I haven't featured a favorite item in a while, so I thought I would share some detail shots of my Steve Madden 'James' Wedges! I got them a couple months ago, with a DSW coupon, and I already wear them a ton. I can't wait for warmer weather so I can wear them tightless with dresses/skirts! A lot of you guys have commented on how much you like these, so if you like them you can buy them here.

I love the colors, they go with pretty much anything.  Oddly enough these are my only shoes that have purple in them (besides purple flats that I can't bear to part with even though they don't fit.)  For those of you that are new here, you should know that I have an unhealthy obsession with purple, I can't go more than a day without wearing it. They are surprisingly comfortable at 7 inches tall (2" platform, 5" covered wedge). But they are thin so be careful you don't roll an ankle...

Here are some of the ways I've worn them since I bought them:

Say hello to Sirius! Yes, named after Sirius Black from Harry Potter. No, I am not ashamed that I name inanimate objects after Harry Potter characters. (my car is named Hugo and my purple Marc Jacobs is Arnold; those are more obscure Potter related names though)

Sirius! And my ever expanding inspiration board

Well...I finally got it!  I bought my Chanel 2.55 Classic Flap! I am not going to make it a habit of buying expensive pieces but this is a classic item that I have wanted for years and it will last forever. I know that some people would say buying a Chanel bag for $3000 is against the mission of my blog, which is dressing on a budget.  But it actually isn't, I have been slowly saving for this bag for 2 years, it was part of my budget to put away a certain amount of money for each paycheck.  If I had just splurged on this out of the blue then THAT would be against my blog.  The point is, if you want something expensive you need to plan out your money situation, decide when you want to buy it  and then figure out how much money you need to save per week/month in order to buy it in that time frame.  OR another idea is you can have an "emergency clothes fund" where you save some money in case of an amazing sale or item that is selling out fast.  This way you aren't taking money out of your food and living essentials budget.

Bags: Marc by Marc Jacobs (Net-a-Porter gift card), Ralph Lauren (Christmas gift), Chanel

If you remember from the end of last month I had finally saved enough to buy a Chanel but struck out TWICE in the same day. I won't retell the story but you can read it in this post. On February 1st I was checking out Madison Avenue Couture, the store that had a Chanel sale on Rue La La, to see if they had any Chanel bags in stock.  They showed a bunch on the site but most were already sold and hadn't been deleted from the site yet. But then I found it, a Chanel 2.55 in black lambskin with gold hardware...exactly what I was looking for! So I ordered it and proceeded to freak out about how much money I had just spent.

My actual bag, photographed by Madison Avenue Couture

The next day they called me to tell me they had already sold the purse I bought and hadn't marked it as sold on the site yet, but they had the same exact purse that I bought except it was 4 years newer than mine and subsequently $400 more expensive.  They offered that to me and to make up for the mistake they didn't charge the extra $400.  Before I accepted I wanted to double check the authenticity of the bag with PurseForum so I asked Madison Avenue Couture for some images of the purse so I could post on the forum. They happily obliged and by the end of the day the girls of the PurseForum confirmed it was authentic! So I emailed them back letting them know I would take the different purse and waited in agony for it to come. It finally arrived on Saturday and I couldn't be happier!

My actual bag, photographed by Madison Avenue Couture

Madison Avenue Couture carries many high end designers and they have a 100% authenticity guarantee and make sure everything they sell is authentic.  Most of the items are pre-owned but some are brand new as well. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for cheaper designer items, they are obviously still expensive but cheaper than buying new, full-priced items.  They also have amazing customer service and want to make sure you're happy with your purchase.

*I was not paid or asked to write this post about Madison Avenue Couture, I just wanted to share my satisfaction with my readers to let them know about my experience.

Here are some detail shots of me new Alexander Wang Freja booties from The Outnet! I only just got them (as a birthday present), but they are already one of my favorite pieces!  Weather permitting I will wear them today and take outfit pictures to post! So cross your fingers.

I LOVE the color of these, now I need to buy more burgundy/maroon (what a shame ;) )  I also love that I can wear them folded down or up, I prefer up, but they also look really cool down as well so it's nice to have options!  I have been wearing them every night with thick socks to stretch them out a bit more because they feel a little tight around my toes when I have bare feet...

Click the photos to enlarge

Last week the lovely Lisa requested some close-up shots of my No.704b. Booties that I got at DSW last May [meaning 2010] for $20! (regularly about $200) They are definitely one of my favorite pairs of shoes so I'm glad to post some shots of them! They have already seen a full year of service and I know I'll have them for years to come! So this is going under my Favorite Things category as well! Click the photos to enlarge

Here is the second edition of Favorite Things, this time it is a non-fashion item!  When I was little my sister got a book called Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave. It quickly became one of our favorite books and we would read it together every.single.night!  It took us hours, which I find really funny now since its not that long. One of the main reasons I love this book now is the illustrations by Kinuko Y. Craft, they are simply amazing!

It is basically a Russian version of Cinderella but with one major difference, there is an evil witch woman in addition to the evil stepmother.  I won't spoil anything by telling you the full story, but here areis a description from the publisher's website:

Sweet, lovely Vasilisa lives with her jealous stepmother and stepsisters on the edge of a dark forest inhabited by the evil witch Baba Yaga. One night the stepmother sends Vasilisa to visit Baba Yaga, an errand from which the gentle girl has little chance of returning alive. 

If you want to read it or just look at the gorgeous pictures you can order it on Amazon. Here are the first few pages, click to enlarge them.


Image Source

I thought it might be fun to start a mini series and show some of my favorite things (whether they be from my closet or anywhere else). Since this blog is about fashion I figured I would start off with something from my closet.  I LOVE this adorable Marc by Marc Jacobs purse I got from net-a-porter on Christmas with a gift card! :D  Here are some photos of the beauty ;)
I am so glad I splurged on this (even though I didn't use any of my money I still count it as a splurge...haha), it is just so adorable and brightens my day whenever I wear it. Sadly I can't use it during the week since I need to use my huge Mulberry for Target bag, but whenever I go out on the weekends I use it.

I also seem to be in a purse mood this week, haha...