (~200) + the number of days of sheer effort on my part in finding alternatives only to come up empty (~573)] = totally worth it. Bonus: they look good. Not bad for some rubber shoes.

shoe love: zara

By now, it's quite obvious that I love shoes. While my love for them is infinite, my shoe budget is not, so I'm always trying to find the best balance between price and quality. One of the places I've found to offer up some on-point, reasonably priced shoes on a consistent basis is Zara. I don't think Zara is the most budget friendly place for me to find shoes (for me, an average of $80 a pair is still steep), but I think for the quality of a lot of their shoes, I would pay a lot more elsewhere. I've also learned over the years that shoes are not, as a general rule, the article of clothing on which you should skimp. A pair of low-quality shoes are often uncomfortable, and nothing ruins your day faster than wincing in pain with every step you take. 

When I do pull the trigger on a pair of Zara shoes, I have some basic guidelines to keep my checkbook remotely close to balancing, with the most important being 1) Will I really wear them? and 2) Is the price reasonable for what the shoe really is? For the first guideline, honesty is key. We've all been there - bought a pair of shoes that were beautiful and to die for only to never wear them because a) it's a half size too small/big but they were the last pair so you bought them anyway; b) the magnificent 5-inch heel that made you fall in love in the first place makes them impossible to walk in; c) they're too damn uncomfortable and they pinch; or d) all of the above. For guideline number 2, my general rule is I don't buy a shoe that's not made of leather if it's over $50. Obviously, there are exceptions (like running shoes!), and this doesn't mean all my shoes must be leather, but for a synthetic material, I'm much more likely to find a similar shoe for $50 or less. 

Now, this is all fine and good when it works, and most of the time, it does. I have bought on average two pairs of shoes from Zara in the past 3 years. But this time around, Zara has me seriously considering 6+ pairs, one of the pairs being the one above. The rest?

 

like the Pamela Love x Nine West collaboration, if you missed out like me

Super simple and chic

Because leopard and summer go well together

The color is fantastic, and it's edgy yet classic at the same time

Super easy and relaxed; dress them up or down

Go-with-anything sexy

White + chunky heel = made for summer (confession: James loved these so much he gifted them to me)

I obviously am not purchasing all or most of these shoes. Narrowing it down to three, I'd go with the tan block heel sandals, the black thong sandals, and the leopard print sandals. All shoes are currently available on Zara.com.

Which would you pick? Have you had luck with Zara shoes?

shoe love: pick three

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Even though it snowed all day today in Chicago, I am adamantly holding on to my belief that spring is right around the corner. I can't wait to be able to wear cute shoes again! After scouting various websites' spring shoe offerings, I've narrowed it down to these three groups: the sexy dressy sandal, the cute flat sandal, and the cool city wedge. 

Which three (one from each group) would you choose?

group 1: Sam Edelman Abbott in peach + gold or white + silver or Coach Leighann in white snakeskin

group 2: Madewell boardwalk sandal in white, navy + green, or brown

group 3: Sam Edelman Sutton in leopard, nude, or black

shoe love

For these next few iterations of shoe love, I thought I'd delve into shoes I own and love. 

These pumps were bought on major sale around November of last year. I love the rounded toe, the manageable heel, and the bright pop of color. I wouldn't call them go-to all-day work heels, but I can keep them on for a good 5 hours before they start to become uncomfortable. I'm planning on wearing them more as it warms up (wedding season, anyone?). 

I've also got my eye on these. Fingers crossed for a sale (yeah, right).

Happy Tuesday!

shoe love

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What's more classic than a Sperry boat shoe? I love shoes that are no-brainers - put these on and suddenly, you've got just the right mix of casual and put-together. Great with everything, comfy, and practical. You'll wear these to death.

Find them here in a rainbow of J. Crew colors.

shoe love

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I recently bought these from The Outnet at 60% off. Even so, these are easily the most expensive shoes I've ever purchased. I'm half hoping they'll fit and my wedding shoe search will come to an end, but I'm also half hoping that they won't fit or they'll be ugly or massively uncomfortable so my credit card balance looks smaller, ;). 

Would you keep them or return them?

shoe love

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Have I mentioned yet how much I love shoes? I am most definitely a shoe person. Pumps, sandals, flats, wedges, sneaks - I love them all. Of course, my budget doesn't have enough room for all the shoes I would like to buy, and truthfully, that's fine because where would I put all of them and more importantly, when/how often would I wear them? But just because I can't buy them doesn't mean I have to stop admiring them. So here's a new feature coming up every Tuesday: shoe love. It'll be a chance to indulge in a little shoe stalking (tell me I'm not the only one!) and share some shoes I'm loving.

I'm not usually one for white shoes for the obvious reason that they get dirty quite fast and that just doesn't work for my lifestyle. But, just like wearing a white coat in the winter, wearing white shoes might not be very practical but it usually looks pretty good. I love the simplicity of the design and the way the coolness of the white pairs off with the warmth of the tan insole and heel. The right amount of texture, a silver buckle, and the asymmetric, wrap around design make a sexy understatement, keeping the shoe from being boring.

Will you be buying white shoes? Your thoughts/comments are welcome!