Divine Inspiration - Pink Patent Pumps

I had a dream.

Two nights ago, I dreamt of pink patent leather pumps.

They were perfect.

Babygirl pink, medium heel, round toe, a hint of a wooden edge on the sole.

Demure, but not boring.

Where they came from, I don't know, and how they got in my head, I have no idea. But needless to say, when a girl dreams (at least this one) of shoes, she works very hard to find them. It's along the same lines as the pair of red patent leather pumps I went back to "visit" three times before I finally bought them. My own personal rule? If you think about them constantly for 3 or more days, and you can afford them, they need to be bought.

So using what might just be a new favorite tool (I'm sure I'm the last on this bandwagon), like.com, I'm scouring the web for these pearly babies. I'm convinced they exist. If not, I might just pick up the phone and call my new favorite shoe designer (if you haven't checked out her in-house, personally designed, named after her own Bean line, lillybee, do it NOW), Kassie of simplysoles, and suggest them. I don't even need credit for the idea. I just want the shoes.

So here's the run down, and how they aren't really what I saw in my dreams.

Demonia - around $40, and cute. Color's close, and the stitching and bow are a nice touch, but, well, demure they're not.

Bettye Muller. Not $40. Softer color, lower heel, but the price, the peep toe, and the heel aren't quite right. (Though I thought maybe Bettye Muller would be the place to find my dream shoe, with the modern retro feel.)

Bandolino. Online, about $30. By far the most reasonable. And definitely the most demure, with the Mary Jane detail. But, well, they're red. And the MJ is juuuuust too demure.

Juicy Couture. Also not $40. But the toe is right, and they're simple. Fun color, too, but clearly not the right pair.

Another Demonia pair, reasonably priced, and more demure than the first pair. Like the spectator detail, but the color and the MJ strap aren't right. Nor is the height. Stripper going to church?

J Crew. The closest, by far, in the sense of my dream shoe. The bow is just a-DOR-able, but still very wearable. They were on like.com in a darker pink than I dreamt, but apparently everyone else in the world thinks they're wearable, too. Completely sold out in every color.

So Kassie? I'll be calling soon!

A little behind

on my personal grooming, I'm about 2 months overdue for a cut and, well, I can't remember the last time I saw Erwin. Literally. I know I've been since The Bean arrived, but life has gotten in the way and forced many a reschedule. I have no idea how I haven't made it onto the salon blacklist, except that I've been with both Jae and Erwin since, well, for a long time. Jae and I have known each other longer than I've known H.

My hand forced by an also overdue annual doc appointment, I'm taking the afternoon in two weeks to do Stuff I Have to Do.

We won't mention that I'll conveniently have been to the salon the afternoon of the DC Scout Bday Bash, where there might be pictures taken.

Now...off to the outfit planning. This might just call for a new one.

Change Takes Time

616 posts later, it's time for a little change. Over the next few months, DC Celine's going to undergo a slow make-over.

Thanks to the real J, hopefully we'll keep all the good stuff and make it look much prettier. if there's anything you'd like to see, let me know!

Shop in Style: DC Scout Turns 2!

Last year's DC Scout birthday party was a lovely way for yours truly to come back onto the DC Style Scene. I'm sure, what with all of the developments in the past year, that this year's festivities will be delightful. If you aren't already a subscriber, and didn't already get the email, well, a) sign your rear end up*, and b) here are the details...

What: DC Scout turns 2

Where: Barney's Co-Op Georgetown

Why: It's where all the pretty folks and folks who make folks pretty will be!

*it's an oddly teensy link in the middle of the page. Squint, and you'll find it.

Shop in Style: Shoshanna Trunk Show

What: 3rd Annual Shoshanna Trunk Show @ Urban Chic Gtown

When: 23 April, 3-8pm

Why: One of my favorite, very real designers (if a little pricey, but deals can be had)...

Style Poll: Rainy Day Doldrums

I'll admit it. I'm one of those wacko people who absolutely adores a rainy day. The old Eddie Rabbit standard "I Love a Rainy Night" plays gleefully over and over in my head. Ba-da-da-da-da...

I love lightning

I love thunder

I love puddles and rivers overflowing (within reason and that they don't cause any harm).

I love raincoats and rainboots (note to self: go buy fun pair of rainboots. NOW.)

But 1) I realize I'm practically the only one, and 2) this morning it just ain't workin' for me. Grouchier than grouch. And not even coffee and my apple green cashmere shell can pull me out of it.

So what - other than a pair of fun rainboots or a child's raincoat - pulls you out of a rainy day funk?

Style Poll: Fashion Faux Pas

It's not even about style. It's about not flashing the world.

For those following on twitter, you know I left my skirt unbuttoned this morning. Didn't discover it until just before my 11am meeting. Thanks for speaking up, colleagues!

So what have you left unbuttoned, unsnapped, unzipped?

Style Poll: Signs of Spring

As MotorCityGirl commented, "It's (finally) spring out here! I'm starting to see full cotton skirts peeking out from under long spring coats."

Depending on where you are in the world (Carmen Sandiego), your springtime hints have been blooming for a while, or are juuuuust starting to peek out from under the wool.

The budding blossoms, apart from making me look like a hangover gone bad and forcing me to go sans eye makeup for two days in a row, inspire me just a little to dig through my closet for a little bit of pastel prettiness. I've never been one to shy away from peep toes or bare legs in cooler temps, so the newly painted tootsies have been baring all lately.

So tell us...What's your springtime inspriration? What are you chomping at the bit to pull out of the closet? If you're dying to wear the springiest of spring dresses, share, and we'll figure out how you can don it even with threatening snowshowers (sorry, Middle America, guess Punxatawney Phil was right).

Budding Washington Style

It's been 20 months since The Bean arrived. She's a growing girl, stylish in her red patent leather mary janes. She loves the playground, walks, and "cooking" at the kitchen sink while MamaCeline makes dinner.

She also has a boyfriend. They met on the swings.

A younger man, he's an active guy. He's into cars (particularly racy yellow and orange ones that zoom around the playground) and dirt.

They dine together on "crakah" and "gapes," sometimes asking politely "peas" for something off the other's tray. More often than not, they just grab for it. If one's slower than the other, well then, too bad.

When they get together, they're usually in playclothes, ready to hit the (no longer - it's all foam and mulch now) blacktop. But based on his recent dinnerwear choices, maybe we need to step it up a notch. His mama reports that he dragged this jacket out of the closet yesterday and wouldn't take it off. Perfect with his striped T and jeans. Jazzes up a "newt" snack instantly.