Heads will turn while wearing these yummy looking ice cream cone pumps made by Oyee Design. Bright and fun colors are really popular in the warmer months, and ice cream is another thing we like to associate with summer. More »

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Rule #6 - Back to the Basics: My last rule (seriously!) is a reminder that basics are an underappreciated fashion weapon - versatile, cheap, and simple. Each piece is easy to find and gets a LOT of mileage. Who doesn’t like an easy hunt and a bigger bang for your buck?

A solid set of basics includes different colored camis, comfortable jeans (both dark and light), solid colored pumps, standard white button-up shirt, khakis, cardigans, and a classic little black dress. Basically anything that will go well with almost anything else, can be worn in a variety of different outfits, or is unlikely to go out of style. Why these kinds of clothes are cents-ible (hehe get it?) should be obvious.

Also when thinking about basics it might help to think about what kind of color palettes tend to dominate your wardrobe. Sometimes it’s good to pick clothes that will add diversity to your wardrobe, but there’s also something quiet fashionable about figuring out what colors and silhouettes look best on you and making selections that fit into that scheme. This way you will be more selective and everything you buy will likely match something else you already have so you don’t have to buy full sets.

So with that I’m out of ideas. Hope you guys enjoyed and happy shopping!

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Rule #2 - Thrifting and Hand-Me-Downs: There are tons of hidden treasures in thrift stores and flea markets if you have the patience to find them. A quick comb-through in a good thrift store can produce a number of gently-used/almost-new designer-label items that are cheap and ready to wear after a simple wash or cleaning at home. I found my black Aldo pumps for $15 this way (and they’re completely new).

Thrift store shopping is understandably not very pleasant. For example, the Salvation Army in downtown New Haven is really grungy and most of the stuff for women are either too big or too retro. Plus it feels cheap to be looking at other people’s hand-me-downs. I definitely don’t think it’s a good idea to do all your shopping at thrift stores, this is just a friendly reminder that if you’re in need of retail therapy and the wallet’s just too thin, there are always alternatives!

There’s one kind of thrift store you should definitely check out if you haven’t already - your mom or older sister’s closet! It may feel weird snagging hand-me-downs when you spent your entire childhood avoiding them, but I’ve picked up a number of vintage skirts, big earrings, and old designer handbags that my mom doesn’t wear/use anymore - all for free! (And of course free is best ;D)

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Someone asked if I own the heels pictured in my Heel Compendium post. Unfortunately I don’t (some of those are really hot though so I wish), but I thought I’d showcase a few that I DO own so that I can try to use that guide to break down what’s going on style-wise with these pairs of shoes. It’s like taking off the fashionista training wheels lol.

Anyway so these are my four favorite pairs of heels, each representing a different heel type. I literally picked them out of my closet, stuck them on my window ledge, and took pictures of them in the morning light (hence all the romantic soft blue light). They’re all on the relatively newer/less-used side of my shoe collection. More »

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Despite all the achey feet and thin wallets they cause me, I am madly in love with heels.

I’m so confused by all the different kinds of heel types though that I finally decided to do some research (i.e. spend an hour on Wikipedia and Google images) to figure out the terminologies once and for all. For some reason there doesn’t exist a satisfactory comprehensive explanation of heel types, so I set out to make one myself. Here it is - Ming’s grand compendium of heels.

These are pretty much all the terms I have ever heard when it comes to shopping for heels and a corresponding picture/description. Hopefully if nothing else we can all be a bit better educated about what kinds of heels we’re wearing. Definitely comment with corrections or additions since I am far from being an expert.

(Note: I organized the list into three categories since it seems to me there are some general shoe types within which you can have pretty much any combination of toe and heel.) More »

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