Pancake Flat

I have no shame in admitting that I am in the progress of buying myself birthday presents. I'm just being honest about what kind of person I am. I am the sort of person who effing loves presents.
My birthday isn't for another 6 weeks and I am gradually buying things to then wrap up and stow away to then bring out on my birthday.
My reasoning is that if I do it now, I could well have forgotten what I got by the time my birthday rolls around and also, to spend money gradually kinda lessens the impact of doing it all in one go.
I have no debt and I'm not about to start now!
So I have a list. It's not extravagant but it's a list regardless. There are shoes on that list. Yes. I am ridiculous and yes, I don't care how it sounds. I LOVE PRESENTS.

So, I saw these shoes on the Moda In Pelle website and thought they were cute. I was never really into Moda in Pelle when I lived in the UK but these are rather nice shoes.

I rather like the tan ones best. The whole elasticated thing rather appeals to me. Does that mean I truly am getting older? Oh well.

Gauzed

So I am waiting for someone to call someone else back so they can pass the news to me. Oh, don't you love chain events like this when your hopes are in someone elses hands? I may need to bake cookies tonight!
I like doing baking whilst wearing ridiculous heels (new blog idea?) because I like wearing heels but also because I have some very pretty and dressy pairs that I don't often get to wear. These are a perfect example of shoes I crave but don't have anywhere to really wear them to. Except baking.

It's the booty shot that makes me love them. So gorgeous. Rene Caovilla knows his shiz.

Stripey

I am finally getting my hair sorted out today. I have very long hair that was last dealt with in November and now that it's March, it's perhaps showing that it needs some TLC and a spruce up. Nothing major but definitely a bit of a tidy up because its permanent state of bed head is, while cute, not always appropriate.
I will keep y'all posted about how it turns out. I love where I get my hair DID and a visit there is certainly something to look forward to.
You know something else to look forward to? Shoes. Oh yes. Especially green ones with stripey heels. Take it away Kate Spade!

Hey girl, I'm nosing on your Uggs...

I had this friend at University who, one day, came up to me and accused me of ruining his walks. This was a rather extreme accusation so I asked what the crack was. He replied that after hearing me bitch about females wearing fake Uggs (this is waaaay more common in the UK) he had started looking and trying to judge if the ones he passed on his walk were real or fake too.

Is this just more common in the UK because Uggs are more expensive and a bit less accessible? I don't know but my studenty self had a stick up my arse about it. Apparently it rubbed off and the curse of checking out Uggs is spreading.

I have to admit, I have a fair few pairs. But I don't have the button Bailey. I kinda want it. It's so cute! Although there are some jazzy bright color options...

But I have to admit I am rather partial to the chesnut ones below. But I do like the purple ones quite a lot too. I think I prefer them because of the nifty contrast of fluff and suede.

Smarties

Trying to explain British candy to Americans is actually pretty hard sometimes. I've had little luck explaining what dolly mixtures or pink shrimp or white mice are. I've had better luck with flumps and jazzies because there are American (inferior) versions like those shaped marshmallows or non-pariels. Smarties are tricky too because they have smarties here but American smarties are nothing like UK smarties and trying to sum them up as 'slightly flatter m&m's' doesn't work either because they are a different taste.

Anyway, I love UK smarties and not just because they are colored naturally and have that certain Britishy quality that delicious but also because they go so well on cake and cookies. Which leads me to these Nine West pumps that look like they are covered in proper smarties!

You can find these on Zappos and the colors make them a fun transition pair for spring. I like the shape because a round toe is always great and who can't help but smile at those colorful spots?

Monday Spotlight: All Saints

I had a British friend visiting (all the way from Memphis - we felt very global) in NYC this last week (she was here for a conference that was conveniently located a block from where I work) and we felt the need to set some time apart to go shopping.
She had Topshop needs (they don't have one in Memphis and she missed it badly) and so I took her on a jaunt down Broadway.
I may have forgotten that not everyone walks as much as I do so she ended up getting pretty worn out - oops!

On the way there, we passed another British institution that she fancied a look in and that was All Saints. They are located on Broadway by Spring in Soho and have a great aesthetic involving old vintage Singer sewing machines.

I have a confession...I wasn't all that familiar with All Saints until I moved to America and someone I worked with in PR raved about them, prompting me to check them out (they have a section in Bloomingdales too) and I ended up buying a pair of shoes (shocker) and remembering to check them out more often.

The 'look' there is interesting. Kind of shapeless but with cuts, frays, slits and asymmetrical draping in darker, brooding colors. I love the color scheme as we all know I am not really into 'color' but a lot of the clothes are designed to drape in a fashion model way and I have boobs which makes draping more complicated. Trust me. There are certain fashions that are not friends to your boobs.

However, I love their steampunky and rough'n'ready style of shoes and located in the back right of the store, you can find a small shoe section. Although it took me awhile to break my All Saints boots in, they are comfy now and look fabulous. For boots so simple, they sure do pack a punch in terms of style. I even got a marriage proposal (not a serious one obviously, just a creative cat call) when wearing them and my foot feels very protected and safe in it.

I know All Saints is a great place for bags and jackets if the clothes aren't quite your thing or not quite suited to your body and although there is a snooty air upon first visit, everyone who works there was polite and helpful.

I sure do miss having more British people here in NYC!

What's in your purse?

I've seen those 'what's in your purse' posts before but I've never actually done one before. But that's all about to change! What do I carry in my purse? I have to admit, it's kinda boring really...

I have a hair brush because I have long hair that does whatever it wants which isn't always a good thing. I have my Kate Spade wallet because...well, everyone needs their wallet! I had originally wanted this Kate Spade wallet with a floral design (in a fit of 'hey, I can do color!') but that phase of madness subsided so my Mum kept the floral one and I stuck with a basic black one and the lesson learned that I shouldn't get out of my dark color safe zone.
I have my iPod classic because I love my music and I have too much music to fit on my iPhone which also lives in my purse but was being used to take photos. I have the 4S by the way.
I have a mirror with a heart sticker on. The heart sticker came from a pair of Victoria's Secret panties.
I have some moisturizer, some perfume and my door keys.
Is that boring? What else do I need? I mean, I totally didn't photo the tampons that live in the zippy pocket inside the bag or my Burts Bees lip balm or my Metro card because I forgot about the last two and you don't really need to see the first...

The bag itself is a Christian Dior bag, the style named 'Gaucho' which I was obsessed with for ages before finally getting it. It's the perfect size for daily life and I love the red hue. It reminds me of a horse saddle and it goes so well with so many things.

What else should I carry? Any suggestions?