eBay Quick Fix: Silver Lining

For anyone who needs a little silver lining now and then. I know I do.

Marc Jacobs peep toe pump, from the boutique AxelUSA. A 25% discount puts these lovelies at $225 (various sizes available too).

Classic, classy, 5″ heels from boutique The Vivid Room are going (in lots of sizes) for about $40; a perfect fit for the budget optimist.

And if you happen to be a lucky size 8 optimist, check out these low-heeled, 60s, vintage Pietro Nieman Marcus round toe pumps, selling for only $13 from Vanities Vintage. Want to thank me? Hug your friends, hang with your family, share your sparkle.

Red Boots Worth Blushing Over

Maybe Stiletto Warrior’s love of red leather L.A.M.B. was weighing heavy on the mind of the shoe shopper in my subconscious. I was on the L train last night and the woman to my right was wearing red leather knee-high boots that were so timeless and gorgeous and different that they seemed to be calling to me.

Their owner however, was engrossed in the latest New Yorker. I know what it’s like to be interrupted by a stranger mid-essay. It’s not pleasant. But the boots. I had to know where they came from. I resolved to wait until the last possible moment to bother her.

Suddenly, someone got up and the woman with great taste in shoes sat down. I was left standing. This exchange had seemed much simpler when we were eye-to-eye. Now I’d have to practically yell at her to get her attention.

I’m sorry to report, dear readers, that I lost my nerve. I left her and the boots headed further into Brooklyn without me. The second I stepped off the subway I regretted it, not only because I wanted the shoes, but also because I’d forgotten how nice it is to be complimented. Why hadn’t I factored that in?

Suppose she’d had a tough day and then I told her that those very boots represented a significant cultural revelation to our little enclave. Clearly, she’d go home feeling triumphant and share the story with her spouse, lover, or adoring, hot live-in housekeeper–who would then sit down next to her, slide the boots off with gentle hands and begin the foot rub of her life.

Wait, how had this become my fantasy? I snapped out of it just as I got home and searched for the best red boots eBay has to offer. This first pair is closest to the foot rub fantasy boots, but they’re all pretty fantastic.

Vintage slouch boots from boutique Nancy’s Next to New (starting at $25)

Cute cowboy boots (starting at $25)

Suede riding boots (buy now for $50)

Frye red leather shearling flat boots (buy now for $140)

eBay Quick Fix: Ankle Boots

Today I stopped denying autumn’s approach. Today my fall J.Crew catalog arrived. It’s a brief but magical time when I can layer cozy cardis over my cutoffs. Only one type of shoe completes the mood and will last straight through to next summer: the ankle boot.

For a lover of the rugged look, might I suggest these lace-up granny boots from eBay boutique Vintage and More:

And for the classic fashionista, saddle brown suede Ralph Lauren booties from Shoedresser boutique.

The High Heel Starter Kit

I recently celebrated a low key birthday (28). Even years do that to me. On odd years you can find me at a rooftop barbecue, backyard party or dive bar with everyone I have ever met, drinking rum and coke slushies. But even years are more contemplative. I stay in. I ponder.

So this year when I received a wonderful, interesting gift I had quiet time to decipher its meaning. It’s a Sephora “My First Makeup” starter kit. Inside are some very luscious cosmetics like Korres lip butter, Tarte cheek stain and Lorac bronzer.

To be clear, this is not my first makeup. I was a makeup early adopter, sneaking my mom’s eyeliner in middle school. And while the individual pieces were meant to be the real treat; the idea of getting a starter kit at this seemingly late stage in my cosmetic lifetime is immensely refreshing. Suddenly, I’m being given permission to start over. I cleared all the hard-caked mascaras and purple lipsticks from my big blue Samsonite makeup case and made way for my light and free new beautifiers.

