Candy Stud Pump by Christian Louboutin

She wasn’t supposed to be there, in front of the bagel shop a few blocks from my house. It was ten in the morning and this was the hour for young mothers overwhelmed by large strollers, construction workers grabbing a snack, or post-workout people stopping by with their dogs. I was part of the last group – still in running tights, a ballcap, and layers of sweaty performance wicking. I also had my dog Bonnie with me, who was at that moment giving me her best (and most unseemly) sad-eyed begging routine for a bit of whole wheat bagel. It was crowded. The day was warm and blue. The kids were loud. I was happy.

No, she was definitely not supposed to be there.

And yet she entered my vision and I thought she was lovely. A tall, elegant Asian girl in a soft gray charmeuse blouse with a knotted silver scarf and crisp black trousers. A lush black leather handbag was carried daintily in one hand, while large black sunglasses hid her eyes most mysteriously. She walked with a man in business clothes – they were together, but not together – like colleagues. Clearly he had never noticed a thing about what she (or anyone else for that matter) was wearing. I thought they were bankers or real estate agents or something. They were both completely out of place. I noticed she smiled a little to herself, in a quixotic, Mona Lisa sort of way. I admired her style but thought she was rather done up for the heat of the day. Why not loose that scarf, sister? Then I looked down.

The profile of the spiked toes hit me first. Shiny, sharp, and ferocious, they looked like Medieval maces for the feet; weaponry. These shoes were not to be fucked with in any way at all. One swift kick to the nether regions and that would be the end of that, Charlie. A perfect paradox of messaging, the toes sent out a warning while the stiletto heel sent out a come-hither. And the lacy sides barely peeked out from below the perfectly tailored trousers. I couldn’t look away.

Damn. Those shoes are fucking rad. Who is this girl and why is she here?

Amid a sea of snotty-nosed neighborhood kids, mothers gossiping, and the double-wide strollers steamrolling the sidewalk, she moved like a cloud of cool success and refinement. But those shoes belied something else: something dirty, captivating, and fabulous. No wonder she was smiling. Metal, leather, and lace. Phew! I was thinking this way as a fellow woman. Jesus, what kind of affect would these have on a man? I pity the poor fools.

As she walked further on I noticed the shockingly vivid redness of the signature soles, cementing the level of fearsome that I had anticipated. Dollar amounts started to pop into my head. Do I hear $950? $1050? $1100? With that kind of detail on a Louboutin namesake, who knew how high things would go? She kept walking, and I kept watching. I marveled how daintily she stepped. She was a pro; despite my years of practice I always feel like I still lumber a bit in stilettos, but not this girl. All of her weight was forward on the ball of the foot, which came down gently first, followed closely by the fall of the heel with only the slightest pressure. She could have been in pointe shoes. True, she walked slowly and a bit mincingly, (two things my long strut will not accommodate,) but she was graceful.

She was graceful, and she had a new pair of Louboutins that probably cost close to my monthly rent. I hated this bitch on principal.

She walked like someone newly in-love, except she was clearly in love with her new shoes. She moved pretending not to notice the insane luxury going on south of her own ankles, meanwhile every step magnified the evidence. These shoes were meant for the bedroom, or if worn out of doors at all, a cocktail party. They were definitely not ten-AM appropriate, nor work-appropriate, but she still wore them like any self-respecting woman who’s just spent a small fortune on high-fashion footwear.

Outwardly I seethed with jealousy, but inwardly I applauded the action. Outwardly I was completely cowed, but inwardly I wanted to commit assault and grand larceny.

Yes, I know how it feels to be this girl, but it’s been a very long time. It's a heady feeling to walk like sex on a stick, and its power is undeniable. I too know what that Mona Lisa smile is all about. So, is it the shoes I want or the feeling they'll surely give me? It's a question for lovers - of fashion and of life. And we're all fools in love, no matter how great the cost.

Candy Stud Pumps by Christian Louboutin - $965 at Saks Fifth Avenue

The Villa Adriana - commonly known as Hadrian's Villa - is located in Tivoli, about 18 miles from Rome. Hadrian disliked the Palatine Hill in Rome, so he built a large estate here, and moved his government and court to this location. Hadrian used the Villa to showcase the different styles of architecture and statuary he found during his many travels, incorporating Greek and Egyptian details throughout.

Long-Sleeve Tee: Massimo for Target

Tee: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Jacket: Idra at Anthropologie

Jeans: Gap, Forever Skinny

Flats: Elizabeth & James

Necklace: Vintage

I just feel happy wearing this outfit around, and I have to say that the pink suede flats from Elizabeth & James make all the difference! They're the perfect thing with the Marc by Marc Jacobs lace-stripe tee. Also, the vintage poodle necklace (purchased at Alex's fabulous vintage sale the other day) ties it all together. The metalwork in the poodle perfectly matches the lace in the t-shirt print!

Anyways, a striking standout was the BonBon Coat in Spicy Russet. It seems to me that this coat:

is trying very hard to be this coat:

or even this coat:

both of which were designed by Hubert de Givenchy in the early 1960s. As we all know, both of these coats have launched a million fashion obsessions the world over. The bold, warm color, simple details, dolman sleeves, and clean seam lines are exactly the thing that hold one's attention for oh...decades. They're what makes a classic.

J.Crew has been positioning itself in the "affordable American classic" category for some time now, so this coat should be no surprise. Double brested? Check. (But only to the high waistline, making it flattering for almost everyone.) Funnel neck? Check. Dolman sleeve? Check. Swing-y shape so particular to American sportswear? Check. While the product description cites a 1950s inspiration with a "vintage" feel, I think props should be given to Monsieur Hubert.

So, do I want one? Absolutely. In fact, I'd love the "spicy russet" one for fall, and then a plain black one for the rest of the winter. But, when it comes to great coats, I'm greedy like that.

Images: scanned from J.Crew catalog, jcrew.com, film stills from Breakfast at Tiffany's - Paramount Pictures 1961, and Charade - Universal Pictures 1963.

I could not decide which of these pictures to post, so I'm giving you both of them! They're both so wonderful... According to the back of one, these were taken on Santa Cruz beach on September 10, 1922. My grandmother Ida is at the far right in both pictures; she was 17.

The odd thing about this is that the color I remember most from my dreams is blue. Objects pop up that are the deepest, lushest, most electric cobalt blue! The first thing was a gorgeous little owl I dreamt about ages ago. He was my pet; soft and cuddly, and dressed in the most gorgeous blue feathers. I never knew quite what to make of a dream wherein I had a pet owl (1) or one that was so blue (2) and utterly sweet (3). I still think about this from time to time.

Most recently, I've had dreams about shoes. I know, right? I am literally dreaming about shoes. The first shoes are the classic tango-dancing t-strap shoes. These are really what I remember from an overall dream where I was dancing the tango backwards through a bookstore. It sort of felt like that magical scene from The Tango Lesson when Sally Potter dances with three different men to Astor Piazzola's Libertango. But mine was much more confusing and challenging. Instead of feeling light, quick, and in control, I felt like I was in everyone's way and totally out of my element. Not unlike the famous allusion to Delacroix's Jacob Wrestling the Angel in Potter's film.

So much for my life-long desire to learn the tango - this dream may have put me off. (Interestingly enough, I found that Delacroix painted his famous fresco in St. Sulpice at a point in his life when he was struggling with his career. The motif was an allegory for his own struggles as one of France's great painters. Hmmm.)

Then, quite soon after the tango dream I dreamt I was shopping in a thrift store. It was completely packed and crowded with things - so much so that there was hardly any light to see what was there, let alone to see what colors they were. Everything looked black, gray, or olive green. I was between two racks stuffed with sweaters when I bent down to look through a box that was overflowing with things. It was your typical thrift-store box of weird cast-off clothes that no one wants, but for some reason I was compelled to keep digging through it (which I would definitely NOT do if I were conscious). Suddenly, bubbling to the surface of all the drab washed-out knitwear were a pair of these shoes:

I shit you not.

In the middle of my dream I realized that I had just found a pair of blue crocodile Vivienne Westwood platform ghillies from the epic "Anglomania" runway show in 1993. The very shoes that famously made Naomi Campbell fall on her can. And now, they were mine. At least I was conscious enough to realize that this thrift-store find was the fashion equivalent to the proverbial Van Gogh in a long-forgotten attic.

According to one of the dream dictionaries I've consulted, finding shoes "suggests you have regained your foothold on life. You are back on the right path again." Well now. And in high style too!

Images: internet searches, V&A Museum, & RoundDancing.net.

Since it feels like sunny Spain around here - thank goodness! - I've decided to post this amazingly lovely postcard from Seville. "Entrada al Patio de la casa de Pilato"... I'm not sure how old this is, but since it's an illustration, I think it's from the 1920s or 1930s - maybe even older than that.

I love the depiction of the Moorish tile designs, carvings, and intricate metal scrollwork around the door. The whole thing gives just a taste of the exotic - I keep expecting Carmen to pop out of the garden just beyond the gate! And that wouldn't be too far off the mark; after a little research I found that the Casa de Pilatos was built in the mid-1500s. It was begun by Pedro Enriquez de Quiñones and completed by his son, Fadrique Enriquez de Ribera after a crusade to the Holy Land around 1519. The name of the house means "Pilate's House", referring to Pontius Pilate. Today, the home is the seat of the Dukes of Mendinaceli, and can still be visited today.

