White Boots from Sam Edelman Hai Boots Review

I cannot remember the last time I did a shoe review since I have been quite satisfied with sticking to my 15 essentials shoes list. However, every winter, I grumble about having to get dressed up in holiday dresses because I get cold easily and sometimes wearing tights makes my whole outfit looks frumpier. Therefore, I have decided to try something new...knee high boots.

Since my most flattering shoes to wear with dresses are my nude pointy toe pumps, I decided to find a knee high boots version of my nude pumps. I realized that a neutral, nude-colored boots with all my desired specification such as pointy-toe, non-slip sole, genuine soft leather that is smooth (not suede), and affordable was quite hard to find. 

The closest I was able to snatch was this Sam Edelman Hai Knee High Boots in ivory that was on clearance sale at Nordstrom Rack for around $100. My size 6 was not available, so I went up half a size, figuring I would most likely wear thick socks with them.

Here's how the ivory color compares to my nude pumps...

 

I am disappointed that the soles are the resin slippery kind...which means I'll have to add one of those traction stickers at some point if it becomes a problem with my clumsiness in walking with heels. 

The Good: the leather is buttery soft and the three-inch block heel is actually quite comfortable. The ivory color surprisingly makes my outfits look more fashionable than my usual black booties with black tights. 

The Bad: the boots are a bit loose on me, but that's only because they are out of stock with my actual size, so I'm not sure if the size 6 would have been better on me, than these 6.5 ones. My other qualms are the slippery/loud sounding sole. And now I'm wary about how long the ivory leather will last since I have a rugged gait. 

The Verdict: I'm going to keep these since I think the $100 price is pretty good for something with buttery soft leather upper that will be hard to find in a lower price range. So until I find something else better, these will have to do for my winter fancy outfits! 

Other Inspirations:

-See fellow petite Kileen from Cute & Little in the snakeskin version of these Sam Edelman Hai boots in size 5. 

-I enjoyed this article about how to style white boots because I definitely feel what she is feeling... "I get tired of dark winter clothes really fast and there’s nothing like some lightness to elevate a potentially drab winter look.  They look modern but not so trendy that I feel foolish."

- Tina at Style Appetite has a great Fall/Winter outfit with white boots. 

-Lastly, this article convinced me that boots are great with midi length skirts! I mean, look at this gorgeous outfit! 

Do you own white/pale boots? How do you keep them clean?!

Favoring the Peg Leg Pants Trend

I use to wonder why grannies always wear these elastic high waist tapered pants, but now I understand. They are comfortable and efficient! The perks are that you don't have to worry about the hem dragging on the floor collecting mud and dirt, the loose midsection and thighs provides breathability and less chafing for long-term sitting situations. The stretchy high waist is convenient to tuck both thin and thick material tops, while still accentuating the waist for a feminine look. 

I once thought that peg leg pants were quite unflattering on me with my short legs, but I think I just needed adjustments, like choosing a style that has a more soft fabric (to avoid the diaper butt look), keeping the pants in a neutral monotone palette, or perhaps with vertical lines (ie. pinstripes), and always wearing heels with them. 

Inspired here and here. 

Cause we're young and we're reckless

Currently jamming to Taylor Swift's Blank Space while I took these outfit photos for today :) I realized I'm attracted to songs that has this similar beat (doesn't it remind you of the Leona Lewis hit Bleeding Love?)

Outfit highlights:
1. Forever 21 aviator jacket - old (this year's version here)

2. Target Mossimo Supply Co. plaid button down shirt. This shirt does shrink and gets wrinkled up in the regular washer-dryer, especially in the arms/sleeves. Thus, it's best to buy a size up.

Clueless the movie inspiration

Another 90's era fashion inspiration! I really loved that the 1995 teenage flick Clueless was a spin-off of a Jane Austen book. I also really loved that Alicia Silverstone at the time reminded me of a young Meg Ryan. Speaking of, if you are fan of Meg Ryan in Nora Ephron movies...this cheesy ABC show Manhattan Love Story stars an actress (Analeigh Tipton) who channels Meg Ryan to a T! What a transformation from the memorable babysitter in the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love!

