want: frye shoes

This is mostly to clear up some tab space in my web browser, but also for me to pretend I have the money to indulge in new shoes. Oh, new shoes.

I kind of hate trying things on in shoe stores, because inevitably the staff will either hover and force a decision out of you, or they will just throw the box at you and retreat to the back room, never to be seen again. Ideally I'd like space to walk around and hem and haw for the necessary half hour of deciding, but this is not usually the case. So what this boils down to is that I like online shoe shopping best, even if the circumstances of sizing are at best nebulous. But this is why Zappos is amazing, and a wonderful free-shipping-both-ways kind of company. Onto the show:


Frye Ava Oxford in dark brown. My boyfriend contends the olive green would be a better choice, but I just love brown shoes.


Frye Kat Mary Jane in cognac. These would also be really cute in yellow, but again, the brown thing.


Frye Kat T Strap in poppy. Red shoes are such a great outfit brightener. My red wedges from a couple of years ago are really not wearable anymore, so sooner or later I will be forced (ahem) to replace them.


Frye Adrienne Stitch T Strap in dark brown. I love the T-strap heels people have been wearing the past season or two (or longer?). I don't have any trouble walking in heels, though depending on how much heelage there is I sometimes feel conspicuously tall, and I think flats are just in general better for the ole joints.


In my defense these are all on sale, but they are all also Frye brand, which is not exactly the cheapest manufacturer out there. That said, I'd much rather get more for less if that means there is actual craftsmanship involved. I won't name any names, but I am continually unimpressed by some of the big retailers whose classic-yet-quirky styles for 20-somethings I like but whose quality is just not worth the money. If I can't buy vintage then I at least want something long lasting.

high waisted pants

I'm just sittin here on a Sunday night, sippin unsweetened soy milk and thinking about high waisted jeans. Am I the last one to figure this one out? The following are all from UO:

Silence and Noise High Waist Twill Pant

Silence and Noise High Waisted Skinny Jean (my favorite of these picks!)

Rapscallion by Samantha Pleet High Rise Skinny Jean

I've been pretty much living in high waisted skirts since the beginning of summer, and yet the possibility of high waisted pants did not until yesterday occur to me. I think, since moving back to California and back to my large overpacked closet, I have really rejected wearing pants. Pants (or shorts, which you possibly see more of in SoCal) have in the last few years of my life represented a lack of creativity and an acquiescence to reality (not having enough time to dream up interesting outfits). But now I've moved, my closet and it's contents are far slimmer, and my style is going to have to shift a bit to meet new conditions.

I only brought two pairs of pants with me (as opposed to, alright, let me get up and count: three coats, four cardigans/sweaters, eight skirts, eight dresses, nine pairs of shoes and 13 shirts/blouses), and as the lifestyle here is far less heels-and-dress than I had been living down south, a reintroduction of pants into my wardrobe might be in order. I hate to break down and buy something new (not vintage and/or thrifted), but pants are just one of those things.

If you've seen any pants like these that you'd recommend, please let me know! In exchange, only in case we've been living under the same rock, I send you now to pandora. Harkens back to the days when I actually researched to find new music I would like, instead of relying on my boyfriend to expose me to new stuff! Tut tut.