Looks for Less: Tory Burch flats

There are plenty of "looks for less" sites where they provide you with an affordable alternative to a pricey designer item or celeb look.

Two of my absolute faves are The Looks for Less and The Budget Babe.

Since there's already awesome gals providing that, I don't do it too often --
I rather send you right to the source. However, this time I'm compelled to share.

The subject: Tory Burch Eddie flats.

 Gorgeous in their simplicity, right? Totally! And, they even have memory foam. Nice feature.

Plus, I absolutely adore Tory. I love her personally as well as her looks.

get this: during a recent visit to her store in my local mall, the sweet sales gal said,
"love your eddie flats." I respond, "What, wait, excuse me?"
She totally thought my Gap City Flats were her shop's nearly $200 flats!

Umm miss, I paid $12 for these on clearance. Haha. The best, right?

Love when that happens.

Once on, these pups are remarkably identical. 

They're super comfy and clearly look just like a designer brand for a whole heck of a lot less.
I have a bronze pair (and a bright fuchsia pair!) that I wear almost daily with my skinnies.

TAGG deal tip: While City Flats are normally $39.50 (sometimes more if printed style), you can often find various colors at least half off or buy when Gap has a 40 percent off sale.
Right now, Gap has 30 percent off full-price and 15 percent off sale online, with code: GAPLOOK.
Find Gap shoes here!

 

I met Tory Burch!

I'm not sure if exclamation points are acceptable in headlines but this one deserve it. I had the wonderful (and pretty damn lucky!) opportunity to meet designer extraordinaire Tory Burch during a public appearance at the Saks at The Gardens Mall.

The story: Tory had a public appearance and knew I couldn't miss it. I learned from a twitter bff (@wpettis!) that Tory was already at Saks so I raced out of the house only to arrive to a private luncheon! What the?! How did I not know?! :( I was sad for a moment and then I hear... "Alyson!" An awesome friend-of-a-friend, Brooke, waved me in from her table near the entrance. Turns out there was an empty seat at her table, so fast forward a few minutes, I take it! I wind up with a glass of wine, some lunch, a semi-private viewing of the stunning new collection and the chance to talk to meet fabulous ladies around the table. Yay to Brooke... the TAGG hero of the day (and to a gal named Laura who decided not to show, lol)!

Now, we notice Tory has arrived, and is seated nearby. I tell those around me that I'm dying to say hi, crazy Twitter stalking her all-day (really, sad but true!) and want to introduce myself for the blog. I take another swig of white wine, muster the courage, and walk my sweet self up and said hi! To Tory. Burch!

Let me tell you ladies... she's as sweet as they say! She's soft spoken and lovely. I mentioned to her the blog, asking what she recommends to all of us for her favorite affordable place to shop. Since she said Topshop (London-based brand with just one store in NYC), I asked her for #2. Her answer? H&M. I know not all you gals have it, but it's expanding so hopefully it will make it your way soon. We got it here recently and it's the BEST.



Me giving her a TAGG business card; man, I'm a nerd. :)

I also asked her to share one item of hers worthy of investing in, and she quickly replied the Robinson Satchel.  what would it be. Her answer? The new Robinson Tote. While it is $550, I can attest that this is a classic for sure. As she said, it's a seasonless bag you'll have year after year. I do agree. I also like that her logo is dainty; not overpowering as it honestly sometimes can be. In this case, the leather takes center stage. While she's currently using the green, I recommend this gorgeous creamy brown color (that also works with black).

Other highlights: she complimented how good the black patent leather Revas look on me... AND she signed the inside of my Tory Burch wallet. So fun! Oh, with her great love of all-things-orange (which she insists has more of a pretty coral undertone that would look good for redheads), I scored myself a pair of orange chinos at H&M for $9.95. GASP. If you know me, your jaw is probably dropping but I am convinced they're pretty awesome and am going to work it! My first "orange" item EVER! Thank to Tory for the color inspiration.

I'm so happy for a successful woman who seems to have built an empire based on smarts and sweetness! May she be inspiration to us all. Much continued success.

xo
Alyson

My love of Camo... and Tory Burch

Do you gals have a crazy love for camo like I do?
I just saw these Tory Burch camo flats/slip-on sneaks in Nordstrom. At first I thought they were kind of crazy, however... they're fabulous-ness is totally wearing in. Ever have those moments? I do; takes me a little while to get used to something new. In this case it was easy.

I'm a huge Tory fan (constantly wearing her black patent leather reva flats and would die without my grey Tory wallet! Perk: she's coming the local Neiman Marcus momentarily! ahh!). Her clothes are impeccable and modern and her shoes are bold yet seasonless. Unfortunately for me, this average gal doesn't always have the budget to afford all of her lovely items. But sometimes it's worth a splurge. Check out the slip-ons I'm eyeing...

printed slip-on sneaker, $95.00

My only maybe... I dreadfully wish the detailing could instead be in purple or navy, or something not so... orange. While it is an IT colors for Spring, as a red head, I grew up never, ever wearing it. Felt like it clashed.  You won't find one lick of orange in my closet. Not one. It wasn't until I was about 23 that I wore anything pink and now? I'm obsessed. Maybe this should be my first foray into orange...?

As an aside, Tory also has these in a dark denim, but they're a little drab when you compare it to the fabulousity of these camos. Would you wear these? And, do I make the purchase?

How to wear camo: Would adore these with with either wide-leg jeans or my skinnies folded up and absolutely any color top; consider camo a neutral! (Did I mention I already have a pair of Puma lace-up camo sneaks from around 2008? Classic!).

And, if you're looking for camos with a lower price tag, check out these Keds slip-ons on sale at Zappos for just $36. Steal!