These Brown Bess Studded Moc Boots Are My Achilles' Heel

($374, Bess, Ssense.com)

Stick a fork in me. I'm done. These studded Bess boots are my downfall. I do have to say though, I'm hitting a wall with the studded stuff. I own a studded handbag, studded trench, and boots with studs, they're in constant wardrobe rotation, and never the three shall meet. It's more than enough, you know?

FashionBinge Lust/ Must: Studded Mocs

($266, Bess, Oak)

Normally I'd be all over these pyramid-studded suede mocs, but a.) they're outta my price rangeage, b.) they're for guys, c.) they're from Bess, which is the kinda Soho store you walk into and you're like only Cokey stylists shop here. And then you leave really quickly.

+ More pix at WilliamYan
+ More pyramid stud stuff here.

Payless Mocs: Worth the $25?

You decide!
($24.99, Payless)

They're cute, classic, and cheap, but I still <3
my butter-yellow Minnetonka ones which, since I bought them last month, I've barely taken off my feet except to go sleep. Me, not the shoes. No rest for those bad boys!

Beach Towel Most Foul + Cute Mocs!

So, we're off to the beach tomorrow for a whole week! I needed beach towels, so, despite the fact that it was raining like the end of days, I went to the haven of schlocky closeouts that is Conway (it's like a dollar store went on a crazy meth binge and robbed a Sears). I knew I'd find some delightfully tacky misprints, but I had NO clue I'd find something so deliciously foul... Observe:


Go ahead -- click on that shit. The dude's cut-offs are SLIDING OFF, and it looks like he stuffed a potato down what's left of them.

I bought four.

This dude's like a cross between early '80s Michael Jackson and the Unabomber. Amazing. (And speaking of bombs, please try to disregard the fact that my bedroom looks like one detonated seconds before this photo was taken. I think my room couldn't handle the gravity of the towel and shit just started flying toward the door in an attempt to escape.)

On the reals, on my way home, I also bought myself an early birthday present:

($55, Minnetonka, Epaulet)

I'd been wanting a pair of mocs for forEVER, so I stopped in Epaulet on Court Street, where MK got her Melissa + Campana rubber shoes last month. I'd wanted a white pair, but the natural flavor in the middle appealed to me the most, so I went with those. I'd been into Epaulet before, but this is the first time I'd purchased anything. I chatted with the owner, Mike, who's super nice. Great great shop -- you must go!

And speaking of go, so must I! To the gym. Gotta look HOT when draping myself across my King of Pop/ Ted Kaczynski towel. HEEE HEEE!

Escape to Cuters Beach

I'm headed out on a starter vacay tomorrow -- I really should be packing and not playing around. And while I'm not going to the beach (nay, definitely not -- I'm off to sandy Kalamazoo... jealous?), here's my fantasy packing list of stuff I'd like to be bringing with me were I off to a weeklong trip to the beach and not getting up at 5 a.m. for a three-day trip to the Midwest:

($168, Letarte, Canyonbeachwear.com)

Such a suit. Letarte makes great suits. This safari bikini is supercute and not too overkill with the jungle theme.

($156, Letarte, Couturecandy.com)

Another cute Letarte. Reminds me of Shoshanna's bikinis.

($187, Serfontaine, WinkNYC.com)

These are sort of ridiculous, but they're so soft and comfy-looking and would be so cute with a beachy tank.

($30.50, Alloy)

So old-school they're almost great. Very Mary-Kate Olsen, according to Chicago JP. True!

($35, Alternative Apparel)

Buttery soft heather cropped pants, perfect for pulling on and lounging around after you've taken your post-beach shower. Also, I cannot say enough good things about Alternative Apparel -- their fit and feel are fantastic, and they're not headed by an evil, mustachioed porn-faced CEO! Yay!

($112, Peter Jensen, Gargyle)

More Southampton than South Padre.

($595, Loeffler Randall, ActiveEndeavors.com)

I'm not the type to wear heels with shorts and a bikini top, but if I wear, these would be the perfect pair for that sort of ridiculous posturing that really only happens in movies and magazines, I hope.

($75, Shopintuition.com)

Super cute beachy-prep bowling bag.

($68, Brooklyn Industries)

Not beachy per se, but super fun. Brooklyn Industries has gotten cuter! The first one reminds me of Paul's Boutique.

($70, Boost, Urban Outfitters)

Suuuuuuuper fun, suuuuuper summery cute headphones... to go in your beach bag.

($1.29, Biocare Labs)

The site is pure crap, but trust me -- this lip balm is the best. Doesn't do that gross thing where it makes you thirsty in the back of your throat. Okay -- time to pack my ACTUAL, real-life items. Nitey!

