Dîner en Blanc

This Thursday is going to be one of the summer’s hottest events: Dîner en Blanc.  Hundreds of people will don their most glamorous white outfits, grab a picnic table and a friend, and make their way to an undisclosed location for the fanciest picnic dinner you’ve ever seen.

This is a dress-to-impress event, so if you’re going, perhaps you’d like to step out in a pair of these:

Ooh, the polka dots on the Adelia by Menbur make it feel so summery, don’t they?  White mesh surrounds the foot and covers the 4.75-inch heel, and a flower adorns the peep toe.  (The platform, though, is just plain satin.)  Yours for $198 from Macy’s.

Just LOOK at the rhinestone detail on the heel of the Kiara by Badgley Mischka.  Gorgeous!  Rounds, baguettes, pears, marquis…dozens of sparking stones make this simple satin peep toe something extraordinary.  Also available in emerald, red, sapphire, and “latte” (a sort of champagne-y color); your choice for $245 from Zappos.

Feeling a little more fun?  How about the Heart by Blue by Betsey Johnson?  A half-dozen straps cross the front of the foot, each attached by a tiny silver heart.  Adorable!  The vamp is covered in subtle white lace, and a zipper up the side lets you in.  Also available in silver metallic and black lace—find them at Nordstrom for $140.

The Lido by Caparros is such an interesting shape, how the lace swoops up the front to the ankle strap.  (Which has some elastic, by the way, to give you some extra comfort.)  The four inch heel is covered in white satin, and there’s a zipper up the back.  Also available in an equally sexy black lace; yours from DSW for $60.

Okay, my fancy diners!  Have a wonderful time on Thursday!

Fifty Shades of Supper

The latest trilogy book craze?  No, not The Hunger Games; that’s so last year.  I’m talking about Fifty Shades of Gray!  While I haven’t picked it up yet (possible book club pick?), millions of other people have, and even Supper restaurant is getting into the trend with a special dinner tomorrow that is a recreation of the menu served at the Masked Ball in Fifty Shades Darker.  In the spirit, here are some slightly naughty shoes in several shades of gray.

For the boardroom seductress, the Barina by Ivanka Trump: two-tone patent leather, a 4.5-inch heel and three-quarter-inch platform, peep toe, and ankle strap with silver buckle.  Also available in black/white and brown/tan; your choice for $135 from Zappos.

I like the interplay of hard and soft in the Spencer Caged Peep Toe Pump by Badgley Mischka: the luminous, luxurious patterned satin around the four-inch heel; the tied-up, strapped-in feeling around the peep-toe and quarter-inch platform.  Together, the two sides combine to make a beautiful shoe.  It’s also available in black, but the silver is nicer—find them at Endless for $114.

A little lace, a little corseting at the slingback... the Luxe by Caparros is the ladylike way to do sexy.  It has a four-inch heel, half-inch platform, peep toe, and mesh lace upper segmented with silver faux leather.  Also available in black, white, or a nice coppery-gold; find them at DSW for $65.

I. Love. This.  The Wren by Isola is practically marbled, swirling with black and gray and little sparkles like a cloudy night sky.  Round and square studs arch over the 3.5-inch heel.  Also available in shiny black, shiny copper, and black patent leather, but none are anywhere near as spectacular as the Anthracite.  Yours for $155 from Macy’s.

Whatever your...um... tastes, the dinner at Supper sounds delicious.  Tickets are $65, or $100 with matched wine pairings for each of the four courses.  Call (215) 592-8180 to see if there are any spots left!

Ask the Shoe Fairy

Philly Shoe Fairy:

I’m going wedding shoe shopping—what should I get???!!!  Looking at a high heel, budget is between $100 and $200.  Something with detail.  J  Love beads, love lace—delicate things.  Hate chunky looking add-ons.  Between three and four inches high is probably best.  Champagne is my color, but I can do dyeable.  Shoe size varies...7.5 to 8.

