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Vionic shoes review

 in General Fashion / Shoes / Shopping  tagged loafers / reviews / tips / vionic by

From left: black loafers / navy ballet flats / golden loafers / cap toe slingbacks /

I have a new obsession, Vionic shoes. You might be sitting here wondering why I am gushing over an orthopedic shoe, but hear me out.

Three years ago I hurt my hip. When that healed, I was left with Planter Fasciitis. This type of foot pain make it hard to wear most shoes. My doctor got custom orthotics made for me, and I was able to put them inside my sneakers, but high top sneakers and other types of shoes were tough. Instead, I found bands and arch supports I could put use instead, but nothing was as perfect as the orthotics. You can read about my alternatives here.

One of my dear friends, who also suffers from Planter Fasciitis, told me she has a pair of Vionic sandals. She loves them! I was intrigued. So, I checked out the brand and found a pair of classic black loafers I could use in my life. This is where it all started.

When the Vionic black loafers arrived, I instantly noticed the insoles were removable. If the ones the shoe came with didn’t work, I could insert the ones from my doctor. Love that! Thankfully, the ones that came with the shoe felt 95% similar to the ones from my doctor. That’s a win! The one thing I noticed after wearing them was that they were slightly too big. I should have ordered a half size down.

My second pair were the ballet flats. I ordered my normal size because I figured these were shoes you wore barefoot, and they looked a little bit narrower online. They turned out to be the perfect size! This is the first pair of flats I can wear band-free and pain-free. Plus, ballet flats are on trend right now, so they are fabulous. Love!

As we moved towards the spring season, I dreamt of soft neutral hues, wide leg pants, and white soled shoes. These golden tan loafers by Vionic with a white sole are perfect for this airy look I had inside my head. I went ahead and ordered them a half size down. Perfect! They are so comfortable, and the color of the leather is fabulous. You have to see them in person. Seriously, I am OBSESSED! This is my favorite pair-by far!

Lastly, as much as I love to investment dress, I also love a good trend which mimics timeless looks. Cap toe shoes are classic and very reminiscent of Chanel’s iconic styles, plus, they are hot for spring/summer 2024! How could I resist a pair of cap toe shoes? I couldn’t. Again, I ordered this pair a half size down and they are perfect. There is a difference with the cap toe shoes. Since they are slingbacks, the orthotics are built-in instead of removable. They feel more like 75% similar to the ones my doctor gave me as opposed to the removable ones which were extremely close. So, while they aren’t as perfect as the other three pairs, the slingbacks still offer arch support and keep me pain-free; which is the point.

Shoes from Vionic I own and have one my wish list:

Have you tried Vionic shoes before? What did you think? I give them five out of five stars! My one tip is to order them a half size down. They seem to run slightly large-except for the ballet flats, which I found to be true to size.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

How to shop your closet for fall 2023

 in General Fashion / Shopping / Trends  tagged fall 2023 / investment dressing / outfit ideas / outfits / tips by
how to shop your closet for fall 2023

pictured: black western style boots /

It is that that time of year again when fall starts hitting store shelves! This means you may have the urge to start stocking up on all the shiny new fall merchandise popping up everywhere. Before you dive right in, make sure you aren’t duplicating what you already own! The first thing you need to shop for fall is your closet!

If you are wondering how to shop your closet for fall 2023, you have come to the right place. Shopping your closet can be just as much fun as shopping in a store. You never know what you might find! So, block your calendar, make sure your air conditioner or fan is hitting your closet and get to work.

The first thing you want to do in your closet is empty out anything you don’t wear. If this seems overwhelming, do it in steps. I also sort my shoes first, then my clothing. This seems to make it easier. If you have any shoes which hurt your feet or you are wondering why in the world you own them, decide if they have resale value or if they should go in the donation pile. Then, start pulling the shoes forward in your closet which are hot right now and in style for the fall season.

What to look for in your closet when it comes to shoes. Western style footwear is still hot, so bring them back out from the back of your closet. Also pull out your Mary Janes, Ballet Flats, Classic Loafers, Lug Sole Boots, Classic Pumps, Street Sneakers, and utility style boots. Everything else can be stored in the back of your closet for a future season.

Now let’s sort clothing! Again, pull out anything that doesn’t fit correctly, or you don’t like anymore. Sort them into a donation pile and resale pile. Then, let’s rotate your closet!

If it seems daunting, go in this order. Start with your denim collection. Rips, tears, and heavy distress are over. Pull forward your wide leg jeans, flare jeans, straight leg jeans, and trouser leg jeans. You can keep your favorite skinny’s but put them at the bottom of the denim pile or store them in the back of your closet. Looser denim styles are still trending for fall 2023. Autumn colors are trending too. If you have shades of brown, black, or burgundy, pull those jeans out too.

Talking about pants, let’s keep going! For your non-denim pants, look for classic cute, straight leg, and wide leg. Again, skinny styles should get stored. Trousers paired with a blouse or sweater are hot for fall both in the workplace and on casual days paired with street sneakers. Pull those styles forward!

