Fab Find: Gossip on 23rd

Every once in awhile, I stumble upon a great find that I want to share with the world.  And I think I'm going to start doing that here.  Now, don't get me wrong, a tiny part of me wants to keep these gems a secret, knowing it would mean I'd be the only one dressed in their fabulous wares.  But, that's just not my style.  I tend to overshare, rather than keep things to myself.  To illustrate with an example from my everyday life?  When someone stops to tell me that they love my dress or shoes or something, instead of just saying, "thank you!" I usually tend to say, "thank you! Ann Taylor!" or something like that.  I mean, I think this is how it should always be.  Half the time, if I'm stopping someone else to tell them that I love something they're wearing, it's because I'm secretly trying to find out where to get one myself ... without having to ask, "um, where'd you get it?"  Let's share the wealth, ladies.

So without further adieu ... Gossip on 23rd.

To give credit where credit is due, of course, I first heard about Gossip on 23rd from reading DateMeDC's blog.  She often mentioned dashing over to Gossip to outfit herself for a new suitor, always seeming to find great pieces.  At the time I first discovered her blog, I was prepping for a move from Clarendon to Crystal City, and filed knowledge of this little boutique away in the back of my head under "something to explore in my new neighborhood."  Time just got away from me, I suppose, because I didn't make it over to Gossip for my first time until around May this year.  And when I finally did, I was kicking myself for not getting there sooner!

This place is most certainly a Fab Find.  It's a small (though recently expanded) boutique along the busy section of 23rd Street in Crystal City.  When you first walk in, you find yourself in a very thoughtful and well-styled accessories section.  I usually save this section for the end, and proceed down two small steps to the back of the store, where the clothing and shoes are housed.

The store owner, Katherine, has the clothing organized by type (i.e., tops, dresses, rompers) and by color (wouldn't have it any other way)!  The pieces she chooses are thoughtful - typically very feminine, feel-good items.  While there are definitely pieces here that can be work-appropriate, I tend to think of every single item I see in Gossip to be absolutely date-worthy.

For the curvier ladies out there, I think it's important to note that Gossip has something for you, too! Boutique clothing tends to run on the small side, anyway, but Katherine has recently added a self-styled "Curvaceous" section to Gossip, with lovely dresses, tops and skirts for curvier women.

In addition, Gossip has several other sections.  There's a small shoe section, a little corner of vintage finds, some menswear, baby clothes, and housewares and kitschy items.

And finally, the aforementioned accessories section, which is by far my favorite area of the store. Filled with colorful, happy scarves, classy clutches, unique leather belts, and lots and lots of fun jewelry, I dare you to peruse this section for just ten minutes and not find something you're dying to take home.

So if you're in the Crystal City area, be sure to stop in soon to check out Gossip.  Even if you don't live in the area, it's worth a trip for weekend brunch and shopping.


P.S. - Be sure to "like" Gossip on Facebook, where they post pictures of items that will be appearing in the store soon!

Fashion Friday: Early Transition Tips

Ok, look - I understand that lots of you are itching for fall weather.  Just today I got into the elevator at work with two girls who were mid-bitch fest about the weather and how they are so ready for sweaters and pants and wool coats.  As a native San Diegan, I will probably never totally understand this sentiment in mid-August.  Yes, fall is my favorite of all seasons, but I'm never in a rush to get right into winter wear.  I mean, who would be?  But anyway, after nearly 14 years in this city, I've come to terms with the fact that people here love to cover up.  I consider it my job to try and slow this down a little and give us time to step through the seasons.  In case you weren't aware, the daytime high forecast for today is ninety degrees.  Ninety degrees.  It really is still summer, folks.

Nonetheless, I've put together a short list of some early transition tips - things you can start doing now to keep you busy while you're itching to pull your sweaters out of storage and drop your wool coats at the cleaners.

1.  Make your fall shopping list.  Stores are filling up with yummy, tall leather boots and lovely cowl-necked sweaters.  This is a great time of year to take stock of your fall wardrobe, check out some of the new trends, and make a list of, say, the top five items you want to add to your closet this season. Consider items like a perfect trench or coat in a fun new color, gorgeous whiskey-colored boots (my favorite match-all leather shade), a new white-button down or black pencil skirt, or a bright-hued cigarette pant.  Just because you can't wear your new fall clothes yet, doesn't mean you can't enjoy shopping for them now!

