Paulistana Angelena

If someone has the money...

2009-03-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

...this Giorgio Sant Angelo bodysuit seems too Balmain/Wang-esque to pass. (click on the image to go to its e-bay page)

Outfit Du Jour XXIV - the short end of the stick

2009-03-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of updates. Life has been pretty hectic lately because of some problems with my visa.

Well, bodystockings. There are two schools of thoughts about how to incorporate bodystockings to your day by day. One is to own the trashiness of it, with leather, bright colors, lame and even more transparency) making it really ultra-mega-fantabulously trashy and the other is make to make your normal outfits a little more rock'n'roll, wearing for exemple underneath a black shorts/ striped t-shirt combo. I like both a lot, but I chose to represent the later in this "photoshoot" (it's easier to pull off):

Bodystockings, Kinque. T-shirt, Target. Jacket, H&M. Shorts, McQueen for Target. Belt, Zara. Shoes, Wild Diva.

Outfit Du Jour XXIII - Attention, passengers....

2009-03-04T05:03:00.000-08:00

My dream job when I was about seven was (and, I suspect, unconsciously it never stop being) to be a flight attendant. Traveling the world and being paid for it. Not to say my huge fascination with airplanes and airplane food - I love it! (I know, ewww!). Thanks to Target, my dream finally came true:

Dress, Target. Shirt, Goodwill. Shoes, Arezzo. Necklace, earrings and cuff, F21.

By the way Target, which had been really boring lately (I hated the Thakoon collection), has, with its Merona Collection, completely turned around. A whole lot of beautiful Nautical themed gold(and navy)mine waiting to be dug there.

Outfit Du Jour XXII - One man plus two beers equals 20 dollars

2009-03-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

Hey people, I'm back (as you can see). I'm sorry about this last week of absence, but I had to deal with some problems and a huge flu.

Th good news is my shipment of stripper clothing finally arrived! I bought a lacy bodystocking (the images are NFW), a ruffled vinyl mini skirt and this body suit that I'm wearing in the pics. It actually had this really tacky lacy collar, but nothing a pair of scissors couldn't handle. The secret of wearing stripper clothes in your day by day is not wearing not not wearing them with other fetishized items, but balance the S&M queen feel with more lady like or rustic fabrics or mixing it with bright colors.

Skirt, HM. Blazer, HM. Nylon bodysuit, Kinque. Lame bodysuit, AA. Belt, necklace, earrings and cuff, F21.

Outfit Du Jour XXI - an interesting past

2009-02-24T01:15:00.001-08:00

I usually think and rethink many, many excruciating times before doing something. Like my black biker jacket, it took me two months before buying it. I went to HM, no kidding, 5 times, I would look at it, try it on, and think, think and think. I was one of the most responsible teenagers I've ever seen. Well, to shorten this whole preamble, with my tattoo, it was a little different. Of course, it took me ten years to actually do it, but actually doing it was just a spur of the moment. I was at this mall in Sao Paulo, called Galeria do Rock, which is a huge shopping center, as the name suggests, focused only in Rock'n'Roll products. Of course they have several tattoo artists, I had the money, I had the time and I had exactly what I wanted in mind. After taking 30 minutes to research prices (I'm not that spontaneous), I was sitting in the chair and getting my red heart:

Coat, Goodwill. Skirt, e-bay. T-shirt, Old Navy. Belt, Zara. Shoes, Wild Pair.Necklace and bracelets, F21.

Outfit Du Jour XX - I found my socks!

2009-02-23T03:31:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for these socks since before moving to the U.S., roughly 1 year and a half ago. I looked everywhere possible, my whole closet in Brazil and here, all my drawers, my car, my medicine cabinet... When my mom ship me this huge box full of some of my favorites, I begged her to send me those socks, and when I opened the box and couldn't find them, I turned into a paranoid and went all Emile Zola on her, saying she was trying to ruin my life (well, almost). I was completely obsessive about them, then after much frustration, I had to settle down and let it go. My mom used to tell me a familial anecdote from when she was a little kid. My uncle was getting dressed to go to school when he lost one of his socks. He, half barefoot, also looked everywhere and nowhere he found it. He, too accused the whole family and the maid (especially the maid) of stealing the socks. So, after a while, frustrated and afraid that my grandfather would punish him for making him and his sisters late for school, he sat on the bed and took the one sock out of his foot and there was the other one! Today I feel like my uncle of then, embarrassed and childish. No, I didn't spent the whole year and a half with wearing a (would be) fetid sock, but close enough: the sock was in the pocket of one of my suitcases. I must have put it there so I wouldn't forget to bring it to LA. So, my outfit du jour is an homage to the prodigal sock:

