W2WW Around Town - Need a great cobbler?

By now, you all know that Lisa and I are shoe fanatics.  We love our pumps, boots and sandals.  And, as we've written about before, it's almost that time of year when we bring our winter boots and shoes to a cobbler for re-heeling and shining, making them ready for next fall.

Image from nordstrom.com.

A few weeks ago while I was putting on these shoes, I noticed that the sole under the pointy toe was peeling back a little.  EGAD!  These are Manolos!  Where do I take them to be fixed?

I WISH I had taken a 'before' pic.  Seriously.  You would not believe how I mangled the delicate toe of these shoes.  

Enter The Sole Man, in Waban, MA (a town within Newton, MA).  Eddie Keshishian is a genius.  The after pictures say it all.  Seriously, these shoes look like BRAND NEW!  A few days and $35 dollars later, I have brand new, ready-to-go heels. 

Images from Jennifer Houston.

Sensing that he knew his stuff, I brought my absolutely favorite pumps EVER to be repaired - my snakeskin Jimmy Choo pumps.  As my husband will tell you, I never wear weather-appropriate footwear when going 'out'.  Every time we head to dinner/a party/an event, he asks, "Are those good shoes for the rain/snow/brick sidewalks?".  I tend to ignore him and sashay out in my fabulous shoes. 

However, the mean brick sidewalks of Boston took a toll on my snakeskin pumps.  The snakeskin on the back of the heels was rubbed up, exposing the shaft underneath (I cannot believe I actually might have gone out with them like this), the sole under the toe was wearing through, and the inside of the heel was mangled.  A late night internet search showed that they weren't made any more.  Sniff.

Off to The Sole Man.  No problem he said.  The only things that might be tricky were fixing the snakeskin on the back and matching the leather to the inside of the heel were it was mangled.  I said "Do your best!".  And voila!  He did.

Images from Jennifer Houston.

It wasn't a cheap repair at $75 (CASH or CHECK ONLY, by the way), but it did save me hundreds since I don't have to buy a new pair of shoes.  And, they will last for years now.  Until the next repair.  When I head straight back to The Sole Man.

Check him out for your shoe needs.  He's at 95 Wyman Street in Waban, next to Starbucks and the Waban T station.

Image from Jennifer Houston.

See the photo below for his hours. ~ JH

Image from Jennifer Houston.

it's Spring 2013: Mirrored Metallics

The family movie of choice last weekend was "Mirror Mirror" with Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer (mama eye candy...just sayin') which was apropos and perfectly timed with the trend du jour of mirrored leathers.  We're seeing them on bags, belts, shoes and accessories in all sorts of wild neons and cool metallics.   I'm partial to the silver and gold tones.  They are a great neutral with more pizzazz than bone or cream and can be dressed up or down.  My favorites? 

Designers are paying more attention to ankle adornment and we'll see that trend right into Spring 2014. I love a good wedge and this pair from Rebecca Minkoff is spot on cute.

Image from shopbop.com.

7 for all mankind is designing shoes now to go with their jeans.  I can see these with a pair of faded rolled up skinnies or with shorts or a skirt.

Image from neimanmarcus.com.

These Elizabeth and James are my favorites.  I'm wearing a lot of black, navy and white and think the pop of color in these will make for a cool, fresh look.

Image from shopbop.com.

These little See by Chloe sandals are darling with the metal band and ankle strap. 

Image from shopbop.com.

Move over Tory Burch and J.Crew flip flops.  Hello Dolce Vita.  The metallic detail on these sandals at the toe is fab!  LIke a little golden crown on polished toes.  In a rainbow of colors.

Image from nordstrom.com.

I like the combination of the rough, woven leather with the metallic silver on these Loeffler and Randall beauties.

Image from shopbop.com.

J.Crew has a great selection of metallic flats and sandals right now.  These would do double duty during the day with shorts or a sundress and then transition easily to dinner out at night.

Image from jcrew.com.

Please 'reflect' on these and let us know what you think! ~ LB.

...you want leather wrap bracelets.

On my Facebook wall last week, there was an ad/share/post from Leather Wraps, which I must have 'liked' at some point.  It was probably on one my attempts to search for something on Etsy that I found them.  It's not often that I find myself on Etsy.  It completely confuses me and any searches I have made return thousands of results.  Too overwhelming.  At any rate, I was glad to be reminded of them!  With spring and summer around the corner, I found myself clicking over to their Etsy shop and surfing around.

