Tsubo Kiho in White  $190

Could these be a modern version of the white go-go boots I’ve been craving?  I think so.  Tsubo’s are known for being very comfortable.  I love these in white, for a mod feel, but I could easily see myself wearing the brown or black version also.  My only concern is the the circumference of the shaft is only 14.5 inches, which would be painfully tight on my calves.  I could get them stretched, but there’s no guarantee that they could stretch enough to fit comfortably.  I’ll be keeping my eye on these.

(I did buy some things this week, but they haven’t come in the mail yet, so I’m going to do a shopping ban post for this week and next week next Saturday.  In the mean time, enjoy this post about gifts for travelers)

I don’t really get to travel as often as I would like to.  Generally, I only get out of Florida once or twice a year.  Yet every time I travel, I always manage to come up with a list of things that would have made my trip more enjoyable.  Some are simple, some more extravagant, but all would make travel more pleasant.  Here’s some great items for the frequent traveler on your Christmas list:

• A Non-Black Suitcase

Orla Kiely Tripp Cabin Upright  $317

When you get off your plane and go to the luggage carousel to pick up your items, doesn’t it annoy you that every single suitcase (including yours) is pretty much identical and boring?  Well, it bothers me, and with a gorgeous suitcase like this, I’d never be confused about whether or not a piece of luggage was mine.  For the matchy-matchy, there is also a laptop bag, a large tote, a hold-all and a wheeled duffle.

• Sewing Kit – Really, you should have this in your purse everyday anyhow.  But when you’re traveling, it really helps to be able to sew that button back on when you only have two shirt options.  And carry safety pins for emergency fixes.  And fashion tape.

• Lots of moleskin

Dr Scholls Moleskin Plus $24.72 (8-pack)

Travel generally means lots of walking which also means lots of blister potential.  Be prepared and your feet will thank you.

• A Neck Pillow

Bucky Fuzzy Wuzzy U-Neck Pillow  $24.95

It’s hard enough to sleep on planes as it is.  Make it a little easier with a cozy neck pillow.

• A Better Toiletry Kit

Ebags Pack-it-flat Toiletry Kit  $34.99

My current toiletry kit takes up way too much space.  Something that packs flat like this would be much better, and can keep one’s toiletries much more organized.

I wore this last weekend for dinner out with the family.  We went to a hip new restaurant in our neighborhood, Ella’s.  The food was amazingly good, and the atmosphere was gorgeous.  We are on their outdoor porch under some beautiful old oak trees.  I highly recommend going there if you’re in the area.

This purse is too small to be practical most days, but it’s perfect for going out to dinner.  It has just enough room for a wallet, cell phone, and a few other necessary trinkets.  It’s like having a clutch, only with handles.

Blouse: L8ter (thrifted)
Cardigan: Ann Taylor LOFT
Jeans: Express Stella
Boots: Dansko Nena
Purse: Heiress (Vintage)
Necklace: Garage Sale
Bangles: Jill Popowich

I usually shy away from matching too many elements in an outfit.  But for this outfit, it just felt right.  Every other color of purse I tried felt out of place, and this was perfect.  There’s no such thing as hard and fast style rules in my book.

The theme at my school for this day was “Fall Colors”  However, most fall colors don’t really look good on me (at least when they’re all together).  I chose to make it simple and wear brown and brick red, with denim and black to keep the ensemble from being too warm in tone.

Oh and of course, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  And Happy Thursday to those not in the States!