But they wore worthy of my Campbell-esque quest. I couldn't never find a replacement for them. Golden lurex thigh high socks don't come easily, you know? The majority of the rest of the outfit is, as part of my tribute, made of things that I had forgotten I owned. The sweatshirt I bought at HM last year and the jacket was kind of a mistake my mom made when she sent the box, it is too big for me... And both of them give a Wang-esque feel to skirt/socks combo.

Sweatshirt, H&M. Skirt, F21. Thigh high socks, Joge. Necklaces, F21. Bracelets, vintage and F21.

Outfit Du Jour XVIII and XIX- The Working Class Goes to Heaven

2009-02-22T01:49:00.000-08:00

Oh, god, I'm so tired (Esther, I'll answer the tagging tomorrow, sweetie), my husband and I spent the whole day running errands, first, 8 am, I had to go to my lawyer, and, then to my mother in law's to install a dance floor in her garage. But some great stuff came in the form of Chinese food as a payment for a job well done.

And, surprise, surprise, I'll give you guys a chance of see me (oh, so benevolent of me) in a very uncommon outfit, jeans and a T:

Well, the jeans is skinny and I am wearing my fur (I'm not prepared to stay away from it so soon), which I diligently took off before dirtying my little paws with glue, nevertheless it's pretty unusual. What I wore to the lawyer was even less interesting.

Jeans, Joe's. T-shirt, Target. Fur, Goodwill. Boots, e-bay. Necklace, F21. Belt, F21. Bracelets, HM, F21 and Vintage.

What else is new? Nothing much, yesterday we went to Cheesecake Factory and watched the Sopranos, but I really liked my outfit:

Skirt, necklace and boots, F21. T-shirt, Old Navy. Jacket, Papaya. Bracelets, Vintage and F21.

Outfit Du Jour XVII - fur for all

2009-02-20T01:50:00.001-08:00

Goodwill strikes again, look at this jacket:

Beautiful, isn't it? I've been looking for one like this for a loooong time. And it's real fur. And it only costed me $30.00

I don't usually draw inspirations from other people or runway collections, I just put together what I feel like at the moment and go with it. Well, in part, I know that everything is social, and whatever you eat, like, do or wear is influenced by your socioeconomic surroundings and we are the product of our time and everything, but what I mean is that I don't generally do that intentionally, but today, in a spur of the moment, I went with Givenchy:

Well, sorta. The results are not quite the same, as I left my thigh high boots in Brazil and had to improvise with leather leggings, and I wanted to show off my new acquisition, so my tuxedo jacket was left out of the picture. But, at least, Signore Tisci was what I had in mind.

Jacket, Goodwill. Dress, HM. Faux leather leggings, AA. Shoes, Bakers. Bracelets, F21, vintage and HM.

Outfit Du Jour XV- peace on earth and goodwill toward people.

2009-02-18T01:43:00.000-08:00

I'm probably preaching for the converted here, as this is a standard post in blogs savvier than mine, but in case I'm not, my favorite place to buy classic pieces of clothing is Goodwill. I've to admit I'm a very cheap person, but I've never bought anything at a thrift store before coming to the U.S. one year ago, I guess that's why I get always so excited about them. But, their, or at least my Goodwill's, blazer, jeans and button up shirt selection is incredible, way better than any Vintage shop I've ever seen, and most times I've found some little dress to die for. Their only problem is accessories and flashier stuff. Well, that's why F21 is there for. Take this blazer for an exemple:

Oh, this skirt is one of my thousands articles of clothing that are duplicated in my closet, its twin sister is red. I love that brand,Pelu, I worked in their marketing and production management departments when I lived in Brazil. They are totally awesome, if you guys by any chance go to Sao Paulo or Rio, they sell at Chocolate, Daslu or their own store.

