Summer Sandals, the GOAT of Totes and a Talented Friend!

Catherine

7 years ago

I would not consider myself a flashy or formal dresser by any means. Accessories are not my important thing either. I’m very basic.

Casuality is more the vibe that I dig. And when it comes to summer footwear and bags, I tend to lean toward the super chill.

Summertime and the feet need a break from the winter confinement!

Don’t get me wrong. I love dressing for work. And when Bonaparte and I have a date night, or when the kids come to visit and we go out, I like to step the look up a bit.

But when it comes to travel, weekends, and “time off”, I love a no-fuss, simple look.

And with summer footwear, it’s sandals.

Ok. So these aren’t sandals–but they are somewhere between a bootie and sandal and these are the most comfortable shoes of all time. I wouldn’t wear them in the dead of winter, but they can be worn from late spring into early fall. And, gray is a sort-of neutral–right???

These wedge sandals are by Crown Vintage. I love them but I do have issues wearing them. My foot is very narrow–and the strap was buckled on the third hole for the past two years. Due to stretch, the buckle is now in the fourth hole the one closest to my ankle And due to my very high instep (pictured), I have a problem keeping these on. It’s a shame because I really love these but I cannot wear them often. It’s really a beautiful wedge!

With bags, it’s a tote! I lug a lot of “stuff” around in the summertime. When traveling, I need a huge bag because it needs to go from pool or beach to touring to grocery shopping. Even when not traveling, I like a tote-as-bag in the summer. When out and about, you never know what you can pick up—and I like to carry my notebooks around too. Totes offer more room.

In addition, I like to keep to a neutral color palette for the footwear and totes. During these warm months, sandals are my footwear of choice. I think a neutral color elongates the legs. Along with a neutral tote, you don’t have to keep rotating bags. I like routine.

My summer footwear and bag palette. I don’t stray far from my comfort zone!

This summer brings me pretty much set on footwear and bags. Although I did spot this beauty at Barnes and Noble on Saturday. Unfortunately, Bonaparte was with me—and that meant the spending police officer was accompanying me. And that meant I couldn’t sneak the purchase in. But—she will be mine. Oh. Yes. She will be mine!

I dig this. A lot. And I’m still pissed off that Bonaparte had to police me from spending only $19.99 on this fun summer tote! I hope Barnes and Noble doesn’t sell out of this before next week!

Back to sandals. I’m extremely brand loyal to Rondini. (click on the link to see the beautiful sandals they have to offer) I swear to you, I can’t wear any other sandals. I look around, yes, I do. And the price point at Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, J. Crew, and other shops have me scratching my head in wonder at the unreasonable prices for goods that are mostly made in China. For less than the cost of a pair of Tory Burch Miller Sandals, I can have a pair of sandals, custom fit and made for me within moments in the small shop of this wonderful and trustworthy family run business. The notable thing is that you can order online from them and they will walk you all the way through your purchase.

This is the Tory Burch Miller sandal. It’s incredibly popular and at $195. I feel it is ridiculously overpriced. Look at the sole–it’s thin and rubbery!

Rondini Salome Vernis. These were purchased two years ago. This year they are priced at $140 euros–that’s $156.USD today. This is the only pair I have that is out of my color palette and I need to wear these more often! Still less expensive than Tory Burch…

My very first pair of Rondini’s. Sahariennes–they are now 130 euros. I wear these as beach flip-flops and running errands. They are at least six years old and have been worn constantly.Rondini Tropeziennes. The sandal that started it all. See how my toes have made an imprint on the insole? These have molded to my feet perfectly. I was thrilled when the folks at Rondini were able to fix these sandals after Chippy snacked on one of the straps. You cannot tell there is a replacement strap on this pair! We were able to drop them off in the morning and they were ready after lunch! Service is excellent!

My beloved Bikini sandals. OMG. I love these so much. They can be dressed up or down. I wanted to show you how they look from the back as well. (After contorting my body for this pic, I can tell you that I could perform with Cirque du Soleil!) I love these. At 145 euros, they are still less than the mass-produced sandals in upscale department stores. Ugh. I need to fake tan.

And the construction is also remarkable…

The sandals are wrapped and placed in a nice storage bag. I can’t wait to add another pair to my collection!

And then, there were Dr. Scholls! These get a lot of love from me. And have since I was in high school!

With the totes, it’s almost the same. I have many of the Longchamp Le Pliage nylon and leather bags. This brown one is my most-used and favorite. It comes to France with me every summer. It’s so friggin’ old that I use it as a beach bag and after the beach, it is used as a catch-all tote—and I even put other totes inside of it for grocery shopping. My Wythe Hotel bag gets housed inside this baby!

This well-worn, hot mess of a Longchamp bag is in constant use during the summer. Look at the photo on the bottom right. That’s French beach sand! I know, I really should empty it out…

See what I mean? The Wythe tote goes into the Longchamp. I’m leaving the Scholl’s home this summer. On second thought…..

I also like to use this well-worn French Market tote as a bag during the summer months as well. It’s beginning to look a bit raggy and I’m planning on buying one when we are in France—they are inexpensive as all get out. I think I paid the equivalent of $10 USD when I purchased this in Chartres.

Although usually kept in my car for grocery outings, I do like to use this as a tote during the summer!

My new and favorite tote is this monogrammed number. Is this not the greatest? It was done by a childhood friend and schoolmate, Kathy Torre Innace.

I love everything about this tote. The magnetized closure is handy and the length of the straps is perfect for staying on the shoulder. Look at the monogram job Kathy did–this is absolutely perfect!

She has a business of her own these days. Sew Spectacular—click on the name for the link to her FB page. Her talent is remarkable—she embroidered this tote. The second I saw it, I had to have it. in my opinion, it is the G.O.A.T. (that’s Greatest Of All Time!) of totes!

Here’s Kathy!! I love her glasses and she’s the best grandmother on earth! She and I were just a couple of many girls who shared the same first name at St. Patrick’s Grammar School!

Trust me, if you order anything from her, you will be more than 100% satisfied.

Next on my list of things to buy from Kathy are her stemware coasters. The coasters fit over the bottom of the stemware. My wine glasses need this. Have you ever seen anything this clever?? I haven’t!! Ugh. I wish I had a wedding shower to go to because this would be a great gift to give! I’ll just have to gift myself!

I could drink wine all day with coasters like these. They are designer shoes for wine glasses!!!

Well, my weight loss journey is moving along very slowly. I gained a pound and now lost a pound—so I’m steady at 144 but I really want to get down to 140. It’ll take a while but at least my clothing still fits.

Here’s a look at what I wore last week. And I’ve made the transition from winter to summer fake hair! In no particular order…

Well, I finally wore the “Heels on Fire” tee. I love it. And to add, I wore red heels and rel nails and a red watchband!

Neon and navy. Not a bad combo!

I loved this look because it was feminine with an edge!

Maxi Dressing! I didn’t shave my legs and this worked perfectly for those lazy days. I LOVE the cut in armholes on this dress. It is very flattering for all arms!!!