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| Kate Spade Sippy Pump / Luichiny Daz Ey Pump / Steve Madden Ravesh Pump |
November was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
November was the month of indiscretion, marked by countless spontaneous purchases guided by irresistible sales, and November was also the month during which many snapshot decisions were made that determined the fate of my many purchases.
First up, the shoe I had been most excited about: The Kate Spade Sippy Pump. Kitten heels have more or less fallen out of favor with the younger set but I was so sure (in retrospect this reflects poorly on my color perception) that this shoe would be a perfect match to my Prada Saffiano Tote that I placed the order anyway. Turns out the shoe and the bag are really quite different chromatically in person.
“Camel” is a dull earthy brown, which is a fine color on its own but quite different from what I had expected. The shoe had a ruddier complexion in the Amazon stock photo.
The color aside, the patent leather had an unnatural sheen to it that’s cheapening. And the knot in the middle of the bow looks a bit unpolished to me.
I am normally between a size 6.5-7 in pumps and ordered these shoes in size 7. They fit well if a tiny bit loose in places so I would say they fit true to size. They are fairly comfortable but consider their height (or lack thereof) this discovery was no surprise.
This shoe is a decisive return.
And as cheaply as I was able to get these Luichiny Daz Ey Pumps (I paid about $15), in the end I had to admit to myself that I wouldn’t wear them enough to justify the purchase. Silver cap toes against a fuchsia backdrop is quite striking in person but hardly a versatile choice for someone in her late twenties.
This shoe is surprisingly comfortable (maybe a 7 on a 10-point scale) for the height and style. I also took a size 7 in this style and found that it fits well, even in width.
Because my feet lean wide, especially at the front, there is some unsightly creasing of my toes at the vamp. It didn’t feel uncomfortable but probably looks uncomfortable.
And the last shoe of this post is the Steven by Steve Madden Ravesh Pointed-Toe Pumps. I had been a long-time fan of the shoe but was apprehensive about paying retail for it because of my normal incompatibility with Steve Madden shoes (my feet and most SM styles just don’t mesh; they’ve been the cause of many blisters).
A dead ringer for the uber stylish Manolo Blahnik Lisane Suede Bow Pumps (which Jean wears beautifully), the Ravesh is considerably more affordable. The retail price is $149.99 but I was able to get mine on sale for about $42 during one of Piperlime’s sales.
Olive was my first color choice and I was not disappointed. It’s a complex shade of dark olive green and looks almost black in dimmer settings.
The shoe fits true to size, if slightly on the small side. If you are between sizes and have somewhat wide feet, I would urge you to try the larger of two sizes.
They are not walking-on-clouds comfortable but are not unbearably uncomfortable either. I would not want to wear these shoes if I intend to walk miles but they should be ok as office shoes or footwear for a sedentary setting (would be perfect for meal dates or a low-key get-together).
It’s been a while since I last felt this giddy about shoes (shopping a lot can take away the luster of retail therapy and blogging certainly contributes to dulling that experience) but I could not put these down when I got them in the mail.
Having a closet full of pretty things, being generally more discriminating, and cultivating a critical eye to evaluate purchases have made shopping a less pleasurable experience for me. Because my closet has so little room to accommodate new purchases, I’ve trained myself to look for flaws, imperfections, and incompatibilities. I rarely focus on the causes of excitement and instead dwell on why things would work poorly within my current wardrobe.
I need to adopt a different mindset because shopping ought to be more fun (and maybe slightly more irresponsible).