Blazer, Goodwill. Short and long sleeve Ts, Target. Skirt, Pelu. Belt, F21. Necklace, Renner. Bracelets, vintage. Bag, Hayden Harnett.

Outfit Du Jour XIV- and now for something completely different...

2009-02-17T02:55:00.000-08:00

I was kinda of sick of my hair the way it was, so zip, now I have bangs. I did it by myself, as the only kind of DIY project I am rather good at are the ones involving scissors. I also gave it a shaggy look. It's still kind of a work in progress, for now.

Dress, Target. Vest, ebay. Jacket, Papaya. Shoes, Nine West. Bag, Hayden Harnett. Belt, F21. Necklaces, HM and F21. Bracelets, F21 and Vintage.

In other news, I found this dress in my wardrobe, I was always a big fan of flowing floral frocks (yes, that was intentional), but I never saw them as me, but this one was pretty cheap at Target, and I decided to buy. I were it once and never again until today, as I couldn't, before, find a way to style it to look like something I would like to wear. So I would like to propose a challenge, if some of you guys are up to:

- Find, in your wardrobe, the item that is less like you.
- Style the momfucker out of it to make it something you.
- Post photos in your blogs or send the links to me and I'll post them here.

That's it. Pretty simple. No prizes, I'm sorry, just have fun doing something cool. As I am pretty new in the blog thing, I don't know how to tag people, if there's some kind of specific procedure or not. If any of you guys want to use this as a tag exercise, by all means, do it.

xoxo

Outfit Du Jour XIII - mixed feelings

2009-02-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling kinda blue lately, so contrary to most people who will wear bright colors or pastels when depressed, I decided to go with something a little punk rockish, which always cheers me up. I realize that's not the most unusual outfit for me, but it's my sartorial comfort blanket. Loud and inflamed music/movies/art/clothing is always very cathartic. Well, to go a little outside the black and studded box, I decided mixing prints was the way to live, and ended up with a angry sexy librarian look.

Blazer, HM. Cardigan, Luigi Bertolli. T-Shirt, Cavalera. Skirt, AA too short dress. Belt, Zara. Shoes, Wild Diva. Necklace, Forever 21. Bangles, vintage, Forever 21, HM. Headband, F21.

Outfit Du Jour XII - the living lowe that lurking burneth

2009-02-15T04:16:00.000-08:00

So, today, besides being Valentine's Day, was my one year Anniversary. I don't really care much for Valentine's (I'm more of a New Year's Eve and birthdays girl), but the celebration was pretty nice, waking up at 6 pm, spending a lot of time with my hubby and eating Thai food. Good day! I decided to ditch the sexy and leathery of usual and go with romantic:

Skirt, American Apparel. Shirt, Charlotte Russe. Belt, Zara. Jacket, HM. Shoes, Bakers. Necklace, F21. Bracelets, Vintage.

Oh! A belated Happy Valentine's Day for all of you!

Outfit Du Jour XI - a little bit of(f) color

2009-02-14T03:08:00.000-08:00

As it was raining as fuck today in LA, I decided to take some pics inside, but my bedroom is such a mess and my hallway doesn't have the best lighting, so you guys are get to see my bathroom. Totally MySpace 2005! Super Retro. At least none of those feature me looking pensive at a mirror. Or, will they? Hey, another oldie! Does that mean that the 2000s are in again? Maybe is my excitement for a new Joss Whedon show premiering yesterday ( I still haven't watch it yet).

Oh, I know it was also cold as fuck today, but don't worry I wasn't bare legged! I'm just wearing 5 layers of tights to cover my legs (black wool, ivory wool, 2 pairs of opaque nude to even the color and a pair of nude fishnets on top)

Dress, HM. Sweater, Zara. Blazer, Goodwill. Shoes, Wild Pair. Necklaces, F21. Bracelets, Vintage.

Outfit Du Jour X - The one permanent emotion.

