Sexy Sandals

High-heeled stunners are in store for Spring ’09!
Fashion Flashback at left: Spanish Vogue, June 2007. Runway reminders from style.com except where noted.
3.1 Phillip Lim
Alexander McQueen
Dolce & Gabbana
Hermés
Roksanda Ilincic, via nymag.com
Alberta Ferretti; this and next via vogue.es
Christian Dior
Gucci at Bergdorf Goodman

Giuseppe Zanotti for Balmain, at aloharag.com.
Kathryn Amberleigh patent caged lace-back heeled sandal, at asos.com.
Jimmy Choo whip-stitched platform sandal; this and next two at bergdorfgoodman.com.
Kors by Michael Kors metallic strappy sandal
Splurge: Miu Miu
Steal: Boutique Nine Voula platform ankle strap sandal, at ninewest.com.
Lanvin pink patent mirror-heel sandals; this and next three at net-a-porter.com.
Brian Atwood Nappa leather cutout sandal.
Christian Louboutin Tigresse espadrille wedges.
Giuseppe Zanotti platform sandals.
Loeffler Randall Aspen ruffle slingback sandals; this and next two at shopbop.com.
Nanette Lepore Seductress sandal.
Alexandra Neel Cleopatra fringe stiletto sandal.
Miu Miu sequin slide, at Neiman Marcus.
Yves Saint Laurent studded platform, at neimanmarcus.com.
Alexandre Birman shoes, pictured via elle.com.
Jessica Simpson Collection Scilla sandal.
Manolo Blahnik graphic black and white sandals; this and next at Bergdorf Goodman.
Manolo Blahnik tortoise-print sandal.
Manolo Blahnik triple buckle sandal, at barneys.com.
Last Look: Stella McCartney bow band sandals, at intermixonline.com. Gorgeous!

Tune in tomorrow for CC’s StockinGirl Giveaway, darlings!

xoxox,
CC

Finally!

I've finished uploading my portfolio. There were some missteps along the way.

Images uploaded to Blogger are automatically stored in a Picasaweb folder. I didn't know that when I started and actually had another public folder for my portfolio. When I realized that, I deleted the public folder and made the 'default' folder public.

The good news is that I won't have to update Picasaweb manually. The bad news is I had to delete duplicates, which deleted several photos in my posts. Because of the way Picasaweb handles file storage, Blogger couldn't find the remaining photos even though they were in the 'folder'.

Google does some great stuff (privacy paranoia aside) but their directory handling for Photos is really unintuitive, to say the least.

I've also added links to the side bar so instead of digging through old posts to view my work you can go straight to my picasa folder to check out my portfolio.

I welcome comments or critisism as long they're constructive and respectful. Let me know what you think!

Get A Job

When I first moved to this town - I had planned on being a country squire who would sit on the front porch and drink lemonade and living off the rent I collected from my properties.
Okay, I don't really have a front porch. The image just seemed nice when I'd imagine it.

But being retired at 33 gets old really fast.
I had to go do something.
Volunteer work got depressing - I got tired of seeing a bunch white people helping a bunch of Black people who used these services as another level of dependency.

I had to actually work to make some money.
But after being out of work for a few years with no references - I was stuck.
I could run clubs or construction sites - but here, nobody knew or believed me.

My first construction job was gained from driving by a house being built in my neighborhood and seeing the lack of progress.
I had helped the owner's parents earlier when they were having problems making a repair to their home.
When the owner's mother told them that I could do construction - "No, he's just a California pretty boy" was their response. "Look how soft his hands are" was another common response from neighbors.

But one day I happened to have my tools in my truck from making repairs to some of my rentals.
I stopped and said,"You need help".
"No thank you", they said.
I told them that I wasn't asking them if they needed help, but that I was telling them that they needed help.
After a few hours of making corrections (The old California earthquake codes are similar to the new Texas hurricane building codes), I went home.
That night, the owners and the mother came to my home to pay me and to ask whether I could finish building their home.
I had only stopped to help them make some corrections at no cost to them.
But they wanted to pay me a pretty nice sum to finish building a three bedroom 5,000 square foot home.
After I finished building the home, I couldn't keep up with the offers for employment I'd received.

It gets hot and humid here during the summer months.
I didn't feel like sweating all day.
So, I decided that I would do a little bar work to enable me to sleep late and to keep cool.
But no one would hire me.

I came across a struggling club that was looking for a bartender.
But all of my references were out of state.
I told the owners that I would work two weeks for free and that if they liked my work, they could hire me.
At the least, it would be two free weeks worth of labor - it was a win-win for the club.
After the first day, I was hired.
After two months - I was part owner.
After six month - I was a full partner.

After this stint, I had created a service of setting up and opening bars.
I can pick and choose with whom and for how long I wish to work.
So, what's the point?
To be creative in proving your worth in a tough economic or social environment.

