Originally I was going to title this post "Ah, Freak Out (Les Tieks, C'est Chic)" but I think it works better as a story. (Yes I am a total geek, but it's fun to make puns!) Part of the reason I got back into fashion just now was because of Tieks, so settle in and let me tell you a little fairytale story.
Once upon a time, there was a little Princess Goldenpig who belonged to the land of You Look Fab....she was crowned Her Matchy Matchiness the Urban Warrior Princess. However, she mysteriously disappeared years ago and it seemed like it was all a dream. This is the tale of how she magically found her way back.
...harp music, turns page...
It looks like I had first posted about Tieks on YLF exactly 10 years ago, because I was coveting a pair of "oil slick" ballet flats that Tieks created as a special edition, called Arabian Nights. You could customize how colorful they were (A-E, with E being the most color variation). Somehow I didn't end up buying them because they were expensive and I was on a shopping freeze at the time, but over the years I wished I had gotten them when they were available. I seem to remember Alaskagirl was all over the oil slick look and had a pair of Stuart Weitzmann oil slick booties that I also wish I had bought. In 2019, they released a pair called Drago, inspired by the Game of Thrones dragons, with dark grey dragon scales. This time I did jump on them, and for a while these were my only pair, but they went with a lot of my wardrobe.
For the last 6-7 (haha) years I've mostly been wearing scrubs and sneakers, no need for ballet flats. But somehow a Facebook ad got me, they had made a limited edition Pink Ribbon ballet flat, pink with a little bow like a ballet shoe, with proceeds to benefit breast cancer research. It was so cute (I always wished I had been able to take ballet lessons when I was younger but never got to). It said the style was sold out, but you could get on the waitlist to get a pair. I got on the waitlist and managed to get one.
Then, they sold an advent calendar for the first time, which includes a special never before released pair, plus access to purchase prior limited edition pairs from "The Vault", and an opportunity to help create a new custom pair. Very clever marketing, but it totally sucked me in! I bought the calendar and joined the Tieks Facebook group so I could get hints about the calendar. Well, it's like YLF, but only for these Tieks shoes! The people there are super nice too. But I couldn't believe how matchy matchy these folks were! It was like I woke up in Oz in Matchy Matchy land! These people have so many pairs, sometimes up to 100 pairs (!) and each outfit they painstakingly match with the perfect color Tieks. I was like OMG this is amazing! It's so fun to look at their WIW posts!
Over the holidays Tieks came out with cashmere slippers, so I bought a pink pair to match my pink ribbon ballet flats (they are so comfy, but beware they are cashmere and suede and cannot be washed, so I'm not sure I would recommend the slippers). And I started stalking Poshmark, eBay, etc. for the E colored Arabian Nights that had gotten away and some of the other discontinued limited editions. I found a pair! They are awesome and best of all, they match my car which I had wrapped in an iridescent bluish/pinkish/purple sparkly wrap.
I also found a pair called Tahitian Pearl which reminded me of the trip we took to Rangiroa for our 25th anniversary. Another shimmery pink one called Love Potion which was a Valentine's day release. And I ended up with one called Starstruck, which is a sparkly blue pair, from someone in another Facebook group who gave it to me for cheap. So now I have six pairs plus the slippers. And at least one more on the way, maybe more, based on what they release from the vault. They are fairly comfy (I think sneakers still are more comfy, but I don't mind these flats, much better than wearing heels).
They have hinted that the upcoming calendar shoe will have rosy iridescence and is inspired by fairy dust, so I can't wait to see this Fairy Dust shoe! It's like all of my pairs are sparkly Cinderella slippers!
I posted a few WIWs myself in the Tieks group, but then I was like, well hmm, I miss YLF! I should go check out what they are doing at YLF! So that's how I ended up back here posting WIW's! And one of my New Year's resolutions was to start wearing real outfits. So here we are! Here are some outfits with each of my pairs (so far!).
1-5. Pink Ribbon. WIW to the holiday party, complete with antlers, pink cashmere, white tulle skirt, and snowflake necklace. And my Chanel purse. I call it the Ms. Tumnus look.
6-10. Soft Pink cashmere slipper. By the way, all the boxes come with a special flower or other special edition topper (5, 10).
11-13. Drago. My old Target snakeskin skirt, Target asymmetric zip top, and studded black Michael Kors bag. All oldies but goodies.
14-23. Arabian Nights. My fashion scrubs (Fabled) and matching car. Also fall floral dress with burgundy Burberry trench and bag which I wore to brunch before DD left for college.
24-35. Love Potion. WIW to a friend's birthday party. Leith cardigan, Johnny Was butterfly dress with matching Kate Spade butterfly necklace, MZ Wallace bag and old stretchy belt. Do you like the dress belted or unbelted? I think I'll try the waist surrendering look next time. My cat was very interested in my cashmere slippers...
36-45. Tahitian Pearl. WIW to shop at La Ligne. Johnny Was top (the dress and top were stuff I got from Saks with the Amex credit several years ago but didn't find until recently when I was trying to organize my closet and dug them out). I love wearing stuff with the boho tropical vacation vibe. Tahitian pearl necklace to match the Tahitian Pearl shoes. Dug out my old Dooney & Bourke mustard yellow bag, but turns out the shoes and outfit also matched my Trader Joe's shopping bag and the La Ligne shopping bag too. I love the matchiness!
46-50. Starstruck. Favorite Daughter Fair Isle sweater (I bought DD a T shirt that says "Favorite Daughter"...I can do that because she's my only daughter, so I can joke that she's my Least Favorite Daughter too, haha). I paired the Fair Isle sweater with the snowflake necklace, shoes that remind me of Northern Lights, and my old Kate Spade Polar Bear bag, complete with fuzzy tail and fish zipper pull. (KS even made a clear clutch that looked like a polar bear on an ice cube). Between the first and last outfits, I felt like an Arctic Snow Princess!
...turns page, harp music....
“Meanwhile,” said Mr. Tumnus, “it is winter in Narnia, and has been for ever so long, and we shall both catch cold if we stand here talking in the snow. Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe, how would it be if you came and have tea with me?”
After a long and arduous journey, Princess Goldenpig made it back to YLF-land and was welcomed again with open arms. And there she lived happily ever after.
---The End---
I'm a doctor and mom of three on the go go go who likes to have fun with fashion!