Attention women of sj.com

Agree about Puma, I have a little addiction there, good colors and designs.

If you want something less sneakerish, Cole Haan makes great comfortable casual stuff, owned and manufactured by Nike so they feel like more like athletic shoes.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I dig some of the Pumas, but how are they on structure/comfort?

 

Never worn Puma, so I'm not much help there, but I absolutely swear by Ryka.

I blew my ankle out more than 20 years ago and still have lingering problems from it. Rykas are the only tenners that I have found that don't aggravate my foot.

 

Have you considered Sketchers? I've been meaning to try these on, but I can't tell whether they're meant to replace sneakers or basic flats.

 

And I'm back with more questions! I'm not much of a jewelry wearer, but I need to find a big, fun, colorful necklace to punch up a business-y black and white outfit.

What are your favorite stores/websites for necklaces?

 

etsy. Loads of handmade stuff of all tastes and price levels.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5338708

This a girlfriend from HS. I really like her stuff, so I'm pimping her out!

 

I second Etsy! It's THE PLACE for handmade stuff!

 

I'm always leery of buying jewelry via web...some of it looks so good in the picture, until it shows up at home looking like something from a 5-yr-old's birthday party goodie bag.

But if you know the designer or the store, you can do okay. I don't know what you want to spend or what you're looking for...I'm a huge fan of vivandingrid.com, and satyajewelry.com....I also find great things at trendy little shoe stores, places that sell accessories by artists looking to get their stuff seen. If you're anywhere in the east, I sneak into Laila Rowe for cheap stuff that sometimes looks pricey (good scarves, btw).

Some of my favorite pieces have come from street fairs...one of a kind things by starving artists. Also, ijag turned me on to ideeli, a sample sale website, which led me to find a few others....AMAZING prices on high end stuff, but you can only buy what they're selling on any given day, very random and unpredictable. But I've found some awesome stuff that way.

 

My friend used etsy for her bridesmaids' wedding jewelry. The designer sent her one example of the necklaces and bracelets. My friend wanted something changed, so the designer made the change, sent it again, and didn't charge a dime until my friend confirmed it was what she wanted.

I just realized how complicated that sounds. I'm just saying that designer was so easy to work with and completely willing to work with my friend. She made her six identical pieces and they all were beautiful!

 

Another place to look is art galleries. The ones here often have handmade jewelry from local artists in their gift shop areas.

 

That's pretty much how etsy works. They're all people just trying to make a living. I actually optioned (don't know if that's the right word) a couple pieces of art from people there. One woman bid on the chance to make me something. I sent her a picture of my couch cushion in the room the art would be hanging in, and she made me a three-piece canvas painting of a flower that perfectly matched my couch. She kept me updated, sent me photos as it came along, and I could make suggestions/requests as she worked. It was amazing.

They're all VERY easy to work with.

 

Am going shopping in a few hours for a friend's wedding present. I've promised her a wedding night basket, complete with champagne, flutes, and other stuff. I'd like to hear some suggestions for 'other stuff,' and I'm thinking some bath stuff for the honeymoon suite jacuzzi. I have 200 bucks to burn through.

Help!