Shoesday Tuesday- Design Your Own Shoes

At work, I see a lot of brides trying to match shoes to their bridesmaids dresses. It's a fun look for the bride to have a pop of color at her feet, plus it brings the look of the wedding party together a little bit more. Obviously, there are plenty of dye-able shoe options out there. All you need is a swatch and you can have perfectly matched shoes. (Of course, I wouldn't recommend having the bridesmaids dye their shoes to match their dresses- that look is very dated.) But whether you are a bride searching for fun shoes, or whether you're just an average Jane looking for a unique pair of shoes, you might want to try creating your own custom look. There are of course custom shoes that are designed specifically to fit your feet and your feet only. I'm not really talking about that type of customization today. Mostly, I'm interested in the custom LOOK of a pair of shoes.

Nina is a shoe brand I have always highly recommended. I used to purchase them for the female performers when I worked at AMT. They were very well made not only in terms of durability (performers are notoriously hard on their shoes and costumes), but they were also well made in terms of comfort. I sometimes even purchased them for dance numbers- they were solid and secure, but also sleek and sexy. In other words, if these shoes could withstand the intense use and abuse of the performance world, they certainly can survive a night out with the girls. And more importantly, your feet will survive the night out, too.

Anyway, since by now my love affair with Nina shoes is clear, I'm sure you can understand my excitement when I stumbled upon their "Design Your Own Shoes" feature. In five minutes, I had designed a pair of shoes for each season. Yes, they're a little wacky, but I did that intentionally so that you could see the options of mixing colors.

Spring Nina

Summer Nina

Fall Nina

Winter Nina

There are about half a dozen shoe styles to choose from, and each style is available in at least three different heel height options. The shoes are satin and there are options to add rhinestones to some of the styles, too. I'm so tempted to create some one-of-a-kind shoes for myself! The prices are very reasonable, especially when you consider the fact that these are essentially custom-made shoes. Check it out when you have a minute and start creating your own shoe designs! 

Tweet your designs to share with me and other Style...the New Black readers. Don't forget the hashtag #ShoesdayTuesday or we won't be able to find your tweets! Happy Shoesday Tuesday, everyone! 

Rate My Look- Saturday Outfit

After sharing my new bag purchase with you guys, I had to take a picture of my all-black Saturday work outfit. You've actually seen the outfit before, but the accessories are different.

You may remember this dress and boots from this post late last year. Obviously, the bag is the most striking accessory addition, but you may also see that I've decided to wear my new Stella and Dot bracelet. Honestly, I can't stop wearing that bracelet! It's become my absolute favorite piece in my entire jewelry collection. AND, it goes with just about everything! 

After work, one of my coworkers joined me in attending an instructional cooking class at Stonewall Kitchen. It was a lot of fun- we got to taste some really amazing food as well as see it prepared by a professional chef. My outfit transitioned easily from work to a night out. I changed my shoes to a slightly fancier pair, but the rest of my outfit stayed the same. I was comfortable, but chic, appropriate for work and a night out. Pretty close to a perfect outfit, if you ask me! 

Rate My Look- Another Sunday Best

Today was the last day I'll be working Sundays until next year, and it was also the first day since the official start of spring that it actually felt like it. In celebration of these two things, I decided to break out a dress I purchased over the winter. I got it at a bargain price and knew I was going to have a wait a few month to wear it.

I wore the dress with all sorts of other fabulous accessories including my new Coach bag, my favorite snake skin heels, my new Audrey Cluster Bracelet from Stella and Dot and my super gorgeous earrings that Beth gave me for Christmas this year. I was really pleased with my outfit when I got dressed this morning, but then when I got to work, I received such huge, enthusiastic compliments from all my coworkers, I realized I'd struck outfit GOLD! It's not often that I wear beige, but I might have to start wearing it more often after the reactions I got! 

And the best part is that the dress, shoes and bag were all HUGE bargains. Obviously, you know the story of the bag, since I just got it last Wednesday. The shoes were a super bargain at $5.99. And the dress was less than $40 at TJ Maxx. However, it is currently available at Nordstrom (in the store and online) for $158! If you like it, it can be yours, but I'm afraid you can't get it for quite as good a price as I did! It's currently available in navy or black. It's an extremely comfortable dress, and even at $158, it's worthwhile for the quality materials, design and construction. 

I know it's a dress I'll wear a LOT this spring and summer. Since it's a neutral color, it will be easy to pair it with all sorts of accessories to create different, unique looks. I promise to take pictures of any particularly good combinations I come up with. In the meantime, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of my neutral, but chic outfit. 

