Sparkling And Shining Like A Star

(Ph. Private)

Slingbacks - VALENTINO ROCKSTUDS

Clutch - JIMMY CHOO

Skinny Jeans - SEVEN FOR ALL MANKIND

Sequins top - MOTIVI

Necklace - ASOS

Hi,

I know I was a very bad blogger... during my summer vacations I just made some quick posts on my FB page and Instagram account and deserted this blog, but now I'm back to you well relaxed and full of energy and ideas.

This post is about a sparkle-and-shine-like-a-star look based on my Valentino Rockstuds, that I particularly liked this summer and that I'm planning to wear again on my September evenings back to town.

In short: what is the main characteristic of Valentino Rockstuds shoes? Easy, their studs. Do you shine? Yes, the platinum finish ones really do shine. I decided to stress their sparkling attitude matching them with brilliant and white clothes/accessories like the golden sequins top,  glitter clutch and white skinnies and jacket of these pics. I really liked this look, perfect to enhance the (temporary) glow of my summer tan and to shine like a star in the summer nights...  

Btw. these pics were shot at Casa Brusada, one of my favorite wine bar, located in the Montello & Colli Asolani area in North-eastern Italy (renowned for its wines: Prosecco, a  sparkling white, and for some Bordeaux-style reds).

Stay tuned, I'm back.

XO

Ciao,

sì lo so, sono stata una cattiva blogger... durante queste vacanze ho postato soltanto sulla mia pagina FB e sul mio account Instagram e disertato questo blog, ma eccomi qui da voi di nuovo carica di energia. 

Questo post è per parlarvi di un look semplice, ma interessante, che ho ottenuto abbinando le mie rockstud color avorio a degli accessori glitter e bianchi in alcune sere d'estate per un effetto super luminoso, adatto a far risaltare la (temporanea) doratura della mia abbronzatura e la spirit scintillante che l'estate porta con sè. La sera delle foto ho abbinato le mie Rockstuds con un top a fascia in paillettes dorate, dei jeans skinny, una giacca bianca e la mia clutch in glitter... okay, spesso "less is more", ma certe volte è bello esagerare. L'abbinamento delle Rockstuds a degli accessori scintillanti mette in particolare risalto la caratteristica principale di queste scarpe, le piccole borchie con finitura color platino*, che sono davvero brillanti e stanno bene sia con abbinamenti eleganti, che più casual/rockettari. Che ne pensate?

Ps. queste foto sono state scattate all'enoteca Casa Brusada, una delle mie preferite, che si trova nella zona del Montello e dei Colli Asolani (TV), zona di produzione del Prosecco e di alcuni vini rossi di stile bordolese.

A presto.

* Nella versione più classica delle Rockstuds, vi sono infatti anche delle versioni con borchie tono su tono.

Spikey V.


  

New FW13 trend: lace up sandals (by Zara)

Senza Compromessi/No compromises

Ph. Private

Lace up sandals - ZARA

Kimono dress - ADELE FADO

Lace up sandals and sandals boots are an hot trend for next FW13. I love this style, sexy and cool, so I decided to try these ones by Zara. These are my first shoes by the Spanish king of fast-fashion. As you know if you are following me on this blog, I usually prefer to invest on accessories and shoes in particular and mix and match them with lower-cost clothing. 

My short feedback for you:

1) the buying experience was excellent: I ordered them online, chose to have them shipped to a Zara store close to me, was alerted by an sms when they were available in the store and picked them up there easily without having to go to the counter.

2) I really love their style: I'll match them with short dresses like the kimono in these pics or with skinny and maybe rolled-up jeans. 

3)their quality is fair compared to their price, so overall I'm satisfied about these sandals. Mixing luxury with less expensive shoes (in particular for fancy, very seasonal styles), could be a good strategy for a shoeaholic like me and for my wallet.. Okay, I'll try this strategy and I'll keep you updated about this new experience, even if I continue to prefer luxury shoes (their design, quality of leather and components, comfort, allure and durability are no doubt completely different than the ones of budget shoes, as their price ...). 

Do you love this lace up style? what is your experience with less expensive shoes by Zara or other fast-fashion retailers?

XO

Spikey V.

Preparing for Fall under Hedi Slimane's influence

Saint Laurent "Janis" Mary Jane pumps

Saint Laurent "Janis" Mary Jane pumps

Thinking about the cold season now, in the middle of this hot and long desired Summer makes me rather uncomfortable ... but, as a true fashionista I started to collect some items for next Fall/Winter. These two picks, I guess, will become some of my new season staples and represent two trends you could be interested about.

