Vancouver Vogue: Mark's casual boots

Monday, November 20, 2017

Fall Fashion in Los Angeles

Hello from Phoenix Arizona! The bf and I are on a much-deserved vacation here right now. We started off in LA last week, and took in all the sights there before driving over to Phoenix.

I’ve been to LA a few times now, and always love visiting Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice Beach while I’m there. We took one afternoon to walk from Santa Monica to Venice Beach and back – a nice sunny walk along the water. We finished off the day on the Santa Monica pier, which is always an entertaining spot. I love stopping along the beach right before you reach the pier, where you get a great view of both the beach and the whole pier.

I ended up doing the whole walk (14,000 steps in fact!) in my new Denver Hayes Veronica Western Ankle Boots from Mark’s (seen first in this post), which held up so well. It was about an hour walk total, and even with the low heel, my feet weren’t at all sore after we got back to the hotel that evening. The cushioned sole had a lot to do with that. I was so impressed!

I honestly had a pretty hard time styling outfits for this trip. The concept of wearing fall clothes in the warm LA sun seemed like a bit of a contradiction. I certainly couldn’t wear my fall sweaters, but I also felt like full-on summer clothes weren’t appropriate either. I ended up choosing clothes in fall colours that were looser or shorter sleeved so I wouldn’t overheat. And I know LA can be pretty boho, so for our day in Santa Monica and Venice Beach, I opted to wear my new Uniqlo drape mockneck top in a rusty red colour (that I picked up from the brand new Uniqlo at Metrotown), my high waisted jeans, and my sandy-coloured ankle boots from Mark’s.

Just by chance, while we were in LA, my cousin Christine also happened to be in town, so we were lucky enough to meet up with her for a bit to catch up. I told her about my struggled to style outfits for LA, and she said that’s why she went for ‘winter whites’ for her outfit. I thought it was a perfect fit for the setting!

We spent the rest of our time in LA at Universal Studios, Downtown Disney, and of course Hollywood. It was great to see so many places I hadn’t been to in years, and see how they’ve changed (or haven’t changed).

Shirt - c/o Uniqlo at Metrotown | Jeans - Rachel Roy via Winners (similar) | Purse - Karl Lagerfeld via The Bay (similar) | Boots - c/o Mark's

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Where to Find Affordable Boots for Fall & Winter (That Are Super Comfortable)

You all know I love a good fashion find that's also affordable. But sometimes it's tricky to get a good deal that's also good quality. When I went on the hunt for a couple of good pairs of fall/winter boots that fit those requirements, I ended up somewhere unexpected: Mark's. Yes, you read that right. Mark's. The same place my dad would buy jeans from when I was a kid. Not exactly where I would have thought to find stylish women's boots! I was skeptical at first too, but trust me.

The selection of women's boots was quite good, and I actually had a pretty tough time narrowing it down to just two pairs. The styles were all relatively casual, making them a good match for styling with your everyday outfits. Even better, the prices were all really reasonable. What I noticed right away was the fit and quality of the boots, too. I usually sacrifice fit and comfort a bit if I find a pair I like the look of, but all the boots I tried on there fit so well - like they were made for my feet. I thought that was interesting, because they're obviously all different brands of shoes, but it was consistent when I tried on the different styles. And many of them had nice cushions in the soles - a luxury I'm not used to and very much appreciated!

I ended up picking out two awesome pairs of ankle boots that I figured would be able to work with a wide range of my fall/winter outfits. The first pair you'll see in the photos below is the Denver Hayes Veronica Western Ankle Boots ($79.99), and the second is the Alfred Sung Megan Heel Booties ($79.99). I figured the Denver Hayes boots would be great for my more casual outfits, while the Alfred Sungs would be better for my more "chic" outfits (see the second set of photos below for that outfit).

The Denver Hayes boots have a low heel, with that nice cushioned sole I was telling you about. My older suede ankle boots from a few years ago had absolutely no cushion to them, and had actually become pretty uncomfortable to wear, so these are an awesome upgrade. Great for walking all day. And the light beige colour goes with a huge chunk of my fall outfits.

Keep reading to see the Denver Hayes boots first, and then the Alfred Sung boots below!

I totally fell for the metal detailing on the Alfred Sung booties. They also have a nice mixed-texture design, that has a faux-snakeskin pattern on the back part of the boot. Plus, there's that elastic on the sides indicative of the 'Chelsea' style of boot. Overall, the look is really chic and modern. They seriously fit so well too!

The heel on these is even lower that the Denver Hayes', which makes them great for lots of walking. Plus, once again, there's that super cushy sole inside too. I've definitely noticed that the older I get, the more practical I get with my footwear. My high high-heels have slowly become replaced with ones like these - and I'm totally ok with that. Our personal style is constantly evolving, after all.