Putting My Foot In It

Hello, dear reader.

The first Make an Effort Monday this year was on a holiday, so I made a point to also make an effort on Tuesday, my first day back at the office in 2018. It was freezing in NYC, but I have a pair of fleece-lined tights that I got at Target (their A New Day line, specifically) and wore them under a fuzzy gray sweater dress that my sister gave me for Christmas this year. The sweater dress wound up being incredibly warm and comfortable, but a little shapeless (I was convinced I looked a bit like a bear in it). I wore a blue pashmina scarf a friend got for me in India to try to add a little shape/color/distraction-from-my-bear-shaped-self. I think the proper way to go will be a wide belt, which I currently don't own.

Note to self - add a wide belt to your list of fashion items to get.
Other note to self - start a list of fashion items to get.

The aforementioned sweater dress. Do I look like a bear? I was comfy at least, but... maybe I was also a bear? Grr?

Anyway, oh my reader, this whole story is going somewhere, I swear.

I paired these black, slouchy high-heeled boots with the whole thing, and all day I zipped around my office in them. I also climbed up and down from my third-floor walk-up apartment and up and down endless subway staircases and all over the sidewalks of New York City in them. These boots have a mid-wide heel, so they're not terrible on my feet or ankles, but at the end of the day when I finally peeled them off and collapsed onto my sofa for an episode of The Crown (we're loving season 2, right??), my hips were KILLING me!

I've had these boots for a while, but I guess I've not worn them on such an active day before, but who knew they'd hit me in the hips? I'm sure a chiropractor would have fun explaining it all, but all I really know is that I now need to find some tall boots with a lower (or no) heel. 

Note to self - once you get that list of fashion items to get up and running, add riding boots to it.

So, I'm now officially on the hunt for a good pair of riding boots to pair with dresses and skirts in winter. I'm excited about the idea of instantly dressing up skinny jeans by pairing them as well. I'm hoping they'll be versatile, dressy, and a little more comfortable for a busy day on my feet than my heeled boots are. I've searched at Macy's (my least favorite store to visit in person - those crowds, ugh) and Target without coming up with anything. Next week, I'll hopefully make it into DSW to look around there.

That said, while I was at Target, I did find these adorable ballet flats on clearance, and I'm pretty pleased with them. I had a nice pair of flats that I would wear to work with jeans and even some dresses and skirts, but New York City has a habit of destroying shoes, and those flat desperately needed to take a hike to the dumpster. The new ones, though, are living large and on my feet right. now.

New ballet flats! These are from Target and are the A New Day brand. They were on hella sale, so check your local store if you dig them. You might get a good deal.

Still hunting for those riding boots, but I'll let you know what I find. All of this got me thinking about shoes to have, though. Here's what I came up with:

• Riding boots
• Ballet flats - check!
• Black pumps - check!
• Cowboy boots - check!
• Neutral pumps
• Sandals with a heel - check!
• Flat sandals
• Snow boots (NYC, remember?) - check!
• Rain boots - check!
• Nice looking sneakers
• Beige or white converse low-tops
• Ankle boots - check!
• Loafers?
• Something animal print?

What am I missing, reader? Let me know in the comments.