Karl Lagerfeld for Macy's

Karl Lagerfeld (of Chanel fame) has designed a line of clothes for Macy's, priced between $30-$130.  I definitely have my eye on the three dresses above when they go on sale on Aug. 30th. The dress on the left may be the most flattering, but it only comes in that pale blush color.  The dress on the right may be a bit too "goth", with Lagerfeld's signature high collar.  The dress in the center seems to be the easiest to wear.

Now, if only there were a lower-priced Chanel line for the masses, then we'd be talking...

For more from Lagerfeld's collection for Macy's, go here.

Nude pump update

AGL pumps - $310

Nine West Sling backs- $68

After all this fussing about which nude pumps to buy, and how to wear them, I can report that I have finally purchased a pair. At Nordstrom, I fell in love with these AGL (Attilio Giusti Leombruni) hand made pumps (above), but at $310, they were just a bit too steep for my taste. So at Macy's I ended up buying these pearlescent nude peep-toe sling-backs from Nine West instead.  At $68, they were much more friendly to my wallet.

Just the other day, I put together my first outfit. I decided to pair my nude sling backs with BR taupe pants and a BR orange silk blouse (see below).  I decided to follow my previous advice on pairing nude pumps with a brightly colored top. Wearing this outfit, and gauging my confidence level throughout the day, I think the pairing worked, but it could have been tweaked a little bit. I was wearing a narrow Tahari cream jacket over my blouse, but the blouse kept ballooning outwards. In the future, I may want to pair this look with a narrower blouse.

How to Wear Wingtip Heels

Wingtip heels

I saw a woman wearing cream wing-tip heels recently, and it made me curious. I, too, have a pair of cream wingtip heels (see below for similar shoes). I just don't get around to wearing these shoes. I simply don't know how to pair them with any of my clothes. If the shoes weren't so gorgeous, I would have disposed them by now. 

I searched the internet, and I found two general trends for how to wear these high-heel wing-tips: There is the (1) schoolmarmish look, and (2) the eclectic look.

The easiest way to achieve the "school marmish" look is to pair wingtip heels with black tights and a black skirt (see below). To prevent this look from looking too severe, however, soften the monochromatic black bottom with a delicate top such as a cream cardigan (see below).

Examples of the "Schoolmarmish" look - pairing wingtip heels with black tights and a black skirt 

If you don't want to look too old-fashioned, which is easy to do with the schoolmarmish look above, a more casual look can be achieved by pairing wing-tip heels in a way that is unexpected. This "eclectic" look can actually be a really hard look to pull off. Exchange the obvious shoe choice with the wing tip heel, and the outfit can look quirky and a bit more interesting. Carried too far, however, you can look like your entire outfit came from the dumpster bin outside of the Salvation Army.

Carried too far, wing tip heels can make your outfit look clownish, or cheap

Instead of wearing a nude skirt with nude  pumps or wedges pair it unexpectedly with wing tip heels

Sex and the City 2: Rather than pairing this breezy summer dress with the requisite strappy sandals, Carrie Bradshaw makes a more eclectic match with wing tip heels

And now for something completely frivolous... Nude pumps

There is something about looming deadlines that makes me a more prolific blogger.  When I have no impending deadlines, I have nothing to write about. However, when under a time crunch, I procrastinate by blogging away. Anyways, the subject of this blog post is nude pumps: how to wear them, and where to get them.

I've been shopping for the perfect pair of nude pumps for a long time now, but: (1) I have not been able to find reasonably priced, comfortable shoes that don't look too tranny, and (2) despite the generally accepted wisdom that nude pumps are a "must-have" fashion staple, I have no clue how to pair these shoes with actual clothes.

Nude pumps with white

With brightly hued dresses

Nude pumps can be paired with anything I would normally pair with my high heel beige wedges (now unfortunately worn to death).  However, I did notice that the nude pumps are more polished and more lady-like than a casual pair of high-heeled sandals. Also, nude pumps can be paired with brightly colored dresses (see above) and result in a more subtle effect than had that same dress been paired with black shoes.

Casually, with jeans and a boxy top

I found surprisingly few options for pairing nude pumps with pants.  The L.A. fashionistas are pairing them with cargo pants, or jeans (see above). But this look smacks of L.A. This looks good if you are one of those women who do nothing but shop on Rodeo Drive, carrying a tea cup Chihuahua.

Despite the limited clothing options, I think nude pumps would make a worthwhile fashion addition, if just to replace my aforementioned beige wedges.

Banana Republic: $79.50

The Banana Republic version above has a low enough heel for work. And I also favor the suede texture.  However, I don't trust Banana Republic for long term comfort. My comfort standard is that I need to be able to walk a mile or two in the heels without discomfort. 

Coach: $198

The Coach shoes above are really gorgeous.  And they do exhibit more of a stacked toe, which is trendy right now. But the price point is not ideal. And I would prefer no patent leather.

Steve Madden: $89.95

The Steve Madden shoes above are moderately priced, and look more expensive than they are.  However, the stacked toe, when there is no peephole, looks too tranny to me. (For the non-fashionista, "tranny" is an adjective describing transvestites.)

Cole Haan: $335.00

Cole Haan: $298.00

The Cole Haan shoes above, will probably last forever, and are probably incredibly comfortable. Unfortunately, these are not at my price point.

Pelle Moda: $104.67

My favorite find for the price are the Pelle Moda nude pumps above.  They have the suede texture, and stacked toe, and peephole that I prefer. Unfortunately they do not come in the sizes that I'm interested in, at least on Zappos.com.  So, I guess I'll keep looking...