Speaking of sweaters and shirts, they are both hot for fall and well into winter. You can wear cropped sweaters, oversized sweaters, cardigans, turtlenecks, all of the above! If you have sweaters which look worn or were discovered by moths, recycle them, otherwise, pull forward your favorite sweaters and rock them this fall. Button down shirts worn loosely and oversized are also hot for fall. Pull those shirts forward too!

Powersuits are still hot. Keep your power suits and keep rocking them this fall!

Also, tweed blazers over jeans are still hot this fall season, so keep those in the front of your closet to wear instead of outerwear when the weather is mild or cool. Love them!

When it comes to outerwear, look for trench coats in your closet, peacoats, and the jackets you wear on the ski slope. Outerwear is being shown in both fun colors and neutrals, so enjoy!

Handbags are staying anonymous and when it comes to size, anything goes. Look for high quality investment bags, hobo bags, shoulder bags, totes, and Lady Bags in your closet. Pull them forward and store your logo bags.

One of the big trends coming up for fall is the pencil skirt. You might have some in the back of your closet, if so, bring them forward! Denim pencil skirts are hot too!

Look for the fall IT colors in your closet as well. In addition to neutrals and black, look for shades of red, green, and pink.

There you have it! Found any holes in your wardrobe? Start your shopping list and stay tuned for my fall 2023 trend report coming up soon!

On my fall wish list:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

fall 2023 boot trends

What is Investment Dressing

 in General Fashion  tagged classic style / investment dressing / outfits / tips by
what is investment dressing

pictured: sunglasses / silver star necklace / black dress / silver station bracelet / silver bar bracelet / m frame handbag / nail polish / black suede boots (similar here) /

What is investment dressing? You may have heard people talking about investing in a handbag or a piece of jewelry, but have you heard of investment dressing? This is something I have toggled back and forth with since I entered college and started shopping on my own. Investment dressing is purchasing clothing and accessories to create a long-term wardrobe. It transcends trends and seasonal pieces allowing you to build a full wardrobe you can wear for years and years.

The concept of investment dressing allows you to build a timeless wardrobe which avoids fleeting trends, and helps you save money in the long term. Instead of buying trendy items every year, you can wear the same trousers, blazers, shirts, sweaters, etc. for years and years without spending money on new items. This also allows you to invest in higher quality items since you will have more money to spend on one item instead of an entire wardrobe.

You may have noticed bloggers and online magazines talking about capsule wardrobes; both seasonal and classic. Even I have jumped on the capsule bandwagon! The capsule itself is a concept which helps you trim down your wardrobe to basics which can be used over and over again, season after season. It is a lesson in mixing and matching so you can create countless outfits out of a few articles of clothing. Of course, when you read about these capsules, they always show new items, including my capsules!

The point of a capsule, as well as investment dressing, is not to purchase new items every season, but to be able to reuse what you have in your closet. Shopping your closet is part of investment dressing! When you see a capsule, look at what is in it. Is the writer showing straight leg jeans? Wear the pair you already own, you don’t need to purchase the new pair pictured in the article. Are they showing a black blazer? Use the one you already own, if it’s vintage, even better! So on and so forth, you get the idea.

It can be tricky to stick to investment dressing. When I started this blog, I was still a faithful investment dresser who concentrated on building a timeless wardrobe. Once I started to get more into blogging, it was really hard to stay timeless. I fell into a trendy trap and started overbuying items which did not stand the test of time. Now, I look at my closet and I am sad to see things I cannot wear anymore. So, I took a deep breath last spring and decided to go back to my wardrobing roots and stay on course with investment dressing.

What if you like trends? You can still invest in your wardrobe and reflect certain trends. One of the easiest ways to stay on trend while building a timeless wardrobe is to look at current color trends. You can invest in a classic sweater for fall which transcends time yet purchase it in a current color. Stay away from overly trendy colors such as lime. You will see colors in the color palette which transcend time and can be worn during the year. Those are the colors to invest in each season.

When it comes to colors, don’t be afraid! I know some people live in a beige and white world, please don’t! Colors keep things interesting and can even evoke emotions! For example, yellow makes people happy and blue creates calm. Red keeps you moving and green evokes feelings of peace.

Sometimes it is fun to add a trendy item to a classic wardrobe. When you do this, don’t spend a ton of money on it. Look for something on sale or at a reasonable price. Try not to succumb to a trend and overbuy it. Remember, you want to build a wardrobe with classic pieces, not cycle through it every season or two.

Investment dressing is also a fabulous way to build a wardrobe when a recession is looming. Yup, I said it! While we may not fall into a big one, we are experiencing inflation and a rise in interest rates. This is a good time to invest in a timeless wardrobe so you don’t feel the need to spend on clothing and accessories if we do head in that direction. Love that about investing in a timeless wardrobe!

What is your current style mood? Are you feeling like trends are your thing? Or are you in the mood to create a timeless closet?

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more investment dressing type articles this year!

XOXO
Cathy