Outfit Post: The Shoe Skirt

• Purple Sleeveless Shirt: Banana Republic
• Navy Blue Cinch Belt: Vintage
• Quirky Shoe Skirt: Vintage Sandy Duncan Designs
• Tan And Cognac Oxford Heels: Marc Fisher
• Plastic Blue Headband: Forever 21
• Blue Hobo Bag: Old Navy

The weather this weekend was a bit moody. The sun would be beating down on you one second and then you'd be drenched in rain the next. If there was anything about the weather this weekend that was certain, it was the mugginess and that, for me, meant frizzy, banshee hair.

Mr. Old School wanted to get a massage so we went to the mall in the afternoon. I ended up wearing my quirky shoe skirt. I thought it was apt since I have been talking so much about shoes this week. At the mall, I indulged myself with a $10 dress from Sears while I was waiting for the Mister. I did not dare roam far for fear of getting within 10 feet of Forever 21 or H&M which would mean major damage, whether I liked it or not.

After our short stay at the mall, we went to Borders to check out some books. Hanging out at Borders is always fun. Besides being surrounded by awesome books, they also have cute stuff from Paperchase and I absolutely LOVE Paperchase! Their knick knacks are so cute and fun!

Since I didn't feel like cooking (turning on the stove with this weather is NOT an option), the Mister and I decided to get some Mexican take-out. While the Mister was waiting for our order to be packaged up, I got to meet 2 lovable Samoyeds outside the restaurant. Their names are Chilli and Charlie and they are both so sweet and adorable! The owner was kind enough to let me pet them and I ended up giving both dogs big hugs. If I had a big enough purse, those dogs would definitely be going home with me. Such sweethearts!

So, how was your weekend? I hope you had a lovely one, no matter how the weather was!

Affordable Fashion

"I firmly believe that fashion shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. If it did, what's the point? I reckon you would need arms and legs to wear these things, let alone put these things on, right?"

- Teresa, The Headmistress

Aldo Shoe Love!

If you're into brogues, oxfords, lace-ups, jazz or saddle shoes, DO NOT go to AldoShoes.com! I repeat, DO NOT go to AldoShoes.com! Because if you do, YOU WILL DIE! With the sheer loveliness and affordability of their shoes, YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY DIE! (In a good way, of course!)

Since I usually don't take my own advice, I clicked right on in anyway and I was right! I DIED! Look at all those loveliness waiting to be put in my awesome cyber cart that can carry boatloads of shoes without me having to push it! I absolutely could not believe it! All this time, I was searching for plain white lace-up flats and here they were all along! I didn't know that the plain white lace-up flats have lovely friends too! How can you choose, really? It's like going to the pound and having all the cute creatures give you a "take me home" look. It's hard! You just want to gather them all in your arms and try them on one by one (The shoes not the cute creatures!)

Anyway, should you decide NOT to take my advice, just make sure you sign-up in their mailing list to get a 10% off coupon code. If you spend $75 or more (With their lovely selection, this would be VERY easy), you get FREE shipping too! (I'm not helping, am I?) Hey! If you're going to do some damage to your credit card, you need all the discounts you can get!

Now, feast your eyes on these lovelies. If this isn't lace-up shoe heaven, I don't know what is!

FREE Shoe Pron Wallpaper

I realized that I have been posting A LOT about shoes lately that I feel that my blog is slowly becoming a shoe porn site. Not that it's bad or anything but I feel like I have neglected my shop updates, outfit posts, and other randomness. The shoe bug bit me and it bit me hard!

Anyway, since I've been obsessing a lot about shoes the past week, I decided to divert my energy into something creative and so I made a shoe pron wallpaper. (Prawn = Pron = porn, get it? Hehe!) They're FREE for download below. Right now, they're only available in 2 resolutions because I primarily made it for myself. I just wanted to share the silliness with all the other shoe addicts out there who might find this wallpaper amusing. Enjoy!

1280 x 1024 | 1280 x 800

NOTE: If you're interested in posting about this dandy little wallpaper in your website, I just ask that you give me proper credit and to please link back to my blog. Thank you!

___________________________________________
Images cannot be used without my written permission.
© Copyright 2010 Old School Cool (Teresa)

When it rains, it pours!

Yes, you guessed it! Another shoe post...

Remember those lovely J.Crew Camden brogues in blush pink that we will NEVER EVER have not only because it's a whopping $250 but because the blush pink color is also sold out? Well, look what I found at the Payless website...

