Showing posts with label Havaianas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Havaianas. Show all posts

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Lots of Shoes - plus More Havaianas Info, by Request

Ok, I'll start out with the Havaianas since at least 2 of you commented about them a couple of posts ago. First of all, these are not the regular Havaianas flip flops. Granted, their flip flops are pretty fab. And quite famous among the model/actress set. They are made of a softer rubber than most flip flops and don't streteh or lose their shape, and the toe piece is more comfortable. Or so I've heard because I don't actually have a pair of the regular flip flops.

What I do have is the "Fit" flip flop, which retails for $30. The key with this one, and where it differs from other flip flops is that it has the strap that goes around the back and that makes it so so so much better for your foot. You've heard that flip flops are the bane of podiatrists in the summer, right? (Or biggest business generator.) Now, I love flip flops as much as the next girl - esp the J Crew ones which are so insanely comfortable. But I found that by limiting my flip flop wear last summer - really just trading them in for flat sandals with a back strap, even without much support, did so much to help my feet. Considering the foot surgery my mom had last spring, I was understandably spooked as bad feet run strong along the maternal line in my family.

Here's the IRL pic on my feet. And I can vouch that they are really comfy to wear. These will be my go-to beach, pool, river, chill out, hang out shoe for summer. They come in black and the sand gray/golden (tan-ish). I love the tan-ish, and I think it works with silver or gold just fine. Again, I highly recommend. If you have specific questions on them, please let me know.

I got a few other pairs of shoes last week that I wanted to discuss. First of all, let's start with the J Crew patterned fabric and grosgrain flip-flops (#67243, $12.99 in store). I love the constellation print and the ribbon. But I may take these back. I was primarily thinking that these would be perfect for 4th of July with the navy jersey dressy strapless dress...and then thought about it and realized that I would still probably wear the Havaianas, esp if we are doing a lot of walking around, as we tend to do in Reedville for the town's Independence Day celebration. I love small town holidays, they are the best - we always go to the River for the 4th. So, in spite of the excellent price, I think these are going back as I just don't need them. And seriously, the pile of other JC flip flops I have that I don't wear very often - it's sinful. If I really want some JC flops for the 4th, I have the really cute ones from 2 years ago (I think), that were blue/white strip with rosy red sailboats.

Other pair of shoes from JC are these...the Danielle sandal, which are sold out on the website. I got these for $59.99 at Tysons in the warm blush. I am still a little iffy on these as the foot bed is just flat and not padded at all, but the straps are really comfy and I can actually pull the ankle strap over my heel without unbuckling - and as lazy as I am, that's always a big plus for any sandal. (Yes, all the sandals you see me wear do that. I have yet to find a sandal that I love enough to re-buckle and un-buckle every time I wear them.) If anyone has any info on the comfort of these, I would love to hear.

The 3rd pair of shoes I got last week are the Target Xhilaration Tayler Flat Sandals in champagne ($16.99). I think these would be a really great neutral shoe for summer, especially with the recent demise of the Samala peep toes, but I'm wondering if I really need it, since I have the Havaianas and the Danielles above, assuming I keep them. Of course, I love how I'm going through all this, and the 2 pairs of shoes I am thinking of returning are, of course, the 2 least expensive.

And then just for nostalgia...these are the beloved Liz Gladiator sandals by Isaac Mizrahi for Target from last summer. I lived in these in the bronze and the black last summer. Not a ton of cushioning and support, but super comfy since they stay on the foot so well. I had even re-ordered the black ones mid-summer since I wore mine to death. Wish I'd known about Isaac jumping ship so that I could have stocked up. Sniff, sniff, miss you at Target, Isaac! Your shoes were the best!

Thoughts on the shoe story?


And then, I haven't had a chance to post the outfit on Friday that inspired the whole shoe discussion (yeah, I've been meaning to post on this since then...) It was our last day of chilly rain. I liked Thursday's outfit so much (library shawl cardi, jeans, white tee) that I pretty much replicated it on Friday. I do find that the library shawl and the beechwood Michelle cardi are pretty much interchangeable in most outfits - Thursday and Friday included. I was at home on conference calls most of the day, so comfort (and warmth) were key. Of course, I started out the day with my garden clogs for taking kids to the bus and then walking Lucy. I swapped out for the Havaianas for the rest of the day. And since we're on shoes...I have to show you the clogs. You know I'll never show you me in the gardening overalls, so this is as close as it gets.


Polyvore for Friday (PV didn't have grubby old beat up clogs, hehehe):



Ok, time to start comment-responding and blog-reading...

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Wearing Today, Plus the Esplanade Skirt - a big hmmmmm...

