THOSE FREEWHEELIN' FALL DAYS

A year after I graduated from college I was working at an internet start-up in Manhattan.  My co-workers and I hung out every night after work at this bar called Billy Marks 2, where Darren would feed the jukebox quarters to play "Electric Barbarella" by Duran Duran and I drank endless gin and tonics.  On warm Fall nights when we left the bar I didn't want the evening to end so I'd walk 82 blocks up Broadway to my apartment in Morningside Heights.  I'd pass through Times Square and the Upper West Side before stopping at Koronet for an enormous slice of greasy, flavorless pizza.  Then the next morning, slightly hungover, I'd put on this skirt, a ridiculously itchy Abercrombie & Fitch wool sweater and a pair of black loafers, and then buy a Venti coffee from Starbucks and head into the subway.

(Holy guacamole I look tired!)

(Skirt, vintage, quite frankly I can't believe it still fits; sweater, H&M; shirt, F21 (studding mine); purse, Oryany, a gift from Mr. Brass Knuckles; shoes, Jeffrey Campbell; bracelets, Pandora, Alex+Ani, Target, Louis Vuitton; ring, Icing.  The LV ID bracelet was a generous gift from an old boss, this woman also gave me La Perla lingerie sets and Prada shoes and my first design job).

Have a great weekend, Knuckles!

DIY CAPTOE BOOTIES (APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE TO MY FEET)

WHAT'S UP Knuckles!

Ever since the Louis Vuitton cap toe pump came out last S/S 2012, I have really been loving this look.  What a gorgeous way to update pumps:

(LV pre-fall 2012)

Pointy cap toe pumps are pretty much everywhere now, which is not a bad thing.  But I am especially excited that the trend is extending into more bad-ass territory.  Check out these amazing new Jeffrey Campbell boots:

(Zorro Combat Boot, Jeffrey Campbell, Nastygal.com)

I was feeling inspired by this LV-meets-Daria look, and decided to update an ancient pair of faux-suede wedges that had been sitting in my closet:

I bought these out thrifting a few years ago.  They were unworn and I paid less than $4 for them.  Truth be told, it was $4 poorly spent because I've ever worn them.  They are a) incredibly cheap and b) make my feet look like a couple of concrete blocks.  In sum, these were the perfect shoes to go DIY on.

For this project, I used fabric paint in black and silver metallic:

The process is so simple you don't need photos, but whatevs.  Step 1: Mask off the uppers:

Step 2: Paint.  Apply a couple of coats, letting the paint dry in-between.

Step 3: Let dry.  Patience, girl.

Here they are with black wedges, looking a million times better.  

I probably should've left them like this, but my vision forged on.

Step 4: Mask off the cap toe.  Paint and dry.

Step 5: Remove the masking tape, add black laces, step back and....

Step 6: Go buy the Jeffrey Campbell boots.  While I'm surprised by how well the actual cap toes turned out (it looks much more metallic in real life), the shoes are just so cheap that I'm not sure I can wear them without completely insulting my feet.  They may never speak to me again. 

I also think that one shoe is a half-size too large.

The lesson here is: never buy super cheap shoes.  Don't do it!

Have a great day, Knuckles!