It's a gorgeous day today. My fellow instructors have been noticing increasing student absences the past week and a half or so, although Spring Break was officially two weeks ago. The weather is warming up fast and it's especially super here by the coast.
I'm pretty devastated that I am unable to snag the hilarious Daily 10 video of Queen Elizabeth's gifts in addition to the iPod that President Obama recently gave her: White Ray-Bans, a Blackberry, Ed Hardy t-shirt, and a spray tan (super-orange, too).
So, this right here to the right is a pic of the proverbial "elf shoes" by Blowfish Malibu. These shoes are in either the "love" or "loathe" category, I guess, and I LOVEEEE them. I have two pair, and in fact, I bought a second pair purposely to replace the originals. They are the cutest, most comfortable sandals ever. They aren't making black suede right now, but the new silver ones look really nice.
Meredith was teasing me about these and calling them "elf shoes" (due to the enclosed heel, I think) when I first got them last spring, or maybe over the winter, then started wearing in the spring. I got them off-price (of course), and guess what? I have never had a pair of shoes where so many people asked me where I got them, who made them, and how to find them for themselves. So ha, ha, Bal. Elf shoes it is.
Elf shoes? Maybe that is no accident, because this is the Blowfish Hobbit Sneaker.
It's pretty hard to find comfortable, feminine, not-wanking stupid looking flats, but almost everything Blowfish makes is super-cute, well-made and ultra-comfortable. I've walked miles and miles in those "elf shoes" and while they're getting a little worn (pair One), I've never had another pair of flat sandals that was holding up so well and staying comfortable.
Now as to these flats and different options for comfort and style, most of the booties (including an open-toed leather one I can't wait to find) and the sandals look great with Bermuda shorts, which are out in-force this season (actually, last fall, if you follow the way this stuff works).
Bermuda shorts never look good too tight, but they look fantastic when properly fitted. From Ms. Fashion here - avoid the extremely bright-colored plaids, which will put you in Uncle Norm Pant territory. I hesitate to expose eyes to this, but indeed, the humiliating product is still available and I am positive, this is today's version of the Exact Uncle Norm Pant.
Yes - straight from Brooks Brothers. I know it's hard to believe, but this trouserosity is, in a certain way, a "fashion classic."
The famous Uncle Norm story goes this way: my Uncle Norm, who I adored/adore and always will, was a brilliant physician who had a little bit in common with "House". He had a puckish sense of humor, and as a young girl/teen, I had no clue when he was joshing and he could go for hours with his little extended pranks or "Q & A" session. The best of these was his 3-hour extended visit with the two young Mormon gentlemen in the back yard, by the end of which they were running out of the house, jumping on their bicycles, and speeding off, never to darken that neighborhood again for fear of being trapped for another afternoon with Dr. Hodgson.
I was on the receiving end when, on a visit to Redlands, somehow I ended up spending the mid-day with Uncle Norm and he decided he wanted to stroll up and down excruciatingly slowly on every street in downtown Redlands, stopping frequently and going "hrmn. Hmmnn!" and asking rapid-fire, staccato Norm questions. And he was wearing THOSE PANTS. At age 13, I was no match, and I remember the terror that everyone was laughing at me because of THOSE PANTS as clearly today as all those years ago.
To this day, you will not catch me dead in madras, and - patchwork? I feel that is best left to clowns, dolls - and Uncle Norm.
