My May Obsession - Mirrored Silver

"Lisa, what did I do without this shoes in my life?"

Yes, I said that.  I recently purchased two pairs of shoes, both mirrored silver.  One flat, one pump.  And honestly, what did I wear before them?  I am wearing them ALL THE TIME.  They are my new neutral, my go-tos, and soon they will be paying me to wear them.  What shoes are these you wonder?  Behold.  First up, Whistles mirrored silver ballet flats.

Image from vestiairecollective.com.

Second, a pair of Jimmy Choo mirrored silver pumps.

Image from jimmychoo.

Both shoes look great with everything!  Black, jeans, white, grey, even colors; these are the new neutral.   And now that I'm obsessed with mirrored silver, I keep seeing it everywhere!  And I want to buy more. Purses, clutches, sandals.  Watch out!  Put this on your radar and shake up your outfits with this updated, modern material.  See below for inspiration; yes, you can fit this into your wardrobe! ~ JH

W2WW Mirrored Silver

Elizabeth and James metallic mini skirt, $185 / Jimmy Choo heels & pumps / Jimmy Choo pointy toe pumps / MARC BY MARC JACOBS silver ballet flat / Charles by Charles David silver shoes / BCBGMAXAZRIA ballerina shoes / Abercrombie & Fitch strappy sandals / Nine West heels & pumps / Nine West leather flat / Via Mercanti leather sandals, $92 / Old Navy silver flat shoes / Yves Saint Laurent metallic purse / Rochas bag / MARC BY MARC JACOBS clutch / Coach zipper wallet / Clare V white purse / Whistles purse, $69 / Amber Sceats silver bracelet, $25 / Express nickel free jewelry

...it's Spring 2015: Fringe

A big trend this spring that I want to integrate into the repertoire is fringe.  The tassel has been big for a few seasons and now we've morphed to a full-on fringe binge.  From shoes to earrings, it's easy to add some swing to your look.  Here's some rules of thumb:

• Pick one.  Not two.  Stick to one key piece.
• Think of fringe like a pop of color.  It’s got great movement and will draw the eye to it so when you pick a piece, know it will get attention.  If you don’t like your feet, don’t get fringe sandals.
• No fringe dresses - too 1920s. A vest or jacket over a very neutral palette will work so much better.
• Get leather.  Faux fringe on a bag will not fall well and it will look cheap.  Keep it real.

Have fun with fringe! ~ LB

W2WW Fringe 

Kate Spade short sleeve top / Yves Saint Laurent brown suede vest / Étoile Isabel Marant slingback shoes / Jérôme Dreyfuss orange sandals / Stuart Weitzman heeled sandals / Office pull on shoes / Sara Battaglia white handbag / Marni white purse / Karen Millen leather fringe purse / Rebecca Minkoff leather fringe purse / Blue handbag / Zara fringe messenger bag / Isabel Marant beaded jewelry / J.Crew earrings / Panacea graduation jewelry

What to add to your spring wardrobe? Item #2 is...

A pair of espadrilles.  They are back, and better than ever!  There are SOOOO many styles and colors to choose from, it can be daunting.  Let's break it down by heel height.

Flat Espadrilles

These can be a ballet-flat-alternative that look great with jeans, cropped or ankle length pants and then with skirts and shorts in the summer.  They will be something different to throw on your feet as soon as it warms up, and will put a little spring (literally and figuratively) in your step.  I have a couple of favorites for this category.

This cute Michael Kors pair is part ballet flat/part espadrille, but at $69, it's a steal!  They come in tangerine, gold canvas, navy, and tiger print.  Here's the tangerine - a hot color this summer.  Pair it with all of your navy & white items.

Photo from zappos.com

I'm not a big fan of Sperry shoes (why the Topsider?), but they made this cute, flat espadrille in stripes!  And only $65.

Photo from bloomingdales.com.

Heeled Espadrilles

Ok, this is where my heart really is this spring.  I purchased a gold pair of Castañer, open-toe, wedge espadrilles last summer, and wore them to DEATH, with jeans, white pants, dresses, skirts, you name it.  I never had a pair before last summer, and now I'm not sure how I lived without them.  The Castañer ones I own are a gold version of these, which are currently for sale at Calypso.  

Photo from calypsostbarth.com.

(I'd like to take a moment to talk about Castañer as a company.  Founded as a formal company 1927 in Spain, its roots go back to 1776 with some of the first espadrille makers, including Rafael Castañer.  In the mid-1960s the company was considering shutting down, until Yves Saint Laurent asked Castañer to make a high-heeled espadrille.  A high-heeled espadrille hadn't been made before, it took off, and the rest is history.*)

Having worn them so much last summer, I'm looking to expand, and maybe find a pair that would work in the cooler months of April and May, using a closed-toe or a heavier material to help make the transition.  Here are some examples of what I've seen.

These arrived by UPS a few evenings ago, and I must say, I might be in love again.  J.Crew did a great job with these Seville espadrilles, and they come in black, flax (color I purchased), and red.

Photo from jcrew.com.

These Dolce Vita ones from Nordstrom are suede, which would work well as a 'transition' shoe because of the heavier materal.  I'm partial to the 'Cognac' colored ones, but there are 3 other colors that are cute too.  $78.95 is a great price on these.  Get your pedicure on.

Photo from nordstrom.com.

This Franco Sarto one at Nordstrom is a great buy at $79.95, and you can go neutral with the 'Cloud' color, or go bold with the 'Red'. (PS - you might think these look like a heel, but with the platform in front, the pitch is really only an inch and a half or so.)

Photos from nordstrom.com

And I might be jumping ahead to summer with these (ok, I am), but I simply love the lines of this Tory Burch Adonis espadrille.

Photo from toryburch.com.

So, when you are trying to update your casual look for spring, think about adding an espadrille or 2 into the mix.  They pair well with jeans, both white and blue, dresses, cropped pants, skirts, just about anything. ~ JH

* As read in "The One Hundred - A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own" by Nina Garcia

...you have a fabulous leather skirt. (Could also be entitled: Demystifying personal shopping - Part 5.)

You may remember reading that I picked up this fabulous 3.1 Philip Lim caramel leather skirt earlier this season and have been wearing it with black mostly.  

Photo from net-a-porter.com

I want to wear it into spring and don't really know what to put with it besides the obvious white T-shirt to lighten it up for spring.  Enter Personal Shopper Amy Swartz at Nordstrom!  A really great personal shopper knows her store inventory and can all sorts of options to work with a favorite item you already own, marrying it with all sorts of unexpected pieces to create whole new look.  That's just what I need for this skirt.  Something fun and unexpected.  

My appointment was right in the middle of February school vacation week, so I brought my own personal photographer (9 yo daughter) and her assistants (5 yo brother and sister) along for counsel.

Here's what Amy had ready for me...

And some of the looks with the skirt and lovely Yves Saint Laurent navy patent wedges.

Here's a casual look with silk tee and denim skirt.

Another casual look with a Vince Camuto striped top.

Another Vince Camuto silk top...a bit more reserved.

Navy is always good with caramel.  Here's a silky top from Parker.

And another fun, colorful top from Diane Von Furstenberg.

A cream silk tee, from Joie, always looks good.

This was AWFULLY frumpy and the color was horrid on me.

A crochet tank from Vince that I've had my eye on for a while.

This jacketed look from Elizabeth and James is pretty hot.

Can you believe all the combinations that Amy thought of for one great skirt?  So, which ones do you like?  Which should I get? ~ LB

Unless otherwise noted, photos are Lisa Bida's.