fav caaj boots 'n' booties

hopefully all you loyal styleruminative readers survived the holiday season without my groundbreaking fashion advice and attended many a holiday party looking caaj-cool instead of tryhard-loser. some caajKim fav boots and booties featured below, ranging from caaj-casual all the way to caaj-formal. you can never have too many winter booting options, if you ask me...(and since this is MY blog, you are, in fact, asking me). i absolutely love the golden goose boots - i actually love most golden goose styles bc they seem to perfectly embody the caaj aesthetic that many a caajKim aspires to emulate.

Brian Atwood heel boots
$538 - net-a-porter.com

Golden goose boots
$974 - shirise.com

Yves Saint Laurent leather lace up boots
$1,105 - mytheresa.com

Golden Goose leather booties
$1,090 - lagarconne.com

Alexander McQueen high heel boots
$1,075 - ssense.com

Sergio Rossi platform heel boots
$615 - couture.zappos.com

Christian Louboutin high heel boots
$995 - net-a-porter.com

Giuseppe Zanotti high heel boots
$696 - bergdorfgoodman.com

L.A.M.B. lace up boots
$190 - bluefly.com

Madewell high heel shoes
$200 - madewell.com

Vince Camuto stiletto boots
$159 - shoptheshoebox.com

Sperry Top-Sider buckle boots
$120 - bloomingdales.com

a.l.c. spring 2012 rtw - me likey

loving the looks from a.l.c.'s spring 2012 rtw collection below. who knew a.l.c. was so cutie patootie? certainly not caajK! i obvi love all the use of leather below - the pants, the shorts, the jacket - ah it's just too good! i'm also a recent fan of mint green - it looks so fresh (and really complements a nice tan if you ask me...) oh, a.l.c., i'm so lucky to have met you.

caajkim's xmas wishlist

if caajkim celebrated xmas, below would be her big annual xmas wishlist. as you can see - bags, leather, and shoes rank very high in importance in caajkim's life. i feel like if i had the below staple items, i could style around them with cheaper finds from forever21, zara, h&m, etc. and create a multitude of looks that could last me until next xmas (or so i would claim...) ahh now if only i celebrated xmas! i guess this wishlist will have to wait until my birday...

Knit top
romwe.com

All Saints genuine leather jacket
$395 - allsaints.com

Kelly Bergin pleated shorts
$430 - net-a-porter.com

MOTHER denim skinny jeans
$245 - stylebop.com

Proenza Schouler platform boots
$775 - stylebop.com

MaxMara jeweled flat
£290 - matchesfashion.com

Isabel Marant suede shoes
£390 - net-a-porter.com

Mulberry python handbag
£889 - farfetch.com

Rebecca minkoff bag
$450 - rebeccaminkoff.com

shopbop favs

i've had blogger's block the last couple of weeks, so i thought i would use my current fav shopbop looks as inspiration to get the creative juices flowing. shopbop really does produce the absolute best editorial content. every time i get on, i am inspired in twenty different directions - they will have the cutest caaj look, a luxe tailored look, a glamorous, over-the-top look - and they are all simply amazing. some current favs below.

i am LOVING the pairing of the maxi skirt with converse all-stars and a leather jacket. it makes the look sooo caaj, but still put together. as a sidenote, i wish hats were more caaj. i think they always add such a nice addition to a caaj ensemble, but i always feel a little awkwardly tryhard. it's really unfortunate bc we could do so much more with our outfits if we throw hats and headwraps into the mix. that is a creative missed opportunity, if you ask me.

okay - she looks SO hot. i am a big proponent of all black bc it ends up looking so sleek and sexy. and it's so easy to pull together and style! and added bonus - you look so long and lean in a monochromatic black getup, which is a big plus if you're under 5"5 (not that i am of course..) 

this one is definitely man-repellar, but it is just soooo glamorous and over-the-top! pairing the chambray shirt and cream crew neck sweater caajes the glitziness of the pants (yes, we are using caaj as a verb now too). this girl walking down the street would attract many "who does she think she is? what a tryhard" from many a woman and "she would be so hot if she was dressed normally" from many a man...in short, this outfit is a styling success!

what is caajKim digging right now?

some caajKim favs as of late -

1 - pink nails are my current fav. they have completely overtaken both classic red and even chic black on my list. my rec - essie fiji (thanks, caajM!). it is just the right amount of opaque to give enough color. my usual issue with pink polishes is that they are always sheer and pearly. but NOT THIS ONE..ohh nooo. this one is just perfecto and my little nail-beds rejoice!