Rain finally stopped but both of E's soccer games today were cancelled as the fields are just too saturated. Since we are out of town for a long weekend next weekend, and then leaving town the following Thursday, she may not get to finish the season. Bummer, but she is totally ready for a break. Why did she have 2 games scheduled today? Because the division she is in (6U, as in 6 & Under) has an odd number of teams so each team has a bye week and a double header week because yeah, 6-year-olds do really well with double headers. At least it's soccer (1 hour games), not baseball (2 hour games).

We got some errands and household chores done today and...exciting news (but not nearly as exciting as Slastena's) - hubby thinks I need a new laptop. Yay! I've been trying to nurse this one for a while, not wanting to spend the buckeroos, but he thinks it's time. We did get new cordless phones today, too, since ours are at least 5 years old, if not more, and I had to alternate between 2 handsets on 2 conference calls on Friday afternoon because the bases aren't charging and the handsets aren't holding charges. I'm not usually excited about electronics, but in this case - or rather, in both of these cases, I really am. Yay!

Wearing today - navy henna tee, gray tank, white jeans, Havaianas sandals, Dina hoops. Still enjoying my tennis-ball-bright bag - loved it with this outfit (see Polyvore). And again, these Havaianas - so fab, everyone needs a pair of these, seriously. If they're good enough for Gisele and Jennifer Aniston...

Polyvore for today:

So let's get to the Esplanade skirt and the tees that arrived. The J Crew Esplanade Skirt, (#14133, $44). Summerilla got the navy one last Saturday night when we had our mini-JCA gathering. It was way cute. And I love easy skirts for the summer. She got an XS, so I decided to try an M, which of course, they didn't have in store, so I decided to order it last week. I actually tried on the M at the Tysons B&M in dark slate, and just didn't love it. But you know how knits are - sometimes they can be totally fab on you in black but not great in any other color. We all know that black can hide a multitude of sins.
I'm still undecided about the black. I think the pics are actually better than the actual IRL look. Here's my issue - see the pic above, where the waistband is wide and on the very thin, totally styled, and photo-shopped model it goes in and out and in and out. Imagine the bulge if you aren't as toned in the tummy area, because that lower line of the waistband is a little tight. And here's the close up of me in the skirt and the way-too-tight Parisian polo that I could barely move my arms in - see all the lovely bulges. Those aren't wrinkles...or muscles.
Larger pic with the Parisian Polo - like the color of the polo, but the whole top was so tight - and I had an L - the shoulders were insane. I don't know if this one is mis-marked or what, because I don't think I've ever had a JC top be this tight on me. Clearly, this one is going back!
Next up - skirt with a perfect fit crewneck in light blade. The tee was $9.99 on sale, and will be cute with jeans or a skirt - and it was so cheap I won't feel bad when I use it to work out in with a tank. (And it gives me something to absorb the shipping since I am definitely returning the polo, and maybe the skirt.)
The good points - knit is soft and not too heavy at all, but not totally flimsy. I love the pockets (see detail pic below - the weathered stone shows the detail best). And it is comfy.
And here is the skirt with a bf tissue tee - which is how I would probably wear it. I like it fine with this tee but here is the thing...Do I like it $44 worth?
I am wondering if this is a case of FFM's term "on sale cute". Or maybe sizing up to an L would mitigate the waistband issue (of course, no L's in black any more, sold out, just my luck - but maybe they will pop back). Does anyone have any wisdom to offer on this skirt and sizing - esp if you happen to be, ahem, a little soft in the middle?

Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day Weekend Review

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day. I wish I could be eloquent, but instead I will direct you to Lula Mae's post and Joyce's post about the holiday. So well said. Thank you, ladies.

We started with work-day on Saturday to get things picked up, organized, and set up for M's birthday party here at the house on Sunday. Once all the sweaty work was done, we hit the pool because hello, opening day and it's actually not thunderstorming or 65 degrees.

Post-pool, I actually got dressed in normal clothes. It was hot, hot, hot, so a definite day for the white gauze skirt and a Target boyfriend tissue tee - flamingo that day. Hair up, Dina hoops, fireball necklace...good to go.

And can I tell you how much I am loving my Havaianas Fit flip flops? Because the strap holds the back on so it's much less strain on your feet. Yay, happy feet! My mom got a pair a couple of weeks ago per my suggestion and I ordered a pair for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. Just trying to spread the joy here, folks.