Eggshell neutral

Outfit theme: different shades of "off-white"

1. DKNY trench (old)

2. BDG polka dot shirt (old, similar polka dot oxford from GAP, sale $19.75 with code: SHOP, ends tonight)
3. LOFT white skirt (old)

Speaking of trenches, I'm now contemplating adding a "cropped" one to my collection, like this Armani Exchange one:

The size XS looks uncomfortably tight on the model, so promising fit for us petites. However, I'm not a fan of the zippered sleeves...wish it didn't have that detail.

What's with Anthropologie?

I grew up wishing to be an "Anthropologie" girl, that someday I would make enough money to afford their beautiful depicted items. The wonderful catalogs made me believe their style was a cut above the rest with the unique details and sumptuous colors. In my small world, Anthropologie meant luxury. In a way, I'm also grateful that Anthropologie has been a huge factor in shaping my own personal style.

Although I still find their catalogs art-worthy inspiring, I've been disappointed almost every time I've shopped in-store or online. Their items never seem worth their price tag....mostly due to crappy quality in person and bad fit. It almost feels like they tricked me with their catalogs. I admit they have a knack for choosing "interesting pretty" things to put in their store and catalog. But after shopping from them these past 6 years, I'm starting to think their inventory sources are probably the same stuff as Forever 21, but with hiked up prices...so they can maintain a really cool catalog each month and a really cool interior design in their physical stores.

For instance, I noticed this scarf today...

Veracruz Scarf $48

I knew I saw this somewhere before. Aha, Ping of All About Fashion Stuff bought this exact scarf from Forever 21 last year! It was probably around $12 or less at the time. 

I'm sad to say that I'm slowly "un-friending" Anthro...

Also disappointed of them after reading this incident from one of my favorite blogger, Life Unrefined.

Neapolitan ice cream palette

I was skimming through an ULTA advertisement, and this new Physicians Formula Nude Wear line caught my eye. I'm not needing any makeup products at the moment, but man, I give Physicians Formula the award for "prettiest packaging!" 

The dainty metallic bows made me want to purchase these goodies right away! But as a smarter consumer now, I always check reviews online before buying any cosmetics. My favorite drugstore reviewer is Musings of a Muse. All the products that I have bought based on her reviews have been great! Thus, I generally will not buy anything now unless it's "Muse approved."

Here's her reviews on the above products:

PF Nude Wear Glowing Nude Powder: I can tell the powder will be too sparkly or itchy for my face, so no buy. 

PF Nude Wear Touch of Glow: maybe I might try this with my Ulta coupon...

Have you been sucked into buying cosmetics with cute packaging?

And why not wear an outfit inspired by this pretty Neapolitan ice cream colors too?

Golden Compass winter fashion

I watched The Golden Compass for the first time today on my day off from work, chilling at home in my warm blankets. I like the pretty outfits Nicole Kidman wore, especially the coats!

 

As mentioned on Quest for Fashion Sense comments, my first splurge item ever was this Marvin Richards ivory coat...seven years ago. It was on sale for around $80, which was a big deal for me back then, but I've only worn it once (to my first ballet ever! It was amazing!).

Speaking of, one of the nice things about the upcoming Valentine's weekend is that the Ballet always has some great performances going on. If you like orchestral music, intricate costumes, dramatic love stories, and appreciate dance, February is the perfect time to hit the performing art center!

What I love to wear to such events are:
1. Glamorous coat - it's chilly at night, and a glamorous coat with some fur on it always makes me feel like a super star upon arriving at the theater.
2. Knit top or tee - since my coat is glamorous, I like to tone down my outfit with a simple sweater or tee. Since the performance is usually 2+ hours, I want to be comfortable too!
3. Jeans - because it's the weekend and they make the bum look good.
4. Heels - to make the jeans look even better.
5. Bling - I'm a lover of earrings, so any chance I can take out the fancy chandelier or sparkly rhinestone earrings, I'm all for it :)

What do you wear to a ballet? Do share!