Fashion | 4 Simple Pleasures

I’ve called this blog 4 Simple Pleasures & it’s supposed to be about purses, shoes, clothes & hair but it seems it’s morphed into a blog that primarily talks about shoes. Could it be that I own more shoes than I do purses & clothing? No, I doubt that & I have plenty of hair but I will tell you, of all the things mentioned here, I love shoes more than all the others. I wear my hair pulled back most of the time & of course I’m typically wearing clothes LOL but people always ask “What shoes are you wearing?” I guess that it’s evident to even the people who know me where my passion lies.

On my fan page, I post a shoe every single day with the exception of the weekends. There have been some exceptions to that rule because I really enjoy my fans. As far as I’m concerned, they are the best bunch of people on the internet. :-) When I set a goal of 1000 fans by May 1, 2010, they answered the call and sent suggestions & the number was achieved at 5 p.m. May 1. They interact with me and I look forward to seeing them each day. I visit their profiles and learn about the people who have supported my efforts. My fan page went live February 9, 2010 and in less than 3 months there were 1000 people checking out the shoe of the day.

Fans have asked why I am not posting bags, I occasionally post and as I am writing this article, I am planning this week to be certain to do as I have been asked. Why? Because I enjoy what I do and if the people I am doing it for request it, then I can certainly honor the fact that they come back daily to see what is posted and offer me their opinions & comments. I hope that if you are reading this and you are not a fan on my page that you will join us. Not only do I post a shoe every day but I also post shoe trivia, history & various facts. I occasionally attempt some riddles (so far they don’t seem to get much response but I keep trying). I love shoes and I love posting the shoe of the day and I hope to eventually parlay the shoe of the day into a new email series for those that cannot get to the fan page daily. (Those shoes will be different from the ones on the fan page) perhaps I can entice my fans to sign up and vice versa. In addition to posting the shoe of the day, there is an application that allow the shoes to be sent to anyone on Facebook. I have had quite a great response to the application as well. The application at this time is less than 3 weeks old and already it has almost 200 users. I feel very blessed to know that my efforts are supported by fellow shoe lovers and that I am bringing something fun to my fans. Please stop by the fan page, I would love to hear from you both there and here.

Here are some shoes that have been posted as the shoe of the day on my fan page.

kameryn

jester

disco

georgia slide

traitor

Since stepping out of my shell and deciding to blog about fashion, I’ve been introduced to a wonderful group of new people. I had the pleasure of speaking with Lore Raymond and she is an “ordinary woman, living an extraordinary life” Lore shared with me that she wants to take women around the world….literally.

Visit Lore as she and the other visionaries embark on their wonderful adventure to Bali. In the meantime, I am going to stick to what I know best, shoes! Lore and I spoke about the trip they are planning for June 20 – 30, 2010 & we discussed me putting together a series of shoes for the Visionaries to look over. Therefore, every Thursday until the first week of June, you can find the shoes that I think are fabulous “Bali Girl” shoes. You may learn a thing or two about some of the women embarking on this journey and a few facts about Bali too. Stay tuned…

The Vella by Nine West

The JimmyDee by Nine West

The Kitsey by Anne Klein

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: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Fashion houses spend a lot of time creating a quality, highly crafted handbag with intricate stitching using the highest quality materials. They know that when they come to the marketplace that their reputation travels with it. They often offer guarantees & will teach you how to care for the product once you make a purchase and will even offer a warranty should something go wrong with your new purchase. Many of these same fashion houses are now finding themselves competing with replicas of their items.

There are advocates that say if your goal is to have this look and save money that you should purchase a replica. First, you should know that to purchase or sell these items is illegal. These replica or knock-off items are the product of copyright infringement and while you may be saving a few dollars, your participation in the purchase is not unlike buying a stolen car.

Many designers have been known to crack down on the selling of knock offs using their names, and rightfully so. The purchase of a designer handbag is more of an investment and these purses can last for years if cared for properly. Replica handbags are made with less care and the materials are not high quality and they tend to come apart a lot sooner than their original counterparts.

In this economy, I fully understand the temptation to purchase a replica but there are other ways to obtain an original of the designers that you desire. Genuine purses can be purchased online, while you take a chance when you buy online, anytime you are going to spend money on a designer purse, a little research is warranted. If you are concerned that your online purchase may not be genuine, you can visit The Purse Forum and they can authenticate pretty much any designer handbag for you. There are also designer consignment shops that carry authentic items. Many online boutiques such as DesignerImports.com guarantee their authenticity and they offer their handbags at less than the retail value. Lastly, many designers have a presence at outlet malls where not only are the purses offered for less than the full retail value but many will even have additional money off when you arrive. Carrying the authentic item shows the designer that not only do you respect the brand enough to want to carry it but you respect their work enough not to deny them payment for their hard work by carrying a replica.

I love checking out what people are wearing, especially on their feet. I love what I consider a “conversation starter” shoe. You’ve seen the shoe that just draws you in and makes you ask it’s owner about it. Well, recently, I was at an Expo & I came across Leslee who is filled with personality and she had on a conversation starter shoe. I use the term shoe loosely and after watching the video, you will understand. Thanks so much Leslee for sharing both your fabulous personality & your shoe with me!

