"I Hit The Shoe Jackpot"

These Boots Are Made For 
Walking!

You won't believe what amazing price I got these Salvatore Ferragamo, "G700 Pegasus" boots for. I bought them a few weeks ago at Haute.com, a Nordstrom online website. I was wishing on a star, when I saw them in a major fashion magazine, while at the hair salon back in June. Knowing that I would never lay down $1850 for a pair of boots, I put them on my watch list, and periodically "googled" them to see if I could find them on sale. After checking on them for several months, I gave up on the idea of being able to buy them at my preset price point.

Well luckily for me, I had a ding, ding, ding, ding, ding moment, while perusing through the clearance boots at Haute.com, and these popped up at $299. That's more than 80% off the original retail price. Purchasing these at this kind of discount is a two-fold win. One, I bought them at a drastically reduced price, and two, should I decide to, I can resale them online on Ebay, Poshmark or Tradesy and probably make a profit.

The zebra print trench coat is by Ralph Lauren.

Bling It Out!

Chopard Swarovski Crystal Shades

The bling doesn't have to stop at the fingers. These Chopard shades are encrusted with Swarovski baguette crystals, that sparkle like diamonds. The square shape of the lens with rounded edges have a universal look. Whether your face is round, oval, or pear shaped, these will look great on you. They are authentic Chopard glasses, that cost $735. This type of purchase is definitely an investment. I was fortunate enough to get them as a gift. They were purchased from the Chopard store, at South Coast Plaza, but can also be found at several online retailers at a 10-25% discount. Online sites such as Tradesy.com offers a plethora of top of the line designer sunglasses at an even deeper discount, because they are primarily pre-owned glasses in "like new" condition. 

Bougie Rouge's Tip: If you don't want to make this kind of investment, consider this. I once purchased a really beautiful pair of plain gray sunglasses on clearence at Sunglass Hut for $49. I took the glasses to Michael's Arts & Craft hoping to find coordinating stones I could adorn the glasses with. I purchased a pack of smoke colored Swarovski crystal stones, a tube of industrial glue and embellished the arms of the glasses with the crystals to give them the bling I was looking for. 

Falling for Fall...

Luxurious Leather

The leaves are changing colors, and the temperature's dropping. This butter soft lambskin leather skirt is by Halogen. It has an A-line cut with inset side pockets, and a banded hem. The skirt isn't technically a mini, given it falls a few inches lower than a traditional mini skirt would. It's rich camel color is listed as one of the hot colors for fall/winter 2014. I guess I was ahead of the trend, when I purchased it from Nordstrom last fall, for about $129. I coupled the skirt with a poly blend wrap blouse from Forever 21. It has bell shaped long sleeves, which gives it a boho feel. The camel, navy, rust, browns, and pumpkin colors in the blouse compliments the solid skirt.

Accessory Tip: Keep it simple. Don't over do it with the jewelry. I think a pair of over sized gold hoops and a few gold bangles are enough. No need for a belt, noting the contrasting sash tie at the waist of the skirt.

Shoe Tip: A pair of brown or camel colored suede or leather shoe booties, or a pair of tall boots with a flat heel would definitely set this outfit off. Flat boots will help to maintain the sophistication of the outfit. I wouldn't necessarily recommend wearing tall boots with a high heel, due to the length of the skirt. Unless of course you're looking to give it a more urban vibe.