Driving Shoes and Hoop Earrings

Words cannot describe how happy I am that Christmas is finally over. Nothing is as over as Christmas. 

I will say that my family and friends are so generous, and I do love giving gifts as well. This year considering I am writing this blog about Nina Garcia's "The One Hundred" I definitely had a list of items I wanted, and ideas how to use any money I received as a gift. 

#28. Driving Shoe 

I asked my husband, Mike, for a pair of metallic driving shoes. 

Here is a little information from Nina;

"Also called the car shoe, it is a light shoe with its roots in the loafer. The car shoe is differentiated by the tiny rubber gussets on the soles, which were intended for traction when driving."

She describes how the driving shoe was originally worn by men on the way to black tie affairs before changing into a dress shoe. Such a concept! Nina also suggests Tod's which is an Italian company known for their driving shoes. 

Nina encourages one to buy the driving shoe in a fun color, keeping the hardware to a minimum, and stepping outside the box with prints. So many possibilities! I have always been a big fan of Sperry Top Siders, who are known for their boating shoe, but I feel as though my petite frame cannot accommodate such a shoe. They always look too thick on my feet, like I am trying to compensate for my height. But a sleek driving shoe?! Why had I not thought of this before?

The pair I asked Santa (Mike) to bring me is the pair seen here:

Sperry Top Sider Driving Shoe

I've been playing around with different ways to wear these. So far my favorite is with the white pants, and a fun preppy top. Examples include: Cashmere sweater, polo shirt, striped boat neck shirt. 

 Under different lighting these shoes either look gold or silver, which I love. 

They are extremely comfortable and can be worn with almost any casual outfit. I would definitely recommend them with pants, maybe not skirts or dresses but who knows. With the right accessories I'm sure you could make it work! 

# 39. Hoop Earrings

Nina keeps her advice about hoop earrings short and sweet. "They can be bought at any price point and in an array of styles and sizes. But stick with silver or gold. In general, the thinner, the better." 

She also advises to stick to hoops that are in proportion with your face, hair and neckline. Again as a shorter person this can be challenging. Big hoops would probably end up looking silly on me. You know what they say, "The bigger the hoop..." Just kidding. Kind of. 

After some research and hunting I came across a pair of Michael Kors thin silver hoops. (This man can do no wrong I tell you!) And instantly these were on my Christmas list. A link to the earrings here

My dear friends April and Nelson were kind enough to give them to me as a present! So awesome! Here is an up close photo of the jewelry. 

They are thin and delicate, dainty and perfect! 

Here is a photo of the entire outfit.  

Easy white pants, a boat neck striped shirt, driving shoes, and hoop earrings. 

Today's post is shorter than usual but I am getting back into the game after the holidays. Learning how to use all of my photo equipment- great things are happening. 

Your blushing beauty, 

Miss Ally Jean