Trashed: a Sunday Shoe Story

You know it’s been a long, hot summer when the patterns on your flip flops are visibly worn away from overuse. I may not miss the sweat and the mosquitos, but I’m not exactly looking forward to trading bare feet for socks! Here’s hoping for a nice drawn out Autumn, abounding with slowly mutating leaf shades, frostbitten mornings that warm into sunny afternoons, and just enough of a nip in the air to bring out the voluntary scarf collection. 

* Roxy "Tahiti Love IV" sandals; Joe Fresh "Peacock" nail polish

Sun-Gazing: a Sunday Shoe Story

It’s strange to think that the summer is almost over already. I’ve spent most of the time complaining about the heat (and I will continue to do so until mid-September at this rate), but thankfully it’s gone by rather quickly. Soon enough the leaves will start browning, the nights will get longer, and I’ll have to swap my frappucino for a mocha. But until then bare feet are the name of the game, and we’ll see if I can manage to wear all of my sandals before the Winter’s first frosts dust the grass. 

Predictions "Kori" sandals; Seductions tights; Renee C dress; China Glaze "Snow" and "White Cap" nail polish; Chanel sunglasses

Weekenders: a Sunday Shoe Story

Do we really have to go back to work tomorrow? 

My head says yes, but my sandals would kindly like to disagree. 

*"Tahiti III" sandals by Roxy; beach mat from the Dollar Store

Sandals & Sherbet: a Sunday Shoe Story

Some days it's just too hot to do anything but lounge around and eat sherbet. 

Welcome to summer,  

the time of year when we sweat and curse because there's only so naked we can get in public.

Aldo "Lansing" sandals in silver mock-snakeskin; 

Icing nail polish in neon green; 

President's Choice Blue Menu sherbet in Key Lime

I Don't Wake Up Looking Like This...

... I actually need stuff to look like this. Specifically, a plan.

Mornings are always busy. Wake up, breakfast, pack lunch, check email, etc, etc, etc, so unless you have a completely streamlined wardrobe where everything conveniently goes together, it takes time to look fabulous every morning. Clearly I do not have a convenience wardrobe. There are pairs of shoes that only coordinate with a single dress. And dresses that have to be worn with specific undergarments. Which in turn always manage to be in the wash just when I need them.

So my solution to manage my (slightly ridiculous) wardrobe and ensure my continuing fabulousness (or at the very least to avoid wearing an accidentally stained shirt in public) is to plan my outfit the night before. This started out as a way of having time to match my shoes to my outfits in 3rd year University (living on campus is super convenient for wearing heels to class), since pre-8:30 lecture is not a good time to try and find an outfit.

Clearly I was never one of those students who wore sweatpants, Lululemons, or (goddess forbid) pajamas to class. Hello, I have a reputation to maintain.

Even though I don't need to run to class at the break of dawn anymore I find it really soothing to check the weather forecast and plan an outfit for the next morning. I find I'm more creative in the evening anyways, so this way I have more time in the a.m. to eat a real breakfast (or have a second cup of coffee) and be able to wake up properly before starting my day. Because, trust me, I have to spend my mental energy on projects at work and on getting my 101-item To Do list completed every day.

sandals by MTNY, tank tops by Suzy Shier and Tricotto, pants by DCS, hat by Le Chateau, jewelry by Ardene. 

Summer Lovin'

"Mod" sandals by Bamboo

Summer and I have an off and on relationship; sometimes I like the heat, but most of the time I find it unbearable. Sounds like my dating life, hey? Summer might be playing hard to get at the moment, and my brain might be saying that I want it, but I’ve subconsciously been putting into place coping mechanisms for when summer starts acting like the one night stand who turns into a stalker.

