Budget Fashions: How to find shoes that won't break the bank

Ever feel like you are missing out on the best shoe trends because you can’t afford the shoes from all those designers you love soo much? Well, I don’t and it’s because I know that there are great shoes to be had without spending your rent money to get them! All it takes is a few tips and your willingness to spend a little time doing some research. Don’t think term paper research, think surfing the net and walking the malls research (difficult right?). Nothing puts more pep in my step then the look on the face of someone admiring my shoes when I tell them where I got them or how much I paid for them. So are you ready to hear my tips for how you can get that same pep in your step? Ok ok don’t beg, I will tell you!

Tip #1 Don’t rule out catalog shopping. How many of us get catalogs in the mail that we throw away every day. STOP! Don’t just throw good potential sources of footwear without so much as a glance at the shoe section. I’m not saying you are going to find shoes equal to a Louboutin in every catalog you flip through, but isn’t a few minutes of flipping worth finding one great pair of shoes (I vote yes!) Often retail catalogs have fun shoe options and they are almost always on sale or not expensive at all.

Tip #2 Step outside your fashion comfort zone. Most of us have a hand full of stores that we hit when we go shopping. Often there are stores we pass on route to our regulars and never give a second glace. The next time you are out shopping, take a detour on your way to your regular shops and step into a store that you always pass and never enter. We can often find great finds in places we least expect.

Tip #3 Fast fashion stores have shoes too! We all have a favorite one; Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, H&M, and the list goes on. But often we are so busy looking at the clothes; we ignore the final touch to that outfit we find: the shoes. I have found some great shoes in these very stores as prices so good, I could afford to get more than one pair. The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing your shoes from stores that are less expensive is to select those that don’t look cheap. Buying from “cheap” stores, doesn’t mean your purchase has to look cheap. There is no one rule for figuring those one out, you know cheap when you see it.

So I think this is enough to get you started and just to prove to you that I’m not just making this up I actually use these tips, I’m going to show you three pairs from my own shoe collection from each of these tips. Have fun trying these tips out and make sure you let me know what you find; I’m always on the hunt for new shoe finds!

Good Luck and happy shoe shopping!

Lady with sole



This is one of my catalog finds, they look just like a pair Louboutin's but didn't cost me $1600



Classic black with a little twist, got these from a little shop in a stripmall that I hadn't shopped before

These are my latest buy and I love them especially since I only paid $18 for them. They were only $34 which I would have paid but half off is always better!

Top Five Places to Buy Eco-Shoes

So now that I have helped you understand what Eco-friendly means and giving you some insight into how shoes have become a major part of Eco-fashion, lets talk about the good stuff..shoes and where to find them! As I mentioned before, going green and reducing your carbon footprint doesn't mean you have to change your entire life all in a day. It also doesn't mean you have to give up having fashionable shoes. Choosing to start with shoes is a great way to step into the Eco-friendly lifestyle without giving up your love of great shoes. What I want to share with you is five of the top Eco-friendly and fashionable shoe brands/sites you should check out. You are bound to find at least one, if not a few, shoes you love.

1.Beyond Skin - born out of the desire for gorgeous, vegan shoes, this company offers great shoes options that are both stylish and cruelty free. Find everything from cute flats to mid and high heels.

2. MooShoes.com - Also a vegan shoe brand that offers shoes for men, women and children.Their assortment offering includes t-shirts, wallets, books and other accessories in addition to their shoes.They operate with an online store as well as a brick and mortar boutique located in New York City.

3. Simpleshoes.com - Offers unique and cool designs for women, men, and kids produced from water-based soluble glues, renewable care tires, and cork. In addition to their use of unique materials, their prices are at a reasonable range of $50 to $100.

4. Olsenhaus.com - with shoe options that could rival that of many high end designers, this is a site any shoe lover must visit. With shoes made from recycled materials such as recycled TV screens. This is definitely a site that will be added to the favorites file on my computer. This shoe is definitely a favorite of mine.

5.Cri-de-Coeur.com - Self described as "Eco-luxe" this is high fashion for the Eco-friendly fashion lovers. These shoes are produced from materials such as hemp, cloth, and fake patent leather, and combined to create eye catching footwear.

What is an eco-shoe?

Eco-friendly, environmentally friendly, going green. These are all phrases that are becoming more and more common place as more Americans seek to reduce their "carbon footprint" and find ways to become nicer to our planet. So what do we mean when we say these phrases and speak of being Eco-friendly? Eco-friendly refers to goods and services, laws, and guidelines that are safe for the environment and or its natural inhabitants. These who consider themselves to be environmentally friendly are conscious of how the products and services they use will affect the world around them. They consider the impact of everything from apparel to food, and even household products. One item of apparel that is gaining momentum and becoming a large part of the fashion industry is Eco-shoes.

Shoes that are environmentally safe and good for the environment follow the same rules as all other "green" apparel; they are free of poisons and toxins that harm the environment, they are not made of materials that require the harming of animals or other endangered species, and they rely heavily on recycled and reused materials. The innovation and creativity that is being seen in today's Eco-friendly shoes is incredible. The variations and variety of shoe offerings has increased significantly over the last few years. Today, women can have environmentally-friendly shoes and not have to sacrifice being fashionable and chic. Having an awareness of the damage we are doing to the planet and doing your part to decrease the damage doesn't just apply to hippies and "tree huggers" anymore.

