Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Town Shoes

The Monday Covet List

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Another Monday, another Covet List!

(A little background: Since I’ve decided that coveting is infinitely more agreeable than reckless spending, I was thrilled to be approached by Nadia Carriere of Child Mode to participate in the Monday Covet List. Together with some of my favorite fashion and style bloggers, Nicole Feliciano of Mom Trends, Vera Sweeney of Lady and the Blog and Audrey McClelland of Mom Generations, we’ll share 3-4 covet-worthy products that we are currently lusting over.)

Of course, I’ve realized that coming up with a covet list is way too easy because I tend to covet things all the time. This week, I’ve got the following gorgeous pieces on my mind (and perhaps favourited on my browser)…

I’m making it really easy on myself this week, as ALL my #MondayCovet items happen to be, well, the same item. This week only, the PIPPA BAG by Modalu England is on sale at Town Shoes… 25% off the original price! That’s right, one of the most covet-worthy handbags – available in a variety of prints, colours and fabrics – is a quarter-off the usual cost for the entire week. Be still my heart!

Of course, if I had to pick just three styles, I am in full-on “want” mode for the following pieces:


The best part? The PIPPA BAG won’t break the bank. They’re all reasonable priced under $295, and when you factor in a cool 25% off, all of a sudden it makes sense to put a PIPPA BAG under the Christmas tree – for yourself! (And I do believe you’ve all been very good this year.) Happy shopping!

Are Flipper Feet in My Future?

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I’m filing this one under: AGING SUCKS.

And, it does the WEIRDEST things to your body.

Case in point: I’ve been a size 7 shoe for almost my entire life – certainly ever since my foot stopped growing around the age of sixteen. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my bestie – a confirmed size 7 whom I often swapped footwear with during our clubbing days (noticeably CFM* boots).

(*If you don’t know what CFM boots are, you’ll have to Google it. Sorry, I’m too old to use that kind of language.)

Anyhoo, I noticed a strange trend over the past few months – shoes that I’ve worn for YEARS suddenly felt very uncomfortable near the toes. The shoes clearly were too tight – my feet ached in protest if tried to slip them on for any length of time. Huh?

So last night, I had my husband bring up a storage box filled with old shoes – the ones I was hesitant to give away (hoping the style would recycle in the not-to-distant future). There were shoes and shoes and shoes.

And none of them fit. They were ALL too small. What.the.hell.

Exhibit A: These Barbie by David Dixon shoes were worn when I was 35 weeks pregnant. Do you know what women’s feet look like when baby-to-be is due? They’re swollen, take on manatee-like proportions and often lack a certain sex appeal.


(Of course, I’m still rocking my creepy skeletal feet, but trust me, they were quite larger than what I’m used to.)

And so when I came across the shoes last night I naturally thought, “These will fit for sure! If they fit while I was pregnant, certainly I can get into them now!”…. Yeah, not so much. Waaaay too tight.

So what gives? According to Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M., “Feet can increase in size as you get older. Your feet are not really growing, but the tendons and ligaments tend to get stretched out and this leads to a larger foot size.” Also, weight gain (perhaps from 2 pregnancies in 2 years?) can also place pressure on the feet, slowly stretching and loosening the muscles.

The result: Mama needs some new shoes!

I have decided to embrace my newly size 8 feet and look forward to re-building my shoe collection, one pair at time. To begin, let’s start by coveting these colour block looks from Town Shoes:

Have your feet changed size over the years? I’d really like to think I’m not the only one!

I Want It. I Want It. I Want It.

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As a young’un, I always had Back to School fever. Was it loneliness for my school chums? A chance to once again hit the books? Whip out those brand new HB pencils?

Hells No! It was the Back to School SHOPPING, of course!

Sadly, the last time I was enrolled in any kind of educational curriculum was back in Y2K, so my late-summer mall sprees are officially a thing of the past.. at least until the boys require backpacks and such. Bor-ing.

Yet somehow I can’t quell my spendarific instinct; every year around this time I Want I Want I Gotta Have It. Thankfully, I can just blog about the items I’m crushin’ on… and hopefully resist the urge to buy. We’ll see.

MISSONI FOR TARGET BICYCLE

Okay who am I kidding I am SO buying this. Missoni’s much-anticipated line debuts at Target next Tuesday, September 13th.

“Target is partnering with Missoni, the legendary Italian fashion house, to introduce a limited-edition collection of apparel and accessories for women, men, girls and baby, as well as home goods including bedding, dinnerware, stationery and décor. The Missoni for Target collection transforms an assortment of fashion and home pieces with colorful patterns and chic Italian style, all at affordable prices.”

Yes please! The bike is priced at $399 and I’m sure someone is taking bets on how quickly it will sell out. I’m hoping their Niagara Falls, USA location orders a few extra units for me and my girls.

Wanna sneak a peek at all 400+ looks? Head on over to Target’s Facebook page with a napkin (to catch your drool, of course).

2011 NIKE MAG (AKA Marty McFly’s Shoes)

This one’s for my husband, Michael J. Fox’s biggest fan. Although the movie depicts Marty donning self-lacing kicks in 2015, their release date was moved up a few years – for a great cause. Beginning tonight at 8:30PM PST, 1500 pairs of the 2011 Nike Mag will be auctioned on eBay’s Fashion Vault with the net proceeds going directly to The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

With hubby’s birthday coming up I’m tempted to jump in there and place a Hail Mary bid – alas, I think I’ll save my $6000 and wait for a mass market version to be released to the common folk.

EOS LIP BALM SMOOTH SPHERE

eos (Evolution of Smooth) sent me this little goody in Summer Fruit to enjoy – and now I want them all! I’ve always been curious about the oddly shaped lip balms but until recently they weren’t available in Canada. OMG they are fabulous.

 

“eos lip balm is 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil, eos keeps your lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth.”

I can’t decide between the remaining scents (lemon drop spf 15, strawberry sorbet, honeysuckle honeydew, medicated tangerine and sweet mint) so I think I’ll have to grab them all. The round little pods make me feel like a kid all over again and I love, love, love the way my lips look and feel within moments of slathering it on. Con: definitely not skinny-jean friendly. Available at Rexall and Shoppers Drug Mart in TO, or online from Well.ca for just $3.99 (plus FREE shipping in Canada!).

SAM EDELMAN “RENZO” STUDDED BOOTIES

A suburban mommy of two has no business lusting after these booties. And that’s exactly why I want them. Ultra soft kidskin suede, the perfect 0.5″ platform and a 4.5″ inch heel; or stroller-pushing proportions, as I see it. Mad sexy; may have to apply for MILF status in these babies. Available at Town Shoes for $275.

I Want It!