2.  Clean out your closets.  As the summer winds down, it's easy to look through your closet and identify the pieces you didn't wear all season.  Now is a good time to pull those out and take them to Goodwill.  If you didn't wear them all summer, there's no reason for them to sit around and take up space until next summer.  Make room for those fall purchases!

3.  Change your handbag.  If you've been carrying a lighter-hued bag all summer, it might be fun to transition to something different now.  I have a couple of light tan bags that I tend to carry this time of year - after I retire my sunshine yellow bag and before I break out my saddle-colored bag for fall.

4.  Start adding looped scarves and lightweight jackets.  As the temperatures start to drop in the coming weeks (I think 90 degrees is still too warm for this transition), you should slowly start adding in some fall accessories.  Think colorful, looped scarves and lightweight jackets and blazers. With blazers and jackets, it's almost time to put the seersucker away, and it's too early for anything like corduroy and tweed, but it's a great time for other cotton pieces.  With scarves, you still want to stick with lightweight linen and cotton or silk scarves - it's way too early for heavy knitted pieces and wool.

5.  Start to transition some of your shoes.  Changing your footwear is another easy way to slowly transition into the new season.  It might be time to put away the strappy, gladiator flats and work into more covered flats and heels.  It's still too early for suede and tall boots (do I really need to say this anymore?), but a great time for more patent leather and structured heels.


Happy Friday!

Resolution

In general, I've been feeling a little down lately.  It might be hard to tell if you took a look at my social calendar though.  It's been full of happy hours here, late nights there, too many drinks on a school night and general tomfoolery.  But really, all I've had to show for it is a couple of mid-week hangovers and a sense of melancholy that's settled over me like a fog I just can't shake.

After a particularly rough morning of conversations with The Dude (ones that I may or may not eventually talk about here) I was laying at the pool, enjoying the feeling of sweat dripping down my back and the sun beating on my skin.  I realized that it's been a couple of weekends since I'd done so. And while I've had fun doing other things, it made me a little sad to think that I've been forsaking all my go-to, feel-good activities.  Sunning at the pool, grabbing a slurpee at 7-11, making time for a mani/pedi, spending a Saturday afternoon Skyping with The Dude and then a quiet Saturday night on the couch with a good book.

I miss those things.  I've been letting my world revolve around late nights and strong drinks.  Of course I know why I've been doing it.  I figure I've been trying to battle the lonely thoughts in my head by filling it up with too many other distractions and bright lights.  It's really only a bandaid, which eventually is going to fail.  And the really stupid part of that tactic is that it includes alcohol, and alcohol is a depressant.

It's really no wonder I've been feeling so dispirited.

So I decided today that I'm making a change.  Who says we only get to make resolutions at the new year?  I'm done getting drunk.  Social drinking is fine, but I'm going to limit myself to two drinks max during the week* and three drinks max on the weekends.   To be honest, I don't feel like I'm really winning at life anyway when I spend a weekend getting drunk in the evenings and napping away the afternoons in recovery.  What do I think I am, 25 still?

Looking forward to feeling like a grown-up again this week.  And with that, I'm off to bed on my quiet Saturday night at home.  

* Don't get your panties in a bunch - I'll be making an exception for happy hour on Tuesday at The Blue Banana!

Fashion Friday: Double Denim

I've decided that this tragic little phenomenon deserves its own post.  I'd like to start out by noting the date at the top of this post here.  Yeah, it's 2011 people.  Let's keep this in mind.  

So as the weather has started to tease us a little lately, cooling down in the evenings and giving us a couple of relatively chilly mornings in comparison to the hot and sticky ones that have returned at the end of this week, people have started to pull some of their transition pieces out of the closet.  Denim jackets are the most popular one I've noticed over the last two weeks.  And really, I have no problem with denim jackets.  I think they can be a great transition piece, even though I sometimes prefer a cotton blazer or short jacket, easy to throw on as you head out the door on chilly mornings.  But as the denim jackets come out of the closet, so do, apparently, some warped ideas of what you can pair with that denim jacket.  And as a result, I've seen a lot of this lately: 

No.

It's a little tragic, disastrous thing I like to refer to as Double Denim.  Pairing a denim jacket or top with a denim bottom of some sorts, whether jeans, capris, shorts, or denim skirt.  

I'll say this once and only once:  double denim is NOT ok, people.  No matter how many celebrities and rock stars you see sporting this look, it's not ok for you.  You're not a celebrity and you're definitely not a rockstar, so you get to pick either top or bottom for denim and that's it.  Enough with these 1980s shenanigans.  

