Taupe and nude shoes

In hopes of avoiding purchasing similar styles or colours, I took inventory of taupe and nude shoes. I honestly didn't realize how many I already own.

This is just taupe and nude colours. Gasp! I'm afraid to take full inventory of what lives in my closet.

For my sake, I grouped them by style.

Slingbacks:

Naturalizer (so old) with square toe has to go...but I still garners good comments from co-workers.
Moda $30 (I think) sometimes feels a bit too high when running between meetings.

T-straps:

Jessica $12.50 not yet test driven
Portia $35 comfortable

Closed toe and open toe:

Madden Girl $40 unworn but Winners clerk said she owns two of the colours and they are very comfortable
Expression $28 classic toe shape but too light for fall and winter

BCBGeneration suede peeptoe $40 (any suggestions on good suede protector?)
Charles by Charles David $40 unworn; sexy as h--- but heel may be too high

Most of my shoe shopping happens bi-annually during a Shoe Sample Sale. They carry shoes, boots and sneakers by Guess, Arturo Chiang, Sam&Libby, Hillary Radley, Tommy Hilfiger, Born, Clarks, Sofft, Naturalizer...at $30-70. They also have a $10 pile with nail-size holes on the shoe soles that I fill in with silicone.

Ok, I have an addiction. In my defense, shoes are easier to buy than clothes. You understand, right?

As I returned all shoes on the shelves, I noticed that I neglected to include a few more. *shakes head*

Are you a shoe addict? How do you manage your shoe collection to fit your storage space? Do you buy one and discard an old one?

Costume jewelry finds

Hubby and I considered moving to a small town - Sidney, British Columbia in particular. It is in Victoria Island where life seems less stressful and slower-paced. Whenever we visit my inlaws in the summer, we try to stop by during the Thursday open-air market on Beacon Street. The wonderful smells from food vendors always pull me in. Once my tummy is satisfied, I scour vendor stalls for a good find. This year, I found a vintage jewelry vendor. I spotted this.

I can only guess that it is gold-plated but definitely inlaid with mother-of-pearl. It's the only one that I wanted to take home.

Imagine my surprise when the vendor said it also came with a bracelet:

My sis-in-law beamed when I told her that I bought it for $20 instead of the $24 price tag. She said "You bargained!" She's right...I am usually too shy to bargain.

The following week, while still on vacation, hubby was intrigued to go to the Vancouver Flea Market. Like hungry hunters, we turned on our phones to keep track of each other and quickly went our separate ways. I wanted something red or coral. No luck with that though I did not come home empty-handed. I found these:

Smart Set taupe dress

My route in the shopping mall do not usually vary. Recently at Coquitlam Centre, I ventured upstairs to Suzy Shier. It offers young, modern and chic items at an affordable price. I find it comparable to Dynamite. The material renders most items good only for a few (if not one) seasons but the low price makes it affordable to discard. They were having their buy one get second at half price. I walked away with two dresses.

The first one $11:

Sofft wedge shoes ($30) sample sale
Stella and Dot River Lariat $69
The cotton material makes it comfortable to wear and I love this heathered taupe shade. It came with it's own braided belt but I sometimes switch it up with my own. I think it was supposed to be a tunic but score one for petites - it becomes a dress.

The second one $28:

It needs to be hemmed. (Excuse the wet hair; couldn't wait.)

Here it is after taking up the hem.

Jessica Nude peep-toe heels with t-strap $12.50
The upper portion is a wrap top. The bottom has pleats that disguise a big tummy like mine.

The only thing I don't like is the thin padding at the shoulders. Not too noticeable except to me but not too bothersome.

Do you have any luck at this store?

Aritzia Lace top

It's been in the store for a while. Most of Aritzia tops are pricey compared to this top. At the recent 50% sale, this top was excluded.

Aritzia Talullah Betsy blouse C$50 in Oak
Jacob silk flouncy hem skirt (old)
Cameo $17 (vendor at Canada Day fair)
LV Speedy

It also comes in Black, Purple Rain, Misty Rose (peachy pink), Garlic Flower (mauvy), Darling (peach). After posting it in FitReview.com, one commented about it being delicate, so I took to wearing cardigans when I walk around. So far so good *fingers crossed*.

I have been eyeing American Eagle's tank lace top in grey. I finally pulled the trigger on petite size S from Banana Republic since XS was no longer available. Hopefully my tailor could do something if too big.

Do you have this top? Being a girly top, how do you give it an edge?

Yellow obsession

Bright colors at my office is too much for my colleagues but I bought a yellow button down anyway. I kept pairing it with things in my closet for the few minutes that I could before my little one found me and required my full attention. My closet wore it for four years. Last fall, I finally included it - unworn with tag attached - in the give-away pile for the local hospice thrift store. A mistake. By spring, yellow was a definite trend.

Now, I decided to add it back to my wardrobe in smaller scale: a belt.

Belt - thrifted $3
Dress - new but lost label $10
Watch - Avon, tortoise $13

And a cardigan:

H&M Divided yellow cardigan (thrifted $6)
H&M Belted short sleeve dress $39

I thought about getting a yellow pair of shoes but could not find one (no size, no shipping to Canada, or too pricey). Yesterday, I spotted a yellow purse by CNKW. Hubby reminded me that it probably won't get much use in the fall and winter seasons. I think he's right so I left it behind.

Now that fall is here, I plan to wear darker, more muted shades of yellow like mustard.

Do you gravitate towards a particular color?

Animal print at work

I bought this dress from H&M (size 4 C$39.95) a while ago but it sat in my closet. I love the print but I lack the courage to wear it to work. I know it's possible if I can tone it down.













My first attempt is to layer a Loft ruffle tee over it and Urban Outfitter braided belt. It looked lumpy and thick.

My second attempt is with a cardigan for fall.

Any suggestions?

Tristan Animal print dress

I saw this when it first came out but waited for a sale. Bad move! Someone else in the office bought it at full price ($89). Oh well...

During their last 50% sale, I saw this dress in size XS still hanging there at the back of the store. It was discounted at 40% -- good enough for me. It has a unique criss-cross overlapping on the chest. Made of jersey material so it is perfect for travels as it never creases. Material is thick enough so no show-thru.

Tristan is fast becoming a favourite of mine lately. Can be pricey but the sales are worth waiting for. I do have competition from other petite shoppers since size XS and S are usually snapped up within three days of a sale. I just have to run faster!

Have you shopped at Tristan before?