finding fall boots

After wearing my $20 suede flat Target boots (in tan and in black) all winter last year, I decided I needed to upgrade this year. They were not impervious to a rainy trip to NYC, and did not hold up so well in the snow of Park City (thankfully, my North Face Nuptse III snow boots did!). So, time to look at Uggs (*shudder*). I really hate the big bulky Uggs of yore.

But, the Nordstrom half-yearly sale lead me to these not-so-bulky ones, on sale for around $150. I ordered them. And the calf-width was slightly too small for my larger calves (getting jeans in there would have been a struggle), and the ruching kind of made them look odd.

I decided I'd really prefer to have a zipper. I really like my leather boots that have zippers - SO much easier getting the jeans down in them than the pull up kind.

So, using my favorite shoe store, Endless, I narrowed it down to:
1. Jessica Simpson Women's Bally Flat Knee-High Boot ($104) - they looked kind of dressier than the casual look I was shooting for, but still really cute. Love the dark brown leather strap on the back.
2. Rockport Women's Tarklyn Terrace Boot ($104) - I can't tell if these are too "old lady"-ish for me or not. I like the dark gray though.
3. Coconuts by Matisse Women's Jackson Buckle Boot ($75) - I LOVE the taupe color.
4. EMU Australia Women's Kimba High Boot ($60) - Ok, there's no zipper, but they have a 15" boot opening.


I ordered #3 and #4, since they were the cheapest... #3 shaft was just too narrow. Could not get them zipped up. Boo.

However, I do really like the EMUs (#4). Ugg-like, but with a narrower footbed, so you don't look all clompy like. I got them in the chocolate brown. I don't wear a lot of black, and I JUST bought a pair of leather-like Steve Madden boots in the Cognac-y color. I wish they still had them in gray, but brown is very neutral too. They are comfy and warm, and hopefully will do just fine in my normal Houston winters!

A tale of 2 dresses

I bought 2 forest green dresses this weekend (and a forest green top... yes, I'm obsessed).

The first dress is cotton-y and flow-y, and has a very flattering waistline, but isn't really "fall" - even though it just came out. [$49.50 at Gap + I had a 30% off coupon!]The second dress is very fall (they had it in forest green at the store), and very what I was looking for for my fall wardrobe and perfect with boots and mary janes and my BR black wool coat. [$128 at BR + I was returning a $50 top and I had a $15 coupon!] Not sure which one I will keep... I'm leaning towards the BR one... Now I just need to find the perfect black boot!

New bag for fall!

I saw this bag in Lucky in Red, and loved it. I had been salivating all summer over this bag, and this one is similar, yet smaller and cheaper[$98]! I also have been wanting a jewel-toned patent bag for fall... and it comes in colors like cobalt, eggplant, wine, and bordeaux! Now, finding pictures of the bag in these colors is another story...

This blogger had a pic of the cobalt - oh so yummy. She got it at QVC for the low price of $64+tax+shipping ($76). The cobalt's backordered though, so I got the eggplant, which from the other bags on the Maxx New York website, looks like a deep purply-blue. Hopefully it's just gorgeous.

Tapestry Flats - High & Low

I loved these flats from Steve Madden, but I really have issues with paying over $50 for any kind of flat shoe, especially one as uncomfortable as SM shoes. [$69.95 at Zappos]

So, you can imagine my delight at finding almost identical ones at Target for $12.99! I've gotten TONS of complements on them, and no one can believe they are from Target! They are relatively comfortable (thanks to a littler moleskin behind my heels), but they are sooo slippery on the bottoms when walking on smooth floors. I've tried scuffing them up on the sidewalk, to no avail. Next, I'm going to try spraying some hairspray on them and see if that helps! Overall, LOVE them!

What I Want Now

A sheath dress with Mary Janes (and perhaps tights).

[$148 at BR]

[$168 at BR]

[$118 at BR]

Love this coat

Yummy.

[$218 at BR]

Plaid Jackets

I really want a plaid jacket for fall. I love this one (not available in plaid online, but it is at the store) for $148 at BR, but the cut isn't the most flattering on me.

But, this one for $78 at Nordstrom is cute, and it looks like the cut might be more flattering!

Outfit for a wedding

Forest-y Green silk-like (but polyester!) Banana Republic dress: [On sale for $99.99 at BR]

Two-tone gold Nine West d'orsay-style wedges from the [$59.99 at Nine West Outlet store]

(These are not them, but the best match I could find)

Jewelry:

[$12.99 & $19.99 from Avon]

I don't usually make a point of shopping at Avon, but my mom got these for her birthday and they weren't really "her," and I just LOVED the fall colors (the colors look deeper in person) and the length of the necklace!