2009-02-13T01:32:00.000-08:00

I had to run some errands today, and decided that my faux leather dress was the best article of clothing for the job. It's funny the dirty looks I get from some people when wearing a little more daring outfit on the everyday. And I had even added a striped T to downplay a little of the dress's toughness. At college, work, movies it's always been like that. Oh, well. Here it is, in it's full glory (last time I wore it as a mini skirt):

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Dress, Charlotte Russe. Striped shirt, Forever 21. Tights, Joge. Shoes, Wild Diva. Jacket, HM. Necklace, Forever 21. Bracelets, F21 and HM.

Hm... Maybe I should wear less leather.

If shoes were paintings...

2009-02-13T00:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not one who says that fashion is a form of art, but I couldn't help to notice some common threads between some of this Spring shoes and the strokes of certain artists:

Yves Saint Laurent + Mondrian

Ferragamo + Gauguin

Pucci + Kandinsky:

Fendi + Miro

Vivier + Velazquez

Outfit Du Jour IX - 60s + 70s + 80s = 00s

2009-02-12T00:43:00.000-08:00

And the unforeseeable future is now. I'm back a little sooner than I expected, because as I am an infomaniac, I went the Brazilian way, and hooked up my old lap top (which has a broken screen and a series of other little issues) to my husbands old monitor. I should have been an engineer, I know.

Well, at least one good thing happened, which is the arrival of two amazing metallic contraptions (that the lady who sold me insisted in calling them belts) I bought at ebay. They are practically the same thing, but one is silver and the other is brass. I do that all the time, practically all my wardrobe is made of twin pieces of clothing. Here it is, the silver one:

Tunic, Collins. Shiny Leggings, AA. Belt, ebay (thanks, triedandtruemagic!). Shoes, Bakers. Earrings, H&M. Bracelets, F21 and HM.

Taking a break for the unforeseeable future!

2009-02-09T23:30:00.000-08:00

Right now I am sitting at FedEx-Kinkos, because my 2 week old computer crashed. Two weeks! HP, never again. Well, I'm probably going to be offline for a few days until they replace my HD.

XOXO,

Marina

Outfit Du Jour VIII - some are silk and some are leather

2009-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

As you probably noticed, I rarely ever wear pants. Skirts are so much better. But,

I could not resist those. Leather (and nice looking pleather) will always be my downfall.

Saying that I don't really wear pants is probably an exaggeration. I wear leggings and skinnies. They are the only types that I think look nice on me, as I believe I have weird upper thighs.

Faux leather skinnies, HM. Vest, Ebay. Boots, Nine West. Turtle Neck, HM. Belt, Zara. Necklace, 25 de marco.

Ps. That vest is probably my best Ebay find! It's studded AND frilly. It's like the tough ballerina of the outwear world. Thanks, banks1one713 !

Outfit Du Jour VII- blue velvet (ine)

2009-02-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Well uneventful day today, but good uneventful. Junk food and watching "Strangers With Candy" (Gotta love that Sedaris. And that Colbert. And that Dinello. And that Hollimon) in bed uneventful. At least the rain gave me a break, so I could shoot some pics of my red sandals outside. So score!!

Navy velour dress, thrifted. Belt, Zara. Tights, Joge. Sandals, Wild Pair. Necklace, F21.

I think that belt is becoming my favorite. I love how the skulls toughen up every thing from afar, but when you come close they are very cheesy with their heart shaped eyes. It's just like me

Outfit Du Jour VI- bodystockings and pleather

2009-02-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

Well I think I mentioned my passion for stripper heels, but lately I've been nursing an incipient love for stripper clothing that culminated in my buying a fishnet full bodystocking on e-bay. It started with falling in love with AA's sensuali maillot, and not liking very much its price. I have an undeniable penchant for sheers, and the piece is definitively the apex of that affair. So to sum this up, my new piece of apparel arrived today and I am imagining the possibilities.

