After our Bergdorf browse-a-thon (see post below), J & I had a delicious lunch at 3 Guys on Madison Avenue, then decided to check out some of the consignment shops in that area. He had warmed to the looks of the floral-trimmed pumps as I walked around in them, but their price tag still put them in the "no way!" category, so he was only too happy to point out the lovelies in this picture... also by Miu Miu & $80 at La Boutique (1045 Madison Avenue.)
While I was trying these on, we spoke to a very nice couple, around our age & stylishly dressed. The wife sighed when she saw these & said "I could never get away with those where we live!" That came as a surprise; I'd assumed they were from New York, & said so, which made her laugh as she'd thought the same about us. Turns out they hailed from North Carolina - I'm not sure which city or town, but apparently it's one where high fashion doesn't go over well. I'm only too familiar with that, having grown up in a small town in the era of acid wash jeans & overpriced Benetton rugby shirts, but preferring to copy outfits from old movies or the pages of Vogue.
When I moved to the east coast, I assumed most people would be familiar with fashion, even if they didn't care much about it or dress unusually themselves, but I still get a fair amount of snark for the way I look, & sadly, much of the negativity comes from other women. Actually, it seems to be getting worse. Are we living in ultra-conservative times, aesthetically speaking (don't get me started on politics!) or is my age the main reason for the dirty looks & occasional not-too-nice comment? Are "women of a certain age" really supposed to relegate ourselves to boxy business suits, Crocs & polar fleece, or $400 jeans & way too much Botox? Sigh. That's too depressing to contemplate, especially since today is my 41st birthday. I'll just keep flying my retro freak flag high & remembering all the smiles & kind remarks I get when we go to New York.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Miu Miu Harlequin Shoes
The Ones That Got Away... For Now
Greetings, readers; long time, no post. My apologies, but this has been a rough year in the Altocat household. Over the summer, J was let go from his job with no warning, so we had three anxious months of job-hunting, & during that time, we lost our beautiful, sweet, 16-year-old boy cat, Winston. Things have improved; J is once again employed, & we've adopted another furbaby, Fabrizio, who is a giant, 7-year-old kitten & loves to chase his older sister, Carmen. It just took me a long time to feel like writing again.
Very few things will inspire me to type away like fabulous design, & the shoes in this picture are among the most insanely gorgeous things I've seen in ages. I had the privilege of trying them on at Bergdorf's shoe sale last weekend, & even though J's initial reaction was "I really don't like those!", I fell in love. My most comfortable pair of heels is by Miu Miu, so there's more going on here than looks & a label. Alas, even at 30% off, their price tag was far too steep for our current budget, so I had to leave them behind, but am asking friends to keep an eye out for a truly super sale. They are haunting me - I've never had an actual dream about footwear, but these might inspire one - so I had to share this picture (from the Bergdorf Goodman website) with you.