Um, yeah.

Usually depicting a pastoral or allegorical scene, toiles are leafy and narrative - like a Fragonard painting on a textile for the home. Later on, toiles picked up on the Oriental trend with Chinoiserie pastorals in bright reds and deep blacks. This was especially the case as 20th century textile designers adapted toile prints for barkcloth fabrics.

According to the fabulous textile tome Textile Designs by Susan Meller and Joost Elffers (a must-have book - go buy it now!), the first toile was actually created in Ireland by Francis Nixon of Drumcondra, in 1752. It wasn't long before the French caught on to the printing technique and began their own production at the famous Oberkampf mill in Jouy as early as 1783. "Oberkampf hired the best artists of the time to design these prints...the toiles made his name - they were what today would be called his luxury line." The museum of Toile de Jouy is in the town of Jouy (near Versailles) at the Chateau Eglantine.

A colorized version of a famous Oberkampf toile, depicting the process of making Toile de Jouy.

Toiles are sometimes associated with Spode or Burleigh tableware collections, which isn't entirely wrong. Both the textiles and pottery are printed with copperplate techniques, with a similar look and motifs in the design. The pottery is a transferware however, and the textile is printed.

I do think that in smaller doses it's incredibly chic and a lot of fun. It's not exactly modern, but it's two-toned patterns add a lot to an otherwise-boring room - as long as you keep everything else really simple and clean. For me, I'm thinking maybe just a toss pillow or two will be a new way to tie my apartment together.

This is great, but even a little bit of the so-called "classic" blue & white makes me want to cry. To me it always looks like an unhappy tea service.

These are some naughty kids playing on this toile!

I loved this idea of coloring in a black & white toile, as seen on Cumbersome.com. Simple, modern, and playful! While classic toiles depict just one or two colors on a plain white or cream background, the newer toiles combine colored motifs on colored backgrounds, making them more vibrant and less stodgy. But, the influx of pink-and-black and pink-and-green "preppy" toiles hurts my eyes (and brain). Some of these new toiles get so far away from the original spirit of the textile that it's just plain wrong. A good toile should have the essence of the classic somehow; this type of textile is not meant to be dumbed-down!

Cliché anyone? This is absolutely awful.

I do love this yellow & black toile for some reason - maybe because I need something to punch up my reds a bit? Too bad this is a wallpaper...

I guess I'm drawn to toiles because there's something familiar and eternally elegant about them, but at the same time they have a sense of humor. Their opulent motifs can only be taken with a grain of salt, or the room would be very serious indeed. I'm going to keep noodling on toiles in the hope that I can sort out a more modern take, and I'll keep you posted!

Images from The Design Vote, a photo of Red on Red by Stephanie Hoppen, Cumbersome, and internet searches.

What is your occupation and how did you arrive at it?

Insurance broker via some very bad luck.

Name three things that inspired you this week.

Mick Jagger's, Ned Kelly - An oddball film with a beautiful Shel Silverstein score sung by Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings.

The Garment District- It's a piece of New York that's authentic and real and not long for this world. 

Alice Olive's blog- The picture of her leg.

What is your personal style "uniform"?

Invisible as possible.

Name one type of clothing, shoes, or accessory that always makes you stop and stare, and explain why.

A middle aged woman with long legs in a Chanel Suit.  It gives me a smile for the rest of the day.

Do you buy vintage? If so, what piece in your collection is your favorite?

I love vintage.  I bought a 1920s shirt valise in boar skin from Hornets in London for 50 pounds. 

Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong time? If so, what era would you like to have lived in and why?

I'm pretty happy right where I am.

What current trend do you like the most?

The whole food thing that is just exploding.  I may not be able to drink the rest of my life.  I may not be able to screw the rest of my life. But I am going to eat the rest of my life and I have every intention of doing it right.

What current trend (in your opinion) cannot disappear fast enough?

Nascar.

What film could you watch over and over and still find something inspiring? Why?

OC and Stiggs. There's something so wonderful about that film. I always see something new and it's always stupid.  If that ain't life - I don't know what is? 

If blogging didn't exist, how would you fill your extra time?

Write. I'll always write no matter how bad my writing is. I can't think of another hobby where you need so little equipment. 

Images: 1) Mick Jagger as Ned Kelly - film still 2) Garment Workers in New York - from Closettour.com 3) Anna Wintour in Chanel - from John Tinseth 4) OC & Stiggs poster - via image search

The Library is by NestaHome on Etsy, and sells for $18.00.