Pink Slip

I'm done.
My last hope has fallen.
The last family that I mentor on making the leap from the 'hood to the middle class has just seen their primary bread winner receive her pink slip.

This woman has only a high school education and has worked for the same refinery for the past thirty years.
She just bought a new home in a middle class neighborhood two years ago.
She had never NOT lived in the ghetto - in spite of having a $130k a year job in the second cheapest market in which to live in America.

I convinced her to keep her old home and to rent it out for a price that would cover her mortgage payments, insurance, taxes and maintenance.
I convinced her to stop eating out at restaurants twenty meals a week.
I convinced her to consolidate her credit card debts.
I convinced her to sell her time-share. (Well... really, to just stop making payments.)
I convinced her to buy the best quality products she could afford and to take care of them.
I convinced her to only buy the clothes, furnishings and products she really wanted or needed(and not just because she liked how they looked).
I convinced her that it didn't matter how much she made if she never had anything to show for it.
I convinced her that just because she had the money to buy something - that didn't mean that she could afford it.

All this came to an end today.
Her three grown children are so dependant on her that they will be of little help to her in keeping her home.
Two of her grown children have been fired from their jobs in the last month for not producing at work.
Her grown children treat her new home like it is a resort that offers free; maid service, cook, laundry service and free financial grants in aid.
She caused her family to fail because she demanded little of her children - and getting what she demanded (little) in return.

Now she plans on walking away from her nice, but not extravagant, home.
Now she plans on going back to her old ghetto home.
Now her grown children are nowhere to be found.

36,000 A Year

Before you rush out and buy this spiffy bio-gear,

Remember - pandemics and plagues are nothing new.

What does seem to be more prevalent are the multi-derived (and not known to exist in nature) strains of these diseases.

It seems as though the followers of Joseph Mengele have found a new population on which to test their ideas.

But according to the CDC - the most common causes of death in America in any given year (about 2,448,017) will be;

- Heart Disease - 652,091

- Cancer - 559,312

- Stroke - 143,579

- Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases - 130,933

- Accidents - 117,809

- Diabetes - 75,119

- Influenza/Pneumonia - 63,001

(36,000 from Flu alone and with 220,000 hospitalized)

Yep, that's right.

Thirty-six thousand people die from the flu every year.

Most of the other deaths could be eliminated by diet, exercise and abstaining from tobacco products.

How much of this new panic is much ado about nothing?

foot tattoos with unique design

foot tattoos with unique design

foot tattoos with turtle design

foot tattoos with turtle design ideas

small foot tattoos

small foot tattoos

foot tattoos with flower design

foot tattoos with flower design ideas

Verdant Vibe

Green goes glam!
Runway photos via nymag.com.
Andrew Gn
Balmain
Blumarine
Chloé
Cynthia Steffe
Lanvin
Louis Vuitton
Milly
Missoni
Nanette Lepore
Nathan Jenden
Ossie Clark
Pamella Roland
Paul & Joe
Shipley & Halmos
Thakoon Panichgul
Tuleh
Yves Saint Laurent

What to buy?
Perhaps a pair of kelly kicks:
Jimmy Choo Jasmine patent sandals; this and next two at net-a-porter.com.
Lanvin platform t-bar sandals.
Lanvin metallic pointed pumps.
Dani Black fringe sandals, at victoriassecret.com.
Pour La Victoire Paige Motorcycle sandal, at shopbop.com. CC loves!
Or a green accessory or two!
M8N4 green acrylic laser-cut necklace, at supermarkethq.com.
Gemma Redux Beth bracelet, at gemmaredux.com.
Roberto Cavalli serpent bracelet clutch; this and next at net-a-porter.com.
See by Chloé patent cutout wallet.
Marc by Marc Jacobs Groovee bag, at shopbop.com.
Sissi Rossi Donna Boston bag, at net-a-porter.com.
Beachy green is always a good way to go:
Very Sexy jeweled bandeau top and scoop bikini bottom, at victoriassecret.com.
Shay Todd locket fastening bikini, at net-a-porter.com.
Alice + Olivia Break green leather jacket, at singer22.com.
Green gowns? Gobstoppingly glamorous!
Alexander McQueen twist-front silk gown; this and next four at net-a-porter.com.
Notte by Marchesa off-the-shoulder ruffle dress.
Vivienne Westwood Anglomania square cotton dress.
Thakoon billow silk dress.
Rebecca Taylor Tequila Bingo satin dress.
J. Crew silk chiffon Juliet dress, at jcrew.com.
Tibi Hyacinth one-shoulder dress, at shopbop.com.
Nathan Jenden slim fitted dress, at my-wardrobe.com.
Tracy Reese floral strapless dress, at eLuxury.com.
Deal of the Day: tie dye tunic dress, $44 at needsupply.com.
Go green, darlings!
xoxox,
CC