If footwear doesn't go past my ankle, I'm not interested!

As I was cleaning out my closet the other day, I became aware that I have a type...of shoe that I can't get enough of. High-tops and boots.

Let me introduce my collection of Converse and Sperry from left to right:

• Black Converse High-Top - Chuck 70 Canvas
  • ​I was inspired to get these shoes a few years ago at a vintage car show. They had stunt motorcycles performing in the street and one of the riders had a pair of these on. I purchased some immediately. Do I look as cool as the guy on the motorcycle? No. Am I glad I got them? You betcha.
• Brown Leather Sperry Boot - Torrent Lace-Up
  • ​The Torrent is hands down my favorite type of Sperry. Explaining why you'll see the same shoe again in a couple of bullet points! These are waterproof and made of "seam-sealed premium leather." I've worn them as a stylish winter boot. They look good, are warm and extremely comfortable. Sperry doesn't have these on their site anymore, may be discontinued and why I got them at a deep discount.
• Moss Sauce Green Converse High-Top - Chuck Taylor All Star Lift Platform
  • ​​The shade of green of these Chucks is not for everyone, but I love it. The pop of color it brings to an outfit is unmatched by my other shoes. They are also one of my most comfy pairs. The platform on these is a feature I enjoy, it elevates them in a way - in look and adding some height to this shorty!
• Dark Green Sperry Rain Boot - Torrent Chelsea
  • ​​These are my slip on garden boots. I'm not too much of a Crocs person, I'd much rather wear these. Barefoot or with socks, equally wearable. And if they get dirty, a quick rinse with the hose shines them up like new. Unfortunately, Torrents are not showing up on Sperry's site anymore, so an alt site is the place to look for these.
• Grey Sperry Boot - Torrent Lace Up
  • ​My gateway Sperry boot and number one favorite. I wear these all the time. They lace up, but are pull on, which I prefer. They are waterproof but don't have super warm lining, so thick socks are recommended when worn in the winter. I wore these every single day of an 8-day cruise and my feet were never sore (or soggy) at the end of the day. To me, that's the biggest testament to how great they are! That's why it's such a pity they've been discontinued...they are available on alt sites like the other Torrents I shared.

What kind of shoe person are you? Dressy, casual, low-top, high-top, neutral, colorful? I'd love to hear some of your favorites!

I must say, I was quite upset when Zac Posen said he was closing his fashion label. It certainly feels like something is missing without him (in the little corner of the high fashion world I admire at least). I was very inspired by his creations. So many of them took my breath away. I am still holding out hope that he’ll be back. If you’ve watched “House of Z” on Netflix, you know he is a resilient man and this isn’t the first time he’s fallen down, only to get back up better than ever.
​
Anyway. What I’m trying to get at is that although I still very much miss Zac, a new designer has caught my eye and his work gives me the same kind of feels (almost) as Zac’s. Let me introduce to you Brandon Maxell (these looks were in his spring/summer 2020 collection):

​I really like that although he has some killer gowns that we’d normally only see on celebrities (like Mandy), he also has a huge variety of everyday pieces that any woman could wear. Even if a person can’t afford his clothing (I know I can’t) – his looks can inspire us to get creative with what we have or can afford! I already know I’ll be doing an “Outfit Imitation” with thrift finds of one or more of his looks. He takes classic pieces and looks at them with fresh eyes, using new fabrics, combinations, and fits.

​It’s also commendable that he does menswear in addition to womenswear. I’m wondering if it’s easy for him to do both because his womenswear collections obviously have a strong menswear influence.

I don’t know much about who he is as a person or his backstory yet, but what I found online via Wikipedia is this: Brandon Maxwell (born September 18, 1984) is an American fashion designer, television personality, director and photographer. He is the founder and creative director of Brandon Maxwell, the luxury women’s ready-to-wear label. Prior to launching his eponymous womenswear label, Maxwell entered the fashion industry as a stylist. He began assisting Deborah Afshani in 2009, followed by Nicola Formichetti in 2010, where he was introduced to Lady Gaga, as Nicola was her stylist at the time. In 2012, Maxwell took on the role of Lady Gaga’s fashion director. Many influential women, including Michelle Obama, Karlie Kloss, Jennifer Lawrence, Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Jane Fonda, Viola Davis, Queen Rania of Jordan, and Kerry Washington, among many others, wear Maxwell's brand.