What's Up, Preppy? Or: Why the Hull Am I Pining For Boat Shoes?

I never grew up wealthy or preppy (oh but how I am SO both now!) but back in the day, when I was a kid in Cleveland, my middle-middle-class family managed to have a small power boat. A boat, in Cleveland, of all places. I used to hate going for rides on it -- all that choppy rocking, the frizz-inducing mist, peeing in a scary toilet that didn't flush. All that shit freaked me out. Then the Bush I recession hit (like father, like son), and we got rid of the boat -- ironically enough -- before we moved to boat-friendly Florida and then Virginia. Now that I am old enough to appreciate the things I didn't appreciate when I was little, I realize how nice it'd be to have nautical access, if only just for the outfits and cocktails. Maybe that's why I, like Fashionista, am sort of currently into the idea of boat shoes for summer footwear. Eek!

($69, Sperry, Zappos)

The absolute classics. Sure, they get sorta gnarly when you wear them all summer with no socks, but that's sort of the appeal. And they look cool when they've faded and get shiny and worn.

($69, Sperry, Amazon)

I don't think I could pull them off, but I like them in white too. Especially for dudes.

($45, Vans, Karmaloop)

Vans has, for some reason, gone prepster too with their take on boat shoes -- and a nice, femmey take, it is too. I'm sure somewhere, some dude in a ratty Vision tee, clinging to his Kurt Cobain haircut, is gently weeping.

More preppy footwear I'm feeling:

($43, Minnetonka, Buddysmoccasins.com)

In January, I used my awesome powers of prescience to predict that mocs would be on the move this spring. And I THINK I WAS RIGHT! Why? Um, because it's SPRING and I'm about to BUY these!

($58, Tretorn, Amazon)($59, Tretorn, Amazon)

I had a pair of Tretorns back in the day, and I recall that they were the most phenomenally soft, comf sneaks ever. I may need another pair.

($48, Sanuk, Swell)

Ah the surf-prep look. I like these, at the risk of being mistaken for an extra in a Jack Johnson video.

UPDATE: Oh hai! It's MK, all up in ur preppy post! I wanted to add that I am kinda pretty really into these bitches:



Vans boat shoes, $45.50, in HOT PINK. And that is why I like 'em, peeps. Hot pink shoes kinda go with everything! Yay!

Spring 2008 Shoe Trends: Are Moccasins The New Ballet Flats?

So, Stylehive has declared ballet flats out, moccasins in. Not so fast, says Fashionbinge! Saying ballet flats are out is a little overly general, no? That's like saying "sneakers are done!" These-a days "ballet flats" merely suggests a broad, far-reaching style of shoe, like "platforms" or "sandals."

Anyway, I don't plan on giving up ballet flats -- in warmer weather, they're the perfect, slightly more fance-pants alternative to flip-flops. But, I have room in my heart for moccasins too, though only ones that don't look like bedroom slippers or like they were stolen off the feet of some dusty old mannequin in a history museum diorama about Native Americans living on the prairie or whatever. Basically, any moccasins that look like dead animals should be avoided at all costs.

That said, the ones I saw at Forever 21 the other day are straight-forward and innocuous:

($22.80, Forever 21)

Cute, preppy weekend wear, perfect with jeans.

($42, Minnetonka, Urban Outfitters)

Lo and behold, Urban Outfitters has tons of moccasins in their batch of spring shoesies. Though, oddly, they only have brown and black Minnetonkas. I say, if you're gonna do the moc, do the original, y'all. If I were to get a pair, I'd kick it old-school and go with the o.g. white ones, just like the ones I owned circa the 1988-9 school year. Brown would be a close second, but definitely not black.

($34, Urban Outfitters)

Urbs also has lotsa boat mocs. I say "meh." Go with the moc or the boat shoe (if you MUST), but not both at the same time.

I'm also always a fan of a leather (or leather-like) moc. Too bad these Chloe are priced off the map:

($374, Chloe, Net-a-porter.com)

Steal 'em!



...Versus...

($90, Enzo Angiolini, Piperlime)

A steal! I had a pair like this a few years ago from Old Navy or somewhere like that, and I wore them out -- they went with absolutely everything (except gold, of course). This style's the perfect disposable seasonal shoe.

($82.95, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Zappos)

Another decent pair.

... And now for some not-so-decent pairs:

($86, Steve Madden, Zappos)

I wouldn't even wear these in the privacy of my own home.

($178, Materia Prima, Zappos)

These make me feet feel depressed.

($93, J. Renee, Zappos)

These somehow came up in my search of moccasins. And I really really wish they hadn't.

Finally, to bring this thing full circle, a cute pair of ballet flats, on sale!

($59, J. Crew)

The other versions are an atrocity, but these are simple and sweet. Toodles!