I mean, really, you want Christina Ricci as a role model?

Happy Friday!

It's Happy Hour, Bitches!

It's time for another ceremonious gathering of singles, socialites, flirts, drunks, and shiny, happy people.

It's Happy Hour, Bitches!  

A Single Girl, DateMeDC and yours truly are teaming up to bring you a happy hour of epic proportions.  You don't wanna miss this one.  Here's the deets:

When:  Tuesday, August 23rd

Where:  The Blue Banana

3632 Georgia Ave NW

(right by the Petworth Metro Station!)

What:  Drink specials from 6 to 9pm

$3 rail drinks

$3 off draft beers

$5 appetizers

AND 2 specialty drinks:

A "Singletini" for the ladies

"Jack Seeks Jill" for the gents

We bill this as a "bring a friend, meet a friend" sort of thing, but really, everyone is welcome.  If you're not single, if you don't have a single friend to bring ... whatever.  We want you to come, too!  

Check out A Single Girl's post about it here.  And DateMeDC's post about it here.  And please, go ahead and RSVP on the Facebook invite, here so we have an idea how many people to expect.  

Put your party pants on and get excited!  Happy.  Hours.

Fashion Friday: Necklaces, Earrings and Bracelets, oh my!

Two of my favorite Coco Chanel quotes are the following:

"Simplicity is the keynote of true elegance."

AND

"When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on."

When it comes to jewelry in particular, I think these are important concepts.  The key is to accessorize so that it looks natural, as if your jewelry came with the outfit and there are no better pieces you could be wearing instead.  You don't want to overdo it, either with too much jewelry or with pieces that just don't go with your clothing.

Since I'm big on the lists lately, here goes another one:

1.  Go with the flow.  As with your shoes, you want to choose jewelry that flows with the outfit.  So, for example, if you're wearing a whimsical, lacy top, you want to be thinking pearls, rather than chunky silver jewelry.  I like to pair long, dangly necklaces or earrings with flowy jersey dresses, because I think the lines work well together.  Some clothing (like a button down and pencil skirt) is conducive to a variety of jewelry styles, but when your outfit leans a certain way, try to stick with jewelry that leans that same direction.

2.  Pay attention to the neckline.  Particularly when it comes to earrings and necklaces, it's important to choose jewelry that works with the neckline of your clothing.  For example, a dress or top that has a high neckline, or something very interesting going on around the neck (jeweled or beaded, latticed or cut-out), is best worn without a necklace.  That's a great example of a time where all you need is a nice earring to finish things off.  When I'm wearing a button-down, I tend to choose a chunky, beaded necklace and stud earrings.  When wearing a boatneck, I often opt for a couple of bracelets and a fun earring.  If your neckline is deep or open, you have more options.  I choose a shorter, chunky necklace if I want to keep attention up top, or a longer necklace if I want to draw the eye down.  If I just want something delicate and simple, I'll put on a sweet little chain with a pendant.  

3.  Pick one big piece.  If you're wearing awesome, dangly (yes, I know I've already used this "word" 17 times) earrings, you don't want them to be competing with a long, strand necklace.  And you definitely don't want a stack of bangle bracelets on top of that.  If you're wearing a distinct jewelry item, either stick with just that piece, or make sure your other items are very simple and understated, and that they compliment, rather than compete, with the statement piece.

4.  A blank canvas is not a license to pile on the accessories.  Sure, a simple black dress or a white button-down and black skirt can be a fun way to create an outfit for a fun piece of jewelry you've been having trouble incorporating into your wardrobe.  But a blank canvas like that isn't license to just pile on a bunch of crap.  You should still aim for clean and elegant, not a gaudy trainwreck.

5.  Simple is always better.  The Rules of Coco bear repeating.  Simple is elegant, understated is beautiful.  When in doubt, go with a classic silver chain and diamond studs or stick with pearls.  Classy is better than overdone and gaudy, any day.

For fun, here's a few of my favorite items on Forever21 right now - affordable, wearable costume jewelry at its best!

Two great long necklaces and a fun, chunky number:

Simple, but interesting, earrings:

Chic bracelets:

Happy Friday, everyone!

Can You Be A Good Guy AND Get the Girl?

After posting  "Who Are the Good Guys", I had several conversations with guy friends of mine and even The Dude.  A couple of the comments mentioned the same topic that came up in these other conversations.  They argue that men can't be the good guy, because the good guy never gets the girl.  They insist that we always want the bad guy.