Tank: Ann Taylor (garage sale)
Cardigan: Ann Taylor LOFT
Jeans: Express
Boots: Born Biddy
Purse: Morelle Truffle
Pearls: Garage Sale
Earrings: Efy Tal

Sometimes, my Etsy Love posts come together organically as I’m favoriting items on Etsy.  Such was the case with this post.  I began to notice that I had many items in my favorites that were “little bird” themed.  Some searching revealed to me that there’s quite a few beautiful items with little birds in them.  Here’s some of my favorites:

(I focused on necklaces, because there were so many)

Little Bird Necklace   $19

Blue Dove Studio

Sweet Modern Bird Perched in a Raindrop   $48

Modern Bird

Little Bird in the Tall Grass   $46

Lulu Bug Jewelry

Birds on a Wire Necklace with Pearls  $88

Jane E Roberti

Sweet Little Chick  $21

Lana O Crystal

]]> http://kittyscreations.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/etsy-love-little-bird-necklaces/feed/ 4 Kitty little bird necklace sweet modern bird little bird in the tall grass birds on a wire sweet little chick http://kittyscreations.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/daily-outfit-all-hail-fluevog/ http://kittyscreations.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/daily-outfit-all-hail-fluevog/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:44 +0000 Diana http://kittyscreations.wordpress.com/?p=3016 ]]>

I’m still debating about whether or not to keep my orange Fluevog Fiorenzas (I just really don’t like the color orange anymore).  But one thing is definitely for sure, my goldenrod Malibrans aren’t going anywhere.  I adore these shoes.  They were my first real style investment, and they were worth every penny.  I may feel fickle about orange, but I love goldenrod for an accent color.

See how much more boring this outfit looks when you can’t see the shoes?  My Malibrans really make this outfit shine.

Oh, and these shoes are very popular with the kindergartners at my school.  They love the bright color.

Dress: Lush
Cami (under dress) Gap
Cardigan: Ann Taylor LOFT
Belt: Vintage
Tights: Target
Shoes: Fluevog Malibrans
Purse: Thrifted and re-conned
Necklace: Chocolate Cake Jewels

Well, folks, I’m beginning to feel like it’s time to really take this blog seriously.  Simple Elegance has mainly been a fun hobby for me, but I want it to be more polished and professional.  I’m starting to work on the beginnings of a book, and I want this blog to become a platform which that book might be launched off of.   I’m also thinking about become a professional shopper/personal stylist on the side, once I find out what training is necessary.  Also, I’d really like to have a url that doesn’t still bear the name of what was originally a crafting blog.  I’d like to have a site that looks good on business cards, that people might want to advertise on.

So, I’m ready for a name change (again).  While I like Simple Elegance, having a double “e” looks sloppy in urls.  Plus, SimpleElegance.com is unavailable, and when I google the name, lots of wedding and interior decorating companies come up, which could be confusing for someone who doesn’t realize that my blog is a style blog and not a wedding blog.

Plus, I want something more original.  Something that still reflects my personal philosophy about style, and something that doesn’t sound like a million other generic blog names.

I am very open to suggestions, because right now I haven’t come up with much.  But the one possibility I do have I like a lot. Here’s a few possibilities I’ve come up with.

Smiles Go With Everything.  This definitely reflects one aspect of my view of style and life.  Nothing bugs me more that sullen faced models wearing gorgeous outfits.  Or women who are absolutely beautiful yet can’t stand the site of themselves and are always depressed and frowning.  Smiles instantly make you look better and more beautiful.  Frowns can make even the best outfits look awful.  And really, I think it’s best to always have a positive outlook on life.  It’s just too short to let all the bad stuff get you down.

Here’s some variations on that idea:

Smiles Are in Style

Smiles Are Chic

Pearls and a smile (because I love to wear classic pieces like pearls) (Never mind, it’s already taken)

Both of those versions have fewer characters, which is often beneficial.

So that’s my only really good idea so far. What do you think of these for a new blog name?  Any other ideas?  Once I buy the domain name, I’ll be sure to make a post before I switch the blog over.

Normally I prefer to always take my pictures in natural sunlight.  Sometimes though, the day gets away from me, and I have to settle for porch-light.  One of these days, I’ll get my broken flash fixed, but this works for now.

