When a piece of fashion goes viral (especially when it involves a collaboration) everyone is like, “I need it now,” and I am no exception. Exhibit A: a pair of oxblood shooties (that’s a shoe with a side of bootie to you) designed by Flare Magazine’s Fashion Director, Elizabeth Cabral, for Aldo. I mean, what is there to say about these things? They are a-ma-zing.

As soon as they started popping up on Instagram and Twitter with news that they had hit stores, I could instantly feel beads of sweat start to form on my forehead and my heart begin to race. Were they all going to sell out in 30 seconds? What size would I be in this style? What was the nearest location that would have them? I felt like I needed eight arms to call every location while simultaneously reaching for every Aldo shoe I owned.

In reality, it came down to calling Aldo, tweeting Aldo, tweeting Flare (and Liz herself), then calling Aldo again until somebody could finally identify the shoe I was frantically looking for and put it on hold until I could get there. Just as I thought the madness had calmed down, my best friend from New York City called to say: “How do I get a pair of those Liz Cabral shooties too?”

While these shoes look good with just about anything, I particularly like them with these snakeskin pants — a recent score from the opening party of Nowhereland’s new pop-up shop location in the Burroughes Building. This is my favourite way to dress in the winter months: long, layered, warm and comfy.

The only tricky part was injecting some style into a look that is essentially made up of a human body with a pile of clothes thrown on top. It’s not always easy, but I put emphasis on each piece having a special quality about it. A snakeskin pant here, sheer chiffon dashiki there, a cool necklace from local designers, shoes by a fashion director, and voila! Chic winter style at its easiest.

What I Wore: black sweater with black chiffon layer (attached) from Ann Taylor, purple chiffon blouse from Nowhereland, snakeskin pants from Nowhereland, oxblood shooties by Flare’s Elizabeth Cabral for Aldo, necklace by Blackbird.

Get The Look: 1. Helmut Lang Blouse from Tessabit, 2. Silver Rope Necklace from Glam Net, 3. Long Sheer Blouse from OASAP, 4. Scale Print Denim from ModCloth, 5. Cable Knit Grandad Sweater from ASOS, 6. Veda Soul Shoes from Heels.

(post as seen on PostCity.com, images by Aidas Odonelis)

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