I have never met a stranger, I stop women randomly on the street and compliment shoes, clothes and anything else I think makes them look great. Sooo, I decided to take my new video camera out with me and check out what people were wearing. I encountered Claudia who was visiting the States from Germany. She was not only looking great in her casual wear but she was also gracious and patient as I fumble with my new camera. We had a laugh at my expense but still captured her great look. I hope to bring you more fashion from the street each Friday. Without further adieu, here is Claudia and her silver accents.

Everyone that knows me, knows my love for shoes. What I think they may not know is while I don’t own as many purses as I do shoes, I own quite a few. I also, like many of us, like designer clothes. As far as purses are concerned though, I’m a Coach girl, it has been a difficult transition for me to carry anything other than a Coach since I’ve carried them for well over 20 years. However, I’ve seen some other designers that I have just fallen in love with and therefore, I found that I was denying myself some simple pleasures by not adding them to my wardrobe.

As I gained more knowledge (partially because my best friend is about purses the way I am about shoes) and she knows style, afterall, her name is really Elizabeth Taylor, no kidding, that’s her name! I learned that designer bags are my friends. LOL, they are! They carry all of my gunk around without saying “Hey! Do you have any idea how much I cost?”, they travel with me rain or shine and never

coverd giant

complain if they get wet & they would never say, “Um, excuse me, you KNOW you should change purses today because you’re NOT going to wear me with THAT!” as I make a quick run to the grocers. Some of the labels I’ve learned to love, boy if they could complain would probably even wonder how they got here.

They should be on the arm or shoulder of some high powered woman in Miami, New York or somewhere other than Tampa, Florida.

One of the designers that offers great stuff is Balenciaga. Considering the fact that they are part of the Gucci Group, it’s no wonder that this is a great find. These bags are made of the softest leather ever! The leather comes from lambskin and is softer than a baby’s bottom! The most poplular styles are motorcycle inspired and one of the things I really like about them are the little mirrors that come attached. I know that’s silly but I like it. This bag stands out like no other with the studs, the mini tassels and the weathered look of the leather. Love these and hope to add many of them to my collection. The price point on these bags start at around $295 for a wallet and $1700 for the purse.

leather jacket

Balenciaga offers other items besides purses. Have you ever heard the expression, “_________ is so good, it would make me slap my mother”? Well, they have a motorcycle jacket that I know my daughter would slap me to have, she loves this kind of stuff. (She’s going to laugh when she sees this). Balenciaga is no stranger to making people look good. Afterall, Balenciaga has dressed royalty & todays celebrities as well (not that many of them are noted for having great taste). Balenciaga has shaped fashion for decades. These designs are femine, classy & sexy.

Balenciaga knows how to cover a woman and make her feel and look feminine. This line has shown that it can stand the test of time, afterall, it was started in 1914 and is still around today! The next time you get the opportunity to invest in something luxurious for yourself, check out Balenciaga, you’ll be glad you did!

[caption id="attachment_427" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Me in the center, wearing Balenciaga"]

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I love shoes! I think I profess that every time I write a blog post. I love fashion and looking good. I want to think that each time I share with you, I have something of value to add. Well, believe it or not, there are times (more often than not) that I have no idea what to write. I have tried to write about designers, new trends and shoes that I think you might enjoy reading about. I’ve decided to apologize for that. Why you ask? While I love my subject matter, I am not writing from my heart and that keeps me from updating frequently.

I am the single mother of 2, I run a business (unrelated to shoes & fashion) and I have a part time job. This does not always leave a lot of room to find something “new” to share. I own well over 200 pairs of shoes, I have a passion or maybe it’s an obsession with shoes. I can talk about shoes but I must confess, not all of my shoes are designer shoes. I tell people, I will buy shoes from anywhere at any price point. I have flip flops that I paid a $1 for as well as a few pricey pairs of shoes. I am the same way about clothes & purses. It is my goal from this moment forward to write from my heart, to share my shoes & my passion for my own brand of fashion (which is NOT about what the celebrities are wearing) and along the way, hopefully offer you some information that you may find helpful as well.

I wish you much success and I hope that this blog will become a little more interesting. All the best.

[caption id="attachment_143" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net"]

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I am not usually critical in my posts but today I had a fashion foul overload. Ok, I get that sometimes we have those moments when the muffin top takes over. You’re sporting those cute, tight jeans and it shows up. Man, gotta hate it when that happens.

You put on that top with the racer back and the bra straps show up. This I don’t understand, they make bras with racer backs and they now even have a new gadget that will pull those straps together & lift your girls. So there is no excuse for having those bra straps staring at me.

You decide, “Hey, the weather is nice (yes, even though it’s October, it’s still great summer weather in Florida), I’m going to wear a midriff”. This is great if you DON’T have a muffin top. You have a cute little tiny waist and to see your tummy is attractive. When you’re wearing a midriff & your gut is spilling over the sides and out the front of those too tight jeans AND the bra straps are showing, that’s just wrong. I wish I could just whip out the camera and take pictures of these fashion fouls but I would have to get permission and quite frankly, I would rather not.

I have one question when you are committing all of these fashion fouls at the same time, that question is, What the hell is wrong with you? Perhaps the question could also be “What are you thinking?” I always find myself asking what people learned was a good look. I just wonder if the mirror lies or are they lying to themselves when they leave the house. Please people, get a magazine, a mirror, a clue!

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Friday: Fashion on the Street

Labels of Love: Balenciaga

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A Personal Note

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