Talking about questionable articles of clothing, I wore a Charlotte Russe pleather dress today. It has a kind of weird story behind it, as I bought it at Goodwill, even though it's still being sold in at the chain's stores. Well I paid only $7.99 instead of the 30 something I would have otherwise. I wanted to do something a little more interesting than what I actually did with it, but as the the most interesting place I went today was L&L Hawaiian barbecue, I think what I worn was plenty:

Dress, Charlotte Russe. Cowl neck sweater, H&M. Tights, Joge. Belt, Zara. Shoes, Bakers. Bag, Hayden Harnett.

Look what I found at Wild Pair today

2009-02-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

Ta Da!!!

Not as fab as the originals with their wire-y heels, which I think is what every shoe dreamed of being, and the ones who say they don't are just green with envy, but pretty fantastic, aren't they?

Outfit Du Jour V- An ode to belts

2009-02-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

Brook & Lyn asked me yesterday if I were a shoe girl, and I told her I was, but rethinking, I think I am not, despite the tons of evidence bought in the last months, I'm more of a belt girl. They were the article of clothing that most fascinate me since I was a little girl. I love them, they
truly can make a boring outfit into something great, they can reshape every manly man oxford shirt into a delicate, womanly shape or add some edge to a frilly pink shirt. You can have no jewelery on, but if you have an interesting belt, it will make your whole ensemble. My outfit today was an homage to belts:

Dress vintage, boots Nine West, bag Hayden Harnett, acrylic tights Joge, bomber jacket H&M, belts Zara.

Outfit Du Jour IV - a very short essay against mid winter hot weather.

2009-02-04T18:12:00.001-08:00

A beautiful sunny day today in LA, I know I'm going to sound like a lunatic, but bleh! I hate beautiful sunny days. I hate the birds singing, the squirrels frolicking and I hate happiness. Just kidding, except for the part of hating warm days, and SoCal have been full of those lately, in the middle of the fucking winter. I feel like I've been cheated off my favorite season. Fuck you Global warming. Winter is when you don't feel like every time you step out of the house you're going to become a piece of buttery toast, when you can eat fondue (yes, I live in the 70s), snuggle under a blanket with your boyfriend or, dare I say, when people dress well!

Anyway, my hubby had a day off today and, besides eating breakfast at this crummy old (and unexpectedly expensive) diner, we did nothing, besides playing poker and dehydrate. So here is what I were today:

Remember that vintage nautical blazer I bought at Goodwill? Here it is. And the red Nine West booties. Worn with a Marc Jacobs jeans skirt, a hand me down tuxedo shirt from my uncle, a Target belt Renner (Brazilian store like H&M) necklace and a cuff from F21.

Marina's Shoe Review III

2009-02-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

Name: Michael Antonio Montclair

Description: Knock-off of Burberry's studded platform sandals

Color: Mine are beige with brass colored studs. Other colors I've seen: black, pink, gold and silver

Price: I paid $43.00, but I've seen them costing anywhere from $43.19, at cutesygirl.com, to $79.00(!), at flyjane.com. 3/5

Quality: Although it's not made of leather, I would say the patent synthetic material is of a surprisingly high quality. The stitching doesn't seem all that good, but the shoe looks the closest to an original I've ever seen in fake shoes. 4/5

Level of Comfort: Bad. I ordered online which is one of the worst things you could ever do when buying footwear and being a prissy bitch like me, so it's not like it's their fault. My judgment was clouded by the ecstasy of finding out, by my two previous experiences, that I could actually wear 5" heel and be able to walk, that I didn't think twice that those shoes could not be like those. Anyway, the angle between the heel and the platform felt weird the moment I put the shoes on. The Qupids have a higher shoe platform difference but are 100 times more comfortable, maybe because the soles of these are made of acrylic or plastic or whatever and the Chloe knock offs aren't, not molding appropriatelly to my feet. I took them to a test drive (the mall), and couldn't stay on them for more than 1h30 without getting tired. 2/5

Level of coordination to be able to wear it: From all of my stripper-like shoes, these are the ones that most took me off balance, but they aren't as bad as some shoes I tried around. I didn't fall once, which in my book is at least a half point bonus. 2.5/5

Beauty: As I previously said, they are quite alike to the originals. And I used to daydream about them. 4.5/5

Overall: 3.2/5

image: cutesygirl.com

Outfit Du Jour III - and little bit of Nine West hate

2009-02-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

I went shoe-shopping today, bought these two beauties:
today

The first one at Bakers ($56.00- they were giving an extra 20% off of products on sale!). They are a lovely almost-knock off of those Givenchys wedges. They are the same ones in my list of shoes below. So good to cross something off your to-do list!