1. Air conditioning at the workplace. Whether it’s finding a workplace that has a flexible dress code, or just  good ventilation system this is a must. It takes cash to run our lives, and having to sweat it out to make a measly $8 an hour. Even if the job isn’t great, you’ll feel like you’re making a lot more than minimum wage if your benefits package comes with some A/C.
2. Shady beach spots. Spending time at the beach is great, but what happens after hour 3? Our frappucino is gone, the cooler has melted, and a dip in the lake only works until you get back to your towel. Staking out a place where a seat can be quickly shifted to the shade prevents longterm crankiness as well as sunburns!
3. Northfacing rooms. You might curse them during the winter for their lack of natural light, but in the summer they become a godsend.
4.  Find the nearest library. They always have the best airconditioning, and you can pick up something to read and get free wifi while you’re avoiding the heat!
5. Learn how to ice your coffee. Frappucino runs can eat up to a lot of your $8-an-hour-paycheque, and a big red tub of Folgers only costs $7.99. Total no brainer.
6.  Invest in a big hat. Just make sure it’s a good one, or you’ll look more like the Queen than Samantha Jones. Channeling the royal ‘tude is great, but not with a stylist like that!
7.  Ice water on your wrists and ankles. This is something that I learned when I worked at Wendy’s (shameful, I know) and had to slave over deep fryers all day, and it saved my bacon more than once. The wrists and ankles are natural pressure points for temperature control, so cooling them down will cool down everything else. You might not believe me now, but give it try. Not only will you be super-chill in seconds, but you’ll also feel smarter knowing that you outsmarted the weather. 

image from Shopping Savage

Riverside: a Sunday Shoe Story

The small dust- and snake-filled town that I grew up in may annoy me at times (like running into your ex-bff from high school, the mother/father of your arch enemy, or that guy who you've pretty much forgotten), but the East Coast really has nothing on BC.

giant rootbeer slushies for $2

parks with real trees

layers and layers of clouds

mountains on every horizon

thunderstorms

real shoe stores (and by real I mean the good ones)

people who wear kilts, just because

bookstores with topics besides true crime/naval history/vintage

houses with proper backyards

downtowns with wildlife 

a Starbucks (and 7-11) on every corner

24 hour restaurants

more than 2 options for grocery stores

And most importantly...

no odd looks for wearing outfits with colour, sequins, or heels!

(well maybe not NO odd looks, but definitely fewer)

Surfer Lifestyle

Even if we don't live by the ocean, or know how to surf, it's always fun to pretend we live a coastal lifestyle by wearing board shorts and flip flops all summer long.

Roxy "Tahiti Love" flip flops

Just to warn you all, I'm taking a bit of a hiatus from my proper blog writing. There won't be any shoes, fashion, or nail polish for the next month or so, because my wardrobe and shoe collection has been taken hostage to be moved across the country to Halifax. Don't be too depressed, it won't be too long before I'm back to my regular fabulous posts, and in the meantime there will still be regular posts. I'm not going to tell you what they're going to be about, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them when they start showing up on Tuesday!

The Great White North

Since I featured a red polish for this week’s polish post, I felt that it would be fitting to wear a white pair of shoes for Shoe Sunday so that the entire Canadian flag was covered. I have plenty of pairs of red shoes as well of course, but I have other things planned for them.

Featured Shoes: Roberto Vianni “Denise” wedges

Party Flipflops

Just because sandals are slip ons doesn’t mean they can’t be fancy…

Featured shoes: Guess “Festival” sandals

Featured outfit: sundress by B. Smart

Blue Sunday

Quick Sunday Shoe Story today to end out the week. This pair of sandals from Aldo is one of the pairs I bought to potentially replace my favourite Montego Bay sandals. I’m less fond of these ones, since the soles are super hard, and the straps rub kind of weird at the ankles, but I’m slowly wearing them in. They’re also not the best shape to match my feet, since I have a super wide toe line (my mother claims it’s part of my Ukrainian heritage…) But whatever, they’re still cute, and I have very few blue shoes period, so I’ll put up with its imperfections for the time being!

On a different note, how are you all liking the additions that I’ve made to the blog? I’ve doubled the amount of posts, and given you tonnes more variety, so everyone should be happy with something. If you want to make any suggestions (especially for the review section) I would LOVE to hear them. I’m always looking for feedback from the people who actually care to read my blog, since getting what they want is what will keep them reading! You all might have some interesting ideas that I can try out, so go ahead and talk to me people! I promise I won’t bite (too hard)!