Baby Steps

It's been almost a year. Shame on me. I'd love to say I was busy, and I was, but that's no excuse. Rather than moping around and making excuses, lets get right back into it!

The "ugly" sandal has been a fashion statement for approximately two years now. However, I've been bucking this trend due to a deep seated, long-standing dislike of said sandals. In high school, the norm was this look:

Birkenstock Arizona sandals with socks was good for both guys and girls. I went to a small, liberal private school with no dress code. But, as teens will, there was an unwritten dress code: you were in the Birk'nSock group or the Doc Martins group (black, of course). Me? I was in neither, and by the time I graduated I couldn't wait to get the heck outta that place. I still don't own a pair of shoes from either company, but as the weather changes I find myself drawn to a variation of the Birk (and last fall I was dying for these). My Havaianas could use a swap out for days when rubber flip flops aren't going to make the cut, and I love a comfortable sandal in the sweltering heat of summer. With prices ranging from ridiculously reasonable (check out 6pm.com or Nordstrom Rack) to stratospheric (Givenchy) there is a lot to choose from out there! Here are some of my top picks:

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The Ugly Sandal - I'm just going to go with the moniker - comes in a variety of styles, but I find that the most common are the X Vamp (#1), the Flip Flop (#2) the Dr. Scholl (#3) and the 2 Strap (#4), all of which correspond to different core Birkenstock styles (Almere, Gizeh, Madrid and Arizona, respectively). My number one pick is the Paz two-strap from Loeffler Randall. The mix of white calf hair and gold pebbled leather straps elevates the cork footbed, and I love the white rubber sole.

Are you into the Ugly Sandal? Or is it to much (to little?) for you?

Get the Green Light

Green is one of my favorite colors, and malachite is one of my favorite natural stones. I remember my parents little collection of malachite objets - an obelisk, a rhino, a corn cob (that one always struck me as really weird, but whatever) and for some crazy reason, when my parents moved out of their house I didn't lay claim to them. Dumb, dumb dumb. Luckily, there are many ways that I can easily satisfy my need for green. 

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Clockwise from 1: I remember the first time I wore green polish on my toes. I got so many comments, but that was long ago. Green polish is not unusual these days, and you can have your pick of shades from dusty green to neon. I love Essie's Going Incognito. It's a deep emerald green that looks like the darkest swirl in a malachite stone. Looking at the roundup above, it's pretty clear I like the mix of green and gold. The malachite in these stud earrings is highlighted by the brushed vermeil giving them a warm glow. Speaking of glow...heh, I walked right into that one. L'Objet's pink champagne-scented candle comes in a gorgeous porcelain jar with hand-gilded 24 carat gold. I'd buy it just for the jar, the candle is a bonus! The Odeon from Kris Nations is a fantastic statement necklace. It comes in lapis, pink rhodonite, and my favorite, malachite. I have been lusting after Loeffler Randall's Rae pump. Doesn't the snakeskin look like malachite? These wedges add a gorgeous pop of color and at 2", they're wearable all day. It's like Tory Burch read my mind with this straw tote. I love straw in summer, and with it's metallic and deep green stripes and flat leather handles, this tote is everything and a bag of chips.

Is there a color you love that you try to work into your wardrobe whenever you can? Tell me about it!