Dress: Anthropologie | Bag: Prada, Similar | Earrings: Baublebar [c/o] | Shoes: Luisa Via Roma [c/o] | Watch: Michele | Bracelets: Hermes, David Yurman | Necklace: Similar | Lipstick: Lilac | Sunglasses: Ray Ban
Photography by: Angie Garcia
Every year on my birthday, my mom and I splurge on a fun pair of shoes. She started the tradition on my 19th birthday and while I’m an adult now and she doesn’t foot the bill, it’s still so much fun to find a pair I’ve been dreaming about in my closet.
However, on my 21st birthday I royally screwed our tradition up. I had saved up from my PR internship and drug her out to shop right after my birthday brunch. I knew what I was getting and like any girl on a shopping mission, I was 100% convinced some other girl in a size 7 was going to steal my hot pink Valentino Rockstud flats if I got there even 5 minutes after the mall opened.
With Valentino Rockstuds you go up half a size, but at 21 I was naive and was convinced you went down a whole size. When the sales associate looked at me [a bit shocked at how quickly I knew what I wanted] I said, “Yes, I need a 6! I’m normally a 7, but you know how those Valentinos are.” She looked puzzled, questioned the size, but I was still definite about it.
I tried them on, found they were too small but thought, “Eh, I had a Bloody Mary for brunch, maybe the salt made me swell?” #what?!
They stayed small for the next 2 years. It was terrible and I got the worst blisters each time I wore them. But I couldn’t give them up because I was so in love. Finally, I sold them after Paul was pretty sure I was going to have a permanent scar on my heel. 5 years later and I learned you need to go up half a size and I have rewrote my wrong with this black pair. Much more practical, and even more chic.
I got this pair from Luisa Via Roma, an online boutique based out of Florence that sells luxury brands and has an amazing level of inventory. [I am always ranting or raving about inventory via Snapchat! haha!] So there was no race to grab the last pair! Y’all know how much I love Rockstuds because of my 1 part girly + 1 part edgy dressing rule, and I have fallen even harder now that I won’t be needed to amputate a foot because of a blister on the heel.
If you find a designer you love, don’t be afraid to stay loyal! We all have signatures and whether that might be a Saint Lauren handbag fetish or a taste for Sophia Webster heels, it is a fun way to trademark your look. I think nothing exudes more confidence than rocking what you love, and your birthday is the perfect time to invest in just that!
You’re stories are the best gal!! Too cute and love this pair you ended up with
xo Laura Leigh
http://www.LouellaReese.com
What a fun tradition! Love these shoes!
Brittany,
http://www.lawyerlookbook.com
Would you know of another pair that looks similar but not as expensive? I know you always know similar substitutes for the Rockstud heels and I’m in love with these but can’t spend too much on shoes right now!
I really love your blog and look forward to reading it every morning!!
Love this! I did the exact same thing with my first pair of Christian Louboutin’s! I saved up for months when I got my first job and went straight into their store in LA acting like I knew what I was doing. After a few mimosas, I bought a pair wayyyy to small and blamed it on the swelling as well! Thank goodness I’ve learned my lesson since then 🙂
xo,
Lauren
These are darling! Love the mother/daughter tradition.
xx Kathryn
http://www.chicandshimmer.com
Looooove the color of your Prada! & those earrings are so dreamy, swoon.
I am addicted to Rockstuds too! They are such great timeless shoes, last for a long time and ALWAYS get complements.
I would recommend trying them on in store first if possible as I have found the flats fit differently than the caged flats which fit differently than the caged kitten heels which fit differently than the caged heel! For me I need different sized Rockstud depending on the shoe design. In one style I am a 6.5, another I am a 7 and another I am 7.5!
Love your birthday shoe tradition, you gotta treat yourself! Thanks for the tip on sizing up, I would’ve never of known that for that brand.
stay styled,
Lindsey
IG: stay_styled
BLOG: http://staystyledblog.com/
The best tradition possible! I love staying loyal to brands you love…it just makes getting a piece so much more special. XO
@stylemelauren
http://www.stylemelauren.com
LOL! This is how I feel about my Louboutin’s. I wanted a specific color SO bad, that I convinced myself to get a size that didn’t fit that well. However, I LOVE them. The things we do when it comes to shoe! haha <3
BlondieInTheCity.com
I love this idea!!
I also love your thought about having one signature brand, I never thought about that!!!
Such a great story!!!
xoxo
Brooke | InaWorldofBees,There’sMe
Hey Katey! How old are you?(: