acne

At the very top of my wishlist --- The Acne 'Pistol' boot.

josefine

The perfect sandal, Josefine, by Alexander Wang.

madhouse

Steve Madden 'Madhouse', $149.95

Chloe 'Susan', $1,276

The other day I noticed these boots on the main screen for the Steve Madden new arrivals page, but they weren't available for purchase anywhere on the site. Being the stalker I am, I contacted customer service to see what they were called and when they'd be available, but got no answers. I checked back for days and pre-ordered them as soon as I saw they were available.

As a much cheaper alternative to the highly coveted Chloe Susanna boots, I think these were a great find. 

Pros - (1) The price (2) The actual style and shape of the boot itself

Cons - (1) I'm not sure how I feel about the swirly pattern of the studs (2) I don't wear gold that often

Ultimately, I think I will be very happy with them, but only time will tell. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a while to decide because they don't ship until mid-August.

**Use the code SMSUMMER15 at Steve Madden for 15% off of your order of $75 or more plus free shipping**

...photos from SteveMadden.com, MyTheresa.com...

floral arrangement

 

Jeffrey Campbell 'Lita'

It might not be possible to live another day without these.

tough love

Sam Edelman 'Pax', UNIF 'Hellraisers', Ash 'Titan'

My love for black leather, studs and spikes may never wane.

If my closet was a club, these shoes would be the bouncers at the door, kicking ass and taking names.

nyfw - rock & republic

On Friday I had an incredible opportunity to attend my very first New York Fashion Week event. If you follow Leather and Lollipops on Facebook, you know that I've been working with The Looks for Less for several months now as a guest blogger. I was invited to represent the site as the New York correspondent. Here is a glimpse of my experience at the Rock & Republic for Kohl's show, via some iPhone photos.

First, me and my outfit.

I decided to keep it very simple. I wore a J. Crew black and white gingham button up, dark blue 'Roxanne' 7 For All Mankind skinny jeans, black Topshop boots (discussed here), a black Zara coat with leather sleeves and a black Michael Kors faux fur vest. I'm really happy with my outerwear choice because I didn't remove my coat or vest for the entire evening. I also brought my gigantic BCBG bag. It was seriously heavy and filled to the brim with so many things, including my SLR and two lenses, a photography book that I was studying before I left work and a bag of makeup and other odds and ends. As soon as I knew I was going, this was the obvious bag choice. I wore some fun jewelry too. The necklace I got at Bloomingdales, rings are by Noir Jewelry, watch is Michael Kors and bracelets are Judith Jack and Nadri (discussed here, here and here). I put some curls in my hair and kept my makeup fairly simple --- No one was paying attention to me anyway!!!

Next some celebrity sightings.

I showed up about 40 minutes prior to check in. I was legitimately paranoid that I wouldn't be on the list or that something would go wrong when I got there. I spent 15 minutes outside giving myself a pep talk before I ventured in. The step and repeat was right inside. The celebs walked, and then exited through a door which led into the hallway that everyone attending the event had to walk through. I stood behind some interviewers and snapped away with my phone. I got Tinsley Mortimer, Zoe Saldana, Ed Westwick and Molly Sims. When I was leaving I asked Mena Suvari for a pic and she said yes --- No big deal.

Finally, a few random pics.

There was champagne flowing from the moment you walked in, which I obviously loved!!! The waiters were all models and were constantly asking if I wanted a refill. You know what my answer was.

 My seat at the show was awesome --- I was super close to the runway and three rows back!!! I was literally at a diagonal from the entry way onto the runway, right under the R&R/Kohl's logos. Photography wise, it was so dark on the runway. Not only did I have to try to time the cadence of the models walking, I had to figure out the timing for the music and runway lighting too. Despite the fact that none of the camera settings I'd planned on using worked, I got some phenomenal runway shots.

Check out my shots and some more information about the Rock & Republic for Kohl's line
>>> HERE <<< 

Everyone also got gift bags on the way out. My bag had two boxes in it, one for men and one for women. The men's box had a pair of jeans, a tee and a hoodie and the women's box had a pair of jeans, a tee and a dress. Yea, I know.

The whole night I was basically giggling and jumping up and down on the inside, and calm and collected on the outside. It was an amazing experience and I would really like to thank The Looks for Less for allowing me to represent the site.

I will be attending a couple more events for New York Fashion Week which is incredible. I am seriously shocked by these opportunities. Can't wait to share more!!!

on the prowl

'Carnby' by Steve Madden

Despite a vow to myself to not entertain purchasing another shoe with a heel over 4", I knew as soon as I saw these gloriously gaudy and over the top skyscraping leopard platform booties that they'd be mine. After cyberstalking for months, they finally went on sale for 50% off. I tried them on in store and the deal was done.

Because they aren't ridiculous enough, I added some hot pink laces --- and I love them!!!

all that glitters

 I have no clue how my favorite Vans got so tattered, but I just couldn't let them go without a fight. This is my latest DIY project, inspired by Honestly WTF's DIY Miu Miu Sneakers tutorial.

black and tan

 

Beautiful 'Ambush' leather side zip ankle boots by Topshop, intermittently available, coveted by many --- finally got my (virtual) hands on these babies in black and tan. Also available in black glitter.

...photos from Topshop.com...

color-blocked

I'm loving these super chic 'Radiccal' peep toe pumps. Trying these on, in store, is definitely on my to-do list.

...photo from SteveMadden.com...

strapped

I was on the fence for so long about buying these sandals, but J. Crew finally upped the ante by offering an additional 40% off on their final sale items and free shipping.

I got the 'Deseree' studded gladiator sandals in black for $29.99 (reduced from $138) and the 'Silvana' sandals in toffee for $41.99 (reduced from $98). Overall, I saved $164, which is 70%!

I win!

...photos from JCrew.com... 

madee

Meet my heavenly new leopard loafers; 'Madee' by Steve Madden. Is it obvious that I'm still really obsessed with this leopard thing?

The funny thing about these beauties is that I pre-ordered them (I'm talking two months before they shipped) and essentially forgot about them. They arrived shortly after my birthday, which was a great surprise. 

These shoes are absolutely stunning! The actual leopard print is done really tastefully on calf hair and the black trim is the perfect touch to complete the look of this shoe. They are also a perfect fit and are insanely comfortable.

 I can't wait to wear them with everything!

Check out some other pieces in my leopard collection here.

just for kicks

My infatuation with Vans began after I bought my very first pair; slip-ons in classic black and white checkerboard. The rest, as you can see, is history. I even wore a pair for our wedding, as did my hubby and our entire wedding party! My favorite style is the 'Authentic Lo Pro' which I have in purple, hot pink, gray, brown and raspberry/pewter. The gray and purple are the ones that I wear the most. In December, I picked up four additional pairs of Vans while Christmas shopping at the outlets. Each pair was on clearance, and they were buy one get one 50% off, so I got all four for less than $70!