 

1) SAINT LAURENT pointed leather Mary-Jane pumps I noticed these beauties some months ago and  waited they went on sale, but they didn't ... last week I got resigned to this evidence and bought them online. Yeah, girls, next fall you will see me wearing "all black - but expensive black. The kind of deep, soft black that you fall into.  And please don't ask how much it all cost, because that's irrelevant. This is investment shopping. The biggest investment of my life..." * ;-)

Why I did this "investment":

a) I really like how Hedi Slimane, the new eclectic creative director of Saint Laurent, is rejuvenating and transforming this iconic luxury brand. He is inflating new life to it, adding young and partly subversive vibes to this historic brand out of his "subculture" background. These pumps are not the more extreme, but a good example of his inspiration. Their shape and proportions really intrigue me, in particular the bold contrast of the thin heel compared to the thick platform, they look like a gothic or rock decadent cartoon, something like Tim Burton's Corpse Bride...

b) I like exaggerated heels and they really are... (5.5"/14 cm in my size)
c) They are the perfect pointed toe pumps for the cold season, with their thick platform they can carry you from morning to night across rainy, muddy or snowy streets and not only across soft carpets and clean floors.
d) The other Saint Laurent shoes I have are of a good quality and quite comfortable, I found out these are very good too and very comfortable(for heels high like these, much more than loubies for sure...)
Last note: they are pointy but they run true to size.
If you like pointy toes with ankle straps, but you are looking for a budget alternative you can check also these pumps by Zara.


 2) MANGO "'A LA HEDI SLIMANE" LEATHER SKIRT

Saint Laurent FW13 Collection

I really like not only Slimane's shoes**, but also his FW13 collection clothing, full of rock decadent and punk glam vibes**, so I'd love to buy also his leather skirts... but my budget unluckily is not unlimited  ... so I went for an "affordable-black" alternative: this skirt by Mango new FW13 collection (which was evidently influenced by Saint Laurent FW13 one). Leather and leather skirts are an hot trend of these seasons and they are always good to add an edgy and more feminine accent to your looks. I went for this mini version with zips, I bought it online and received it few days ago, it's not "expensive black", but its quality seems ok. I'll let you know what happens after wearing it few more times... write me if you have any question, I'll be happy to answer you.

Mango Zipped Leather Skirt FW13
(Ph. Private)

  * I'm quoting Sophie Kinsella's "Confessions Of A Shopaholic" because it's not a first time I feel like Becky Bloomwood, her protagonist  :-)...
** I also like the buckled booties of this collection...

   

New non platform heels and white flowers

Black jacket - TOY G

Sleeveless shirt - H&M

Short - H&M

Sandals - BALLY

Straw hat - bought in Puertorico

Last weekend it was really hot and sunny... I wore all the weekend long my new Bally minimal sandals together with some shorts, the denim ones I showed you in last post, and this new entry by H&M. I matched them with a simple white shirt, a black jacket and one of my favorite summer hats, bought during a very romantic vacation in Puertorico. Very easy and fresh...

Navy mood: new non platform sandals and new stripes

 

(Ph. Private)

Black python sandals - BALLY

Swimsuit - LA PERLA

Jeans shorts - J BRAND

Belt - GUCCI

White Jeans Jacket - ALL SAINTS (Miami store)

Here I'm back to you, hallo! The last weeks were kinda crazy for my job, so I could only share quickly my ideas and pics about shoes & fashion with the ones that are following me on FB or Instagram (@shoebuzzbyspikeyv), but I couldn't post to this blog as I would have liked... I’m still on the run...but in this post I want to talk you about:

 1.      Slick no platform sandals: after years of platform-all-over we are now in a more fluid scenario where you can still enjoy fashionably the bold and more comfy platforms or go for the 5” heels shoes with no platform. True fashionistas were supposed to get rid of their old platforms last season according to Vogue...mmh, I bet they didn’t like me who I’m continuing to wear both :-) I bought these minimal sandals in black python by Bally* (in these sales) and I’m sporting them easily and fashionably. You could consider to buy non Platform sandals or use again the ones in your closets, if you didn't throw them away some years ago.
 

