Happy Summer in Dress & Sandals

So it's really truly officially the start of summer.  I don't know about you, but for us, summer arrives in stages...first the pool opens Mem Day weekend, then spring sports end (yay!), then school's out (yay yay!!), and finally we have the official 1st day of summer right as we hit our stride into full-on summer.  Been a bit absent - I think I last posted before we went down to NC to see the inlaws for my FIL's 70th bday, and here we are in June and we just got back from a 5-day weekend there to play at the beach once school let out.  It is a long drive, but I can't complain about traffic because it could have been SO much worse.  Looking forward to shorter drives for the rest of the summer, though.

Funny summer stories for you:

- Today E pulled out one of her teeth.  It was almost out and she did the last yank.  Atta girl!  But yes, ewwww.

- M caught his first shark this past weekend.  Ok, it was a 15" dead baby sand shark that he stepped on in the surfand then reached down to see what it was.  My & my cool head...I was walking down to the water with the camera and after he showed dad, he came running out of the surf with it to show me.  I freaked out and just said "Throw it back!"  I wasn't sure if it was dead or alive, but in either case it really skeeved me out.  Me, with the camera....and totally didn't take a picture.  And let's add an ewwwwwww for that one.  Oh, he's such a boy.  And clearly, I'm not so good with the surprises...  I do fairly well with injuries like head wounds and all that, but it's the critter stuff that gets me.

And summertime, as always, means easy dresses.  I love 1-piece dressing.  It just doesn't get any easier than that.  Here's yesterday's outfit for a few errands before we went to the pool.

Loft knit sheath dress from several years ago and black Sofft sandals.  Black dress + black sandals...ok, maybe it's not that creative, but it always works. 

I got these sandals from DSW and they are insanely comfy!  (Sofft, duh....)  Anyway, I highly recommend.  Plus, the ankle strap has enough give that I can actually slip them over my heel without unbuckling - always a bonus.

Funny thing is, when I was browsing around the J Crew website, I found a pair of heeled sandals that are way similar - the Knotted Macrame heels ($27829, $225).  And you all know that (1) I just don't do heels that often, and (2) most J Crew shoes just don't work on my feet - way too narrow and not enough support.  So basically I have the JC look in a much more comfortable shoe.  And it was quite a bit less price-wise.  Works for me!

Close up of my Sofft sandals:

J Crew Knotted Macrame Heels:

Good enough!!  And both shoes have that lovely piece on the back of the heel and we all know that's for hiding a less than perfect job of buffing your heels, right?

Hope you all are enjoying the summer! Stay cool and stay safe.
Polyvore from yesterday:

06/22/10 Dupe by HeidiGblog featuring DKNY dresses

Textured Sheath Dress by DKNY
180 GBP - my-wardrobe.com
More DKNY dresses »

Belle by sigerson morrison shoes BLACK
170 GBP - matchesfashion.com
More Belle By Sigerson Morrison flats »

Very Berry Tote. 12.75"Wx4"Dx15"H
$20 - crateandbarrel.com
More tote bags »

Large 18K Yellow Gold Hoop Earrings - Forzieri
$449 - forzieri.com
More Forzieri earrings »

Ray Ban sunglasses sidestreet 4068
replacealens.com
More Ray-Ban sunglasses »

Lady Jayne Hair Care - Styling Hints
ladyjayne.co.nz

A Pair of Pairs of Shoes (does that even make sense?)

I was planning this post along with some JC reviews, but decided to bump it up based on Harvill's comment on my last post.

So a couple of weeks ago, I ran into snaphappy at my local DSW Shoe Warehouse, which I admit, I don't visit often enough. I'm trying to branch out a bit with the shoe purchasing...and trying to really find cute shoes that are actually not bad - or maybe even good - for my feet.

Only one purchase on that 1st trip, and did I mention I had a coupon for $20 off a $49.95 purchase? Naturalizer Cedra Patent Moc (#194610, $49.95) Ok, I did use the coupon and got them for basically $30, but oh yeah, these are definitely worth full price. First let's be shallow and go with looks. Brown croc patent? Too cute. Love the little tassel thingy. They are synthetic, but are so comfy that I haven't had any rubbing or blister issues. I got a 9 1/2. I agree with DSW's reviews that they do tend to run a bit short. I love how they look with jeans - that's probably how I will usually wear them. Being that they are by Naturalizer, you do expect the support and comfort, and I give them an A+ on that. (snaphappy got a pair of these, too.)

Now, you know I love my ballet flats and let's be honest...it's a lot easier to camouflage all that support and comfort in a pair of mocs than it is in ballet flats. Probably why I usually go with my cheapie Target shoes and a gel insole, since it's not like they're going to be *that* much more supportive if I spend more money... Well, I stand corrected. Some ballet flats can be a bit more supportive and comfy. And I would like to thank snaphappy because when we were at DSW the previous week, she said "Did you look at the clearance section?" I replied, "nope, never even got there." (thinking it would be all summer and I'm looking for fall/winter shoes)

Flash forward to this past weekend when my parents were visiting, my mom wanted to stop by DSW to look at some shoes. I honestly, truly I swear, rode along to get a bag of dog food at Petco right next door. (Lucy, now 9 months old and 48 lbs, goes through a 35-lb bag of food in 1 month. And folks, she's not chunky.) So I got my intestinally-friendly large-breed puppy food (yeah, I know, ridic, huh?) and wandered back to DWS to meet my mom. She was still browsing and I had pretty much seen everything on the regular rows, so with snaphappy's words in mind, I headed back to the clearance section...and fell in love.

Me Too Swann Cap Toe Ballet Flat (#177123, $39.94 online). I got it for $54.94, less 50%, so a wee bit less than $28. Again, score! And um, yeah, I probably would have paid the full price for these too. Yes, they are a bit of a Chanel knock-off, but what ballet flats aren't (other than the TB Revas, of course). So pretty - beige leather and black patent cap toe. Love! But the big news is how comfy they are. Without looking totally clunky. I did get a 9 1/2 in these as well, but probably could have made the 9's work. Except that my mom got the 9's for herself. I did add one of those back-of-heel cushions to help them stay on a bit better. Can't wait to wear these with most or all of my fall/winter sweaters. (And now I have a pic I can clip to Polyvore because I can't on the DSW site...stinkers.)

Here are my IRL pics of the 2 shoes. Pardon the mark across the top of my foot - I was wearing toe socks earlier today with my J Crew sneakers...and did a quick photo op of both pairs of shoes before swapping out for big comfy cozy socks.