When we heard that Christian Siriano’s new line for Payless was out, we had to check it out. We love when designers collaborate with discount retailers, even if everyone knows you’re really wearing Payless or Target, not anything legitimately fancy. Plus, he lives in Williamsburg. (Holla Chris! Do you read Brokelyn?) At the Atlantic Center store, they only had the Micola black, white and red swirly flats ($29.99) and the Geneva black peep-toe boots ($49.99) in my size. I tried on the boots first. While they’re a little too fierce for my wardrobe, they fit comfortably enough. After a few laps around the store, nothing rubbed the wrong way or poked me in a weird place. The flats, on the other hand, were a hot mess, and not in a good way, which is too bad because they are really cute, both in the print and in gold, right down to the turquoise piping around the insole. I took a few steps in them and the way they rubbed against my heel I practically had a blister before I could get them back in the box. And stiff fabric in shoes like these, you can’t break in. So is it just me, or has anyone actually successfully walked more than eight feet in these things?
Spotted: groovy spring wedges at Payless
Pardon us for getting all Racked today but we spotted these Lela Rose for Payless shoes in the April Real Simple and man are they groovus! No idea if they’re comfortable or not (reviews are divided) and cheap shoes can be a mixed bag, but here are the links to the navy ones (shown) and an equally fun pair of teal ones, both $49.99. Elsewhere in Real Simple: using a soup bowl as an iPod amplifier. Remove soup first.
Why I would not walk a mile in Christian Siriano’s shoes
When we heard that Christian Siriano’s new line for Payless was out, we had to check it out. We love when designers collaborate with discount retailers, even if everyone knows you’re really wearing Payless or Target, not anything legitimately fancy. Plus, he lives in Williamsburg. (Holla Chris! Do you read Brokelyn?) At the Atlantic Center store, they only had the Micola black, white and red swirly flats ($29.99) and the Geneva black peep-toe boots ($49.99) in my size. I tried on the boots first. While they’re a little too fierce for my wardrobe, they fit comfortably enough. After a few laps around the store, nothing rubbed the wrong way or poked me in a weird place. The flats, on the other hand, were a hot mess, and not in a good way, which is too bad because they are really cute, both in the print and in gold, right down to the turquoise piping around the insole. I took a few steps in them and the way they rubbed against my heel I practically had a blister before I could get them back in the box. And stiff fabric in shoes like these, you can’t break in. So is it just me, or has anyone actually successfully walked more than eight feet in these things?
Who has the best shoe deals in BK?
“Shoes, shoes, omigod, shoes” are the chorus of a YouTube music video making the viral rounds. The Shoes video may be exaggerated take on the stereotype that all women are consumed by footwear, but not in my case. I am obsessed, especially with this year’s bold, colorful, statement-making heels (like these Michael Kors platforms at left). So I went to compare out the end-of-summer selection at Century 21, DSW and Loehmann’s. A shoedown, if you will. Read the rest of this entry »
Renegade Craft Fair wrap up
Making things and selling them at craft fairs—that’s the stuff dreams are made of, especially layoff-fueled “Plan B” dreams. But from looks of things at the Renegade Craft Fair over the weekend, one might need genuine artistic talent to pull this one off. Like Kristen Aronsson of Williamsburg, an eyeglass designer by day who was at the fair selling these cut-leather necklaces at left for $40 and bags for $60 to $300. Find out more about her on www.kristenaronsson.com.
Here, a quick look at what some of the other Brooklyn-based artists are up to.
Official Park Slope mom shoes make big fashion news
Thomas Iannacone, WWD
You know those flats that have been all over Seventh Avenue for a couple of summers?
WWD accessories editor Roxanne Robinson-Escriout is drooling all over them today:
…each season I see the best of the best. But my latest accessories discovery wasn’t from a chic Parisian salon, slick Milan runway or hip downtown New York showroom; rather, it came from the playgrounds and play spaces of Queens and Brooklyn.