Then I thought, how great would it be to get a high heel starter kit, just like this? It would have maybe five essential pairs of pumps, nestled side-by-side in a long velvet-lined box. It would be the gift to end all gifts. If I ever put one together, I’d go vintage, and these would surely be my basics:

Stuart Weitzman for Mr. Seymour silver 3 inch heels from affordable eBay boutique Maxfield P;

Eighties Yves Saint Laurent suede pumps with a platform front from In Your Closet NYC;

Andrew Gellar classic black alligator heels from Upscale Vintage Treasures;

Old Hollywood-style Nine West ivory peep toe pumps from Vintage Clothing/Collectibles;And the all-important lace-up 1960s spectator pump in a refreshing tan and navy combo, from the boutique Jantem 4 Manuels All That Glitters;

Ode to Reality Bites

I’m not sure if it’s the recession, the resurfacing of round sunglasses, or if just I wasn’t disaffected enough the last time I saw it, but I was way too into Reality Bites when it played at my park the other week. If not for the smoldering looks from Ethan Hawke and Winona Ryder, then definitely for the floral sun dresses and green wedge sandals worn by sweetly sarcastic Vickie Miner (Janeane Garofalo circa 1994).
The best part: All of the roughly 500 people watching emitted a collective groan following this gem from Winona’s character, Lelaina, “I was really going to be somebody by the time I was 23.”
It was Troy’s (Ethan’s) sweet response, though, that led me to make this loving polyvore set that night (click here for details on the goods), “Honey, all you have to be by the time you’re 23 is yourself.”

But what good are Vickie-inspired dresses and glasses without some shoes scored on eBay?

Fist up, green Christian Louboutin straw wedge heels:

I couldn’t NOT list these Chloe platforms:

and gorgeous Ritz dark wood sandals with carved side details:

Harry Potter: Beyond the Robe

So maybe when you think high fashion, you don’t automatically picture Professor Horace Slughorn strutting down Diagon Alley. But wizards know how to dress. They’re always having their robes professionally tailored and donning grand velvet confections underneath.

In the new Harry Potter movie (yes I am a superfan), they step it up. The Slytherins scuttle about the school in sleek black suits and shrunken jackets, with big leather handbags remnicent of Gossip Girl. The Quidditch uniforms are fitted and rather cool. And the campy, crazy and excellently evil Bellatrix Lestrange, played by beautiful Helena Bonham Carter, smolders in ethereal layers of black.

She wasn’t in as many scenes as I would have liked but with photography direction from Bruno Delbonnel of Amelie fame, her look did more than enough justice to her character, and made me want to go goth with gusto.

While I was too mesmerized by her wild hair and wicked spell work to really notice her footwear, here is what I’ve imagined for her (and for those of us who’d like to take a little fantasy into our everyday lives), all from the enchantingly affordable eBay boutique Fasionfixer Vintage:

Punk goth platforms;

Lace-up black leather granny boots;

Hot oxford cut outs;

And brown Roper boots for evil-doing lite.

Photo via.

eBay Quick Fix: 1940s Vintage Goodness

These black satin vintage peep-toe pumps by Daniel Green made me gasp. As in, I was sitting in a coffee shop when I found them and I made a gasping noise, and the guy next to me squirmed an inch or two farther away. They are insanely gorgeous and they remind me of this fantastic NYT Article, Recession Looks – 1940s and Now. The key to recession fashion, it says, is utilitarian elegance and these have got it in spades. They’re satin, they’re low-heeled but cut with such sensuous clean lines. They are also a size 5 1/2. I admit, if they were an 8, this post wouldn’t exist.

A Sookie Stackhouse Summer: As Seen at BARE Mag

To return the favor for the sleek summer trends piece the BARE magazine editors did for us, I let them in on my True summer shoe muse. Here it is, in case you missed it over at BARE’s blog.

My personal start-of-summer ritual always begins with a really pulpy paperback and ends with a light new pair of kicks. But after devouring the Twilight series in the spring, I was afraid nothing could top the vamp-induced trance I wanted to recreate on the beach. Enter Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic waitress, vampire-lover, and my fictional summertime muse.

Sure tons of people picked up Dead Until Dark, the first in a series of supernatural books set in sweaty Louisiana, ages ago, but I think now is the perfect time. True Blood, the HBO show based on the hot novels, is in the beginning of it’s second season, giving me the perfect excuse to immerse myself in page-turners, season one episodes and season two spoilers. I’m all about Sookie.

