Favorite Shops

Here are some of my favorite online places to buy shoes, clothing, socks, hats, and geeky stuff!

The Shoes

Fluevog: Start here if you're looking for amazing, beautiful, comfortable, durable Fluevog shoes. The current seasons are here, up to the last two or three seasons. After the shoes are gone from the Fluevog stores, you can consider them vintage. (See below for places to find vintage Fluevogs.) Don't forget to check the Sale and Clearance sections. If you have a question about sizing, do call or email the sales associates at the stores. They are incredibly helpful and very nice. You should definitely ask about sizing if you haven't had a chance to try on the particular shoe you're drooling over.

FlueMarket: This is a fantastic place to find vintage and non-vintage Fluevogs at great prices. It's also free to list your Fluevogs to sell. I've sold and bought through the FlueMarket. As always, be careful and thorough when buying used items. Go ahead and ask questions about the item you're interested in, and even ask for more detailed photos. Better safe than sorry.

Amazon: While I try to buy local as much as possible, Amazon is incredibly convenient (I have Prime Membership so I get fast free shipping for most things), and sometimes they offer Fluevogs at sweet discounted prices. I've found some unbelievable deals on past-season Vogs, like my cobalt/brown Fellowship: Erika oxfords (see left) and my red-hot Operetta: Zinka boots. With free shipping as well, it's a no-brainer. And of course Amazon also carries items that I need for my sewing/craft projects and healthy primal/paleo recipes.

eBay: You know about eBay, right? It's a good place to find used and/or vintage Fluevogs. Some sellers price them a little too high, but sometimes you can find amazing deals, like the deadstock (i.e., never worn, never sold) vintage Halo: Natalias that I bought for around $80. That was awesome. But I'll give the same caveat that I gave above for the FlueMarket: be careful and thorough, and ask for more details and even photos before buying.

Everything Else

BBC America Shop: The official shop for several of my favorite TV shows -- Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Downton Abbey! Along with officially-licensed paraphernalia, you can get the DVDs here, and sometimes they have FANTASTIC sales.

ModCloth: I found ModCloth sometime around April 2011 and was immediately hooked. They're an online shop that curates vintage-style clothing and shoes as well as adorable bags and items for the home. They work with many indie designers, and most of my favorite clothing items in my closet have come via ModCloth, as you can see in my outfit posts. What's really great about them is that they encourage detailed user reviews that include users' measurements, so you can make an informed choice. This can be really helpful when looking at their Sale items; I've gotten lots of things on sale that didn't look good on some body types but ended up being fantastic on me. If you decide to return or exchange, return shipping is free and easy.

eShakti: Gorgeous dresses, skirts, and cloaks that can be made to fit your exact size? What's not to love!

Goorin Brothers: I first learned about Goorin Brothers after following Fluevog (through their blog and Facebook). I love the hats they offer -- lots of very high-quality and super-stylish paperboys, cloches, fedoras, and more! Sizing can be an issue since the sizing isn't standard across all hats. You should know your measurements, of course, but if you can't drop into the store to try on the hats, you should contact them about specific hats when purchasing online. Don't forget to check out their sale hats at 50% off!

Sock Dreams: This is my go-to store for fun, great-quality socks, knee-highs, and tights. My favorite part about the online store is that they feature lots of different body types wearing the items, so you know how much the socks/tights will stretch, whether they'll look good on stockier legs, etc. The store is based in Portland, Oregon, but they offer free domestic (U.S.) shipping for every order! (You get upgraded to Priority Mail if you spend $50 or more.) Sweet deal on sweet socks. They also carry garter belts, suspenders, crinolines, and cool stuff like mini-pockets attached to garters so you can go purse-less and hold your phone/credit cards on your legs. :-)

Boden (USA portal): Some really gorgeous patterns on their clothes, and of high quality. They're expensive but you may get a good deal during sales.

Madewell

Macy's: I'm not usually a department-store gal, but now that I'm a teacher, I really appreciate the clothes I can get here, particularly the I.N.C. and AGB brands.

TeeFury: A fun site that sells tee-shirts with original fan art. The gimmick is that each shirt is only available for one day at the lowest price (and a couple of dollars more the next day; after that, the shirts are no longer available unless they were popular enough to bring back to the Available Gallery). I get an email everyday that tells me what shirt is available that day. I have to confess that I've purchased plenty of Doctor Who tees in this manner, although plenty of other fan shirts come up for sale all the time.

ThinkGeek: This one is probably familiar to longtime geeks and nerds. :-) It's where I got my TARDIS fridge and TARDIS beach towel, among other things. But if you like Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc., this is a great place to start looking for fun fan paraphernalia.

Ties.com: A new find that sells fun novelty ties that are perfect for nerdy/geeky husbands, like binary code, geometry, pi, computer keyboard, etc. And then there are the Lego cufflinks as well as adorable bow ties for little boys (and girls). I can't wait until I get another chance to get a tie for my kiddo! :-)