flashing.lights.

after a long, arduous day at work, i decided to reward myself for surviving the grind by popping into h&m for a little me time. a mustard-hued ruched velvet dress, a black crochet tunic, and a chanel-y sequin jacket were among the offerings that caught my eye and earned a pass to the fitting room. after trying on a number of embellished, sequined, and knitted items (there was also a pair of camera shy (read: tragic looking) gold metallic leggings) ultimately, the gray sequined tshirt dress was the only piece that made it to the checkout. admittedly though, i'm kind of regretting not bringing home the white and acid yellow striped boatneck.

all apparel above, h&m; shoes, steve madden

i also made a point to stop by the aldo store (hardly putting myself out, as it is one measly block away) to see the ysl knock-off boots from this post up close and personally. the fitting went like this:

sales associate: they look great, what do you think?

me (rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet): perilous.

sales associate: we have these no-skid rubber pads for the bottom of the shoe, if you'd like.

me: do you have training wheels for the sides?

point being, while they are lovely, and they are, they lack the patent shine and the exaggerated ankle width that make the trib boot all that it is. moreover, i would be insane to brave the hilly san francisco terrain in such shoes without knee pads and a helmet.

skirt (worn as dress), the limited; shoes, steve madden; belt, cardi, f21