The second pair I got at Nine West, $36.00, as they were giving also 20% off (yay!). I love how trampy they are (red phyton booties, C'mon!). Can't wait to put together something S&M chic with them.

By the way, Nine West has probably one of the worst sales staff in the world. I had to wait like half an hour to be able to pay (and there was no line!) for the cashier attend someone else first... Grrrr! The worst thing is that this was not the first time.

Well, here is what I wore:

F21 booties, Papaya navy jacket, AA lame black too short dress worn as a skirt, Old Navy white T, F21 studded belt.

Outfit Du Jour II - I need something strong for my memory

2009-02-03T02:45:00.000-08:00

I completely forgot to post this outfit last week. On the previous Wednesday, I went to this bar night with the fantastic commenters from Jezebel LA at the 7 Grand. Great night, great people. Well, here it is:

Jacket H&M, skirt Cali, lacy top Target, lame bodysuit American Apparel, tights Joge, platform sandals Wild Diva, necklace F21.

(Not so) Harsh Reality

2009-02-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

What I dream of:

From the top, clockwise:

Pierre Hardy - myprestigium.com

Nicholas Kirkwood - luisaviaroma.com - 700.00 EUR

Cage Boots (YVES SAINT-LAURENT) - luisaviaroma.com - 1,100.00 EUR

Maputo Sandals (Ferragamo) - luisaviaroma.com - 620.00 EUR

Studded suede wedges (Strategia) - luisaviaroma.com - 290.00 EUR

Metal Lace Sandals (Givanchy) - luisaviaroma.com - 1290.00 EUR

Crystal Sandals (Georgina Goodman) - luisaviaroma - 695.00 EUR

Tejus Origami Sandals (Roger Vivier) -luisaviaroma.com - 990,00 EUR

What I could buy... in a good sale:

From the top, clockwise:

Crosshatch Platform (Jeffrey Campbell) - urbanoutfitters.com - 198.00

Skittle - ohdeershoes.com - $220

Studded Heel (Jeffrey Campbell) - urbanoutfitters.com - $148.00

Bianca (Pour La Victoire) - nordstrom.com - 269.95

Pascale (Pour La Victoire) - piperlime.com - 325.00

Smeal - aldoshoes.com - 125.00

Birdcage Heel (Dolce Vita) - urbanoutfitters.com - 148.00

What I can actually afford and not have to live of ramen for a month:

From the top clockwise:

Villian- bakersshoes.com - 69.99

Caylee- bakersshoes.com - 79.95

Cori - bakersshoes.com - 89.95

Julie-01 (Wild Rose) - urbanog.com - 24.99

Studded Peeptoe Pumps - forever21.com - 32.80

Paola - bakersshoes.com - 89.95

Finella-146(Qupid) - urbanog.com - 22.99

Kentaro -ninewest.com - 89.90

Lenna - bakersshoes.com - 79.95

metallic cross strap stud heel - gojane.com - 41.60

Shoe Heaven

2009-02-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

I present to you, my favorite shoe designers ever:

Nicholas Kirkwood - by marinlove on Polyvore.com

Georgina Goodman - by marinlove on Polyvore.com

Those brits...

A la recherche du temp passe II

2009-01-30T21:12:00.000-08:00

I went to Goodwill today, bought the most amazing navy nautical blazer ( to be seen in a later photoshoot) and a sweater for my Alexander Wang project. Besides that, I tried heroically to buy some new shoes, but I was kind of blah. You know when everything seems too ugly or too expensive or too wrong?

I didn't take any pictures, but as I don't like to post without a photo here it is a selection of old ones:

Last Thanksgiving. Dress Urban Outfitters

Dinner with Husband. Vintage dress, vintage fur trimmed vest, Qupid shoes and F21 necklace. I love that necklace, simply the best piece of jewelery ever!