2.      Exposed Underwear: did it ever happen to you that a smart sale assistant succeeded in selling you some fabulous (and expensive) underwear flattering you “It’s so chill and sophisticated, you can also use it as a top with a jacket or a cashmere cardigan” and then you find yourself half-naked when you are not at the beach... like me in these pics... where I'm wearing a navy swimsuit by La Perla (very nice indeed and trendy too, I'm planning to use it for my next vacation).
 

3.       Girl or boyfriend shorts? I’m always curious about new trends... so I tried the new boy-meets-girl fit (the style by J Brand at the right of the picture below), but.... the boyish shorts were bulky and made my hips and legs look  unflattering large... I decided to stay on my girl fit shorts (in the pics above and left on the picture below)... watch out girls, try the new boyfriend fit before adopting it... if you are really thin and androgen it can work, otherwise more feminine styles can fit you much better...

 

 

 

 

*Bally, who? Many of you maybe don’t know much about this Swiss luxury brand dated back 1851. During these end of season sales I had the chance to buy two pairs of their sandals (with a super discount), both in python, and I’m liking their ladylike and sophisticated look. I also found out that this brand has an amazing tradition on innovation and material research... as an engineer I'm always curious about these topics...  

btw, do you know this fashion trivia?  Who was the shoe manufacturer which collaborated with NASA to develop the boots for the first moonwalk back in 1969? I didn't know it was Bally... Neil Armstrong's  "giant leap for mankind" was taken with boots made with Bally components... click here if you want to read more about Bally.

 

 

Great shoes need great legwear

 

Net stay-ups - WOLFORD

Open-toe pumps - Very Privè by CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

Aurora dress - WOLFORD 

Alexander McQueen Skull Clutch Replica - ALDO ACCESSORIES 

Necklace - THE STING LONDON

Great shoes need great legwear... Do you remember this style mantra of mine? It's quite weird to talk about legwear in summer, but last Thursday night it was chilling in Milan... A perfect excuse to follow this precept and wear my loubies with one of my favorite tights...that were left in one closet of mine for a long time… what do you think? in my opinion good tights always add a sexy and "habillé" accent to any outfit. I tried many brands, but my preferred ones remain Wolford and La Perla which have a sensual and sophisticated style. As a note, Wolford quality and fit is on average better than La Perla, whose more basic styles sometimes are not so good (i.e. the elastic band of some of their stay-ups is too tight, making them very uncomfortable and your thighs look like some unflattering muffin-tops).

Uno dei miei mantra di stile e' delle belle scarpe vanno sempre abbinate adelle belle calze.... E' un po' strano parlare di calze in estate, ma giovedì scorso a Milano la temperatura si è abbassata bruscamente, così per uscire ho messo un paio delle mie calze preferite, a rete, che avevo abbandonato in un cassetto... non male secondo me... delle belle calze aggiungono sempre un tocco sexy ed "habille' a qualsiasi outfit , rinnovandolo. Ne ho provate molte, ma le mie marche di calze preferite rimangono Wolford e La Perla, che hanno sempre uno stile sexy e ricercato. WOLFORD ha una qualità mediamente superiore, almeno secondo la mia esperienza, mi è capitato che alcuni modelli meno costosi di La Perla non avessero una qualità eccezionale (ad esempio la banda dell'autoreggente troppo stretta rispetto alla taglia e quindi molto scomoda, oltre a far assomigliare le cosce a delle ben poco estetiche salsicce…).

London Summer Streetstyle and Peter Pan Syndrome

Tee - SEVEN SISTERS LONDON @ THE STING

Black and silver Cross Necklace - THE STING

Mini skirt - LA GUAPA

"Caroll" Studded Sandals - ISABEL MARANT

"Ingrid" Studded Leather bag - ROBERTO CAVALLI

Studded neon bracelet - EXCELSIOR MILANO

Summer has finally arrived :-) This is a (basic) streetstyle outfit for these warm days built around two funny and teen* pieces I bought in my last trip to London: a neon stars printed tee and a little cross necklace*, both found at The Sting in Regent's Street, where many trendy, fast fashion stores are located. I matched the tee and necklace with a basic white mini skirt, my studded leather bag and my new studded sandals. Btw... it seems I'm getting along quite well with them, they are not tall like the super heels I'm usually wearing, but they add a special accent to my everyday look. What do you think?

* Am I Peter Pan in my heart as Michael Jackson? no (I hope) I'm not... I just like to dress easy and casual at weekends...

XOXO
Spikey V.