Winter – Will Bake for Shoes

Holiday
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- Outfit

Pop, Fizz, Clink!

Posted on January 3, 2017October 11, 2017by Brandy Saldana

Beige Trench Coat Banana Republic Factory Store | Treenie Metallic Bubble Dress Diane von Furstenberg (here or here) | Pop, Fizz, Clink! Bubble Over Champagne Coin Purse Kate Spade (here) | Vegas Jewels Bangle Kate Spade (here) | Champagne Silver Logan d’Orsay Heels Jimmy Choo (here) |
Hello 2017!

In an effort to better utilize the pieces in my wardrobe, I decided one of the style resolutions I’ll be incorporating this year is to wear special pieces more often. Case in point, this gold dress by Diane Von Furstenberg dress. I purchased it on +Poshmark for at a good price and have not really had a chance to wear it. It’s definitely meant to be worn for a night out on the town, but I am sure I can style it in a way to dress it down. I am excited to challenge myself this way with this and many of my other pieces waiting to be worn.

This look is another New Year’s Eve outfit option I had. It paired perfectly with my champagne glitter Jimmy Choo heels and champagne bottle Kate Spade coin purse. I kept the jewelry minimal with the Kate Spade bracelet because of the metallic fabric from the dress and statement heels. My other resolution is to list items I haven’t worn/used as I mentioned in my last post. I relisted this DVF dress in my Poshmark closet, but maybe it will make another appearance in my efforts to wear special pieces more often.

Hope your year is off to a great start! I am out exploring in Portland, Oregon and will be sharing my adventures on Instagram @willbakeforshoes. Make sure to follow me for some mouthwatering food photos.

Holiday
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- Outfit

New Year’s Eve Satin Dress

Posted on December 30, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Black Princess Coat Steve Madden (similar here) | Merlot Bandage Dress BCBGMAXAZRIA (here) | Taft Street Harriet Wristlet Kate Spade | Black Satin Heels Steve Madden (here) | Le Rouge Grenat Initi Lipstick Givenchy (here) |
Bringing out the party dresses hiding in my closet for the holidays!
This bandage dress is by BCBGMaxAzria and is, unfortunately, one I haven’t been able to really wear in the year I’ve owned it. I tend to buy party dresses because they tend to be affordable in thrift stores and I imagine an occasion will come where I will need to wear it. When the holidays come around, I tend to stick to warmer outfits, so this dress is now available in my Poshmark closet in my efforts to make room for the items I do wear.
I’ve been clearing out my closet with more force for the new year, and these heels are also listed for sale. I picked them up because of the satin material, but also because of their classic silhouette. I don’t reach for them anymore, but they will work with plenty of outfits. My playing card wristlet is a Kate Spade Surprise Sale find, and not available online anymore, but I found a similar clutch here.
I am spending my New Year’s Eve in Portland, Oregon with Armando and will be sharing all of our adventures on Instagram, so make sure to follow me. We figured the best way to end the year is to end it with an adventure, and a road trip to Portland seemed like the perfect way to do that.
If you have any recommendations of what we should do during the week we are there, let me know!
And of course, Happy New Year!

Outfit
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- Work

Tres Chic

Posted on December 23, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Red Princess Coat Steve Madden via Modcloth | Polka Dot Sweater Banana Republic Factory | Tres Chic Gold Earrings Kate Spade | Eiffel Tower Charm Bracelet Kate Spade | Bow Double Hinge Bracelet Kate Spade | Black Tulle Skirt Forever 21 | Black Patent Ulltra Heels Steve Madden (here) |
I thought by now I would have had time to put together some holiday gift guides and shared more posts about what to bake for the holidays, but I haven’t and I don’t feel too bad about it.

Lately, I have been blogging less, but I feel like I have been really treasuring moments with other people this holiday season. I have always known I don’t need to document every moment, but I’d be lying I said I didn’t have anything left to share. I have so many outfits waiting to be sorted on my laptop and I now have shorter hair, which you can’t tell in this photo with my hair in a bun.
I think for the New Year my goal is to stay motivated and to keep writing, even if it is a little bit every day. I started blogging as a hobby, a way to be creative when I returned home from a day at the office. My day job pays my bills, and while there isn’t always a creative outlet there for me every day, I enjoy the company of the people I work. It might not be my dream job, but I definitely feel like I am part of a dream team.
For today’s look, I decided to pull out my holiday red coat. It’s a nice pop of color to a black and white outfit. The skirt is no longer available from Forever 21, and I sold it on Poshmark, but I’ve linked some similar ones below. This coat made an appearance on the blog when I dressed up as Carmen San Diego, but it isn’t limited to just being a costume. It’s also sold out, but I’ve also linked similar belted red coats below that are on sale now!
I hope you have a great holiday weekend with your family!

