Eye-4-Style

What can I say? I’m at a NARS event; major players doing their craft, but out of the corner of my eye I’m looking to the left to the shoe department at Saks Fifth Avenue at Waterside Shops, Naples, Florida. I have all I can do to contain myself as I eye up the beauties just waiting to be appreciated. So one of my NARS gals, Brandi Perkins, senses my wondering eye to the shoe gallery. “Oh, do you have those in a size 7?” I inquire as I totally go from makeup to the several pair of shoes so beautifully displayed and waiting for the appreciative buyer. OKAY – so the Gucci’s are OUTRAGEOUS!  I’m telling you; the heel is part patent and suede and so delicious in presentation. Look at the detail-realize the comfort-it is a sure HIT! YES give me a pair of those. Then the Jimmy Choo’s:  lower heel and sexy pointed with open design reveal. HELLO! Very sexy. Girls, I’m telling you; when you see the shoes you love, buy them! They aren’t necessarily available everywhere and at every store in every size.  If they DO IT for you, get them. They won’t be there tomorrow.

Refer to my January 19th blog about Jimmy Choo – The Collection. Here is a video from Saks Fifth Avenue with Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon introducing CHOO 24:7  The Collection.

My friend Kathy and I attended a luncheon hosted by the Governor of Louisiana for people in the film and music industry. I should mention I went to the Grammy’s with my good friend (and room mate from years ago) Kathy Lanser, who is an artist management and marketing consultant working with Blind Ambition. It “takes a village” to bring a Grammy nominee to the Grammy Awards and she worked hard on her assignments. Anyway, the luncheon at the Biltmore was exciting with delicious offerings of Louisiana’s finest fare; entertainment by the hot Harry Connick Jr. ; Cedric Watson; and Zydeco music; along with fun, interesting and delightful luncheon companions. An affair to be remembered!

This fuchsia DVF dress is one of my favs, but too low-cut for a luncheon.  I added a pink silk shawl, which is also nice to have on hand for air conditioned venues.

Left click on Christian Louboutin at Saks. Saks is working hard to bring the merchandise to us, on line, where we have a better feel for the items and how they would look.  Love it!

I received a catalog from Nordstrom introducing:

JIMMY CHOO

CHOO 24:7

The Collection

There’s HOPE gals!  The Jimmy Choo collection is offering beautiful shoes that we can wear without breaking our necks or developing calluses! Take the IRENA or ISABEL group for example. Hooray!

Go to:  WWW.NORDSTROM.COM/JIMMYCHOO

I was shopping with a friend at Nordstrom in Chicago last Fall and we were ready to splurge on fabulous shoes. We tried on shoes for 2 hours. The salespeople brought out pair after pair. Gorgeous shoes, but who could walk in them?  We couldn’t figure it out. You reach a certain age or just need to actually walk in your shoes and you start to acknowledge what the “high of high” heels are doing to your body. Are the women who can afford the fabulous shoes finding what they want? A gal can wear any shoe for an hour, but with foot and back issues, we’re starting to realize our wasted dollars on 4′” stilettos that sit in our closet.  Those beauties are for display, not for utility. (And that’s okay, but how many pair of those kind do we need?  Tee hee!)

Some friends will say they can wear any heel height, but it’s sad to see them barefoot. We need these feet for life. Let’s be kind to them. While I loved SATC, Carrie Bradshaw almost did us a disservice with running for blocks in her Manolo’s.  Is it realistic to expect there won’t be consequences?  It’s not that I don’t have a closet full of shoes, but I’ve become pickier as time goes by.  Comfort becomes a priority, otherwise, the shoes become a “donation.”

Check it out! 

I’m excited about attending the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on January 31, Twenty-Ten, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles! Trying to keep my luggage to a minimum (oh no… the shoes alone!), I’ll have to choose the wardrobe carefully. It’s a jam-packed weekend and the outfit for the “Red Carpet” is ready to go. I’m not second-guessing my choice, but I liked these flirty-edgy dresses that Saks Fifth Avenue has to offer.   My shoes are Christian Louboutin and I’ll talk about my dress on a later post. So whether you’re going to the Grammys or not, here are great choices for the fun cocktail party or event you have coming up!

Haute Hippie     

with Jimmy Choo sandals

Robert Rodriguez       

with Christian Louboutin booties

  Haute Hippie Strapless

with Jimmy Choo patent sandals

I’ve wanted to blog about this night and maybe this is in time for your New Year’s Eve plans. I was invited to the Nordstrom Christmas Party at Waterside Shops in Naples, Florida, where we were met with champagne, wine and delicious hors’oeuvres . I was able tackle my shopping list and had a grand time while doing so! Anyway, what to wear to this event? I went digging in the closet. Sometimes you hold on to a dress because it’s easy to wear, easy to launder and feels great. I brought out a Laundry by Shelli Segal dress that I’ve had for …well…, let’s just say it’s been a while.  I’d been to Chicago 10 days before the party and at Nordstrom bought a great pair of black Christian Dior heels that are fabulous as well as comfortable.  Juicy by Juicy Couture on Oak Street had fun stockings and leggings and I paired these new purchases with my “back of the closet” dress. The John Hardy earrings and bracelet didn’t overwhelm the look and the little eggplant Prada purse added a nice touch. The whole outfit was a big hit and compliments confirmed I did a good job. So if you haven’t picked up a new outfit for your New Year’s Eve party, maybe it’s time to go shopping in your closet!

“Holiday” dress can be just that: it will be stored in the closet until next Christmas.  I decided to change that this year after catching sight of these beautiful Kate Spade shoes on Oak Street in Chicago.  I ended up buying the display shoes as the last size 7 in the shop and I felt like I was stealing away with a bounty of gold.  They are enough “bling” to be dressed up but look great with a casual outfit.  I wore them with a black Missoni dress for more intimate holiday gatherings;  “Not Your Daughter’s Jeans” capris , a white and fuchsia-sequined tank with a navy v-neck short sleeve BCBG sweater make a great day outfit; black sheath with opaque tights and dressy earrings put together a special night time outfit. I was able to use these shoes over and over again with what I already had in my closet, and I’ll bring them out periodically throughout the year.  One pair of shoes with so many options!

Here’s a great shoe to complement your holiday dress this season.  It is feminine and has that “wow” factor. The heel is 4” for those who can handle that height. One thing I like about the strapping at the top of the foot; it forms a “V” instead of straight across. That “V” does wonders in elongating the leg.  Your eye goes from sexy open toe up and the “V” opens the way upward. Sometimes the “straight across” strap abruptly stops the eye, even if for a split-second, it can make a difference in the look of the shape of your leg.  Always the details! 

Here’s another cute softer-looking fabric BP. ‘Empire’ Sandal for $69.95 found at the bottom left of the shoe shopping page linked above. Again, we have a soft “V” at the top of the foot. Great looks, great prices for both shoes.  Party on looking gorgeous!

Love these Michael Kors shoes, but I have a confession to make.  I was at International Plaza in Tampa, Florida, this week for double-points at Nordstrom. Five women approached me about the shoes I was wearing.  BCBGirls  I purchased from Nordstrom a few years ago.  They are a brown with a subtle gold/green stripe fabric.  Pointed toe, always slimming to the leg, nice heel height.  I consider these shoes a neutral, but when I wear them with a solid-color suit, they become a nice bit of eye candy.  I’ve had compliments from many men as well as women.  Anyway, that day, I could have sold 10 pair without even trying.  When upstairs trying on dresses, I had more inquiries about where could they buy my shoes!  I say this to designers; when you have a great shoe, bring it back every few years.  There’s the good ones that will always be in demand.