For starters, there's no denying that this happens.  There are plenty of women out there who say they want a good guy, but don't acknowledge the ones right in front of them.  There are plenty of women who fall for the bad boy tactics, and cry over and over again that they don't understand why they can't find a good man.

Those women honestly frustrate me, because they make it so hard to convince men to be good guys.

Even so, I will argue to my grave that being a good guy is still the best option.  I really believe that good guys don't finish last but instead end up happier than bad guys - because they definitely can get the girl.  Not just any girl - the right girl.

Here's why:

1.  There's a difference between a guy with a little "bad boy" in him and an asshole.  I think this is an important distinction to make, and maybe one that a lot of women don't realize when we say we want a bad boy.  We don't want an asshole.  We don't want a guy who doesn't call us back or want to introduce us to his friends.  But some of us - probably most of us - do want a guy with a little edge, and I think that's actually more about desiring a certain level of masculinity than it is about wanting a bad boy.  Some women like a man with a beard, because it might suggest he's a little rugged or a bit of a rebel (especially in straight-laced DC).  Some women like a man with a tattoo here or there.  Some women want a man who just acts tough, because he's a man.  Some women want a man who can fix things with his bare hands.  Sure, there are some undesirable gender stereotypes there, but it's also true in a lot of cases.  All of these are qualities that might typically suggest a "bad boy", but they definitely don't mean we also want him to treat us like crap.  There's a huge difference.

2.  Women who chase assholes don't know themselves yet.  I feel very strongly about this. Women who keep going back to guys who don't treat them with respect, guys who expect them to answer a booty call at the drop of a hat just to spend time with them, guys who don't flatter them or make them feel special - those women are either immature, insecure, as yet unsure that they deserve better, or fatally damaged.  Normal, well-adjusted, mature women who know how to have healthy relationships do not chase assholes.

If men just want a physical relationship, these women are easy pickings.  It's easy to treat them like crap, knowing they will keep coming back for more.  Maybe the most disappointing reality of dating in a time where casual sex is common is that men know this - some men manipulate those women to their advantage, and use them to get what they want and move on.

One of the truest chick-flick quotes I've ever heard (if that's not an oxymoron) was this: "Every woman has the exact love life she wants."  I think there is a lot of truth to that statement.  We should all try to remember it when we go on and on about bad guys treating us badly.  We want a loving relationship? Let's change our behavior and go after a good guy for a change.

But for the good guy who truly does want to find a relationship and a person to spend their life with - you don't want a relationship with those damaged, immature, or insecure women who chase assholes anyway.  You want the normal, well-adjusted woman who is ready for a healthy relationship.  And that woman wants a good guy.

3.  We don't want a "Yes Man".  We do want you to treat us well, and we do want you to realize that we are a catch, but that doesn't mean we want you to just roll over and kiss the ground we walk on.  We want an equal, not a puppy dog.  And while we all enjoy being chased, we also each enjoy the act of chasing, at least a little.  You can do this without being a bad guy.  It doesn't mean that you act aloof and ignore us for three days.  Does that get under our skin?  Sure.  But all it does is initiate the game-playing, and too much game-playing is a bad thing.

So how do you get us to chase you without becoming the bad guy?  Just be flirty and a little mysterious.  Pay attention to the vibes you're getting from her and just go with the flow.

4.  Strike a balance.  This goes hand-in-hand with avoiding the yes man behavior.  Yes, you want to communicate and show the girl that you're interested.  But you don't want to go overboard with that. A simple text the day after a date to say that you had a good time and are looking forward to seeing her again can go a long way.  Sending multiple unanswered texts or emails and smothering her will backfire.  That's when you move from good guy to chump.

5.  Don't get into the Friend Zone.  You don't get into the friend zone simply because you're being a good guy.  This is an argument a lot of unlucky-in-love good guys like to make.  They claim that they'll never get the girl because they always get placed in the friend zone.  Nine times out of ten, you're getting put in the friend zone because you didn't man up.  Don't act like a friend - act like a man who's pursuing and courting a woman he wants to be with.  Be a gentleman, but pursue her.  Kiss the girl!  (You'd be surprised how many times this is the problem.)  We all want to be chased - you do, too - just do it, still be a good guy, and you'll get the girl.