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see an affordable Alice + Olivia alternative! I'm a HUGE J.Crew fan but since I don't have tons of cash just lying around (How I wish I did though!), I have to be smart! And Payless was definitely the way to go!

I ordered the shoes a couple of weeks ago and of course, I had the shoes delivered to the nearest location so that I can save on shipping (Remember, $6 saved on shipping is $6 that will be going to a new pair of shoes!) And today was the day. I went to the mall to pick up the pink loveliness that was waiting to go home.

Going to the mall wearing this:

Going back home wearing this:

The Alice + Olivia Payless version is very comfortable. They are also a nice pale shade of pink. The bottoms are quite different though, it being rubber but it's no biggie. I have to get used to the lace-less thing though. It kind of looks semi-naked, you know? I mean, the whole lace-up thing is what got me hooked on jazz shoes in the first place so not having laces kind of confuses my brain. I might get laces for these pink lovelies but for $24 (I used a coupon), I'm definitely not complaining!

Baby Buddha

It has been extremely hot the past few days and now it's raining. I guess this is Mother Earth's way of trying to balace everything out. Nature is awesome like that!

Well, since I can't really take photos, I decided to post some digital sunshine. Here are some more photos of my little nephew, Mattie! He is the absolute cutest! It's amazing how he can take all my worries away.

See this tummy? It has the power to make your wishes come true!
Go ahead and rub it!

You don't want to make a wish? All right then. I make a wish for myself!
I wish for cookies! Hehehe!

It's Raining Shoes!

I'm still trying to get over how awesome my 2 semi-free shoes from Forever 21 are when this lovely pair of perforated lace-ups from Nordstrom showed up. I haven't even worn the 2 lovelies that arrived the other day and here comes another one! Am I dreaming? I must be in heaven! It's official. It's raining shoes! (Hallelujah!)

There's a really interesting story about these lovely perforated lace-up shoes actually. I saw them at the Nordstrom website and I wanted them in white. Since I didn't want to pay shipping (Remember, if you're doing some damage to your credit card, try to be as gentle as possible!), I decided to call up the local Nordstrom to ask if they have it available so I can just pick it up.

A few calls and a few minutes later, the lovely Sales Associate informed me that they do not have it in white in any of their stores but they do have it in black. I stared at my monitor for a while, examining the black version. It wasn't really what I wanted but it was cute and I could always use a back-up one just in case the one I already have decides to fall apart (Knock on wood!). I gave it some thought. After all, I was in search of white ones, not black. I asked her if they were also in sale in the store since it was on sale on the website and the lovely Sales Associate said that they weren't BUT they will match the online price for me. SWEET! Not only that, she also said that she will ship it to me for free. AWESOME!

Next thing I know, there I was on the phone, putting an order for another pair of shoes. That seemingly sweet and helpful Sales Associate just got me to buy another pair of shoes! I got tricked! SNEAKY but SMOOTH! REAL SMOOTH! I give major props to that Sales Associate. Major props. *claps hands*

So, anyway, below is the lovely I bought over the phone. (Apparently, there's no place to hide from shopping!) It's amazing how they make you part with your money so easily and without much thought.

Stuff No One Told Me

Now, go check out Alex Noriega's blog, Stuff No One Told Me.

Honor Roll: Mia from Ireland

About Mia: My name is Mia and I'm an Irish student currently studying Creative Digital Media in Dublin. I really enjoy fashion, but what I like most about it would have to be the way in which it allows everyone to create their own personal style. I am continually amazed by vintage clothing for it's quality, stylishness and of course timelessness. I also enjoy photography, reading anything I get my hands on and playing music on my Decks which I should probably use more often! When I'm finished college I would like to work in Radio or behind the scenes in TV.

Old School Cool Treasure: I've bought three lovely items from your store, but one was a gift so I am going to talk about the two I have the pleasure of wearing myself.

An amazing white vintage sweater with the cutest blue ribbons and pink roses, as soon as I saw it I knew I HAD to buy it! I love the fact that I can wear it on cold rainy days and have my day brightened up, it instantly puts a smile on my face. This is such a versatile piece, I could wear it with denim shorts & tights, over a dress or skirt and with skinny jeans. I would pair it with one of my skull rings to toughen it up a bit and a pair of white patent Doc Marten's or maybe a pair of my studded boots. And of course a bow in my hair!

