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. 🙂

Iowa Winter Essential: Rain Boots

I like to wear my sheepskin boots when the weather is dry in fall, winter and spring . When the weather is wet and filled with slushy snow, like today, forget about heels, sheepskin boots, or whatever…

“Mayday, mayday, we are going down, please send some help!”

Freezing Rain

Freezing rain

CAPTAIN SPERRY, where are you?

Sperry rain boots keep my feet dry

Ta.. ta... ta! Captain Sperry sweetheart comes to my rescue, keeping my feet dry

Hunter, Sperry & Emu

I heart my winter troop: Hunter, Sperry & Emu

Sperry Top-sider Pelican and Emu Welly Plain are furry inside, wool-lined that is. Sperry has more fitted footbeds. They provide me with equal comfort.

Emu has been working for me for two winters now and it still performs like a charm. These winter soldiers are my best hire. Pair them with skinny jeans or leggings, with Smartwool socks; they keep my feet feeling comfy and dry all day!

Hunter is my new hire that comes with a manly rubbery smell.  Although I love its rugged look, I am waiting for the smell to subside (sorry, Hunter). It has the skinniest shaft of all three boots.

If you want a little comfort in Iowa winter, do invest in some good rain boots. They will keep you happy for many slushy wet winters to come.

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Rue La La: My ooh la la

[Tuesday]

I love Ruelala.com.

Rue La La is an exclusive, invitation only shopping site where Members discover premier-brand, private sale Boutiques.

Every day there are new boutiques, each open for just a brief window of time (usually two days).

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I love discovering new brands, new products and something unexpected.

I bought this BCBG bag on NOV 16th at $149. I had an oh-la-la moment when I received this bag.

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Back View

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Close-up


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Interior

Although I wish the leather could be a little thicker, I was happy with my purchase at a great price.

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I loved the color. It was selling at Saks.com for $398 (on sale today for $277.99) on the same day (Nov 16th)!

The thing with Rue La La is the new boutiques are open at 10am CDT. So, if you are interested in certain boutiques, you better act fast. By fast, I mean you better make up your mind within 10 minutes after the boutiques are open. The prices are good (30%-80% off retail) and the Members are sharp! They are very focused and know their style.  The best styles are usually sold out within 10 minutes.

If you are 80% sure about a product, I would suggest you just buy it. You can return the item later if you change your mind. Return shipping is free and you’ll get store credit to be used towards your next purchase. Sweet!

Check it out. The membership is free, but it’s by invitation only. Here’s my invitation to you: RUE LA LA.  You’ll receive $10 for trying out Rue La La and I’ll get $10 store credit reward when you find your ooh la la items.

If you are a designer, you might want to contact them to see how they can help promoting your brand and testing your new line.

Luxe Link Purse Holder

[Friday]
It’s here! It’s here!

My Luxe Link purse holder has just been delivered.

Purse holders have been around for a while now. I can’t believe I just bought my first (certainly won’t be my last)!

Where do you put your purse when you are at a bar, restaurant, office, etc? Does your precious purse deserve the dirty floor? Is it safe to leave it there? You may prefer to hold your handbag in your lap, but seriously, that gets old pretty fast!

Sistas! You gotta get one (or five) purse holders!

There are many different purse holder brands and designs to choose from. I chose Luxe Link because the brand gives me the most confidence that their products are going to hold up longer.

My favorite is the Luxe Link Madison.

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But I couldn’t get myself to spend a WHOPPING $79 on a purse holder. >.<

So, I chose my second favorite. Let me present to you, the BLACK DIAMOND.

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Here it is! Shhhh… She is in a nice gift box.

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Oh yeah, lucky girl, that’s me.

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She is protected by a soft pouch.

Drum roll, please.

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I just got BLING-ed!

My Luxe Link purse holder is handcrafted with genuine black Swarovski crystals.

Ooooo! so LUXE!

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It’s small, lightweight and very portable, but can hold up to 9 lbs.

Let’s put it to test.

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It holds a 3 lbs bag, easily.

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A different angle.

More! More close-ups, please.

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So stylish and so glam!

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Another close-up. Love!

To see how a purse holder works, check out:
http://luxelink.com/-i-24.html

Money saving tips:

  • Google to see if there are cheaper deals out there. I got my Black Diamond from Delight.com. It’s on sale for $48.89.
  • (I know it’s still a lot of $, but I am going to use it a lot. I’ll feel so happy every time I use it.)

    delight-luxe-link

  • Search for coupons (I googled Delight.com coupons and found a 10% discount coupon. It usually takes me 2 minutes to find one if there’s one.)
  • See if Delight.com is listed under Ebates.com (I’ve earned over $220 cash back so far! Just click on the merchant links on ebates.com, that’s all you need to do.) Since Delight.com wasn’t listed on ebates.com, I didn’t earn any cash back.
  • My purchase on Delight.com was over $100, so I received free shipping. ^_^

Purse holders make great gifts. What to give a girl who has everything? Another purse holder!

Thinking Ahead

I really like my new Miss Sixy Military Trench Coat. It has this cool military design, oversized collar and faux leather piping detail. I love the navy color too!

It’s good to collect a few jackets that have classic design and will not go out of style.

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Kai, get your nose out of my butt and look at the camera, will ya?

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Keeps me warm (the dog and the coat)

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I heart my new trench coat! 🙂

The best part is I got this coat at Nordstrom fall preview sale for $109 in July.  This is called Thinking Ahead!!!

MissSixy
This coat is $168 as of today!

What a score!! I am not a cheapo. It’s up to you if you want to spend $168 (rather than $109) for something that’s in the “want” category, not “need” category. I like to think that I am more careful with my money now.   :keagree:

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