”They’re kind of espadrilles, they’re kind of huaraches, they’re kind of nerdy slip-on hipster shoes…”

But they’re soooo cute on.

We found Rocket Dog’s Clover flats on sale at Marshall’s $19.99, but they’re also available at Delia’s for $25.99.  We both tried the bottom pair, which is sailor-inspired with blue and white stripes and a pink anchor and it’s taking all of my efforts to not return to Marshall’s immediately and snatch them up before my size is gone…but if I can use online coupon codes to get these yachty flats for cheap, you bet your ass that’s just what I’ll do.

To get 20% off these sailor-inspired espadrilles (and anything else at Delia’s), use code 2RMNDE.

To get $20 off a purchase of $75 or more at Delia’s, use code 75RMNDE.

That makes my brand new shoes just as cheap at Delia’s as they are at Marshall’s.  Score.

(Both of these codes expire June 14, 2012, so if you’re going to buy, jump on it!)

Original Article

Jen and I seem to have the innate ability to arrive at a store at any time of the day, and stay so long that we eventually get physically removed from the store because it needs to close, and why are you both shirtless in the dress section?

What?  When you don’t have time to get a dressing room, you make due with what you have.

And that is how you start a story with the ending.

After a particularly bad day at work, like two wound-up bulls headed towards a Valentino boutique - get out of my way, I need the illusion of luxurious consumption.

I, of course, can’t enjoy the Cher Horowitz Program treatment of “go to Rodeo [Drive]” nor can I stroll down to Saks and buy myself a new pair of Marni heels, like Blair Forever Charge Card Waldorf.  My version of caution-to-the-wind, wild & free shopping sprees? Ross, baby.

Ross is the puddle of chocolate syrup at the bottom of your mocha.  You go into the store knowing that you don’t have a lot of spending money… but it’s totally okay because you can still probably afford just about everything in the store, and that stuff is going to be just as indulgent as something expensive.

Ross had tasked us with finding the perfect spring-to-summer sandals in one of their stores, and armed us each with a $25 gift card to hunt & gather our options.  Within moments of our arrival, we’d amassed a pile of “maybes” so large it took up the whole bench.  Even more intense: all of those shoes are under $30.  Yeah.  Collecting them was the hard part.  (And you know you’re in a good situation when shopping for shoes is the hard part.)

I couldn’t help but notice how beautifully Jen’s green tea latte complimented these gorgeous yellow espadrilles.  In fact, she carried these puppies around the shoe section for a good 15 minutes, like a safety blanket.  Once she tried them on, I couldn’t blame her for being so enamored.

Right?  And they make Jen’s legs look 5,000 miles long which is pretty spectacular given she’s 5’1”.

Jen was instantly sold on these… blue and pink leopard print flats…?

No, but seriously… these looked amazing on feet, despite the textual description.  I mean, leopard flats are classic, right? Spin on a… classic…? Whatever.  I wanted them, too.  Something about them was eerily hypnotic…

We also got pretty obsessed with the comfort aspect of these green, canvas wedges:

Then things took a turn for the bondage.

…all that stuff under $30! Insane, right? Well, it gets worse: this was just Jen’s first round! We each had two rounds of shoe-trying-on, and everything we tried on, loved, didn’t love - under $30.  It was intense.

Round two begins…

We both had semi-scene-making fits about these perfect, neutral wedges.  I mean, could you possibly have designed a shoe that was more basic but versatile and timeless?  Jen’s dancer feet and my super-jock feet were both slightly too wide to make it work but it was almost worth the pain just because they’re so beautiful! AND YES, LESS THAN $30.

Eventually, Jen had to take over Instagram-ing duties (PS - we’re @themissile and @jennifernation if you want to be Insta-buddies!) so I could put my feet into these glorious, striped wedges.  So comfortable.  I loved the pattern, and I’m usually scared of patterned shoes!  Plus, they were less than $18, so there was that instant yearning for them, also.

Here I am ogling myself:

(No, they’re not selling Doc Martens at Ross - those are mine.  Sorry to be a Debbie Downer.)

