To get the fun kicked off (oh what a phrase for my brain to pick now!) I have a review of the lovely Marquee Gemmed Heels by Miss L Fire, marked down just last week, and an online only offering at Anthro. The lovely golden color is exclusive to Anthro, but Miss L Fire does offer brown, black, red, and blue in this shoe, which is called the Gabrielle. I've found it at some other US online retailers some time ago but have lost all my links :(
Anyway, back to these golden lovelies. I have my concerns about them, that is to be sure. The gems do not seem all that secure which makes them seem rather delicate, and personally, I'm a bit rough on my shoes just in general, but damn, I think I'll live with missing gems if it comes to that. I love how they look on my feet- they have a lovely shape and the bow is just perfectly...perky? The gold is deeper than it appears in many of my photos, and deeper than it seems online. Which is more versatile imo. The gems are lovely topaz colored- and as a November birthday girl, that appeals to me A LOT. The suede is thick and sturdy. The footpad is nice and padded. They do seem to run narrow as my foot was actually cupped well, which usually does not at all happen in pump styles, especially around the heel. (I have terribly narrow heels but I'm not as narrow in the toe area, so I can't order narrow shoes. I can sometimes order down in size). Speaking of size, they do seem to run a tiny bit small, but not too much- sort of standard to European sizing. I'm a size nine- sometimes a 8.5 particularly in pumps. These are a 40 and they are the tiniest bit snug across my left toe (my larger foot). I think they'll stretch that tiniest bit as shoes usually do for that amount of snugness for me. ( I have more problems if I go too big than too small, just from past experiences).
Parade of Photos:
