Fashion - July

Mall Crawl - July

--- Christy Lin 

     I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. Though of course, informing you lovely people on what to wear in order to keep yourselves looking sharp is hardly bad, right? I would venture to call it my monthly good deed. Too much? I think so.

 

   
     Now we have that clear, I’m sorry to report that, despite the monumental event that is sure to make up the end of this Potter era, cloaks and pointy hats are unfortunately, not “in.” There are, however, plenty of hotter, but more practical (dude, cloaks in July?) trends to keep you looking cool. 
    Ahem, to all my witches in the audience (said in an uber cheezy English accent) it is time to go green! (end accent) Remember last month when I mentioned H&M and their line of white organic cotton pieces? Well the same principle is expanding to stores like The Gap, Forever 21, and even Urban Outfitters, and not only are there TONS of eco-friendly pieces, they come in just as many colors and styles as regular clothes. They are also super light and comfortable, perfect for the heat-waves as we head into the height of summer. Lastly, they are amazingly affordable. I actually just bought two basic organic cotton t-shirts from the Gap and guess how much I paid: $30 (say whaaa?) I know right? Talk about the perfect way to start up that tree-hugging trend all over again.   

    One more thing to be aware of, the colors of the month are green and orange, but not in that horrifically ostentatious pumpkin sort of way, in other words keep these colors separate when wearing. Just think bold and bright, which is exactly what these colors are, and even though they’re not the classic black or blue formal, they can be just as elegant andeye-grabbing. I would suggest finding a nice, solid colored cotton maxi dress. They are flattering (when fitted properly) and very versatile going from shopping, to the beach, and even a first date with nothing more than a young girls whimsy to lead the way.
    Wizards: you too can be environmentally friendly, there is a slightly different job I have for you, though. Think back to high school, or elementary school even, when they started trying to get all us kids to “Reuse and Recycle”. Same idea, only since it’s summer, so instead of just paper and plastic bottles, we are going for t-shirts. Vintage t-shirts to be exact. Now if you have them, fine, they’re probably worn to the perfect softness and breeziness to keep you comfortable while you’re walking around in the sun. If not, well dammit go out and get a few!! I promise you won’t regret this little investment. First off, as mentioned above, a worn out, vintage t-shirt is incredibly soft and will feel wonderful as the heat comes down in waves on your back and shoulders. The best part, however, is that a good vintage tee will add a nice bit of edge and bad-ass-ness to that clubbing outfit you plan on wearing to that place over on Venice Beach *wink*. If you need to dress up that day outfit, then pull on a light plaid button down over that t-shirt, pair with straight leg jeans scrunched up to the knee and voila! Perfect SoCal Prep look. That sounds really pretentious, but it actually is a very attractive look.

    Alright my lovelies, go out there and make me proud! And don’t worry, cloaks, pointy hats, round glasses, and lightning scars, although not the biggest hit on the runway, are perfectly acceptable street wear for this month, it is sort of a special occasion after all. Just don’t take all the weird looks and whispers too personally. Until next time! Mischief Managed *snicker*.

The Perfect Shoes

--- Sarah Luo

     Shoes are incredibly important. I once heard that once you have that right pair of shoes that make you look good and feel good, you can travel to any part of the world and be happy. Now I know that’s a bit exaggerative, but in essence, it’s true to some extent. If you feel uncomfortable in your shoes whether it’s standing, sitting, or walking, then you won’t be happy at all. You know when you’re first breaking in those new shoes, it’s like going through hell, but once you’ve worn them out a little, they become the shoes you wear no matter what outfit you’re wearing because who cares, it’s comfortable? That’s why shoes are important.

     For women, it’s hard to find comfortable heels. Unless you’re used to wearing high heels everyday for work, it’s going to be pretty hard for you to find that perfect pair of shoes that are comfortable no matter what. I don’t wear heels to work everyday, so when I do wear heels, I want them to be cute, but more importantly comfortable. Have you seen those girls that can run and dance in their 5 inch heels without any problems and wondered how the heck they can do that without huge blisters? Well...they still get blisters because you’d have to do that in 100 takes, but they’re comfortable enough that their feet won’t completely deteriorate. Those kinds of shoes are the shoes that you want. 

     I’ve learned from personal experience that when it comes to heels, you want to get a pair with a very thick platform under the ball of your foot, because then no matter how high your heel is, the pressure on the ball of your foot feels that much better. Now I’m not saying those crazy platformed shoes that are hooker like (no offense) with the goldfish in the sole and all that. I’m saying, just a little bit of a cushion under the ball of your foot so that there’s something keeping it stable and padded. I find that wedges are also very comfortable, no matter how high they may be, and that’s also because of that extra cushion under the ball of your foot. I know that heavily platformed shoes are always the most comfortable and I get that, but if you must wear a pair of shoes like pumps without quite as much platform under the ball of your foot, at least use a shoe insert. Aldo features some of the most comfortable and squishy shoe inserts. They also have shoe stickers that go on the bottom of your shoe so that you don’t slip around on glossy ground like most heels tend to do. 

     I know that this may not be completely feasible, but something I’ve really learned from personal experience is that you just can’t buy cheap shoes. Sometimes, the quality of the shoe really does depend on the price. As shallow and superficial as that may seem, it’s true. Brands like Antonio Melani, Gianni Bini, and Aldo don’t sell their shoes for less than $40 because they can guarantee that your feet will feel comfortable no matter which shoe you try on. I can vouch for that too. My very first pair of legit high heels were Antonio Melani’s and they are by far the most comfortable pair of heels I have ever worn. After going to store and trying on a bazillion pairs of shoes just recently, I ended up wearing Antonio Melani’s again and still feeling no discomfort whatsoever. I’m not saying only wear Antonio Melani of course, but I’m saying that don’t just settle for super cheap shoes because you assume they’ll feel fine after breaking in, because odds are, with long wear, they’ll not only wear out faster, they’ll be more uncomfortable and cause more issues. Trust me, I know. I had to learn that the hard way. 

Antonio Melani

Aldo

     Anyhow, that’s my take on the best kind of shoe for women. I would love to give my take on men’s shoes, but it’s pretty hard considering I’ve never actually worn men’s shoes. Perhaps one day I’ll venture into the men’s shoe department and try some on for kicks and then I’ll tell you how that goes, but as of now, I can only offer guidance to the ladies, sorry about that. All the same, ladies, enjoy that perfect pair of shoes when you find them! 

My current favorite pair of shoes!