I would also like to take this opportunity to tell you that side-zip skinny jeans are the most flattering jeans to wear with heels forever.  Every shoe I put on my feet looked like a Wet Seal ad.  (In a good way if there is one.)  It just looked badass, okay?

Who doesn’t want to feel like Bad Girl Sandra D. every once in a while?  These were the perfect compliment to my jeans style.

How do you like these?  I mean, they’re orange and grey and cork and patent leather… but I really liked them!  They were pretty comfortable, despite the immediate “GAH! Who wants to walk in those?!” reaction, and I didn’t mind the bright colors next to super neutrals.  Thoughts?

As for finding sandals…

Um, obviously, it’s extremely possible for less than $25.  We were there for 3 hours and didn’t leave the shoe section once - we were both extremely impressed at the vast selection of brand and styles at such ridiculously good, Ross-style prices.

As for the experience…

We do have a beef.  We agreed that we would shop for shoes at Ross more often if we could… walk in them?  I tried to get Jen to take video of the strange, Birds-of-Paradise-esque dance that we had to do to view the shoes on our body, in the mirror.  Each pair has the toes bound together by either a wire or cord, and it makes it virtually impossible to take a step that’s larger than about four inches.  So, for the record, we could not try walking in any of these shoes - we could only really see how they felt while we were standing on them - which is noteworthy, but certainly isn’t 100% of the shoe-selection process.  Frustrating?  Yes.  Does it prevent me from trying on 16 pairs of shoes there, buying some, and continuing to shop there?  No.  This is just our $0.02…  Wait, would it be $0.04?  Or still just $0.02 because our thoughts are the same thoughts?  It’s our “pennies totaling an appropriate amount.”

Have you bought shoes at Ross before? What was your experience?

Original Article

While I do enjoy Kelly Osbourne from time to time, and Kelly Rutherford is one of our eco-friendly lifestyle icons, and if we really want to talk about inspiring women, Grace Kelly is always on my list of favorite people. When it comes to greens, unfortunately I can’t say that kelly green is my favorite. It’s nice enough, sure, but there are better greens. That isn’t to say I don’t fawn over it just like every other green.

As you know, we’ve been a bit green crazy lately… Was it a bite from the first springtime bug? Some kind of fashion brainwashing? (Hey, it’s a legitimate theory and if you buy me a drink, you will hear about it explicit detail.) Either way, green pretty so we post about it. It’s been a long time since I gazed at shoes for an uncomfortably long period of time, so I present to you…

Gorgeous Heels to the Tune of: Kelly Green

• Nine West Blanca Wedges: $49.97
• Nine West AmpedUp: $89
• Seychelles Hydrangea Pumps: $89.95
• Onitsuka Tiger by Asics California 78 Vintage: $59.99

Would you wear green shoes? How?

Original Article

The holidays are not over yet.  80%20 says so.

We haven’t talked about the hidden wedge wonder brand since last year’s holiday collection, which was a trend-tastic playset of sneakers and boots.  This year’s holiday collection is a little more streamlined, with subdued, classically-inspired shapes in fun colors…and in true 80%20 fashion, all but one has a hidden wedge.

We’ll start with my absolute favorite, Seanne.  Isn’t it swoon-worthy in Herringbone?  And when you take the platform into account, the heel only totals three inches - super easy to walk in.

I should mention that since we’re posting this collection a little, um, late, all of these styles are on sale.  The Seanne can be found for around $100 - almost 50% off retail.

The Mona is one of two oxford-styled shoes in the holiday collection, and we all know I can’t argue with cute oxfords.  I love the stacked heel, pointed toe and slight heel rise.  It’s kind of kooky.

The Rina is one of the styles I’m least convinced by: it’s really safe-looking (cowboy boot, yawn) and I’m not sure how the hidden wedge translates once it’s on a moving body.  Would it make calves look awkward or disproportionate, or would no one be the wiser?

Amazon has the Emmie for less than $82. This is the shoe that actually drew me to the collection: it was just featured on OpenSky and sold out really fast!

The trendy fringe bootie, Stevie, is…meh.  I am really not into this whole native-pilgrim-dress-up-like-someone-else’s-culture thing, and fringe is all together my least favorite part of it.  If you’re into it, though…I guess you could…buy this?  Meh.

