Brand I Dig: Nervous System Jewelry

I've been coveting jewelry from the Nervous System line for quite a while (and just scored a few pieces for a song from a Fab sale). 

Inspired by shapes in nature, the line is at once delicate and space-age funky--leafy, webby, dendrite-y. I can't help but have a visceral reaction when I look at it, as if I'm walking through the chic woods with a detour through biology class.

I also appreciate the philosophy of the company. Here's a bit on their vision as found on their site:

Our products are designed to be affordably and ethically made. We use manufacturing methods that do not require large facilities or massive manual labor. Often we employ rapid prototyping methods by which all unique pieces can be manufactured at the same cost as cookie cutter ones. We use inexpensive materials and believe that the value of our designs comes from an intelligent and beautiful marriage of form and function, not the current price of currency standards. 

My Nervous System pieces are perfect accessories for fall--particularly the spider web-esque necklace and the bare branch earrings. Totally affordable pieces of wearable art, they are lightweight, comfortable to wear, and lovely to look at.

You can shop for the line on the Nervous System website (they also offer housewares) or find the jewelry on endless.

   

My First New Pair of Docs Since the '80s

It's been decades, literally, since I've purchased a pair of Dr. Marten's boots. But I saw these in an ad and I had to have them--the pointed toes, the winter white, the zippers! (The Timberland boots I got recently zip up the back which I'm really digging, although I get confused every morning that I put them on and reach for the non-existent side zipper).



I wasn't sure about these as first. I ran them past my stylish friend, and she was iffy but thought I could pull them off. I considered getting them in black, but I felt like that was too goth kid for a Material Girl my age. Then I saw that onlineshoes.com was having a $20-off-a-purchase-over-$100 sale. That's a good offer, but I hate to wait for the non-overnight shipping. Fortunately endless has a 100% price guarantee, so they matched the onlineshoes price and shipped them to me overnight. And I super dig them.

I Love My Cute Comfy Clarks

A while back I posted about the surprisingly cute Clarks shoes I ran across on Zappos. As I was getting ready to head to LA, I realized I was in need of some nice looking, comfortable, summer -appropriate shoes that I could wear throughout a 12-hour day at a conference without wanting to saw off my feel. So I ordered a couple pairs of Clarks.


I purchased them from endless, not Zappos, because the red mules were on sale on endless. The gold mini-wedges were cheaper on Amazon, but I needed the free overnight shipping offered on enldess. (I don't know why endless and Amazon have different pricing so often since endless is owned by Amazon.)

I love both of these shoes. I wore the heels through several long days and my feet felt very good. The gold sandals come in several other colors which I recently checked out at the Clarks store in The Mall. This bronzey-gold is the best of the bunch--it's a nice neutral. I've been wearing them like crazy. They've become my go-to weekend shoe, an improvement upon my dirty old flip flops.

Endless.com Discount for Lucky Subscribers

If you've gotten your August issue of Lucky: The Magazine About Shopping and Style, turn to the Lucky Breaks section page 162 for a discount code for 25% off at endless.com. And don't forget to shop endless through Lucky Rewards--you'll get 10% cash back.

Endless is currently having a big summer sale. Coupled with the Lucky Breaks discount, you can get some really sweet deals on footwear and bags. Here's a link to designers shoe deals.

Here are a few on-sale designer sandals that I like--a bone and black platform, a low-heel sandal with a great pattern, a rock star slingback, and a strappy cork platform. (Click on the shoes to link to them on endless).

Zappos No Free Next Day--What's Up?

My lovely mother-in-law gave me a $100 gift to Zappos for my upcoming birthday, so I just bought the yellow Camper Helena pumps I'd had my eye on.

I had a little surprise at checkout, however. Free shipping, but no free overnight shipping! I was excited about ordering my shoes today so they'd arrive at my door on Monday, which is the actual date of my birth. Now they'll show up on my porch while I'm on vacation. When did this no-more-free-overnight-shipping situation happen?

Endless still has free overnight--I wonder if that will last. (Piperlime has free shipping, but not free overnight shipping.)

Fellow shoppers, close-to-instant online shoe gratification may be becoming a thing of the past. Say it ain't so!

Searching for Things That May Not Exist

It's a snowy day here in the hometown of the Material Girl HQ, and dressing for cold snowy days annoys me. Every time it snows I look in my closet and remember that I have no appropriate footwear and nothing appropriate to wear other than jeans.

I ask you fellow shoppers. Do the following exist?

• Cute snow boots that work with non-skinny jeans. Yes, there are plenty of furry/fleece-y knee high snow boots out there. These are great if one is in Utah skiing or on some such wintery vaca. I merely want to walk to and from my car, keep my feet warm, and look moderately stylish doing it. Material Girl does not do skinny jeans. I possess too much T&A (that's tummy and ass) for them, so tucking jeans into snow boots is not an option. Here's what I want: I cute pair of shortish boots, perhaps a little faux fur, ankle-ish height, that won't look weird under my bootcut or flare Gap demin. I also want a little bit of a heel--a wedge would be nice. I perused Zappos, Piperlime and Endless this morning and I found only one pair that could possibly work, the Marisa boot by Maxine of Canada, but they seem to only exist in size 10. (If you wear a 10, and share my snow boot desires, the black suede version pictured is nicely on sale on Endless--snap them up.)
• Tights that don't give me a muffin top. That T&A I mentioned above? Let's just say the A is tad firmer than the T; the T is a little swishy here and there. And the top of tights--they're just too tight. I look at tights when they come out of the package and the elastic always seems more the appropriate size for my ankle than my midsection. I don't want to wear a soft jersey dress and make myself bulgy underneath. And why do they always stop north of the navel? I prefer to wear my skirts lower on the hips, and it's not attractive to have tights going six inches above the top of a skirt. I really love the look of tights, particularly with shorter skirts and boots. I love to wear skirts in winter but I hate chilly breezes whooshing up my bare legs. I ask you fellow shoppers: Can you give me a recommendation for tights that won't squeeze my tummy like Mr. Whipple on a roll of Charmin? I've got several months left of winter and I'm tired of choosing between jeans and goosebumpy gams.
  

P.S. Re: Zappos Price Protection

I just found out from my friends at Zappos that one can only take advantage of their 110% price guarantee once a month. However, being the awesome customer service friends that they are, let let me do it again this month since I was not aware of their policy. (They just seem to love me over at Zappos.)

Remember these gray boots that I coveted but could not have due to the strain they would put on my discretionary fund? They are currently $278 at Anthropologie (and taking into account their outrageous shipping cost and the fact that I'd pay tax, that purchase would have been out of the question). I found them on Zappos for $268.95 (already a better deal with the free shipping). Then I saw them on endless for $211.96. Zappos sold them to me for $200 and change, even deducting the $5 that endless gives with their negative-$5 overnight shipping deal. I'll get them Monday, fellow shoppers at which point I'll give you the scoop.

Get Your New Shoes Tomorrow

Zappos and Endless are both offering free overnight shipping. We can all enjoy a holiday shoe-gasm with very little waiting, fellow shoppers!

Check Out the Overnight Shipping Deal at Amazon's Shoe Store

Endless is paying you, the shoe consumer, $5 to have your shoes delivered overnight. (Zappos, have your heard about this?)

I have yet to browse and thoroughly check out the selection. After a click or two I can tell you they offer more than 400 styles of boots.