6. Know that you deserve to be treated just as well as we want you to treat us.  I don't think I was clear enough about this in my previous post.  Everything I said there goes both ways.  The woman should respond to your efforts at communication and date planning and also initiate them herself.  She should feel lucky to be on a date with you and work to impress your friends when she meets them.  Confidence is sexy.  Like I said before, we want an equal - not a man who tries to manipulate or control our emotions and not a yes man.  The good guy with an edge is the Goldilocks of the dating world ... juuuuuust right.

And finally, remember that chemistry matters.  You might do everything right and she might do everything right and it still might ... not ... work.  This doesn't mean that you should go back to being a bad guy.  It just means that you weren't right for each other.  Keep looking - the good guy gets the girl. I promise.

Who Are The Good Guys?

As single women - and yes, I'm trying to remember that I'm technically single, so I include myself in this group - we often lament the availability of "good guys".  Heck, even A Single Girl started a mission to find "Where All The Good Guys Hide".  But I started to think about this recently.  Are we sure that we at least know how to recognize a good guy when we find one?  Or sure that we aren't letting another selfish/narcissistic/manchild/jackass/player pull the wool over our eyes and temporarily convince us that he is one of the good guys?

We all know that we want to find a guy who actually wants to date.  A guy who's going to treat us well, won't cheat, and won't go running at the first tough moment between us.  But what specific behaviors point to those traits?

I thought I'd start a list, to help us focus on who the good guys REALLY are:

1.  He calls when he says he's going to call:  He just does it.  Or, he's the first to contact and say, "Hey, sorry I went MIA, something came up with my family."  He doesn't make you sit around and wonder where he went.  He doesn't make you break down and ask him why he hasn't returned a phone call.  And he definitely doesn't act aloof or pretend it just didn't occur to him.  If he's a good guy and he likes you, he gets in touch ... especially after the first time you are intimate together.  He doesn't leave you staring at your phone the next day, willing your text message light to just effing blink already!

2. He plans ahead:  When a good guy really likes you, he plans dates in advance and gets in touch with you to schedule your time.  He shows you that he wants to date you, not just hook up.  He makes the effort.  If he's not making the effort, he's not worth yours.  Trust me.

3.  He goes out of his way to try and impress your friends and he definitely doesn't criticize them:  A good guy knows that he's not getting anywhere with you unless he gets in with your friends.  In the beginning, this means that he never, ever criticizes your friends.  Even in a more serious relationship, that's dangerous behavior.  If he talks trash about your friends, consider it a huge red flag.

4.  He appreciates you for who you are:  A good guy realizes how lucky he is just to be spending time with a woman like you.  He thinks you're intelligent, articulate, successful, independent, and - of course - beautiful.  He doesn't try to change you.  He doesn't knock you down with backhanded compliments.  He doesn't try to manipulate you into thinking you're less than what you are, simply because he's intimidated by your confidence.

5.  He slowly incorporates you into his life:  A good guy will be eager to start incorporating you into his everyday life once you start developing your relationship.  He won't move too fast - that's also a big red flag, in my opinion - but he'll start by introducing you to some of his friends, maybe even work colleagues at a happy hour, and taking you to his favorite haunts and dives.  A good guy will want to show you off.

6.  He never wants to see you cry:  A good guy will feel awful if he ever makes you cry, but especially in the early stages of a relationship.  He won't accuse you of being too dramatic or tell you to get over it.  He won't shut you out and act like you're the one doing something wrong.  A good guy will do everything he can think of to comfort you and try to fix whatever he broke in making you cry.

For the record, I thought about my relationship with The Dude when I was drafting this list.  For all of our problems, they have nothing to do with whether or not he is a good man.  Nay, The Dude is the best man I have ever dated.  When I first met The Dude, this was something that stood out in flashing, neon lights to me.  It just made things so easy ... fun ... relaxing, knowing that he was really in to me.  And it made me want him even more, knowing he was such a catch, in a city where the good ones are so hard to find.  That's what we all want, isn't it?

Of course, this really only scratches the surface - any big ones I'm missing?

Long Distance Communication

I can still remember my dad's advice when I was going through a tough period with The Ex, and we were across the country from each other.  My dad told me: "If you have something you want to say in writing, sit down and write a letter.  Don't email.  Email fucks everything up."

My dad was right on with that one.

I am sure we have all experienced a fight or misunderstanding that started through miscommunication by email or text.  It's just so hard to convey tone in an email or text message, and speaking in person or over the phone is always the safer bet.  But it's harder to maintain that kind of communication over long distances, with hours of time difference between you.

