Website of the week
When I was but a wee 22-year-old, I came to New York City with visions of designer clothes and, more importantly, shoes dancing in my eyes. I soon found that a magazine assistant's salary, however, is more suited toward shopping at Strawberry. But I honed my craft, shopping at Century 21, sample sales, eBay, and the like, and now I have a rather fabulous closet, if I do say so myself. But the funny thing is, in my old age (yikes, birthdays), I'm learning the fine art of mixing high and low. I love my Marc Jacobs and Prada, but I pair them with pieces from H&M and Target. And while I truly adore my Miu Miu and Sigerson Morrison shoes--as you all know, shoes are my ultimate weakness--I'm learning to incorporate lower-priced footwear into my look. So when I came across Jildor Shoes, I was pleased at the mix of high and low. They carry everything from high-end Italian line Casadei to grandma fave Andre Assous to British sport brand Gola to cheap & chic Italian line Fornarina. You can browse by brand, or search by designer, category, and/or size. On my shopping list: This Pucci thong will be great for summer, and since it's not rubber, I can wear it to work; this Jeffrey Campbell beaded flat is very on trend for spring (and comfy too); I've never seen anything like this crazy M Sport mary jane; and check out this silver Steve Madden shoe--a dead ringer for the Manolo Blahniks that were stolen from Carrie on Sex and the City when she had to take them off at Tatum O'Neal's party. (Remember that episode? Then she gets married to herself or whatever?) Also, check out the excellent sale section. Items ship via UPS and if you live in the tristate area, you should have your shoes in 1-2 business days. Why so quick? Turns out, Jildor is a small chain of shoe stores on Long Island and has been around for over 50 years. Of course, this explains the number of comfort-oriented shoes on the site, but also the hip mix (there's a store in Southampton, which I plan on visiting this summer). And as we know, it's all about mixing it up.