The Comme il Faut Experience

“No woman needs more than one pair of shoes.
But when it comes to shoes and women, the word need doesn’t make any sense.”
~ Alicia Muñiz

Alicia Muñiz: Shoe collector, designer and founder of Comme il Faut the house that changed the design concept of women’s shoes for tango and Buenos Aires nightlife.

Yes, it’s time talk about Comme il Faut and it deserves a post on its own.

Comme il Faut means “the right way”, “as must be”.

What’s Comme il Faut in the tango world? It’s basically the Jimmy Choo in tango shoes.

Would Comme il Faut make you a better dancer? OF COURSE! :p

When you dance tango, people are looking at your legs and feet. A pair of beautiful tango shoes enhances the visual aspect of a tango dance.

Tango shoes should be comfortable, has strong heels for good balance and slippery sole (usually made in leather or suede).

I looked hi and low for Comme il Faut shoes while I was in U.S., and couldn’t find a retailer that carries it. Some online stores carry a few pairs, but it’s only one size per style.

Comme il Faut (http://www.commeilfaut.com.ar) shoes are very exclusive. They never publish the photos of their shoes.

I know sometimes it might seem a bit shallow to talk about shoes and clothes, but a pair of well-made shoes is indeed a work of art.

Enough talking. Let’s go.

Oooooo… look at this. A court-yard leading to Comme il Faut store. My heart started to beat faster.

After climbing a fleet of stairs, I reached at the front door of Comme il Faut.

Comme il Faut door

I know, this looks like a regular door. But trust me, there’s a world of shoes inside.


The whole room is a fitting room. There were no shoes been displayed.

I told the assistants my shoe size, the color and the heel height that I like, and they brought a few boxes of shoes from behind the curtain.

Waiting for the assistants to bring me my shoes.

The store was closing in 10 minutes. My friend Lujan and Birgit were focused on helping me finding my dream shoes. So, no photos on me trying the shoes. And of course, they were both busy checking out the shoes …

The assistants were really helpful and they gave me good advice.

Due to time constraints (thank God), I managed to pick up ONLY two pairs.

What was the price? It’s quite reasonable (not Jimmy Choo price). In U.S., it usually costs around $200 for one pair. I got it for $150 and you’ll get 30 pesos discount if you pay by cash.

While the assistant wrapping up my shoes, my brain was hit by high dose of endorphin that I couldn’t help being a little goofy. No, tango hasn’t made me into a woman yet.

Got the shoes! We were supposed to show a bitchy aristocratic look, but Lujan totally failed the challenge.

Note: If you need company to go buy tango shoes, you can contact Lujan at info@badesigntour.com.ar. XOXOXO for all the help.

Ok. Back to the shoes.

Irresistible black and white. The color combination is quite unusual. Leather insole.

Side view. Pencil thin heels. The heels are not so high. Believe me, I am not high heel material.


The back is the showstopper. Made in leather.


After one night of happy tango abuse. I pivoted much better in these shoes and felt like a million bucks. I wore these shoes whole night and my feet felt fine.


Classic black and red. Made in suede. The design is very elegant.
Some dancers don’t like open toe design because sometimes your toes get stepped on by other dancers.



I especially like the red at the bottom of the heel.


Leather sole

Each pair of shoes comes with a shoe bag that has two open ends and the middle part is sewn shut (to avoid shoes touching each other).


Put Comme il Faut shoes in the sling bag, and I’m ready for a night of tango.

Contact Info:
Arenales 1239 door 3 apt. M
Rues des Artisans
C.P. C1061AAK
Buenos Aires

Be careful, Comme il Faut is an addiction. 🙂

Nails. Oh, nails.

My last manicure was four months ago. My nails and fingers were pretty banged up from house renovation, packing and moving. So, I thought my fingers (and toes) deserve some tender loving care.

Amy was so sweet to walk me to a nail salon nearby.

On the way, she told me about the history of the neighborhood and pointed out the places that she likes to buy her groceries. Homemade marmalade by nuns from a local church, croissants from a french bakery, empanadas (pie) from a local eatery, etc.