2 - i favor wavy hair over straight these days. straight has started to feel blah instead of sleek. i am sure i will be back again on the straight train soon enough, but the look of wavy is just luring me in as of late. plus - wavy looks so touseley and caaj. some inspiration? julianne hough's hair from footloose (great flick btw, but not enough dancing in it unfortunately). there aren't enough pics of her hair from the movie floating around on the worldwide web, so you'll just have to watch the movie to see what i'm talking about. i've included one pic as a teaser below. needless to say - her long, flowy locks have convinced me to keep my hair long for a while. the LOB (what's a lob?) will just have to wait...

3 - high top sneaks. every time i wear mine, i feel so hipster, edgy, and cool. i'm not going to lie though - sometimes they make me feel kind of too boyish, but then i tell myself that it must mean that i look soooper caaj. skinny jeans, white t, leather jacket, and high top sneaks - damn, so cool.

hogan

comme des garcons 

4 - oribe supershine moisturizing cream is my latest hair obsession. it literally makes your hair feel like silk (i first wrote "makes your hair feel like butter" and realized that just sounds disgusting and hardly like a feeling you purposely want to achieve). but it makes my hair really shiny and really soft. and you really do only need to use a dime-size so i have convinced myself that the price tag is worth it because it will last a really long time (remember, my amortizing the cost of expensive things over an obscenely long time period trick? it's the best).

power clashing - yet another caaj standard

you know all of those golden rules of fashion you learned a lonnggg time ago - never wear black with brown or never wear black with navy or never wear white after labor day, etc.? well, those are no longer true. the other night, a certain birthday boy was wearing a rather cutely-styled outfit of a black collared sweater with jeans (his fiance would definitely have been proud). when caajKim complimented his look, he sheepishly admitted - "but i'm wearing a brown belt and brown shoes with a black sweater. that's not okay, is it?" IT IS! POWER CLASHING is actually the CAAJ WAY! those rules no longer apply! in my opinion, the more you break those rules, the more caaj you look. (and let's be honest - ultimately, none of the rules matter if you end up putting together a cute outfit that catches the eye of a fashionista such as myself!) some chic power clashing going on below -

so from now on - don't shy away from power clashing. navy blazer with a black skirt? do it. skinny black slacks with dark brown loafers? do it. a brown dress with black tights? guess what - do it! soon, everyone will be power clashing all over and people will look back and think - fashion rules? what rules? so be part of making history - embrace the power clash.

caajKim needs a caajCape among other fall essentials...

so with fall JUST around the corner, i began to think if there were any fall wardrobe essentials which i felt that i may be missing and i, not surprisingly, came up with a longish list -

1. cute, flat, knee-high suede boots
2. a fur vest
3. a cape
4. a red coat
5. a cute, slouchy hat
6. a soft-as-butter leather motorcycle vest
and so the list continues...

but - on 1, before my mom reads this and comments - no, mom! all those other flat boots i have are not cute enough - and plus, these ones are SUEDE. no pictures to share of these babies though - hence, the searching. i have a picture in my head of the perfect boot, but no boots i have seen to date really match up to the picture in my head..so the search continues.

on 2, i know "a fur vest" sounds aggressive, but trust me, it will look just caaj enough if styled right

on 3, ahhh "a cape"...can you imagine how cool it would sound to ask the coat check guy for your cape? "monsieur - my cape, please." i also just love how the cape looks as the topper to a skinny black pants, boots, cream turtle-neck sweater, and beanie outfit.

on 4, this is really not a fall essential, but i went to intermix yesterday and spotted the most radiant red coat and it was LOVE at first sight - trust me. i convinced myself it was just a fleeting attraction and forced myself to walk away..but i have regrets. it was just so beautiful on - and oh the fit! the picture does not do it justice...

diane von furstenberg mikhaila maxi coat, intermixonline.com

and on 5 - i am searching for this fall/winter staple every single year and i have yet to find one that is perfectly flattering with just the right amount of slouch. most of them either don't slouch at all or then they look like they are eating my head because it's just so damn slouchy.

and finally, on 6 - also at intermix, i ran into a leather vest that was just SO edgy and omg, sooo cute...i resisted its charms as well (i had particularly strong self-control this day...)

improvd moto leather vest, intermixonline.com

oh and one more add-on - i need skinny cream colored cords for the fall. i think cream is my favorite clothing color these days..right after black. that's it - for now at least..