And he’s on the Bravo’s new version of Project Runway. Knowing this makes me want to get cable!

In summary, I’m completely obsessed with Brandon. He’s rolling out his pre-fall 2020 ready-to-wear line right now and WOW. Here are some pieces I love (I have literally visited his Instagram page multiple times to re-look at these outfits):

I think I like him so much because 1) I didn’t know until I found him that this is my ideal way of styling clothing and is (luckily) close to the way I dress already – only elevated – which makes me want to push my wardrobe further; 2) a lot of his looks are attainable without having to buy his pieces and they’re not so “off the wall” that you can’t find something similar at a lower price point (not saying what he’s doing has “been done before,” of course I would buy if I could, I just can’t, so mimicking is the next best thing); 3) his use of color is sublime; and 4) I’m just extremely inspired by him.

What do you think? Do you like his stuff, too? What designers are really speaking to you right now? I’d love to know! I’ll forever be looking for more designers to fill the Zac Posen size hole in my heart.

All photos on this page are courtesy of Brandon Maxwell's official Instagram page @brandonmaxwell.

The "I crave new shoes" switch got turned off inside me awhile ago. I used to veer to that section first, buy way too many, would get pairs that were too big or small if I liked them enough, etc. There were several instances where a shoe would be a few sizes to small for me, usually in my sister's size, and I forced her to buy them so I could live vicariously through her. Yeah. I loved shoes that much.

Nowadays, I try to stick to the basics and wear the basics until they literally give out on me. I came to this point with the brown and black pairs of tall boots I bought over five years ago. The brown pair lost their heels. The black pair became so saturated with salt (Iowa life) I couldn't keep them clean anymore.

I heard that Payless was going out of business across the country, including the one in our local mall. I thought this would be a great opportunity to find a deeply discounted pair of one or both of the tall boots I had to dispose of (RIP).  If you've ever shopped for tall boots, you know they're not cheap.

I was right! The current promotion they are running in store only right now is 20% of all shoes, 40% all tall boots. Score! I was able to snatch up these pairs:

I wore the black pair to an event my organization had a booth at for 10 hours and they were very comfortable! I even walked on a good amount of ice in them and didn't fall. So I think that speaks volumes about the stability of the boot due to the heel's height and thickness!

While at Payless, I of course checked out what else they had and ended up leaving with two pairs of shoes I had my eye on for a few months. A pair of slip on tennis shoes in a yummy burgundy shade:

And this pair of booties that I'm not going to lie, I dreamt about. I had visions of me in these boots. I had to have them. They will help me fulfill all of my punk rock girl band fantasies (minus me actually being in a punk rock girl band part...). I'll wear these for the first time tonight for a girls' night and I can't wait to pair them with a pair of tight skinnies and a fitted biker jacket.

This is the look I'm going for on girls' night:

Also loving this option for work:

And that's that. Check back in another 5+ years for the post where I share the new shoes I had to purchase because all of these pooped out on me!

My favorite high fashion designer line is, and always will be, Alexander McQueen. I'm quite obsessed, actually. From skulls and leather to floral and lace, this line offers collections that are me in clothing form. I only wish the prices weren't absolutely insane...for a "commoner" like me, owning one of these pieces is highly unlikely, so daydreaming about them will just have to do!

A long-time favorite accessory of mine is their Knuckle Box Clutch:

Being a collector of scarves, I've also pined over their classic skull scarf:

In one of their most recent runway shows, they  walked some KILLER leather jackets with floral embellishments down the runway layered over flowy, floral dresses. The contrast was absolutely stunning:

Do you remember these? Alexander McQueen introduced the Armadillo shoe - OUCH - but what a beautiful, special creation:

A few years ago they launched a line with mirrored prints and out of this world silhouettes. It started a huge retail trend (mimicking the print concept at least):

And lastly - here are a few of Alexander McQueen's most famous works. I love each piece equally. I appreciate the fantasy and the pushed limits. I love the exotic materials and whimsy feel. Every single detail is like fashion porn to me - it makes my heart race!