It doesn’t hurt that the adorable Anna Paquin plays her character, a petite blond with a penchant for short summer dresses paired with platform sandals, sling-back kitten heels and girly sneakers. All her styles are summer-y, sexy, and timeless, perfect for a gal with a civil war- era boyfriend. And well, perfect for another gal in search of summer shoes to take me through every situation of the season on a very tight budget.

With Sookie’s style on my mind I turned to a funky vintage eBay boutique with plenty of southern charm, Elvis Really Rocks. My top picks from this aptly-named store:

Bone peep-toe sling backs with a heel low enough for strolling but high enough to get some attention;

Red hot canvas Keds with a pebbled sole and braided trim;

Prim navy Hopsack tennis shoes with thick jute soles;

Rope and leather braided sandals with wooden heels;

Now I’m not so sure Sookie would go for these chunky, laid-back, 70s suede cut-out sandals. But they seem like sweet shoes for summer reading.

Photo via.

eBay Quick Fix: Bettie’s Bombshell Vintage

The thing I love most about eBay is checking out the sellers. I form these passionate one-sided relationships with them based on their usernames, the collection of items they have for sale or how well-edited I find their stores. So today I’d like to introduce you to one of the sellers I’m all about, bombshellxbettie. She does her muse, Bettie Page, justice, and for this, I love her.

Considering Page’s perfect bangs, black hair, curves and the fact that she sewed all of those iconic pin up outfits herself, this is a huge undertaking. But Bettie’s Bombshell Vintage pulls it off, so to speak. Take today’s three for-sale items.

These 70’s leather sandals with wooden, stacked wedge heels, are exactly what I’ve been dreaming of. The double front straps combined with the slim ankle strap and woven design keep this pair substantive and airy all at once. They’re low, so walkable, but shaped sleekly enough to elongate the leg. Sigh. I’m infatuated if you can’t tell, but they aren’t my size. So to all you lucky size 6Ms, the sale ends at 10 EST.

She’s also got some of the hottest color-block flats I’ve seen this season. And yes, I’m pro 80s, pro color-blocks, and pro whoever gets these. The sale ends around the same time.

And just to round off all the cute shoe action, she’s offering a flirty paisley shift in emerald green, lavender and white: a bright and classy addition to any summer shoe collection. Pair it with red lipstick and do your favorite pin up icon proud.

A Slice of Weitzman

In case you missed it, Shoetube’s video team caught up with the man behind the shoe, the Stuart Weitzman shoe, in an exclusive interview last week. To be perfectly clear, I’m biased. I love a good Weitzman. My favorite pair of loafers (vintage, bone, perforated suede with wooden heels and tassels on the vamp) are Weitzmans. I picked them up in the enchanting vintage shop next door to my hairdresser. This French-owned boutique has a huge gilt-framed mirror so I naturally rush right in to check myself out as soon as I’m done getting a trim.

The top-notch construction of my loafers is easily apparent and the style is, I’ll say it, timeless. For those of you considering investing in a new pair of the man’s shoes, you have my full confidence in the matter. They’re worth the money. And for those of us lacking in funds but bursting with enthusiasm, to eBay!

Mr. Weitzman did say, in reference to women at large, “I see you on the street. I see you at parties, and inspiration comes to me.” At least we can show him some inspiration of his own design. My top picks, at truly bargain prices:

Classy, classy, classy nude snakeskin slingbacks with a peep toe and primly folded bow ($2.99 with free shipping at post time!),

richly woven sandals in dark brown leather ($14.50 at post time),

sophisticated jelly sandals–is it possible? Yes (for only $10 to start)!Tan leather woven into a classic, airy pump with a wooden heel ($10 at post time),

black patent alligator loafers with a lush tassel ($10 at post-time),

and for only a $1 starting bid, black satin slingbacks with an orange, purple and red print shaped into bow so fluffy and delicate that this pair should be worn by someone willing to stroll down a Paris street while savoring a croissant. Bon appetit.