I harbor a pretty intense obsession with rain boots, or “wellies”. This is probably due to the fact that it NEVER rains in Southern California, and of course, the grass is always greener. I own a perfectly chic pair of J. Crew rain boots that I purchased a couple of years ago and I STILL haven’t had the chance to wear them. Not once. Are you feeling sorry for me yet? No?

However, I bet that it rains in your location (hell, it probably snows/sleets/sloshes) and I would love nothing more than to share my favorite rain boots with you.

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Last time I checked in, I had painstakingly chosen eight pieces from my closet. Did any of you try to edit your own personal closet? It takes some seriously careful thought!

I pinpointed these pieces as my basics (Step 3), and then made a list of what was missing (Step 4). For me, I didn’t feel like I was missing any crucial pieces of clothing, but I did want to invest in some new accessories to spice up these separates for the upcoming season. Luckily, J. Crew was in the midst of a final sale, and I found some great deals on necklaces. I might have gone overboard. Please forgive me. (But they were REALLY GOOD DEALS.)

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Ask and you shall receive, my friends.

This particular task ended up being quite more arduous than I previously imagined. Trust me, I had no problems finding beautiful boots beckoning my name, but unique, high-quality boots under $100? Let’s just say they aren’t falling from the sky over here.

However, after spending hours burning my retinas, I think I’ve secured a few gems here and there. I tried to include several different styles, from knee-length all the way to ankle boots (booties), which are the hottest trend in boots for fall.

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Cute shoes! Everywhere I look!

Flats, boots, pumps and wedges in every color under the sun! Rich, autumnal suedes and leathers. Snakeskins. Patents. Wooden stacked heels. I’m telling you, it’s enough to make me weep with joy.

However, those happy tears quickly morph into a mild myocardial infarction when I look at the damn price tags on most pairs. WHY, RETAILERS? WHHYYYYYY?

Lucky for you, I’ve made it my mission this week to find some of the most attractive, unique and colorful shoes for under $60.

Drumroll, please.

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With Fall rapidly approaching, we’ll be breaking out the layers in no time. Believe you me, an effective use of layers can take an otherwise bland outfit to new heights of fashionista territory.

Lucky magazine recently included a layering feature in their Fall Fashion Guide entitled, “Getting Layers Right”. One of the things I love about Lucky magazine is their ability to create cool, new outfits by mixing unexpected shapes. However, as a work-at-home mother, sometimes the look is a little out of my comfort zone and/or paycheck.

(Can I get an AMEN?)

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I was recently telling my neighbor about my whole socks-are-against-my-religion thing (on a day when the temperature dropped I swear to you TEN DEGREES while we stood in her driveway) and she was coming up with all sorts of great solutions for me (because I was wearing a dress and no tights and was moaning about how COLD I was) (although in my defense the temperature went from the low 60s to the low 30s in about three hours that day so bare legs were SORT OF appropriate, for a little while at least).

Where was I? Oh right — what to wear if you don’t want to wear socks.

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A ridiculously long time ago, I had the following lovely email from Kristen:

I’m 30 years old with 4 yo boy/girl twins. I stayed home with them until they started preschool in August of last year. Now I have a flexible job where I work the same hours that they’re in school. My job is really casual i.e. jeans and sweaters are just fine. When I wore slacks, white blouse and a sweater vest one day, my boss wanted to know if I had an interview somewhere! I’m at a community development not-for-profit organization so I generally work/meet with people in similar offices and dress codes. Personally, I would prefer to spruce up a little more, but am met with comments *all day long* when I do so I just tone it down: dark jeans, button-down, thin knit sweater and a pretty necklace.

I recently bought a lovely pair of dark olive green driving mocs. They have a bit of sheen to them although I wouldn’t exactly say they’re patent. They have the treads on the bottom which lends a more casual feel. When I bought them, I envisioned wearing them with everything: khakis, jeans, etc. My problem? SOCKS! Color? Texture? I’m really sad because I haven’t worn my shoes at all yet. Trouser socks seem too insubstantial and slippery, but I don’t know about cotton crew socks. Both brown and black socks just look wrong to me with the beautiful green color.

Kristen, I hope those shoes haven’t been sitting the closet all this time, because they sound fantastic.

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We’ve talked about suits and what to wear under them, but what about your feet? When you’re going to a job interview, you want to be sure that from head to toe, you look professional and capable, which means that you want to choose shoes that are the right heel height and style for your suit AND are appropriate for the office and the job.

A couple of general guidelines: interview shoes should not be too sexy, nor should they be too flashy. Toe cleavage and fabulous embellishment are both completely appropriate in a work shoe, but not in an interview shoe. The idea is not to draw attention to your shoes but to create an overall impression of competence and professionalism. For this reason, your shoes should be clean and polished; this is a good time to take are of any repairs that you have been putting off, like new soles or heels or a good cleaning.

Beyond that, you have four basic choices; go with the one that fits both your style and the office’s style, and that works best with your interview suit.

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Crist has a question about shoes:

I need some knock-about shoes. For lack of a better description, I need some stylish tennis shoes that are sleek and more streamlined than the shoes I work out in. I see cute pairs on many a girl, but have never actually found any I’ve desired to even try on.

The other morning my kids and I were talking about shoes at the breakfast table (what, you don’t have conversations about footwear with your children during the Most Important Meal of the Day?) and my five-year-old asked why I did not own any tennis shoes. And I said that of COURSE I did, and he said, “No, those are not tennis shoes; you cannot play basketball in those.”

Point taken.

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SoftwareMom has a question.

You’ve addressed open-toes shoes in the workplace, and we all know your position on flip-flops, but I’ve been wondering about slingbacks and mules. Are they ok in a casual, jeans-wearing office? If so, how dressy can you go before they become a no-no? What if the mules are worn with socks?

Oooh good question!

Caligarius Durante slingbacks, Zappos, $208.75

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