I believe I came upon these bracelets in a search because remind me of a one I purchased a couple of summers ago at an art gallery in Rhode Island.  (I must give credit to my friend's mother, who was wearing a version of it.  I grabbed her wrist and asked where I could get one.) By Gillian Julius, this bracelet ALWAYS gets compliments.  

Image from Jennifer Houston.

It has both gold and silver tubes on leather It goes with everything and is a statement on your wrist.  It was also an investment, which leads me back to Leather Wraps.  You can get a very similar look for a fraction of the price.  Check out these favorites below.  First, something similar to the Gillian Julius.

Image from etsy.com.

They come in colors, metallics, etc.  Prices ranging from $23 to $35 for sets.  Some colors come with 6 wraps; others come with 10.  Check out these favorites:

Images from etsy.com

There are lots to choose from and it looks like to can customize what color leather you'd like, what color tubes (silver or gold), and how many you'd like in a set.  What fun!  Hummm...might have to order some. ~ JH

To Hang or to Fold...that is the question.

I have been a bad fashion blogger as of late because until this week, I had not yet read the March 2013 issue of InStyle magazine.  Must keep on top of these things!  And while I'm not quite finished with that issue yet, I did stumble upon something that I wanted to share.  This is a brilliant chart on whether to hang or to fold garments.  Check it out:

Image taken by Jennifer Houston from InStyle Magazine, March 2013.

Finally, a nice, concise list of what to do.  Especially here in New England, where closet sizes sometimes border on the ridiculously small size (unless of course, you have a newly constructed house or addition).  My closet is TINY.  Fortunately, there are many TINY closets throughout the house, so my wardrobe is spread over 3+ closets.  Therefore, I have to ration space carefully and keep the closet in my bedroom stocked neatly and orderly with items to wear right now.  

Other closet rules I live by:

• No wire hangers.  Ever.  Talk about peaking (definition: the 'peaks' or dents that wire hangers make in the shoulders of tops).  Yes, I change hangers when clothing comes back from the dry cleaner before I put the item away in my closet.  
• Stack shoes in boxes.  It keeps them dust free, and it's easier to stack them.  If you are really organized, take a picture of the shoe inside and attach to the outside of the box.  I am not that organized (really, I'm not) but I do know what shoe is in each box. 
• Hang scarves on hangers so you can see what you have.  See photo below.

Image from pinterest.com.

So, as I change over my closet to transitional clothing in the next few weeks, I'll be hanging my 'heavy gauge' sweaters in the guest room closet and making some drawer space for my t-shirts.  ~ JH

W2WW Live - Great morning with our friends at J.Crew

Wow!  What a fun morning!  Today W2WW held our first 'live' event - a styling session with readers at J.Crew in the Natick Mall.  A big thank you to our friends at J.Crew Natick Mall for hosting What 2 Wear When... and to our great readers who enthusiastically showed up with shopping needs and open minds!  Starting at 9:00am for 2 (really 3) hours, Lisa and I styled, ran for different sizes, examined shoes, explained how great double-sided tape is, and had a blast!

When Lisa and I arrived, our friend and J.Crew stylist Sylvia Gesell had flowers, reserved dressing rooms, and light refreshments for us and our readers.  Delightful!

Images from Jennifer Houston.

And then, our readers arrived and we were really bad bloggers and didn't take ANY pictures.  We were too busy having fun, dressing and styling both new and old (as in years, not age!) friends.  

Our readers really focused on transitional outfits and 'mommy basics'.  There might be a lot of the Scout Cargo pants at school pick-up, but that's only because they fit so many so well!  We had a couple of ladies who were devoted to the Liberty of London prints.  One friend was in need of a First Communion outfit.  One had a sweater she wanted help styling.  One hadn't purchased shoes in a while because of an injury.  

Clothing and opinions flew back and forth.  Take a peek at the Polyvore set I put together below to see some of the outfits our readers took home.  Thanks again to our readers and J.Crew for a fun morning!  Always happy to help our readers with new outfits! ~ LB & JH

W2WW - J.Crew Styling Event

J.Crew long sleeve shirt / J.Crew knit sweater / J.Crew floral top / J.Crew floral top / J.Crew army shirt / J.Crew graphic t shirt / J.Crew knit sweater / J.Crew top / J.Crew skinny jeans / J.Crew petite pants / J.Crew leather pants / J.Crew chino pants / J.Crew chino pants / J.Crew leather shoes / J.Crew high heel pumps / J.Crew bracelets bangle / J.Crew neon jewelry / J.Crew j crew bangle / J.Crew crystal jewelry / J.Crew bohemian jewelry