shopperificism, part deux.

i'm usually a black-shoes-only kind of person. it goes with everything, especially my hair (silly but foolproof), and doesn't easily show wear or stains. i mostly wear basic hues and blacks, but i've started to acquire some more brown pieces in my summer wardrobe that begged for some better-matching shoes. a needless worry, but the whole trying to match black-with-brown thing sometimes makes me all out of sorts. you know what i mean... would you wear a brown dress with black shoes? doesn't that make you squirm? don't you just want to go and do something, like slap on a black cardigan, or trade the whole mess for something else entirely? either i'm crazy or you're too shy to admit it bothers you too. :)

anyway, i've been hankering for a pair of brown sandals ever since it's gotten warmer, and so saturday afternoon i skedaddled to thom brown on newbury (there's also one in the cambridgeside galleria, which is convenient to mit, just in case), and tried to keep an optimistic view of the world while i tried on endless pairs of shoes that did not fit my poor hot soles. it's really difficult to keep going when it's blazing out, your feet get squished in the most wrong ways, and there are dozens of jangly gum-smackin' lamé-wearing women all around. after lots of frustrating moments with impossibly-constricting straps and pancake-thin lasts, not to mention lots of sizes out of stock, i did manage to bring home with me a couple friends...



they're low-heeled leather peep-toe sling-backs by enigma. i have no idea at all about this brand, other than it seems it's an offshoot from luichiny shoes. i love the style so much, since i find most summer footwear ghastily tacky, a repetitive flip-flop, or boast 4" heels which proof unwalkable on the streets of cambridge. or, of course, they're out of my price range. these cute things are both playful and yet a bit ladylike. i absolutely love the stitched motif along the toe.

although i do find them a smidge narrow, i hope the leather will stretch out a bit. i'm still good for a full return of unworn merchandise within 7 days. there's also the heel strap thing that's kind of flappy, but i think that's just the mechanics of the shoe to get used to. otherwise, they're great! i asked the girl who rang me up which brands they carry generally run the widest. she confessed that she too has trouble getting into narrower brands (like luichiny and chinese laundry), but she suggested seychelles, naughty monkey, and sugar. yay, some guidance! i have to confess i tried on the seychelles habit forming in next-door jasmine sola, and not only did the size 8 medium (that is a size smaller than i usually wear!) fit perfectly, but i completely fell for them. so comfy (there's serious padding in those soles) and dolled with a gorgeous vintage finish. mmm yummy. even though it was payday i couldn't justify two new newbury-worthy shoes in a day! ;)



twinkle toed.