The unfortunate effect of this lighting is that the color gets very washed out.  This tunic is actually a dusty-purple, but you can’t really see it here.  I bought it when I was at a garage sale in California, but it took me awhile to decide if I wanted to keep it.  In fact, I took it to the clothing swap last week, but it didn’t work for anyone else, and everyone encouraged me to five it another try.  I’m glad they did.

I absolutely love my new Born Sokals.  They have a decidedly sweet, Audrey Hepburn vibe to them.  However, I learned the hard way that they need lots of breaking in.  My heels had horrible blisters when I took these photos.  I’m going to stick to wearing them at home in the evenings for awhile before I wear them for another eight hour day at work again.

Tunic: Kensie (garage sale)
Cardigan: Minimalist (handknit by me)
Leggings: Target
Shoes: Born Sokal
Belt: Old Baltimore Vintage
Scarf: Target
Necklace: Local Boutique
Purse: Easy Spirit

Lady Dragon  $154

I absolutely love the color of these shoes.  And the bow.  And the fact that Zooey Deschanel wore them in her cotton ad.  But why, oh why are they made out of PVC?  I used to wear jelly shoes when I was a kid, and my feet would sweat like crazy.  So why would I spend $154 to relive that experience?  You better believe that the second these shoes are made in leather, I will snatch them up.  For now, I must keep searching for those perfect, non-plastic seafoam green pumps.

Last weekend, I hit up a bunch of local garage sales.  I found some awesome stuff, but ending up getting a lot of duds also.  That seems to be how it goes with garage sales.  I’ve only taken photos of the items I’m keeping, but I counted the total money spent against my ban.

My favorite things to find at garage sales are costume jewelry and fun accessories.  I found quite the batch.  I think the purse may be vintage.  There’s a tag inside that says the brand is Heiress.  I’ve already worn the pearls once.  According to the person I bought it from, that heart charm necklace is real silver.  Awesome deals all around.

Blue Long Sleeve Tee: Gap
White Long Sleeve Tee: Banana Republic
Gray Cashmere Blend Turtle-Neck: Ralph Lauren

These might not be as exciting as the accessories, but the fact is that my winter wardrobe is pretty slim.  I’m sure I’ll be grateful for these layering tees when the temps start to drop.  The turtle neck is gorgeously soft and it has beautiful flecks of blue and purple in it.  Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll get to wear it more than a few days a year, unless I travel out of state.  It rarely drops below 40 here.

I also went to a clothing swap party last weekend.  A few people asked what it was.  While it varies from one to another, at the swap party I went to, everyone brought clothes that they no longer wear.  We organized them on tables, and then “shopped” for new items from what everyone else bought.  I didn’t really find a lot, but what I did get I like.

So I got a very itchy but very warm Gap lambswool sweater – I think it will be good for layering on those rare cold days.  Some Bandolino heels that are gorgeous though uncomfortable.  I really don’t have any sexy, strappy dress shoes, so I figured getting a free pair wouldn’t hurt.  A funky red beaded necklace and some bohoemian chic earrings.  And a purple and black sarong, which I’ll be grateful for next beach season.

Born Sokal Flats: $50 on Ebay

You may remember that when I first started my ban, I decided that I could only buy three pairs of shoes under $100, one of which would be a pair of ballet flats.  Last week, I finally found what I was looking for.  I’d been eyeing a couple different styles of Born flats on Ebay for months now, but nothing came up at the right price.  I actually bought a pair of Born flats at a local Dillard’s recently, but had to return them because they were painfully tight.  Finally, I managed to catch these for a mere $50, which is significantly less than what they sell for new.  And I absolutely love them.  They provide decent support for a flat, have a delightful Audrey look to them, and are in a gorgeous patent.  A word of warning though – they take breaking in.  I wore them for an eight hour work day this week, and my feet are yelling at me now.

So all in all, how did I do?    I had $24 of ban money available and $7.50 in free money.  I spent $20 total at garage sales, and the swap was free, so that leaves me with $4 for next week, plus the $7.50.  The shoe money is in a different category, and doesn’t count against ban money.