Shopping trip. Vintage neoprene skirt by DKNY (always wanted one), F21 belt, Dunes ( Brazilian brand like Nine West) shoes, Joge acrylic tights ( I always wear two in the winter), F21 turtleneck, H&M motocycle jacket).

Now I just need to learn how to coordinate my body to my face when taking long shots. I've been looking pretty weird in those.

Marina's Shoe Reviews part II

2009-01-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hello, I'm a whiner. And a train wreck waiting to happen. I'm literally able to trip on my own feet (happened more than twice and less than 45000, but it's still a number that if I had bother to count, I would be ashamed to disclose). Welcome to Marina's Shoe Review.

Name: W.D. Collection Astrid05

Description: Super duper stripper sandals, 5" and 1 1/2 platform (Oh yeah!).

Color: Mine are black, but I've seen them in grey and taupe.

Price: Varies, mine I paid around $40.00, but at makemechic.com, they are on sale for $26.00 3.5/5

Quality: Made of leatherette, they have a good cushioned footbed, seem to be well glued to the base. I'm not a big fan of synthetic materials for shoes, and if not the most durable pair of sandals, they are a great (cheap) option for these last seasons of crazy footwear. 4/5

Level of Comfort: I bought these before buying the Qupids, and I spent more or less a week telling my husband that they were the most comfortable heels I've ever wore, and they were until I found the silver fluffiness that are my Chloe knock offs. They kind of hurted my ankles for a while when I was wearing them with no thights though, but the platform/heel ratio is more than adequate. 4/5

Level of coordination to be able to wear it: Again, because the difference between the heels and the platform is make those shoes 3 1/2", they are inside my ideal level of balance. 5/5

Beauty: Not my first choice in terms of heels. But as the other factors come first in my decision making process, they also came in first in my heart. Not to say they aren't beautiful. Because they are, in their own gothic strip queen style. 4/5

Overall: 3.9/5

image: Wild Diva

A recherche du temp perdu

2009-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Nothing exciting happening in my life these days, so I thought it would be cool to show some old pics. I love that shirt (F21) because, as I have the typical hourglass body, it shows that I have indeed a waist. The skirt is by this fantastic Brazilian brand called Zoomp, from other economical times. The lacy tights were to give a rock and roll vibe to the outfit.

Marina's Shoe Review

2009-01-19T04:15:00.000-08:00

Name: Qupid Bisou

Description: Chloe knock off with monster spike heel ( 5”) and platforms in steroids (1.25”)

Color: Mine are pewter, but I've seen them around in black and bronze

Price: U$S 15.00, they were on sale in this store close to home, but I doubt that they were much more expensive, which takes us to... 5 out of 5

Quality: For 15 bucks you can't expect Louboutins, and Louboutins they aren't. They are made of Leatherette, but the glue, seams and zippers seem to be really resistant and the internal padding is very fluffy. 4.5 out of 5

Level of Comfort: My threshold for heels is usually 3”, but in the magic world of platforms, where toes are protected from the ground's bas relief and 6 inch heels can suddenly become cozy equestrian boots, it is a little higher. Still, these shoes are a little higher than that and were still the most confortable pair of heels I ever wore (no exaggeration!). To be fair, they chaffed my feet a little when climbing down some stairs. Regardless, I walked a good 3 miles on it and it felt like I had slept all day. 4.5 out of 5

Level of coordination to be able to wear it: Well, even though it is all that in terms of comfort, it is still 5” high, but despite a minor accident with a hole, no broken bones, bleeding knees or poked eyes. I give it 3.5 out of 5

Beauty: I get it, it's not the most basic design, but I'm in a kind of conceptual fashion phase, right now, so I am very much in love with these shoes.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

image: Urbanog

Outfit du Jour

2009-01-19T02:05:00.000-08:00

What I wore last Saturday to lunch with my hubby. Vintage leather skirt, Qupid sandals, vintage Moschino belt and Old Navy tank.

I just wish this frigging mini Summer that surreptitiously infiltrated the midst of my beloved Winter would get a clue and fuck off, so I can wear my skinny faux leather pants. Well, according to Accuweather, it won't take much long.