HEAD OVER HEELS | Stepping Into Summer with Shumaker

Those heels though...

I have a small problem when it comes to shoes. How small? Okay, not small. Not small at all. My husband uses the shelves on his side of our closet for sweatshirts and sweaters. I put my sweatshirts and sweaters into storage bins in our office closet because let's face it - the shoes always win. So when Shumaker approached me about being their new shoe ambassador, I was like, 'Yes, I TOTALLY need more shoes.'

I'd never heard of Shumaker so we quickly set a date for me to check it out. The brand has been in Canada for decades but has only recently started opening its own retail locations - Shumaker has stores across Ontario now and is expanding quickly. I went online and loved the European design - my mom is German so I have a strong appreciation for beautifully designed shoes that laugh in the face of cobblestone streets. At the store though, I gained a whole new appreciation for the Shumaker brands. The shoes are designed and produced in Europe by up-and-coming designers from Scandinavia, France, Germany and Italy so attention to quality and design are all so obvious in the details. 

I fell in love with the men's shoes (if you're experiencing men's shoe fatigue, you need to go to Shumaker) but today was about finding shoes for me so I put those aside. For now. I narrowed it down to a gorge pair of gold leaf goddess sandals, some metallic ankle boots and a cute pair of kicks, but just couldn't leave these laser-cut ankle strap black heels by Italian brand Bella Siba which instantly made all of my other ankle-strap sandals feel basic. Since I brought them home, I've worn them with everything from a white tee & culottes (as pictured), a pencil skirt & button-down shirt for a work meeting and have plans to rock them with a floral dress to my next summer wedding. Honestly, these shoes are everything. High but so comfortable, practical enough to wear with anything but so beautifully detailed. I could go on and on but, well, I have some more shoe shopping to do ;)

Head to Shumaker online or find a store near you to get the full experience, and be sure to sign up for their GoldLeaf Membership for 10% off in stores and online for life. 

 

My first visit to Shumaker...

So many shoes, so little time...

Um, yes please...

Amazeballs men's shoes (AKA let's save these for another day bc today I'm about to get mine...)

I like to display my new shoes in interesting places like the boxwood in my front garden. And yes, my neighbours think I'm a just a *little* too obsessed with shoes...

Thinking about all of the outfits I'll wear with these beauties...

Ankle-strap sandal GOALS...

WHAT'S GOOD | Carine Roitfeld x Uniqlo

When Carine Roitfeld tells you what to wear, you listen. The former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Paris and world-renowned style-setter has perfected 'I Don't Give AF' with her just-rolled-out-of-my-boudoir hair, her I-didn't-bother-taking-my-makeup-off-last-night smoky eyes and a parade of neutral street style looks that makes women half her age constantly question their own coolness.  

Roitfeld was inspired by her own wardrobe (naturellement) to create her latest collection for Uniqlo. On-trend fur bombers, as well as updated classics, like tweed blazers, wool and shearling coats, textured pencil skirts and merino sweaters mash up in a capsule that would make a killer wardrobe for any wannabe Parisienne. And if you don't like it, you guessed it: she does not give AF. 

The collection hits Uniqlo stores today.

Running in Heels | My ECCO Shape Obsession

The problems started when I bought my first pair of ECCO SHAPE boots last year. They were merlot ankle boots, with a high stacked heel and a pretty profile, but they felt like running shoes. So, more like platform running shoes, minus the Spice Girl vibes. Throughout these past 11 months, I've often reached for my other boots, attempted to feel the feels for my other heels, but at the last minute, I always grab my ECCO SHAPE boots. Here's the problem: I could wear flats for grocery store runs, for daily school pick-ups or for double daily dog walks. But I prefer heels. I just do. And now all of my other heels feel uncomfortable. They just do. 

So what makes them so comfortable you ask? As they say at ECCO, 'No modern woman wants to be held back by her footwear.' #truth. And so ECCO designed the SHAPE collection, offering cutting-edge, minimalist looks all stacked up on a magic heel. Each design has a foot bed which lowers the heel of the foot within the shank, allowing the 75 mm heel to 'grow' an extra 15 mm, ensuring ultimate comfort while still giving the illusion of a higher heel. The soft, supple leather moves naturally with every step (no breaking in required) and inside, the 'anatomical shank' offers complete support and cushioning. The collection features both solid and printed/textured heels and boots with a distinctively Scandinavian feel - simple, minimalist, but with a subtle edge. 

At the launch dinner for the ECCO SHAPE Fall '16 collection, models literally danced through the ROM in their ECCO heels. A ballet dancer performed pirouettes in her Mary-Janes while modern dancers did hours of ear-grazing dévelopées in their ECCO Shape ankle boots. Meanwhile, I sat and contemplated which shoes to add to my collection - hardcore waffling between a pair of navy snake print ankle boots and some amazing textured black midis. ECCO offered to buy the boots for me this time so I decided to stray from my usual black and go with the navy snake print, even though the heel was a bit lower than my merlot loves from last year. 

My ECCO SHAPE 35s arrived this week and I've fallen in love all over again. I've had 3 people stop me in 4 days at my neighbourhood coffee shop to compliment my boots. On the 4th day, I was the only customer in the shop, btw. My kids told me they like my fun boots. Even my husband, who has a vision impairment that doesn't allow him to notice new shoes or haircuts, noticed them and liked them without me having to ask. I'll wear them with jeans and leggings and dresses and skirts but because they're not a pair I'll likely wear errday, I'll alternate between those and my merlot boots from last year oh, and the black textured midis which I just bought - um, hold on a minute, credit card info, blah blah, address, confirm purchase - now. Worth every nickel (is this what we Canadians say now?)

Check out the new ECCO SHAPE collection in ECCO stores now or online here. 

  

Inside the Brand New Saks OFF FIFTH

via the Vaughan Mills blog

It isn't every day that a care package from Saks OFF 5TH lands in your mailbox. Bills? All the time? Designer shades, a gorgeous scarf and a VIP invite to the grand opening party? Never. Which brings us to tonight. I'm at Vaughan Mills, dressed in my all-black too-cool-for-school swag, to fête Saks OFF 5TH's arrival in Canada. Those of us who've flocked to the States over the years for our annual fix are already addicted. And if the looks of longing by my fellow shoppers are any indication, I'm in for some stiff competition tonight...

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SO SHADY | J. Crew's First Ever Sunglasses Collection Is Finally Here

As someone who can't help herself around sunglasses, I'm always on the lookout for fresh new specs to add to my collection. So when I found out that J.Crew launched its first-ever sunglasses collection today, I had to share the news (and pretty pics) with you. 

J.Crew partnered up with NYC-based Marchon for its first collection, featuring scratch-resistant, 100% UV protected lenses. The frames are made entirely by hand in high quality acetate and the sleek and supposedly super-stable hinge was designed by Dame Jenna Lyons herself. With 5 women's and 3 men's styles, the collection features a variety of fun prints and colours that are seriously toying with my shopping self-control.  

Check out the collection for yourself. The sunglasses are available now in J.Crew stores or online at jcrew.com and range in price from $128-$168 CDN. 

Hmmm...I'm thinking the top-right tortoises. And you?