Polyvore for Friday:
Wearing Today-5/23/09
Wearing Today-5/23/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

In other exciting (to me) news...Lucy turned 5 months old on Friday. She is just over 30 pounds, so I guess we are halfway to her projected adult weight of 60-65 pounds. And I think she's teething because she has developed a new love for everyone's shoes in the last couple of weeks. She will try to pick up my sandals right in front of me to go chew on. The only casualty so far is a pair of E's sparkly pink flip flops from last summer that needed to be tossed anyway. (thank you, Lucy!) And we have birthday pics...trying to get her in front of the peonies that managed to survive her daily presence. (the secret was the 3 little coated wire panels of fencing that allowed them to grow just high enough and kept her from jumping directly on them)
And this one is "is she done yet? can I go now, please?"


Sunday was M's party and well... we were just too busy and I didn't get pics. Outfit wasn't too exciting - but did include the new Gap outlet khaki shorts which were way comfy. I'll get a pic of them soon, I think. But the party was a blast - we had an backyard splash party with 2 slip-n-slides and a huge inflatable pool. Great for a group of 8 & 9 year old boys. M loved it. And then friends invited us over for dinner so, yay! we didn't have to cook.

For dinner, I wore a cute little black knit shift dress from AT Loft last summer. So comfy & easy. Flat black sandals, silver hoops & cuff, I'm good to go! It's practically mindless dressing. No Polyvore since the dress isn't on PV and I actually couldn't find a great stand in. But I paired it with a lavender Jackie later when it got cold.

And since I couldn't Polyvore the outfit, here is my dress pic for future Polyvores: (just scroll on down, sorry)

And pic of the sliver cuff. It's Silpada, but a discontinued piece. I love it. (polyvoring this one, too, sorry, scroll along) (And guess what? Now I can Polyvore Sunday night's outfit! It is a sickness, really it is.)

And, blissfully, no plans today. We did some yard work to clean up from the party and take care of a plum tree that hubby had to chop down last weekend while I was away (long story) that was sitting out back behind the fence just waiting for us to break it all down. So we have 2 bags of yard waste for the recycle truck on Thursday and a pile of wood to use in the outdoor fireplace.

Never mind the corner of the yard where he chopped down the tree that I need to re-landscape or re-configure or re-something. I know it needed to be done, but still...

So today's outfit incorporates my version of Summer Sweats - the C9 running skort from Target. It's cute, it's comfy, it's cool. Works with just about any tee or tank. My sister and her friends actually get these for tennis. I love it for walking or the occasional jog, since I have actually started doing just a little jogging with Lucy - I despise it, but she loves it.

Skort with BF tissue tee, cami, and the french terry double zip hoodie (which was perfect after the rain when it cooled down), and the Havaianas. A relaxing outfit for a relaxing day. I feel very lifeguard-y in this outfit.

We grilled pizzas for dinner. On the grill. We each made our own. (Did I mention what a fantastic cook hubby is? Makes his own dough, since clearly I'm not going to.) I made my knockoff of a pizza that Fat Tony's here has - the Pizza Gina - crust, sauce, mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, goat cheese, and pesto. Of course, I can only think of the fab John Candy/Dan Akroyd flick, The Great Outdoors, whenever I think about goat cheese pizza - but that is one of my fave flicks.

Polyvore for Monday:

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Wearing Today with IRL pics of Havaianas Thong Sandals

Quick post today.... Everyone up visiting. Puppies having a blast. Kids loving the puppies! Beautiful day outside.

Something fun - I am wearing my new-to-me French Market tee, thanks to MMM. It's so darn cute, love the cow, love the gray/navy/white/gold design, love the fit (my sister is probably proud that I am wearing a fitted shirt). And I figure it does take confidence to actually wear a cow on your chest... All good!!

And I finally pulled out the Havaianas thong sandals that I posted about way back in February when I first started. They are so comfy and the strap on the back keeps them on - so not as much strain on your foot muscles (wow, I sound like such an old man). And my mom got a pair of those also yesterday, so I will have to come up with another idea for Mother's Day.

Perfect day to pull out the J Crew Seaside Pants, too. They are so light and cool - and comfy. Again, I highly recommend..

And I also have on my gold hoops (you know, the one that dinagideon found and sent to me after I lost it in her car between shopping & brunch at the DC JCA event), which will now be known as the Dina hoops for 2 reasons:
1 - It illustrates what a lovely, kind, and resourceful person Dina is.
2 - It illustrates what a bumbling clutz I am. Seriously, who yanks out an earring putting her hair in a ponytail?

Polyvore for today:

And, of course, as promised, puppy pics to share. Lucy & Chase had an absolute blast and are expected to sleep very, very, very well tonight. Enjoy!!



Lucy looks twice as large as Chase in that pic above, but it cracks me up how they each have the other's paw in their mouth.