32 Flavors of Shoes: Ugg Lynnea Clog/Boot

I have longstanding obsession with black ankle boots. I have no idea how I am going to narrow my collection to anything even remotely reasonable. One pair that is guaranteed a spot - these Ugg clog boots.

I am NOT a clog person. I know people swear by them but I have never found a pair that works for me. But these are clog boots and I have never met a boot I couldn't love (with the notable exception of the open toe boot which I do not get at all). A few months ago I saw a picture of a pair of No. 6 clog boots and an obsession was born. Since I did not have the $ for the No. 6s I "settled" for these ones by Ugg.

My obsession was so deep I paid FULL PRICE which makes the second time I have ever done that (first time a pair of Hunter Rain Boots a few years ago when I thought I was Princess Diana and would have occasion to wander about soggy English moors).

My one gripe is that the sheepskin lining is not over the whole footbed. Must be some cost cutting measure by Ugg and I do not approve. Ugg should listen to me because it is 2010 and I am one of 6 people who stills wear Uggs!

Does this work?

I am so in love with this scarf which I snagged for $5 at one of the Amazon.com sales. But I don't know how to wear it or what to wear it with. Today I paired it with a textured acid yellow sweater and jeans. Thoughts?

Bargain!

I have been obsessing on this coat since I first saw it in the fall magazines. Sadly the price plus my size problems took it off the table.

BUT all is not lost. I found this cute replacement for $29! Also check out the GORGEOUS necklace my BFF got me for my birthday. Somehow she always manages to find things that I adore and yet are unlike things I already have. Genius.

Bad habits die hard

The one upside of dieting is shopping. I get to shop because I have to. Because I have 6 or more sizes to lose I can also get some great bargains since I know I'll fit into these items at some point.

So I spent the weekend with a $150 store credit at Amazon (my Bing cashback from the crazy Endless sales this summer) buying a ton of cute stuff. I looked for items with a 70%+ discount and scored some neat things. I will not fit into most of it for a few more months but it was a lot of fun.

Of course one binge triggers more and I have been sitting on my hands all day to avoid looking for more bargains.

One of my goals when I started stuff fast was to avoid the quantity over quality trap. And I still want to. But it is hard!

So as I wear through all my new purchases I am going to take note of what I like, what I hate, and what items I need to rebuy when I get to my final destination.

Preditability part 289107

I snagged this top on a clearance rack at Target a few weeks ago. My boobs have finally shrunk enough so I can wear it without the snaps popping open at inopportune times (although in the cold light of day I realize the shirt is still too snug).

Although me wearing a too tight shirt is nothing new - the predictability here is that I owned a nearly identical shirt in 1978 and wore it the same way. Does this mean my style has been the same since then or does it mean I am in a DEEP rut? Or both?

Miracle at Target

I achieved a miraculous feat the other day. I went to Target and walked out with ONE ITEM for less than $10.00.

The item - these Goody hair spin pins which actually work and are a nice break from my usual 1987 butterfly clips.

32 Flavors of Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Lace Up Ankle Boots

I have a "thing" for black ankle boots. At last count I had six pairs. My obsession can be traced back to a pair of Kenneth Cole ankle boots that I wore non-stop from 1996 until they finally wore out in 2000. They were absurdly comfortable and I could slip them on and off easily which is a big thing for me.

None of this explains why I bought these boots. But I did and I'm glad. They have a heel so they are not going to be as comfortable as flats but they are sturdy enough for me to walk in and cute albeit granny-like. They also zip up which means I can put them on easily. Will they make the cut? Who knows? But until my calves shrink enough for me to wear tall boots again - these will be worn a lot.

32 Flavors of Shoes: Calvin Klein Lexa Flats in sea green

I love Calvin Klein. So simple yet stylish. However, I just don't have the simple, classic, waif-ish look that seems to work best in his clothes.

Shoes, however, are another matter. Although I almost rejected these flats as not being as comfortable as I wanted - I am glad they made the cut. While not THE most comfortable flats I own (that honor belongs to my AK zebra striped flats) these are certainly fine (and would probably be excellent for anyone who does not have a freakishly high arch/instep like I do).

Enabling of obsession

As evidenced by this post and this one, I have been obsessed with animal print shoes for quite some time. Now that they are trendy again - there is so much temptation! To wit - these pumps which I snagged for $20 last week. Although I can barely walk in them (I have not worn heels is way too long) they are so cute! Especially when paired with a black pencil shirt and fitted black sweater.

Horizontal Stripes

I am completely obsessed with stripes at the moment.

As a fat girl I have been avoiding horizontal stripes for years. After all women's media has made it clear that horizontal stripes make you look fat. But here's the thing. I am fat. And although I am working on getting less fat I'm not there yet. Rather than waiting until the mythical day when I may be thin again, I've decided to embrace my stripe obsession.

Which brings me to today's outfit which is remarkable in a few ways:
1. the entire outfit (jeans/t-shirt/sweater) cost less than $10 brand new.
2. the jeans are two sizes smaller than I used to wear (and were $1.37).
3. the t-shirt is size L. No xxs in front. It is a bit snug (clearly) but I wanted to wear stripes today and I'm not seeing clients so I took a risk.

Confession

Work has been BANANAS lately and I have had not time to post (and frankly who wants to see me in the same black pantsuit every day).

Today I took a short break from the madness and went on a quick internet shoe spree. This is in addition to the blue boots I was seduced into buying by one of internet friends. Technically this does not break my ban since I had allotted myself some shopping in August for my birthday.

First up these lovely boots by Taryn Rose. I took a risk with these since the only other Taryn Rose shoes I own are super painful. But for $100 I decided to risk it. I hope my calves shrink enough for me to enjoy these as early in the fall as possible.

OMG I am so predictible!

Remember those cute Viviene Westwood boots I fell in love with yesterday?

Apparently I already owned a very similar looking pair of flats.


Wait there is more. Last week I took this photo of this GORGEOUS necklace a friend made for me.



The photo was a little blurry so this morning I took this one.



Notice anything? I have a shirt and cardigan in the same exact pattern.

Neither of these photos shows off the necklace to its full beauty. More on that later.

Cutest Rain Boots Ever?

I was just browsing (really) Zappos for some ankle boots to replace ones I wore out years ago and I found these. Are they not the cutest boots ever?

On Stuff

In a odd bit of synchronicity this weekend, this article was published at the same time I unearthed a rather embarrassing number of Space Bags full of clothing that I had hid from myself.

On the one hand this discovery was awesome because I now have a lot more things to wear if/when I get smaller. On the other hand this discovery makes me question just how much progress I have really made in my quest to reduce my stuff.

In an effort to learn something from my angst I am doing something I have never done before ..... I am documenting my wardrobe. Progress has been slow (I clearly have no future as an historian or archivist) but I have learned a few things such as:

• If our future economy is based on black button down shirts and black sweaters - I will be RICH!
• I have worn a LOT of sizes in the last five years.
• I probably need to face the fact that I can no longer wear mini-skirts.

More to follow!

Green Bags Anonymous

Do they have a 12 step program for buyers of green bags? Because I need one. Exhibit A: My latest acquisition - Rebecca Minkoff MAM in olive.