Today's green fashion options are making it possible to do both. There are trendy, fashionable shoe options today; from high heels to wedges, to boots and flats that are as much fashionable as they are good for the planet. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle doesn't just apply to paper and plastic anymore. In fact, it is some of these very materials that innovative shoe designers are using for their shoe creations. The new shoe options available in Eco-friendly footwear is a major contributing factor to why this segment of footwear is exploding. Shopping for shoes in this shoe segment has become much easier as more shoe brands are stepping up their efforts on shoe offerings and more brands are popping up left and right. Its so easy to find shoe options today, there is a website ready and available to meet your shoes needs at every turn on the Internet. It is much harder today to tell the green shoe from the other. Green shoes made of fake suede look just like the real thing. The moral of the story is that you don’t have to make huge changes all at once to make an impact on our planet. Small changes count too. The next time you are shopping for a great new pair of heels, just consider giving green a try.

My Story

I have loved fashion for as long as I can remember. I started flipping through fashion magazines and catalogs when that is all I could do (not that much has changed now, I still do mostly flipping). My first publication I got in the mail was the J. Crew catalog. I would flip through it and tag the pages with clothes I really liked. Soon Seventeen and Sassy followed. While my style changed as I grew, my love of fashion never did. Fast forward several years and it is time to be done with high school and head off to college. While I loved fashion, like many practical people, when it was time for me to head off to college and start my big girl life, I never even considered studying fashion; I remained practical and chose to study business. I never thought that everyday girls, like myself, got jobs in fashion; we got "normal" jobs. Fast forward four more years and I graduated from college! After graduating and not being able to find a job in marketing, which is what I studied, I took a job at an insurance company. Normal job, Yes, exciting job, NO. Taking a job in the insurance industry was somewhat of a double edged sword; it was good I had a job but as the only real work experience on my resume, it also meant I became stuck in the insurance industry, no one would give me a job outside the insurance industry. I went from one insurance company to another. Well, after a few years and many uninspired, monotonous days in my cubicle I had an unplanned change occur; my company downsized and I was laid off. While this may seem like a bad thing, it actually turned out to be a great thing. I was unhappy and wanted a change but wasn't sure how to go about making it happen. I took this time as an opportunity to get away from playing it safe and take a chance. I decided to not go back to work and go back to school instead. So I have kind of come full circle, I have made my way back to flipping through magazines, this time not just for fun but because I am a fashion student! I am so glad I decided to step out and take a chance. I am loving school, loving life and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Girls Night Out

This weekend I was reminded once again why a great pair of shoes can not only make an outfit, it can do wonders for your confidence. I have been lately working on cutting back on my shopping and extra spending. Anyone who knows me knows that this is a real challenge for me. I am almost physically unable to go into a mall and not come out with something. With a girls weekend planned to celebrate my good friend's birthday, I took this opportunity to put my quest to save money to the test. I decided I was not going to buy a new outfit, I was going to shop locally and by locally, I mean my closet. After ripping everything with potential out of my closet and trying numerous combinations, I felt good about my final choice, I settled on black shorts and an emerald green loose-fitting top which I paired with my favorite Jessica Simpson Platform sandals. I'm feeling good and I'm ready for Saturday! Fast forward to Saturday...I'm getting ready at my friends house and I think this can't be the same outfit I tried on days before, I am not feeling this at all! What happened between really feeling good about my choice on Friday and hating it on Saturday? Its looking like its not going to be a good night...but I found my silver lining when I finished getting dressed and put on the finishing piece..my shoes! I took one final look in the mirror and now I'm not seeing how much I don't like my outfit, I'm seeing how great these heels make my legs look in my shorts, how much taller I appear, and I remember why I love these shoes so much!

I'm glad I didn't let not loving my outfit put me in a bad mood and ruin my night or my friend's birthday celebration. Another reason, I'm glad is because I happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet the lady who was stepping out in these very fabulous tan and yellow heels. Odd enough of all places, I meet her in the bathroom! Weird I know, but hey, I really wanted to know where her shoes were from. I am always on the lookout for great shoes when I am out that I can feature on the blog under what I have deemed Street Sole, what everyday women you come across are wearing, and how they express themselves with their shoes. Send me pictures of your favorite shoes or fabulous shoes you see while out and about, I would love to feature them on the blog! Her shoes were from Heels.com, check out the site, they have some great shoe selections!

I know to some it may seem over the top to hear someone say, a pair of shoes can have that kind of impact on their mood, but I really believe it. When I put on a great pair of heels, not only does it make me walk a little taller, it really is a confidence booster. You might have a "fat day" where you don't like any piece of clothing in your closet and nothing seems to look good on you, but with a great pair of heels, you never have to worry about a fat day or your shoe not fitting.
So the next time you are hating everything in your closet, throw on your highest pair of heels, stand tall, and strut with confidence!



With Sole,

Bianca

Post-It Art

I came across these creations and I had to share them. Who knew post-its were good for more than scribbling down phone numbers and writing to-do lists on? Check out how these artist have found more creative ways to use post-it notes.Who knew with a few strategically placed post-its you could create real works of art. Happy 30th anniversary post-it!

Artist Rebecca Murtaugh has been using post-it notes as her
art medium for several years now. The pic above is her first art project with post-its, She covered her entire bedroom, walls and furniture include..

Who says you have to spend a lot of money to bring new energy to your living space? Check out the refrigerator ,interior designer, David Stark refurbished with post-it notes

a mantel above the fireplace designed for Metropolis Magazine's Home Exhibition by Post Typography's Bruce Willen

Another of Willen's creations. A colorful addition to a wall in a living room space

And the journey continues...

I guess I enjoyed July 4th celebration a little too much, I haven't posted in a week! But if it helps my case any, I have been thinking about blogging..I have been doing research and trying to find great new things to bring to you. My journey into blogging is just that; a journey. I want to look back over my blog and see growth: growth in my writing, my concepts, and my fashion knowledge. With this in mind, I am changing my initial concept up a little, I am not going to be so routine and predictable. Not knowing what I might come across and be inspired by is exciting for me I hope what I find will be exciting for you as well!

Please check back next week and see what I have found to blog about

With Sole,

Bianca