So, animal prints are cool and all, but I’ve actually always had more of a thing for “things printed with animals”. My raccoon-print Keds flats still make me smile, I love my Christopher Kane for Topshop crocodile dress (ubiquitous as it is), and, thanks in part to Ann Demeulmeester, I’m now on a bird-print kick. So I’m really, really, REALLY liking the swallow print in Miuccia Prada’s spring Miu Miu collection, especially on the shoes. Swallows are some of my favorite birds, and they do make a great print. I’m wary of silk-covered shoes (I have a pair of silk Balenciaga sandals), because, man, are they easily dirtied, but I think I’d be willing to risk it for these amazingly chunky shoes. My spring shoe wish list is starting to take shape, and a pair of these Miu Miu’s is definitely high up.

Soundtrack of the day: You’ve Got the Love (The xx Remix) by Florence and the Machine

Hugs,
Lauren

photos: style.com

My new bass came yesterday, and I’ve been playing it constantly! It’s a white Schecter Stiletto (appropriate, no?) and it sounds and plays great. I’ve only been playing bass for a little while (I play the piano, the flute, the ukulele, and the bass), but it’s definitely really fun to play, and I’m getting better slowly. I decided to wear all black today, so that together with my bass I’m black and white! Color-coordinating with my bass is pretty dorky, I guess, but it makes me chuckle, and black and white is probably my favorite color combination. And I think playing my bass while wearing my Alexander Wang boots is pretty cool. Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures of the back of my top, which is all lace, and a lot more interesting than the front.

Soundtrack of the day: 1901 by Phoenix (I’ve been playing it all day with my brother. heh)
Wearing: Topshop top, vintage shorts, Alexander Wang zip boots, handmade bracelet

Off to play more bass!
Hugs,
Lauren

I’m sorry, I just had to write this rather selfish post. I went to San Francisco yesterday and procured myself some of Alexander Wang’s new shoes. The point of this blog (hopefully) is not just to parade all my material possessions around in a “ohhh, look at me and my new shoes/dress/parachute pants, aren’t they faaaabbb” way, so I feel sort of bad posting this, but I just have to express my love (and I suppose this blog is pretty much an expression of love for fashion itself, anyway) for my new shoes. I’ve even been reduced to (urg) taking pictures of my feet. And no, I haven’t even removed the little plastic buckle protectors.
So yes, I got not one, but two pairs of Alexander Wang shoes, the Ines laceless oxford in pebbled black leather, and the Hanne zip boot in grey denim leather. In an effort to make this post ever so slightly useful, I will gush about them attempt to describe them a bit, so that if you’re trying to buy them online, you might have a better sense of how they fit/what they look like in real life.

First of all, both of these shoes are GREAT. I had these tiny little pangs of doubt that maybe they wouldn’t fit, they wouldn’t live up to the hype, etc., but they do. Oh, they do. The leather is super-soft (my brother even took to feeling up the leather last night, punctuated by “whoa, this feels awesome.” And he HATES my shoe obsession.), and the pebbled leather has the slightest, slightest sheen, just the way nice leather should. They’re hefty, significant shoes, just the way I like them, with good, solid heels and soles. Basically, I HEART THEM, and want to stomp around in them constantly and make menacing/awesome faces, a la Tasha Tilberg for Msr. Wang’s fall lookbook.

The Ines laceless oxford is my first flat shoe purchase in a few years. Yes. A few years. And technically it’s not even flat haha. In any case, I rarely buy flat shoes, but these were just too good. I had resolved to wear flats at least once a week (gotta learn to switch it up a bit), and now I’m pretty sure that just means I’ll be wearing these an awful lot. Anyway, it has a kickass 1-1 1/2 in., awesomely sculpted heel, but it’s no kitten heel (I will always hate kitten heels. I’m pretty convinced of that). It’s got a bit of elastic in the tongue so it slips on pretty easily, and it’s got some nice padding in it. Overall, a SUPER comfy shoe. It is pretty pointy, so it runs a tad small, but only a tad. I don’t have super wide feet, so it runs pretty true to size on me, but I could see it running a little small on some people. My friend Carlos even told me that a lot of men have been buying it (the lucky ones who fit in a women’s 10 or 11), which is awesome, because they are pretty menswear-inspired, though even that little bit of heel might be daunting for some guys.

The Hanne zip boot is also an awesome shoe. First of all, it’s named after Hanne Gaby Odiele. She is pretty cool, so it must be good, right? The leather itself is super supple and soft, and he denim effect is really cool. The boot itself is pretty structured, but is extremely comfortable, plus, for having such a high heel (over 4 1/2 inches, or 120mm), it actually doesn’t feel that high. Plus it has a comfortable, treaded rubber sole, perfect for mountain trekking! The buckles and zippers are heavy and substantial, because who wants flimsy buckles? It runs pretty true to size, at least on me.

Overall, I highly recommend both. They’re a lot easier to find this season than last season (boooo! hissss) (check shopbop, barneys, or alex wang’s new e-commerce site), but still, hurry!!

(photo: nitrolicious)