Outfit

The Butterfly Effect

Posted on April 20, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Black Hat Express | Black Wrap Knit Sweater Diane von Furstenberg (similar here) | Dark Wash Skinny Jeans Madewell | Chiara Suede Ankle Boots Sophia Webster (here) | Grey Maise Satchel Kate Spade (similar here) | Le Rouge Carmin Escarpin 306 Lipstick Givenchy (here) |
Taxes were due!
Since I received a refund, I decided to treat myself with these Sophia Webster Chiara booties. I’ve wanted them for a couple of months and decided this was the perfect time to get them. The weather is bouncing between winter and spring, so I anticipate getting a lot of use out of them still. The detail is amazing and they are a statement all on their own. Sophia Webster is now one of my favorite shoe designers. Her shoes are whimsical and fun which is how I try to approach getting dressed every morning.
I feel a great sense of relief now that an event I was planning for work was completed last week. I had to pull some overtime and was coming home with very little energy and even less energy to get back to my computer and blog. I love getting dressed every morning, and I do feel a little bit sad when I am excited with how an outfit comes out and there isn’t a photo of it.
When I look back at my photos from when I first started blogging, I realize I didn’t just capture an outfit of the day. I captured memories. I remember what I did in a dress or how much I accomplished with a certain pair of shoes, and that seems to be missing as of late. The drop in content comes in part because trying to find a photographer on short notice is difficult and because Armando, my boyfriend and blog photographer, is focusing on work and school. School is almost over so I hope we’ll be able to resume a daily shoot. I love being able to look back and see what I wore and to remember all that has happened while wearing a specific outfit. I feel a little incomplete without some outfits being captured, but I am also trying to spread out the content that I do have. I am optimistic things will resume back to the way they were in a few months.
I hope you are having a great week! Since I didn’t share an outfit post last week I am tempted to share two this week, but we’ll see if I can live up to that!

Weekend

Cabin Fever

Posted on March 30, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Black Hooded Coat Express (similar) | Blue Flannel Button Down Express (similar) | Black and White Checkered and Houndstooth Print Blanket Scarf Express (similar) | Dark Wash Skinny Jeans Madewell (similar) | Black Rain Boots Loeffler Randall (on sale here) | Pom Grey Beanie via POPSUGAR
Back in January, Armando and I made our way to Lake Arrowhead. We mentioned to a friend that we wanted to go on a weekend getaway somewhere close to snow before the end of the month and it just so happened they owned a cabin, had it listed on AirB&B and would be restocking it and doing some maintenance and we could stay at a discount provided we helped with cleaning and some chores.
It felt like it was meant to be. The cabin was super-cute and reminded me of gingerbread house. I packed clothing I could layer just in case there was snow. I was getting over a cold, so staying warm for that reason was also important. Armando and I enjoyed waffles for breakfast at Lake Arrowhead and we drove through the mountains to get to Big Bear Lake. Along the way, we stopped to ride some inner tubes down some hills at a place called Snow Drift. Traffic to Big Bear Lake was pretty bad, so we would stop every now and then to take photos of the breathtaking scenery along the mountain road.
I wore my new plaid flannel button down from Express that I had been wearing nonstop throughout winter along with my blanket scarf and coat. I was really excited to be wearing my new Loeffler Randall boots I scored from Poshmark using funds I had from a few sales. Don’t let the gold buckles fool you, these are rain boots and have been my go-to shoes during the times it has rained in the Bay Area. I was ready to drink some hot cocoa in this outfit and walk around some fresh-fallen snow. We made it to Big Bear Lake, which was completely frozen. It was so pretty and a nice weekend escape.
Armando saw and touched snow for the first time on our drive back to the Bay Area on Sunday. I am so glad he did and hopefully we can build a snowman next time! I am really proud of how these photos came out, so I hope you liked my cabin-ready look. even though Spring has started, I want to finish sharing my Winter looks before going into dresses and floral prints. It’s still pretty chilly in SF, so until next time!

Outfit
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- Work

Classic

Posted on March 22, 2016by Brandy Saldana

Belted Trench Coat Viktor & Rolfe x H&M (similar) | Denim Button Down Banana Republic Factory Store | Statement Necklace Urban Gem via Rockbox | Black and White Checkered Blanket Scarf Express | Grey Tweed Pencil Dolce & Gabbana (here) | Viva La Gem Kate Spade | Crystal Bracelet LE TOTE | Gold Leather Wrap Bracelet and Grey Studded Leather Wrap Bracelet E. Kammeyer Accessories | Nude Campy Mary Jane Heels Manolo Blahnik | Le Rouge Brun Creatéur 103 Lipstick Givenchy | Right before Daylight Savings ended, I had Armando take a few shots after work. I am so glad the sun sets a lot later, giving us more opportunities to get an outfit shoot in after work, but I think I am not the only one who feels Day Light Savings needs to end for good.
On this day we took photos, it was grey and misty, but it feels like the perfect setting for a classic trench coat and wool pencil skirt. My trench is an eBay find from 2012 and the Dolce & Gabbana wool skirt is a Crossroads Trading Co find. The skirt is one I bought right around the time I started working in my current position. It felt like a good investment piece, but not one I ever reached for. I am glad it has finally made its debut and I fully expect to wear it again. It is a versatile piece and can easily be dressed up with a silk blouse and leather jacket for a night out.
It should come as no surprise that the shoes are my favorite part of this whole outfit. These nude Mary Jane style heels are by Manolo Blahnik and the style name is Campy. I found them on The Real Real for an amazing deal and these just might be my go to nude heels for work from now on. I had a Carrie moment when I discovered these and love the round toe over the pointed look. They are really comfortable and classic. I appreciate great shoes, and The Real Real has some pretty amazing pieces for reasonable prices.
I am almost done sharing my winter looks and am ready to transition to Spring outfits so stay tuned for that!