Lindsay

Dear Lindsay,

Congratulations!  Thank you for the photo of your dress (I promise to keep it top secret!).  It was helpful when I picked out shoes — for instance, these have floral beading similar to that on the side of your dress:

The Sadi by Nina is somehow simple and elaborate at the same time—delicate sequined and beaded flowers on ivory satin.  It has a five-inch heel, but it has a one-inch platform, so it’ll only feel like four!  (It was just too beautiful; I had to include it.)  Find them at Macy’s for $129.

Your dress also has some lace, which reminded me of these:

The Astrid by Caparros may be a little difficult to see in this photo, with everything being ivory and all, but it has an upper made of delicate floral lace, scalloped at the edge around the foot.  It’s a slingback with a four-inch heel and three-quarter inch platform, and also comes in a taupe which might work with your dress if the ivory is still a little too light.  Find them at Zappos for $79.

One more!  I thought a soft gold shoe would work with your dress as well:

 The Pretty by RSVP is pretty indeed!  This D’Orsay pump has a soft gold satin upper that is gathered at its peep toe and topped with an oval rhinestone detail.  It has a three-inch heel, and can be found at Zappos for $79.

Whichever pair you choose, I know you’ll be radiant!

-The Shoe Fairy

Sales this weekend:

Bloomingdales: 20-30% off a selection of shoes

Lord & Taylor: Buy one pair of sandals and get the second half off; 15% off regular price items and 20% off sale and clearance items (online only!) with code BIG

Macy’s: 20-50% off select styles

Payless: Summer preview sale

Philly Film Festival

Come one, come all: the 20th annual Philadelphia Film Festival began yesterday! Two weeks of every kind of film under the sun: shorts. Foreign language films. Classics. Documentaries. Grab a friend, get your tickets, and experience something new!

How about something for tonight? The Artist is a French movie filmed in black and white that reinvents the timeless tale of an actor’s rise and fall in film against the backdrop of the golden age of Hollywood. Oh—and it’s a silent film!

  There’s something so 40s-starlet about these! The Vertical Evening Pumps by Caparros is black satin with a four-inch heel, silver strap and toebed, and multicoloured rhinestone feature. Find them at Macy’s for $79.

Feeling more like Shakespeare? This weekend check out Coriolanus, a faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s tale of rivals, civil unrest and betrayal in ancient Rome (but set in the modern day, and starring Ralph Fiennes!). This is the first time this powerful, historical play highlighting war as an eternal human drama has been brought to the big screen.
The Big Momma is a camo print, kiltie, buckled, charmed, bungeed, fur-lined platform boot. Badass. Pick up a pair from Irregular Choice for $235.

On Saturday or Monday, check out Green: an off-kilter, miniscule take on the erotic thriller. When two New York intellectuals move to the country for a writing project, the fabric of their relationship and reality is torn by a new friend. They’re green, of course! But the Quiana by Promiscuous is also a little off-kilter in its own right: crazy reptile-print stripes and mesh surround the foot over a 4.5-inch heel, with a zipper up the back and a cushy insole. Also available in beige, black, red, purple, and taupe from Zappos for $59.

Winter not coming fast enough to suit you? Race to the Bottom of the Earth is a bold documentary of endurance and survival about Philadelphia-based explorer Todd Carmichaels’ attempt to not only be the first American to solo trek the seven hundred miles across Antarctica to the South Pole, but to set the record for fastest trek at the same time. See it tomorrow or Wednesday, November 2.

Love these! The Jessica10a Strapped Fur Knee High Boots are snow princess boots: white fur, white faux leather, white lacings, and a beautiful stiletto. Yours for $45 from Amazon.

The Philadelphia Film Festival runs until November 3 and tickets seem to be $12. 


Sales this weekend: 
Aerosoles: Up to 35% off all boots
Bakers: All dress shoes and dress boots on sale
Macy’s: Save 20-30% on select styles
Nine West: Free shipping on all orders
Lord & Taylor: 25% off with savings pass or promo code FRIENDS