80%20 Shoes

Original Article

I definitely used to be one of those girls who went dancing, and at the end of the night, you’d see me walking down the street holding my shoes in my hand, shamelessly walking barefoot on the city sidewalks.

While I may have been shameless, I definitely didn’t value the personal, intimate moments that the gnarly concrete and I had. Well, I might have at the time, due to my immense penchant for $3 gin & tonics, and copious dancing… But in retrospect, I’m glad those times are over. The ended the moment I was introduced to Kushyfoot Flats To Go.

My boyfriend took this photo because I was so proud of myself for bringing them with me, I had to have a photo. I may be mid-jump here. 

I was reminded of my lazy lack of forethought on a cute, romantic walk with my boyfriend. When you live on a steep-ass hill in the middle of a city, you might think that your cutest flats are the best option, but when you find yourself un-sexily limping about while trying to keep a coy smile - you gotta face the facts: they’re not.

Fortunately, squished up next to my wallet in my purse, I found the above pair of Kushyfoot Flats to Go (my exact pair here), and I resumed my adorable-ness, immediately.

I now have about three pairs of these babies, and I have fortunately never found myself in the ogre-esque, whining date position since. They all come in little, tiny, purse-shaped carrying cases, but they fit better into the cosmetics pouch in my purse without it. I end up using the white, perforated flats most often, but these are definitely my backup pair:

Basic Black.

I snagged a pair of shiny gold flats (I’M A PRINCESS, BITCH) and a pair of snakeskin printed flats, as well. I’m a lucky girl.

What’s your solution to mid-event, high heel/shoe pain?

Original Article

A common reaction from “fashion forward” people who have just heard the phrase “comfort shoe” is typically a disgusted look followed by a sentence including the word “orthopedic”.

I’ve set out to show you the best “comfort shoes” for the fashionable woman. These shoes are great for walking, commuting, shopping days, or just looking good - you’d never believe they were “comfort shoes“…

The Best Flat:

Clarks Bluebird Peep Toe Ballet Flat
$43.97 - $67.96 in a million colors from pink to gold!

These are peeptoe flats, so they’re as up on the trends as can be! They come in a ton of colors to go with your current wardrobe, and, for Clarks, they’re affordable as hell!

The Office Shoe:

Naturalizer “J’adore” in Black and Pewter
$79

Cute enough to wear under trousers, or with a pencil skirt, but not too cute to break your toes while hobbling to the bus stop! I’m loving the Black + Pewter combo, too. They also come in all black.

The Party Shoe:

Naturalizer “Courtney” in Dirty Nickel Metallic
$89

Look me in the face and tell me this isn’t impressive… How can you go wrong with a “dirty” metallic t-strap peep-toe?! This shoe is smoldering.

The Perfect Oxford Bootie:

Indigo by Clarks “Paddington” in Cafe Brown
$100

Now this I did not expect… I just bought my first pair of oxford booties last week (those of you who subscribe to the newsletter already know) and they look EXACTLY LIKE THIS! Mine are comfy, too, but these are luxurious in beautiful brown leather… Scrumptious!

The Saucy Date Shoe:

Naturalizer “Rookie” in Black
$70

Why be uncomfortable teetering in sky-high heels when on a hot date? That just makes you act a foo’. These pumps boast a 3” heel with a mini-platform and loads of padding to ensure that your legs look a mile long while keeping the comfort to make it all the way… Through the night, that is.

The Most Amazing Boots:

Natural Comfort “Cut Up” Scrunch Boot in Black
$179.95 $98.97

As fall quickly approaches our hypothetical doorstep, this post just wouldn’t be complete without a saucy pair of scrunchy boots to slip opaque tights into, or peek out beneath a nice pair of jeans. These also come in a wine/rosey color, if you’re into it, and have a zipper in the rear of the boot shaft.

With all the beautiful ladies I know that use public transportation, walk to school or the store, or just shop until their feet fall off - I know these are suspicious but they really are “comfort shoes”! Just look at the brand names! I know… Naturalizers and Clarks aren’t just for Grandma anymore, are they?

xoxo.

Original Article