Fluevog Visit with Friends

I went on a Fluevog run over the weekend with two of my favorite women on the planet. MP and E joined me on my visit to the L.A. store, where we hung out with amazing Fluevog "dealers" Kate and Anthony for a couple of shoegasmic hours. This was big for the three of us, because it was the first time we'd been able to go out together sans kids in a very long time. Even dealing with L.A. traffic and parking couldn't undermine our excitement. You don't know how much it takes to schedule an outing like this! Finding reliable and inexpensive (i.e., free family!) care for our kids is a big headache. But it happened and it was SO WORTH IT. We had a blast. After Fluevogs, we went down the street on Melrose to a delicious Asian fusion restaurant called Pingtung, then we hit Koreatown for some seriously-good boba tea before going home. Aside from the driving and parking, it was heavenly -- but luck was on our side even for the parking! Such a fun afternoon/night.

On me (right): Top: Ellison Ellison Ellison via ModCloth | Jumper: Ezra via ModCloth | Tights: Worthington | Shoes: Fluevog Guide (exact)

So what's funny about our outfits is that the other ladies are wearing my clothes -- or, rather, their clothes now. I was incredibly happy to be able to find new loving homes for many of my garments. For a long time, I'd been meaning to go through the jungle of my closet and ruthlessly thin out my collection. It was shameful to me how many clothes I'd hoarded. Clothes that simply don't look good on my body shape. Clothes that don't fit well and never will. Clothes that do fit but will rarely if ever see the light of day again because they're not really my style (anymore). Our outing gave me the impetus to finally go through my closet. We found an afternoon when we could all hang out together (with kids, of course) so the two ladies could try on the clothes and see which ones they'd want to keep.

MP is wearing a dress that you may remember from almost two years ago, and it looks so much better on her!! And E is wearing a top that I fell in love with -- it's delicate and lovely and feels wonderful on your skin -- but that I've NEVER worn. It was on my "What to Wear this Summer" list and I tried, I really did, but it just didn't work. Given the shape of my shoulders and upper arms, the top made me look like a balloon, especially since it's shapeless at the waist. On her, though? Wow. And with that gorgeous princess hair, so many guys kept eyeing her as we drove and walked in L.A.! It made me and MP giggle because it was so awesome. It's like, when a dear friend you love finally feels as beautiful as she really is, it is a wonder to witness it.

Slightly different poses

A fun candid

I couldn't figure out which shoes to wear with the outfit. Below were the two finalists. What do you think? Did I choose the right one?

With the Fluevog Giulias (exact)

With the Fluevog Guides

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Our Time at the Melrose Store

This was the first time E had visited Fluevog or tried on their shoes. She'd seen my collection over the years, of course, and loved the shoes, but she wasn't ready to try them on until this fall. Until she was happy with the results of her healthier eating and regular workouts, she didn't want to buy any new clothes or shoes. The plan was to lose all the excess weight she'd gained from having three kids, and woohoo she did it! She looks amazing. MP and I demanded that she leave her beautiful long hair down for this excursion, and you can see why. :-)

I actually wasn't sure if E would buy anything, but I knew that she was looking for boots -- she'd never owned boots before -- so she concentrated on those. But MP and I made sure that she tried on several other non-boot pairs as well. She ended up getting a pair of boots AND maryjanes!

Wearing her new boots, the gorgeous Discovery from the Daily Miracles family (exact on sweet sale!). The leather is like butter. And check out the stock photo of the back of the boots, with the cool accent on the back. Unique and beautiful!

I'll have more photos of what we tried on in a later post with my usual reviews, but below were some of the outtakes.

SUPER CUTE: Modvog | Jen. Currently 30% off at Amazon. These run a little small, not quite half a size so you might get away with your regular size. Also note that the leather is stiff so it will take some time to break them in.

CLASSIC AND RUGGED: Radio | BBC

TARDIS BLUE: Baroque | Rubens (I took mine home when we visited!!)

STYLE AND COMFORT: Hopeful | Divine. Black colorway currently 30% off at Amazon. These run half a size short; I'd get the size 6 for my 5.5 feet.

M loved taking candid shots with my phone. :-)

There was some dancing with silver shoes. SURPRISINGLY FUN: Fortitude | Luther. Currently 30% off at Amazon. These run 1 full size to 1.5 sizes small, so go up!

Such a fun outing! Thanks a BUNCH to Kate and Anthony for making our visit so fantastic. Love them!!

xo, Gladys