I love these denim dungarees, I don't wear jeans much and like to find alternatives particularly for college which involves a lot of practical work. The fact that they are shorts makes them super girly and feminine. Again, another versatile piece, it is so easy to make them look good. I would pair them with any colour lace shirt underneath, or a striped top, maybe a button up vintage blouses with peter pan collars and cable knit chunky cardigans. Classic oxford brogues look great with them & loafers for an old school cool. I'm also planning to wear my vintage baseball jacket with them once the weather gets colder!

Curious as to what Honor Roll is all about? Then read this.

Love Yourself

After buying something from Origins.com, I've automatically subscribed myself to their mailing list. I particularly enjoy getting their emails because they occassionally offer FREE facials or treatments. I find them to be a really relaxing and enjoyable break when I'm at the mall. It also gives me something to do that does not involve spending money (which, of course, is close to impossible when you're at the mall) Currently, they are offering a FREE mini facial and I would love to share the offer to you lovely ladies. Just click the image below. You can book a mini facial for you and your partner OR you can send said partner off to Brookstone for a relaxing time on one of their massage chairs. Hehe!

If you lovely ladies are into this sort of thing, I would also recommend that you join Aveda's mailing list. They also offer FREE treatments and trial samples. I love getting the samples because they are perfect for carrying around in my purse. Why bring a whole tube of hand cream when you can bring a tiny one, right? Anyway, stay pretty, everyone!

The Lovely Ones!

Two Saturdays ago, Mr. Old School and I went to check out the grand re-opening of Forever 21 at our local mall. As a treat to the first 200 customers in the store, we were given a $20 gift card each. Wow! Free shopping money! As expected, a gazillion teenagers were in attendance. We looked around for a bit and decided to spend our gift cards online. Usually, I wouldn't get out of bed early on weekends but for a chance at getting a gift card AND going to Forever 21? It was worth it!

I ended up using my gift card on a pretty dandy pair of two-toned oxfords. Such a major score since they sold out in a day! Of course, I had to pay the extra and the shipping but it's ok. Mr. Old School generously donated his gift card to my cause and I ended up getting an awesome pair of black wedge booties! Totally spectacular! Absolutely positively slick! Thank you, Mr. Old School!

A week later, look who arrived...

Now, this is happiness in a box! Hurray for semi-free shoes! :D

Shop Update: Flower Power

I've been wearing a lot of floral prints lately so for this shop update, I decided that the theme should be all about flowers. I posted some dresses, skirts, and shorts. I also posted a really fluffy and heavenly poncho. I still have a ton of floral items so there's definitely going to be another floral update some time in the future. I hope you guys love floral prints as much as I do!

Say No To Bandwagons!

Mr. Old School has been wanting me to get on this "no shopping" bandwagon for the longest time. I've tried and tried but I keep on falling off the darn thing. Hey! It's not my fault those bandwagons aren't equipped with the latest state of the art seatbelts, let alone walls to prevent you from jumping off easily like a maniac escaping an asylum! (No shopping? Now, THAT's crazy!) I mean, even if you didn't want to fall off, without said walls or seatbelts, a little bump (read: sale) could easily throw you off, right? If they intended people to stay on the darn thing, they should have added those key components, maybe even added bars or something. Needless to say, the last "no shopping" bandwagon I fell off from has left and it has left a long time ago. (I heard that some of the ladies that were on the same bandwagon fell off too, no thanks to these Fourth of July sales. Hmph!) I'm just waiting for the next bandwagon to come and I promise, sincerely promise, to try harder to stay on the darn thing next time! In the mean time, I must control (read: torture) myself.

Outfit Post: Pink Roses and Green Balls

I had to go out today to send out some packages, making it another day to dress up. Well, I really didn't have to dress up since I was already wearing the white shirt. I just had to scavenge through my closet to find something else to wear with it. After a couple of tugs and pulls, this is the outfit I managed to put together. It was warm but I just had to try on the pink Members Only Jacket I thrifted last week. It was supposed to go to the shop but after trying it on, I decided to keep it. I really should stop doing that. Happy Friday, everyone!

• Pink Members Only Jacket: Vintage American Eagle Outfitters
• White Shirt: Old Navy
• Pink Faux Snake Skin Belt: Vintage
• Floral Skirt: Vintage
• Floral Pendant: Thrifted
• Pink Satin Ballet Flats: Sam and Libby

These ball things were "dangling" from the tree where we took the photos. I actually don't know what these are but I just thought it would be funny to take a photo of some random hand (aka my hand) holding some random fuzzy balls. It's not like you get a chance to hold green fuzzy balls everyday, you know? And of course, the random hand had to hold 2. Fantastic!

Gone in 60 Seconds...