The Evolution of a Dress

Nearly a year ago, I found myself struck with inspiration. The source was the delicate ginkgo leaf. I remembered a ginkgo tree I used to pass on the walkways on my college campus and I loved the magical quality of the tree. I always thought it was so amazing how the ginkgo shed its leaves all in one day. And of course the unique shape of the leaves is inspiring, too. They are beautiful and dainty and I absolutely love them. I sat down for a few minutes with my fashionary and sketched out a few ginkgo-inspired dresses. 

It wasn't until several months later that I had the fabric and notions necessary to actually sew something. In the end, I combined a couple of ideas from my sketches and created a reversible dress. You may remember the post where I unveiled it, but if not, you can read it here. That dress has since been sold from my Etsy shop, but I think it will always be one of my favorites I've ever designed. Even though it was simple, it was also very unique. 

What images do you find inspiring? Is there something that you think is especially beautiful- a flower, an animal, even something man-made? As a designer or artist, it's important to always look at the world with a fresh perspective. You never know when you will turn the corner and see something that takes your breath away, something that simply won't leave your mind until you act on it in some way. That was the ginkgo leaf for me. Of course, that's not to say this is the last ginkgo-related project I'll have! It was my first, and I hope it is not my last. Time will tell, but in the meantime, I've got to get back to the sewing machine and make some pretty new things for my Etsy shop! Soon there will be nothing left there to sell! (Which I suppose is not a bad thing.) 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyon! 

A Perfect Saturday Accessory

You know how we're required to wear black to work at the shop on Saturdays? Well, I thought I'd show you my newest black accessory that I'll be wearing to work today:

Isn't she lovely? She arrived on Wednesday and I've been carrying her around ever since. If you remember my post from last week, I was torn over whether or not to buy her, but in the end, I decided she was far too good a bargain to pass up.

Retail price? $498.00
24-hour sale price? $153.00

I can honestly say that I spent quite a bit of time both online and in stores searching for an equivalent leather handbag and there simply weren't any. For $153, real leather is still hard to find and for it to be such a large bag in all leather is simply unheard of. I plan to get many years of use out of this oh-so fabulous and chic handbag.

One thing I didn't realize until she arrived, is that the longer shoulder strap conveniently tucks around the bottom of the bag and there are little loops to hold it in place. Ingenious! I've been carrying her around since Wednesday and I have to say I am completely smitten. She even has all the interior pockets I need to keep me happy. So what do you think? Did I make a good decision or not? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Rate My Look: My Jewelry Arrived!

Remember that jewelry party I went to? Well, my jewelry arrived last week and I honestly feel as though I've been wearing it ever since. No joke. It's funny how certain things just end up being favorites and you don't realize they will be until after they're purchased. Of course, I would hope we are all purchasing things that we think will work well in our wardrobes and that we will get a lot of use out of, but you never really know what pieces are truly going to stand out as your absolute favorites. My earrings and bracelet are two such things. Here are just a couple of examples of outfits that worked perfectly with them: 

I actually took a close-up photo of the bracelet which is SO much better in person: 

I am digging this jewelry SO much, that I'm even considering becoming a Stella and Dot Stylist. Basically, that means I'd be a rep for the company and I'd attend all the fun parties where people can buy the jewelry. I'll be sure to share my specific website and whatnot once I've officially signed up. It should be a little later this month once things start to calm down a little. It's definitely a busy month for me, although I can't really figure out why. But my point is this: Keep checking back for more info about how YOU can host a Stella and Dot Trunk Show and own some of this amazing jewelry. 

Happy Friday, everyone!

Sophisticated and Bright

Everyone wants to start wearing bright colors and prints as soon as the weather starts to improve. We're all so sick of dark overcoats, heavy boots and thick sweaters that the idea of light, bright clothing is absolutely irresistible. But if you work in a professional environment, you might not be inclined to start prancing around in sun dresses at work every day. So how do you get away with the fun, bright colors, while still looking polished and professional? The answer is simple: it's all in how you use the brights and what you combine with them to create a professional outfit. The simplest solution is often the best one and this situation is no exception. Citrus-y brights combined with shades of grey. It will work EVERY time. I promise. Need proof? See below:

LEMON and GREY:

Lemon and Grey by Rtboo featuring a pencil skirt

ORANGE and GREY:

ORANGE and GREY by Rtboo featuring metallic tights

GRAPEFRUIT and GREY:

GRAPEFRUIT and GREY by Rtboo featuring plaid tights

While I used mostly mid-range shades of grey, these outfits would all be equally successful in everything from the palest grey to the deepest charcoal. There's something a little warmer about grey (as opposed to black) that makes it an ideal neutral for this time of year and it's a perfect complement to bright, citrus-y colors like the ones pictured above. In addition, even the boldest color or print seems perfectly office-appropriate when paired with the more subdued grey piece, whether it's a pair of sensible work trousers or a fitted blazer. Now do yourself a favor and go pull out all the bright colors AND greys you have in your closet and start putting your new spring look together. You'll thank me.