5 minutes later, we reached Anush salon. It’s a very basic salon. I think only locals would come here. I’m not picky and don’t usually judge a book from its cover.

Amy: “Do you know your way home?”

Me:”Yes, just go straight from here for a few blocks.”

Amy (gasps):”No, you have to turn left at the next block. And you are taking my cellphone with you next time you go out.”

How sweet!

I really don’t have poor sense of direction. I should blame it on Amy’s interesting stories during the walk.

I looked around the salon, most customers were getting their hair straightened. There was this chemical that they used in the hair that made my eyes watery.

While waiting, a lady must thought I was a local (how?) and asked me, “Ora?”

Me: “Huh?”

Anonymous Lady: “Ora? Ora?”

I must had a “I’m lost or I’m not a clock” kind of facial expression that she turned to a different person and asked the same question.

Ora means time in Spanish. 🙂

Anyway, even though I don’t understand Spanish, I enjoyed watching the locals interact with each other. They laughed a lot and hugged a lot. 🙂

Personally I didn’t think it was professional for my nail technician to leave a customer (me) and went to hug a friend who had brought her a cake, but I just smiled.

She later joked with me and pulled out a lime green nail polish and pointed at my toes. 🙂 Funny girl.

Tata! All done. I chose red for a touch of passion.

Anush Salon is a pretty basic salon, but I was happy with my nails.

Cost of manicure and pedicure: 80 pesos

OPI Spring Toes

My feet are rather manly. I’ve been told that I have “labor feet”. They are square and have dry, chapped heels.

Today, I decided to give my ugly feet a makeover at home. 🙂

I love the hot pink “You’re A Pisa Work” nail polish by OPI. What a fun color for spring. It really dresses up my toes and makes me feel feminine. What’s your favorite nail color?

spring toes

Spring toes (OPI "You're A Pisa Work")

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iPAD MAC Address + Netgear Router Setup

How to find iPad MAC address:

1) iPAD Home screen > Settings > General > About

2) Scroll down > Wi-FI Address and Bluetooth

3) The “Wi-Fi Address” setting is your iPad MAC address.

Netgear Router Set Up

1) Access http://www.routerlogin.com/start.htm

2) Select Advanced > Wireless Settings > Setup Access List

3) Click on “Add” button

4) Enter device name (any meaningful name), MAC Address

5) There’s no need to restart the router

Now, go back to your IPAd’s wireless setting and tap the network name to connect! 🙂

Enjoy!

Hot Pot

Hot pot (or steamboat) meals are one of my favorites.

Hot pot is basically a simmearing pot of stock placed at the center of dining table. Plates of raw ingredients such as beef slices, shrimps, bacon, tofu, eggs, mushrooms, noodles, etc are prepared in advance.

A hot pot dinner party is really easy to organize. Guests can bring their favorite food to cook. You just have to prepare the stock. It’s hard to mess up. 🙂

Friends and family come together and sit around the table. Everyone can place their choice of ingredients into the pot, and have fun. The dinner setting is casual and the dinner usually lasts for hours. It’s an awesome way to bond with family and friends.

I especially love to have hot pots in winter. 🙂 Imagine enjoying a big pot of soup, with fresh ingredients, on a cold snowy day; ohhhh… that sounds perfect to me.

An electric hot pot (less than $40) works well for me. I might even get an extra one so that I can have two pots going at the same time (one pot for my vegetarian friends).

In Asia, there are many restaurants offer hot pots in buffet style. You pay a flat fee, and you get your choice of stock in a hot pot, then you can pick whatever raw ingredients you like from the fridge. Isn’t it fun?

Server adding stock of your choice to the pot (Nagomi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Server adding stock of your choice to the pot (Nagomi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)


Cook your own meal!

Cook your own meal!


My sister and my niece (hot pot cooking lesson for kids? :))

My sister and my niece (hot pot cooking lesson for kids? :))


Happy days

Happy days

Outdoor hot pot with my family (Kuching, Malaysia)

Outdoor hot pot with my family (Kuching, Malaysia)


Hot pot dinner with Sharan

Hot pot dinner with Sharan


Cook it away

Cook it away


A pot of yumminess

A pot of yumminess