The time difference between D.C. and Iraq is seven hours.

When The Dude is waking up in the morning in Iraq, I'm usually already in bed.  When I'm waking up in D.C., he's in the middle of his work day.  When he's going to bed, it's the middle of my afternoon.  When I'm going to bed, he's still asleep.

We try to find ways to talk on the phone and Skype, but it takes a lot of planning.  Sometimes I can take a break in the middle of the morning to talk to him on the phone.  Sometimes I stay up late and he wakes up early so we can Skype.  The weekends are always a little easier, when I can Skype in the middle of the afternoon before he goes to bed.  He doesn't get a weekend - they work every single day of every week they're over there - so I try to be flexible to his schedule.

But I'll be honest.  Things have been tough lately.  We sorta got out of our routine when my mom was visiting, and haven't really gotten back into it.  We've resorted to more emailing to communicate when we can't find time to talk on the phone or Skype, and it just hasn't had the best results.  There's been a lot of tension and more than a couple of arguments.  And when you only have a couple hours per day when you can actually communicate, adding an argument means that all you do for that day is argue. It's emotionally exhausting.

I just feel this widening distance between us and I'm struggling to find ways to close the gap.  I think in our own ways, we're each slowly pushing the other away.  I know that may just be how things have to end up, but it's still so incredibly sad.

Fashion Friday: Let's Talk Shoes

I was tweeting Thursday afternoon when I didn't yet have a Fashion Friday post in mind, and got a lot of feedback from some of my Twitter friends.  Someone mentioned that they never know when dressy heels are appropriate, and that started a bit of a trend.  So, today we talk shoes.

To be honest, this isn't an easy topic to describe.  Some of it just comes instinctively, the rest is learned through experience and observing others.  I'm going to try to break it down into some easy rules to serve as a bit of guidance, though.

1.  Your shoes should go with the fabric and texture of your outfit:  You always want your outfits to flow together - no corduroy with leather - and the same thing goes for the shoes and other accessories you pair with your clothing.  This really is a "you know it when you see it" thing, but I'll try to give some examples.  If you're wearing a cotton sundress, it rarely looks right to pair it with a classic leather pump.  Think more along the lines of summery shoes - peep toes, espadrilles, pretty sandals or flats.  Your classic pumps go well with more business-y day wear, like jersey wrap-dresses or sleek pencil skirts or any work pant (meaning not khakis, for the love of pete).  This doesn't mean that you can't wear summery shoes with your pencil skirts and trousers in the summer - that's a great way to make the most out of your wardrobe in the summer.  I'm just trying to focus in on shoes that don't go with everything in our summer wardrobes.

Here are a few examples.  These dresses would look great with these summery shoes, but really look wrong when paired with your classic pumps:

Each of these is a cotton sundress.

Either of these would work with those dresses.

But not these.

But this is the type of dress you can wear in the summer with your pumps or with a cute flat or sandal:

Each of these is made of a jersey material.

Any of these shoes would be great with either of those dresses.

2.  Your shoes should match the time of day:  I feel like I shouldn't have to say this, but since I see it at least once a week - your strappy, satiny sandals and heels are not for day wear.  Those are cocktail shoes, and should be saved for after-dark activities.  Leather and patent leather are best bets for day time, as are some of the cotton-covered wedges and peep-toes you can get away with in the summer.

Here are a few more examples.  Day shoes:

And some evening shoes:

Each of these are covered in black satin.

3.  Your shoes should match the time of year:  You've seen me rant enough about tall boots in summer to understand this rule.  When we started this conversation over Twitter, a few people got really excited about fall fashion and fall footwear.  Fall is my favorite season, too, but I'm going to say this once:  It's NOT FALL YET. (Check out my rant from the end of last summer.)  I will let you know when you can wear suede shoes.  I will let you know when you can wear your tall leather boots again.  I WILL LET YOU KNOW.  But if you need a handy guide: mid-to-late October or 60-degree daytime highs, whichever comes first.  Until then, enjoy your peep toes and sandals!  I know I'll be missing them when it comes time to cover our legs and toes. Don't rush the seasons, please.

A few final examples.  Great SUMMER shoes:

Ones you can buy now and store in your closet until FALL:

Everyone ready to go shoe shopping now?  I am.  Happy Friday!


*All of these dresses can be found at Forever21 and the shoes at Zappos.